Dual Purpose - Commute and Tour

[turnkey_hamper]

Hi!

I'm looking to get a conversion kit, but am a bit baffled by all the info, voltages, terminology, legalities etc.

I'd like to get a conversion kit, I have the option of one of a few bikes, so will come back to that if it's needed.

I'm 5'9", 70kg, and looking for a kit I can use to cycle my bike round eastern Europe. We're going from Budapest to Bucharest over a couple of weeks (aiming for 50-100km/day). Possibly with some sort of solar charger or maybe just plugin overnight at places.

I'd also like to use the same bike and kit for my commute, which is about 12 miles with about 1000 foot of hills.

I'd like to spend as little as possible, but accept that this may be a few hundred quid, AND I understand (though reluctantly) that maybe these are two separate things I'm looking for.

 

[saneagle]

How are you going to get to Eastern Europe? You can't take an ebike nor battery on an aeroplane.

For conversions, some bikes are better than others. The best bike would have disc brakes and a conventional triangular frame. Show us what you have.

 

[Peter.Bridge]

If you are doing 50-100km per day then I would suggest a battery of at least 630wh eg 36v 17.5Ah , which as long as your consumption is less than or equal to 10 wh per mile would allow you to do a full day without recharging.

The rule of thumb consumption ranges from 5Wh per mile for a light person using light assist on flat terrain to 20Wh per mile for a heavy person using a lot of assist on hilly terrain. I (105kg) tend to get a range of about 65 miles on medium assist over mixed terrain out of a 720Wh battery (36v 20Ah). My wife gets significantly longer range on the same routes at the same speed out of the same size battery (she is significantly lighter !)

Cheap rear hub kits without battery are £150-180 from Yosepower and PSWPower. Make sure you get cassette or freewheel depending on your donor bike

You can get a Samsung celled 20Ah 36v downtube battery including delivery from PSW power for £160, slightly more expensive elsewhere

 

[matthewslack]

Increase the energy use and decrease the range if you will be a heavily laden tourer! Same if likely to be hilly.

An overseas ebike tourist will be an object of interest, so expect locals to be curious, interested and helpful. Which means if you need a midday charge, you'll probably only have to ask!

Design out problems, i.e. anything unusual or hard to source, and carry spares for anything that worries you. Marathon Plus tyres or equivalent.

And yes, batteries and travel are a problem. Two ideas there: first, recognised and labelled brands are less likely to cause issues if questioned, clean and tidy the same. They might be OK on some trains. They are so far on most/all non-underground UK services.

If all else fails, a conversion using a generic two wire battery could travel without a battery and you could research where to buy at your cycling starting point. You'll know how to fit it when you've done a conversion.

If your commute is 12 miles each way, the bike that works for your tour will be fine for that too.

Mudguards if it might rain, strong rack. Big cable ties, duct tape and bungy cord in the spares kit.

 

[matthewslack]

One final? detail...

Try and get a charger of 4A or so output if you are likely to need midday top ups. 2A is slower than watching paint dry. 4A is well within capability of any battery over 10Ah.

Roughly at 2A, an hour's riding needs 2 hours charging. 4A it is an hour for an hour. My winter setup is two batteries at 4.6A each, which gives 2 hours riding for 1 hour charging.