Powacycle to what ?!

[Kibworth Pete]

Hi , I'm Pete , live in a little Leicestershire village and have always loved cycling , however now 67, and encounter some big hills between the villages on the way back from the pub, always ok on the way there!.
However, my lovely Mrs bought me a Sailsbury Powacycle for my birthday and I'm totally hooked on Ebikes! .
The sheer fun of overtaking the more serious cyclist , in his multicoloured attire, me in jeans , and hoodie!, I always think their rushing to join the rehearsal for "Joseph" and as I pass them , I'm sure I've heard them whistling , "any dream will do ",
Anyway , enough of this banter, and on to more serious matters, where I humbly request your input.
I've always enjoyed a burst of speed, and enjoy cutting through fields to meet my friends , alas the Powercycle is no mountain bike !,
but I also have a Claud Butler , 1999 Cape Wrath, with 27 speed gears controlled with Shimano 5.T.I. Shifters, Suntour MG 90 Mag forks, Formula Disc front and rear, Zoom Bars and stems, Vuelta Airline USA rims, quick release wheels etc.
So ,as I have been out of the cycling loop, please advise , A) Conversion kit to my 1999 bike, which kit ?!, maybe de-restricted for trips via the fields!,
or B) buy Woosh sports cd, or cyclotricity steath or the Burisch GT250 with fast controller!
What to do ?! , do these modern Ebikes equal the spec. of my 1999 Claud Butler or not ?, if not kit surly the best option , if not what ebike to buy ?! , your help appreciated , and I thank you in advance . Kindest Regards

 

[trex]

I'd go for a conversion with 8-Fun BBS01
http://www.wooshbikes.co.uk/?cdkit

The crank drive BBS01 is excellent for climbing hills.

the kit costs £330 + battery.
A bottle 36V 10AH battery costs about £200 on ebay, 36V 15AH about £300.
it's the easiest kit to fit.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

There's so many possibilities these days. I think you should avoid a powerful front motor for a first build, so that leaves a rear or middle motor. The middle motors are more straight-forward to install.

You need to decide how much power and speed that you want. If you want more than a basic 250w motor, you have to get a high-powered battery, so you need to plan how/where you're going to install it.

For a rear motor, the 500w Bafang BPM kit from BMSBattery probably offers the most bang-for buck, and would be well suited to your bike. if you want a UK kit, the Ezee one is quite powerful and plug and play; Woosh offer the BBS01, which is not quite so powerful, but it can still climb quite well. For shear grunt, though, you can't beat a 500w geared hub-motor.

 

[Kibworth Pete]

Many thanks for the very useful comments, a local dealer offered to fit a front hub kit for £35 , so would have him fit your front, mid or rear recommended unit, would a front hub unit balance the bike more?, is their a 500w front hub kit ?. The 8Fun unit looks so neat !.
Yes the more powerful option is appealing , love a bit of grunt !.
Thanks again.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

£35 is very reasonable. It normally takes several hours. Is that for a kit that he supplies? If so, which one and how much?

 

[trex]

you may need to upgrade your brakes if you want to fit a 500W rear BPM kit.
I'd stick to 250W BBS01 kit which offers better speed and hill climbing performance than any 250W front hub solution you can buy at the moment (except d8veh's xiongda XD).

 

[Kibworth Pete]

£35 is very reasonable. It normally takes several hours. Is that for a kit that he supplies? If so, which one and how much?

Yes he supplies the Cyclotricity products, and I was interested in the hub kit with bottle battery, computer etc. he said it would take him a hour and a half appx. To fit .