Conversion kit advice & spot the difference

[Bee]

Afternoon all,

I am considering purchasing an electric bike conversion kit. I have a short commute to work but it does involve one rather steep hill of 10% for approximately 1km, which then gets steeper to just over 15% for another 150m, I weigh in at 80kg. My work has no showers and with summer coming I don't want to get to the office dripping in sweat (going home is a breeze).

Ideally I'd like to by a conversion kit with a very portable battery (originally I was thinking the Pocket Bike Juice battery but I've enquired and it wouldn't cut the mustard). So I think I'd prefer a bottle battery, ideally with integrated controller.

I currently have a 700c wheeled hybrid bike, 24 speed, with disc brakes.

Kits I've considered are OxyDrive, Whoosh, 8Fun, Cyclotricity and Dillenger. All front wheel motor kits (just for ease in my opinion). Typically a 250W motor, with a 36V 9-12A battery. My total commute each day would be ~6 miles on road and I could charge it at work/home so range isn't a big issue. I would like both pedal assist and motor only for when I'm feeling particularly lazy. I also have gear shifters integrated into my brake levers, and would want a thumb throttle rather than a twist one (got myself some really comfortable grips).

I would do a rear wheel kit if a 500W or larger motor was recommended, I would just rather avoid the extra work if I could. I'd also like to have cut off switches in my brake levers, but again for ease this would be just the cables that could be added to my existing brake levers (otherwise I'd need to replace the brake levers and the gear shifters and the work in resetting the gears, etc.).

From those listed above they all come in around the £500 mark (which I think is really expensive give that I could buy a petrol motorbike/scooter for the same - even just the materials!), so I guess that is my budget.

If you can recommend a good folding electric bike for the same or less I'd probably get that. As then I could use it on wet days as I could take it in to the office instead of leaving on the street to get soaked all day long - which I currently avoid doing)

As a some what related aside can anyone spot the difference in these two bikes (bike 1 and bike 2) apart from the price tag... I'm wondering given that I have a shortish commute would they be worth a shout, but doubt they'd cope with the hill - it would be a bike solely for commuting after all.

Thanks for any advice,

Bee

 

[flecc]

Bee, the clue is in the URLs, the low price one says ex-demo, the other just listed as product.

They might climb the 10% well, with such tiny wheels giving some mechanical advantage, but I doubt they'd be pleasant to ride, even for three miles each way.
.

 

[Bee]

Ahhh! Well spotted flecc!

 

[bitfed]

These are all the same requirements I have, though it's possible one of my hills is steeper.

 

[trex]

...Typically a 250W motor, with a 36V 9-12A battery. My total commute each day would be ~6 miles on road and I could charge it at work/home so range isn't a big issue. I would like both pedal assist and motor only for when I'm feeling particularly lazy. I also have gear shifters integrated into my brake levers, and would want a thumb throttle rather than a twist one (got myself some really comfortable grips).

Good hill climbing benefits from small wheels, crank drive, high power motor and large capacity battery. Your bike has 700C wheels and your preferences are hub drive, low power 250W and lightweight battery, not a good start.
If you are not heavy, then it's OK. Here is an example, low cost £375 basic kit:
http://www.pandabikes-shop.co.uk/250w-bottle-kit-details/4586709625
If you are heavy then you would be better off buying a ready made bike better adapted for the job like this one http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?krieger

 

[Deleted member 4366]

You can do a very easy conversion by using a 260rpm 48v 500w Bafang BPM rear motor and one of the 09 bottle batteries with included 20A controller. The whole kit costs about £550 from BMSBattery. It'll drag you up a 15% hill without pedalling. Top speed is about 20 mph on the road or 22mph with the wind behind you.

I built a bike last week with that kit. It's really good, simple, smooth and powerful. Ideal if you don't want to put in much effort to pedal. I used the more expensive Panasonic version of the battery, which will give about 40 miles range with normal pedalling. You can reduce the cost a bit by using the unbranded version, which has about 80% of the range of the other.

