New project female frame 26 " wheels

JB32

Just Joined
Jan 18, 2019
4
0
I'm in need of good sound advice as I've got a mountain bike with step through frame and 26 inch wheels and I want to find a reliable E kit with rear wheel drive. I have fitted derailleur gears already with the necessary handle bar controls and brakes. I have no idea what kit to purchase for me needs, Mostly on road, NOT off. My age doesn't need endurance riding :confused: But I'm quite capable of any mechanical work needed to complete the project. What kit is recommended by the members here? I will need peddle assist and a range of maybe 30 + miles or more between battery charging. I've been looking far and wide for some time now to find everything I need to continue and been disillusioned by the other peoples reviews on many concerns with products and after sales service. I need a total cost of everything I will need, and not forgetting battery and charger etc from a well known reliable company. This project is very important to me, especially now I'm alone and a widower, to help life to be worth living. I look forward to any replies. Thanks in advance.
 

D C

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 25, 2013
1,140
575
Have a look at Woosh kits, I fitted mine a couple of years back and it's been superb. Advice and and after sales is excellent.
Welcome to the forum.
Dave.
 
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JB32

Just Joined
Jan 18, 2019
4
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Have a look at Woosh kits, I fitted mine a couple of years back and it's been superb. Advice and and after sales is excellent.
Welcome to the forum.
Dave.
Thank you for your fast reply DC, I will certainly be taking your advice and be looking at the whoosh kit etc. I'll keep you informed as I move forward:) Thank you for your welcome to the forum :)
 

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Laser Man

Pedelecer
Jul 1, 2018
196
122
Michelmersh SO51
Another thumbs up for Woosh. (I think I have the same kit as DC - an XF08C cassette compatible rear motor).

Woosh are really helpful and will tailor the kit to suit the type of brakes and bottom bracket on your bike. You may need to answer quite a few questions when you order!
You get a choice of battery capacities and again, Woosh will help you choose. The bigger capacity ones are more expensive so it depends to some extent on your "Range Anxiety" as to which one to buy.

The kits are very comprehensive with almost everything that you need. Any extras should be under £10.

I found that as well as the kit I needed -
* Cable ties (a lot!). Budget £5 for two bags (long and short ones)
* Some sort of flexible tube to hide any excess cable (large diameter heatshrink works well but is expensive, so maybe a really heavy duty black plastic bag).
* Possibly a spacer for the rear sprocket cluster - the XF08 takes 8, 9 and 10 speed cassettes : mine was a 7 speed. The spacer cost me £2 at a local bike shop.
 
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anotherkiwi

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 26, 2015
7,845
5,785
The European Union
You might want to replace your front brake with a hydraulic Magura HS11 and get rid of those tyres if you are only going to be on roads and paths, Schwalbe Big Bens are a good compromise.
 

sjpt

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 8, 2018
3,642
2,652
Winchester
I like the HS11 we have on our Motus, but I wouldn't bother with them myself as an upgrade. The original twin Tektro V-brakes are doing fine on our electrified tandem (Woosh, another thumbs up) . The way we ride electric bikes (and I suspect many others) does not require any better breaking than non-electric (other than the cutout switch with the PAS). We go a couple of mph faster powered than non-powered, a bit more extra up hill, and probably slower on the flat than we did on manual bikes 10 years ago. The only time the brakes really matter is on the downhill where we are going much too fast to be using any (legal) electrical assistance.

On the cable ties, Woosh provided lots. I had already bought a monster box for £1 at a pound shop; I used one or two of those where size was a bit more appropriate, and had a couple of Woosh ones left over.

Woosh (or any other supplier) will clarify, you almost certainly want the cassette version of the rear hub kit, not the freewheel one.
 

vfr400

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 12, 2011
9,822
3,985
Basildon
Energy follows a square rule, so if you go 40% faster (average up from 10 mph to 14mph) you need to dissipate twice as much energy when braking. On a non-tandem bike, roughly each 1kg of weight added means 1% more energy needs to be dissipated, so with a typical conversion adding about 7kg to a bike, that means the brakes have to dissipate 214% energy compared with the previous 100%. That's enough to ovewhelm many brakes and needs very careful consideration when doing a conversion.

I'd go as far as to say that people that fit kits that can lift the average speed above 20mph on a typical conversion of a catalogue-type bike with rim brakes is stupid.
 
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anotherkiwi

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jan 26, 2015
7,845
5,785
The European Union
I like the HS11 we have on our Motus, but I wouldn't bother with them myself as an upgrade. The original twin Tektro V-brakes are doing fine on our electrified tandem (Woosh, another thumbs up) . The way we ride electric bikes (and I suspect many others) does not require any better breaking than non-electric (other than the cutout switch with the PAS). We go a couple of mph faster powered than non-powered, a bit more extra up hill, and probably slower on the flat than we did on manual bikes 10 years ago. The only time the brakes really matter is on the downhill where we are going much too fast to be using any (legal) electrical assistance.
On both my conversions the original brakes were Tektro and not up to task because I ride in the Basque Country. In fact I put the Magura on my first bike before I put the motor kit on. It isn't only the sheer power of hydraulic that is important where I ride but also the ability to dose braking power correctly. The Tektro on the rear of my pedelec was also not up to task so I swapped in an Avid Digit which is much better.
 

sjpt

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 8, 2018
3,642
2,652
Winchester
I certainly agree about brakes if you are going to convert so you routinely go significantly faster ... even then downhill breaking is what is most important and more or less unchanged by conversion; just the 100% to 107% (smaller percentage on a tandem; though of course the baseline is much higher then).
 

JB32

Just Joined
Jan 18, 2019
4
0
I need to ask, is Woosh a chinese outlet ? and do they only deal with PayPal ? I have a good reason to have asked this question guys. Nothing sinister though
 

Woosh

Trade Member
May 19, 2012
19,407
16,387
Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
I need to ask, is Woosh a chinese outlet ? and do they only deal with PayPal ? I have a good reason to have asked this question guys. Nothing sinister though
no, we are entirely UK based, in sunny Southend-on-Sea.
The reason we use Paypal for kits is to avoid mistakes if your order is taken over the phone.
When you deal with kit orders, nobody can remember what was said an hour ago leave alone several days needed to plan the conversion. Typically, we may exchange 10-20 messages with each and every customer to make sure that the project is satisfactorily completed.
No Chinese operation would ever do that.
 
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Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
19,991
8,173
60
West Sx RH
Woosh are UK company who also have other businesses operating from one location not unlike BGA/Insat Intl. Company diversity is needed to survive any economy in niche markets where margins may be tight.
Utterly reliable one of the forums top go to recommendation's.
 
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