How suitable is Carrera Subway 8 18" Hybrid Bike for conversion?

[PJM]

Halfords currently have the Carrera Subway 8 18" Hybrid Bike with the Shimano Alfine 8 Speed hub for £319.99. How suitable would this be to convert to an e-bike and what Kits would you guys recommend.

 

[Cyclezee]

Hi PJM,

As the Subway has an Alfine rear hub, I would imagine you are thinking of a front wheel motor. An eZee 26" front wheel kit with the battery mounted on a City or MTB type rear carrier would fulfil your requirements.

 

[overlander]

I used to have the model with the nexus hub and it was fantastic except i used to get sore shoulders. The bike was basically too small for me i bought it in the sale as it was very cheap think it was about £150. I normally ride a 25" frame so 20" was a ridiculous buy. But the bike was rattle free and the build quality was fantastic. I too have thought that the sealed gears would make a fantastic commuter bike to put a motor on.

 

[kitchenman]

Halfords currently have the Carrera Subway 8 18" Hybrid Bike with the Shimano Alfine 8 Speed hub for £319.99. How suitable would this be to convert to an e-bike and what Kits would you guys recommend.

Has it got disk brakes? Whats your rough budget? What is your route and milage requirement?

 

[Mr A]

I've just converted a Carrera Vulcan with no major proplems.

 

[Cyclezee]

I also converted a disc braked Carrera Vulcan using a BionX rear wheel kit, but there is no BionX front wheel kit, so it is not suitable for a Subway with hub gears. The BionX kit is very expensive with a battery costing more than a complete eZee kit

 

[PJM]

I am exploring all bases. I am looking for quality v VFM. Trouble is I have bought the 'value' item before and ended up being not satisfied and ended up going back and paying for the best. I do believe you only get what you pay for. The use of the bike is basically to get fitter. I plan to ride to and from my golf club. It is only a short jorney of just over 6 miles but it has killer hills at both ends. I have read the reviews of the Tonaro Bighit and it would seem to fit ythe bill. However the spec of the bike is not in the same area as the Kalkhoff's or Haibike. I then saw the offers on the Carerra range at Halfords and this week they have a further 20% off their sale prices. The spec of the subway seemed very good and if I fitted a ezee or one of Frank's kits I would end up with a high spec bike for same budget as the Bighit. The spec of the Subway is:

Shimano Alfine 8 speed hub gearing
Alloy Rims: Yes
Chainset: Truvativ 5D
Forks: Chromoly fork
Frame: Lightweight 7005 aluminium
Frame Material: Lightweight 7005 aluminium
Front Brake: Shimano BRM-486 hydraulic disc brake 180mm rotor
Gear Shifters: Shimano SL-S500
Handle Bars: Kalloy low rise alloy
Headset: Semi integrated
Pedals: Wellgo Alloy Black
Rear Brake: Shimano BRM-486 hydraulic disc brake 160mm rotor
Rear Pannier Mounts: Yes
Rims: Mavic XM-317 disc alloy black
Saddle: Carrera
Stem: Alloy
Traditional Mudguard Mounts: Guards Supplied
Brake Type: Hydraulic Disc

 

[banbury frank]

Hi We have fitted our kit to a customers Carrera subway No problems As Chromoly fork

Most Kits like the Ezee will Fit Fine Just need Good strong Dropout Adapters on the forks


Frank