 

[Bee]

@trex: Funnily enough I was thinking of buying a small folding bike, either an electric one or getting a kit for it. This would have the advantage of me being more likely to get on the train (been refused before) should a house move on the cards pan out and to use it on bad weather days (cycling in the wind and rain doesn't bother me much, but I don't like leaving my bike outside all day unprotected from the elements). After some reading on here I was considering the Downtube Mini, I'm considered about the ride of a 16" wheel and getting a kit for it, so also looking at the 20" Downtube's. I've emailed velochocolate for prices. I'd then need to get a kit of course... like most things I do the creep is setting in and the price going up lol. I'm 80kg, btw, a weight I understandably don't regard as heavy (other's opinion may differ lol)

@d8veh: Cheers for the advice. I had looked at BMS battery before but just assumed as it defaults to $ that it was a US place with high shipping charges, I realise from other posts that they are actually based in China. I take it you mean this motor/kit with a battery such as this? Not to sound like a complete novice (which I am) but I take it the battery has to be 48V because the motor is (or at leas the battery has to be 48V to get the 'most' - define how you like - out of the battery, and that a higher voltage battery would be pointless). Similarly a battery with more amp-hours would simply give a better range (for the same voltage). Finally do the rear wheel conversions from BMS come with, for example, a 8 speed freewheel or just a thread for me to put one on (I suspect the later)?

Thanks again all!

 

[trex]

the downtube Mini - 16" wheels, has a clever fold, is good but very difficult to convert because of its diminutive size. Where are you going to put the battery and controller? the woosh Gallego has its battery and controller hidden inside the main tube, you can't hide battery and controller with the downtube Mini.
http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?gallego
The 20" downtube is much easier to convert, but then, 20" folding bikes like the zephyr-cdn are so cheap that conversion does not make economical sense.
http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?zephyr-cdn

 

[Deleted member 4366]

That's the right battery, but it comes with the controller, throttle,PAS, brakes, etc, so you only need the motor wheel and a torque arm to go with it.

The reason for 48v is more torque at 20 amps for better hill-climbing.

 

[Bee]

@d8veh: Thanks.

@trex: Good point regarding the size of the bike and converting it, something I hadn't considered. However I'm thinking that a bottle battery may fit as it has the bolts for a bottle cage, alternatively a saddle battery. Similarly a small bag attached to the frame (where it wouldn't interfere with the folding mechanism) for the controller, or if a bottle battery fits one integrated into that.

I'm not saying any of the above would definitely work, I'd need to really look into it before going down that avenue, but I think it might. However, as you've also said given the 20" alternatives it's probably not worth it (financially or hassle-wise) to buy the mini bike and then a kit. But it does have a nice folding size

 

[freddofrog]

I wouldn't recommend a folding bike unless you will be using the train a lot. I bought one 3 years ago with that requirement in mind, but in end, the requirement never materialised.

With small wheels the range is compromised, because small wheels have a bigger rolling resistance than large wheels (rolling resistance is the main killer of range). I would not want to ride more than 2 miles on a folding bike either, because the ride is harsh, small potholes are horrendous.

I didn't see how far the total distance is ?

 

[trex]

looking for a comfortable folder with a good range?

http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?zephyr-cdn
http:wooshbikes.co.uk/?zephyr-b

both are full sus bikes.

 

[freddofrog]

No, honestly, even with suspension, those small wheels are terrible for any pot holes, they really get hammered (as do you), and they're also bad for rolling resistance. As a daily commute of more than 2 or 3 miles each way you would soon grown to hate it.

There's another factor too ....let me put it this way ....try taking any fold-up for a test ride, and try to ride "no hands" in a relaxed posture. It's impossible. That tells you that a fold-up will be tiring to ride for more than 15 minutes twice a day. Even on an electric fold-up, the concentration is hard.

Don't get me wrong, for the very occasional 10 or 15 miles it's just about ok, but not as an every day commute, no way. Take it from me, I've had one 3 years now and I use it very regularly, but only for runs of a mile, 2 at the most.

 

[trex]

if you test ride the zephyr-cdn or the zephyr-b, you may change your view of e-folders. They are not generic Chinese bikes. Find another Chinese e-folder with hydraulic brakes. These are comfortable strong hill climbers.