Well it's been about a month now since I completed my first ebike conversion and I've covered 250miles back and forth to work and I thought I'd share my experiences for those considering doing something similar. Fortunately the weather has been kind and it's mostly been T-shirt temperatures, in fact, it's been a bit too warm on occasion (more on temperatures later!).
I converted my Giant Talon MTB with a 60V 1500W kit, it's old hat now what with 26" wheels but the bike was sat unused in near new condition so it was prime candidate. The conversion was relatively straight forward ,the only modification required being the spacing of the rear disc and caliper as the caliper was in firm contact with the hub motor casing.
Before this conversion I had no experience of ebikes whatsoever. I've owned motorbikes for 20 years, finally giving in and getting rid of my last bike last year with the arrival of our first child. I decided that traffic levels on the roads nowadays are just too heavy and a few near misses with unattentive drivers made me feel like I was on borrowed time. I have been knocked off twice before in my younger years, both times I was hit by another vehicle and the aching pins and plates are a reminder of what can go wrong.
Anyway, when trying to decide on what amount of power to go for, I think I was swayed by reports of 40-50mph, which, on a motorbike feel quite pedestrian to a seasoned rider. However, I was wrong to make this association. It turns out that on a bicycle, these speeds are downright scary and more to the point, uncomfortable! Maybe a more robust full suspension downhill or freeride MTB would feel a little more stable, but the shallow head angle and hard tail of my bike make it a little sketchy at high speed.
I invested in a new set of suspension forks and a Thudbuster suspension seat post which have really toned the harsh ride down. The seat post has pushed the seat back making the reach to the bars a little too far, so I had to get a shorter stem to accommodate. I also upgraded the front disc to a larger 180mm version and converted the drivetrain to a 1x7 with a wide narrow 38T chainring to encourage me to pedal more at higher cruising speeds.
I had to dial back the controller to deliver only 50% of the available amps. I was seeing peak power not far off 3000W and it was just too much for the canal and cycle paths I commute along. They're rough as a badgers behind in places and anything over 16mph gets really bumpy and it was too easy to get up to silly speeds with pedestrians and dogs around every corner.
Another reason for dialling back the power was the temperature the controller was generating. The kit came with a frame bag to house the controller and after my first outing where I was abusing the power somewhat, it was red hot and the wires had all gone soft!
Subsequently I have modified the bag to provide some airflow by a forced air inlet hole and a top exhaust hole, both on the FET side of the controller. I fitted large plastic curtain rings in the holes with some mesh stretched across them and they work really well. The controller barely gets warm now, even on a hot day if I decide to pull 1000W all the way home. I don't plan on riding in heavy rain so I foresee no issues with water ingress.
Mudguards became a necessity last week when despite being a sunny morning, an overnight downpour left the canal path a bit boggy in places, resulting in me having muddy splashes all over my work clothes.
Then I had what nobody wants on a rear hub ebike.....a rear puncture. I rimmed the rear tyre against an unseen kerb and pinch punctured the rear tube. It took about 30mins to change the tube on the canal side, a job that would normally take 5 minutes but having the right tools meant I got home without walking thankfully.
I have now modified my route to work. As lovely as the canal path is, the anti-motorbike styles, pedestrians & low bridges etc were making the journey hard work. Instead I am using the pavement which runs along side the main road to work which is completely devoid of people due to it leading out of town to an industrial region. I run the last mile or so on the canal where the routes join back up in order to avoid a dual carriageway. This route has proven to be 10mins quicker, whilst cruising at a much lower, more leisurely pace and using about 50% less battery due to less climbing and more pedal input from me.
So to summarise, if you are considering a conversion, especially for commuting, I'd keep the following points in mind.
1. Don't get carried away with power. If I was buying again I'd probably go for 1000W max as cruising on motor only at 16-18mph on the flat sees my motor puling 300-500W depending on headwind. Quite frankly, if you're already a decent cyclist who's prepared to keep on pedalling, 250W is probably enough.
2. Buying the conversion may lead to the compulsory purchase of other parts and/or modification to existing parts!
2. Consider the route you will take and the bike you wish to convert. I've been very surprised at how the quality (or lack thereof) of the surface you're riding on becomes an issue a higher than normal speeds.
3. Don't expect to cut your commuting time in half! It took me 57 minutes on a pedal only test run and it takes about 35mins with the conversion. The time saving is apparently in maintaining a decent speed up hills.
Anyway that's my 2p worth after my (very) short ebike experience so far. I continue to enjoy not pouring Diesel into the motor every week and look forward to racking up a good few more miles over the summer months!
I converted my Giant Talon MTB with a 60V 1500W kit, it's old hat now what with 26" wheels but the bike was sat unused in near new condition so it was prime candidate. The conversion was relatively straight forward ,the only modification required being the spacing of the rear disc and caliper as the caliper was in firm contact with the hub motor casing.
Before this conversion I had no experience of ebikes whatsoever. I've owned motorbikes for 20 years, finally giving in and getting rid of my last bike last year with the arrival of our first child. I decided that traffic levels on the roads nowadays are just too heavy and a few near misses with unattentive drivers made me feel like I was on borrowed time. I have been knocked off twice before in my younger years, both times I was hit by another vehicle and the aching pins and plates are a reminder of what can go wrong.
Anyway, when trying to decide on what amount of power to go for, I think I was swayed by reports of 40-50mph, which, on a motorbike feel quite pedestrian to a seasoned rider. However, I was wrong to make this association. It turns out that on a bicycle, these speeds are downright scary and more to the point, uncomfortable! Maybe a more robust full suspension downhill or freeride MTB would feel a little more stable, but the shallow head angle and hard tail of my bike make it a little sketchy at high speed.
I invested in a new set of suspension forks and a Thudbuster suspension seat post which have really toned the harsh ride down. The seat post has pushed the seat back making the reach to the bars a little too far, so I had to get a shorter stem to accommodate. I also upgraded the front disc to a larger 180mm version and converted the drivetrain to a 1x7 with a wide narrow 38T chainring to encourage me to pedal more at higher cruising speeds.
I had to dial back the controller to deliver only 50% of the available amps. I was seeing peak power not far off 3000W and it was just too much for the canal and cycle paths I commute along. They're rough as a badgers behind in places and anything over 16mph gets really bumpy and it was too easy to get up to silly speeds with pedestrians and dogs around every corner.
Another reason for dialling back the power was the temperature the controller was generating. The kit came with a frame bag to house the controller and after my first outing where I was abusing the power somewhat, it was red hot and the wires had all gone soft!
Subsequently I have modified the bag to provide some airflow by a forced air inlet hole and a top exhaust hole, both on the FET side of the controller. I fitted large plastic curtain rings in the holes with some mesh stretched across them and they work really well. The controller barely gets warm now, even on a hot day if I decide to pull 1000W all the way home. I don't plan on riding in heavy rain so I foresee no issues with water ingress.
Mudguards became a necessity last week when despite being a sunny morning, an overnight downpour left the canal path a bit boggy in places, resulting in me having muddy splashes all over my work clothes.
Then I had what nobody wants on a rear hub ebike.....a rear puncture. I rimmed the rear tyre against an unseen kerb and pinch punctured the rear tube. It took about 30mins to change the tube on the canal side, a job that would normally take 5 minutes but having the right tools meant I got home without walking thankfully.
I have now modified my route to work. As lovely as the canal path is, the anti-motorbike styles, pedestrians & low bridges etc were making the journey hard work. Instead I am using the pavement which runs along side the main road to work which is completely devoid of people due to it leading out of town to an industrial region. I run the last mile or so on the canal where the routes join back up in order to avoid a dual carriageway. This route has proven to be 10mins quicker, whilst cruising at a much lower, more leisurely pace and using about 50% less battery due to less climbing and more pedal input from me.
So to summarise, if you are considering a conversion, especially for commuting, I'd keep the following points in mind.
1. Don't get carried away with power. If I was buying again I'd probably go for 1000W max as cruising on motor only at 16-18mph on the flat sees my motor puling 300-500W depending on headwind. Quite frankly, if you're already a decent cyclist who's prepared to keep on pedalling, 250W is probably enough.
2. Buying the conversion may lead to the compulsory purchase of other parts and/or modification to existing parts!
2. Consider the route you will take and the bike you wish to convert. I've been very surprised at how the quality (or lack thereof) of the surface you're riding on becomes an issue a higher than normal speeds.
3. Don't expect to cut your commuting time in half! It took me 57 minutes on a pedal only test run and it takes about 35mins with the conversion. The time saving is apparently in maintaining a decent speed up hills.
Anyway that's my 2p worth after my (very) short ebike experience so far. I continue to enjoy not pouring Diesel into the motor every week and look forward to racking up a good few more miles over the summer months!
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