Project 2 .1500W rear hub kit

RobN

Pedelecer
May 15, 2020
101
29
Hi Guys,
So after doing my own bike with a Bafang mid mount kit its time to start my wifes conversion with an NCCycles rear hub kit. Kit bought from UK supplier but its a Chinese kit.
My wifes bike is a Specialized Rockhopper Expert which she has had for about 10 years.
Did a bit of research and watched a few Youtube videos of how the kit fits and thought yep , not too difficult by the look of it..!
Err no.
Started with the swap over of the rear wheel. No probs until I try to tighten up the chainset supplied with the new kit, my tool wont go over the new axle as my socket has a centre spline to align it on the chainset (when the axle is removed ,which doesn't come out on new hub)so I had to order a new tool without a spline in the middle. Got one and tightened up the new chainset on the new hub no problem.
Next swap the brake disc over , and thread lock it as advised. Done. Offer the wheel into the rear forks and it is a bit tight in there. Especially with the washers etc that I needed to ensure chainset is not up against the forks. After much toing and froing I got the wheel axle in position. Now I find the brake caliper rubs the hub motor. I was advised the disc spacer was not required, ummmm, on my project it is, so out with the wheel again. Only now ive tightened the disc bolts too much and the thread lock has worked a treat. Got 5 bolts out and had to grind the head off the last one. Then use an extractor on the remaining part of he last bolt which fortunately worked. Anyway reassembled it all with and more time spent getting wheel back in place. Disc is now clear of the hub. I did not want to file the drop outs which would have made life easier as they need to be a tight fit around the axle hence why it took me longer than I wanted to get the axle in position.
Spent some time aligning the torque arm to utilise a 5mm tapped hole in the frame and had to drill a hole in the torque arm to match the frame. Another time consuming job but its all good and secure now .
Ensured the wheel nuts were torqued to specification and all ready for next stage of the instalment.
I will post up some pics so far.
Regards
Rob.
 

RobN

Pedelecer
May 15, 2020
101
29
So I got on with it today and it was not straight forward but nothing that could not be overcome.
I have got it all fitted and did a quick test up the drive and it feels pretty quick. Wiring is to be fettled a bit but it is tied up so we can test it first and finish it off properly tomorrow.
Going to go out tomorrow morning hopefully and test it properly but the wife had a quick go as well and she seemed pretty pleased with it and said it felt fast....in level 1 !!
Heres a pick of the bike before conversion. I will post more pics tomorrow and update the fitting issues I had.
 

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Gavin

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 11, 2020
316
179
Blimey Rob, that's two conversions in two months- you must have a production line on the go!
 

RobN

Pedelecer
May 15, 2020
101
29
Hi Gavin,
it wasn't intended to be honest but after I had mine done it was clearly obvious my wife would not be too happy with me sauntering off into the distance and wanting to extend our rides whilst she followed on behind huffing and puffing up the hills..!
So when I suggested to her that I could convert hers for her she was more than happy to get it done.
We have been out this morning for a test ride which extended into a 25 mile run and first impressions are its worked a treat. We just kept saying shall we carry on ,and changed the route to suit until we felt like coming home. Thats the beauty of these for us, as it means we can just go where we want for as long as we want. No routes are now out of bounds and no hills are daunting for us.
Her bike is now faster than mine and she loves it. First impressions are really good, with the only thing she commented on was the assistance may be a bit too strong for her at times and she was only using 1 and 2 levels. She said she switched it to zero at times on the flat bits...! I know she came past me with ease when she wanted too and I would say the only thing I noticed was her rear hub motor makes a noticeable motor noise when the power is applied whereas mine is more stealth like.
But overall were very happy with what we have got.
I will write up some of the fitting issues I had and post some pictures once the wiring is all sorted out and tidied up.
Regards
Rob.
 
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RobN

Pedelecer
May 15, 2020
101
29
Ok ,so kit is now on I am happy with the result.
A couple of issues I have already mentioned with the disc brake alignment and aligning the torque arm were resolved.
 

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RobN

Pedelecer
May 15, 2020
101
29
I then had to sort out a fix for the pedal assist disc which is for a square taper crank normally.
I had to remove the flexible tangs from the middle and slide it over the crank then shave off about 3mm from the crank arm as there was no space for it to go on. I then used some epoxy 2 part glue to stick it to the crank arm ensuring I had the correct gap between the disk and the sensor. I just need to paint glue black to disguise it bit.
 

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RobN

Pedelecer
May 15, 2020
101
29
I then had to take brake sensor of brake levers supplied in the kit as the levers were for cable brakes not hydraulic. Used the epoxy glue again to glue it onto bikes rear brake lever and make sure contact is broken when lever is pulled. Again I just need to file glue smooth and paint it black.
 

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Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
19,990
8,173
60
West Sx RH
Well done least you both can now ride out together.
D/D hub looks a monster in the rim and they sure do stand out, they ain't subtle.
 

Bikes4two

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 21, 2020
885
390
Havant
Hi @RobN -nice writeup - I've not heard of nccyles - googling brings up a number of places in different locations - where is the place you got your kit from please?
 

Gavin

Esteemed Pedelecer
May 11, 2020
316
179
Good stuff Rob. I particularly like the branded batteries- very professional!

As @Nealh says, that motor is a beast. Out of curiosity, if you pick it up by the crossbar is it noticeably tail-heavy?
 

RobN

Pedelecer
May 15, 2020
101
29
Well done least you both can now ride out together.
D/D hub looks a monster in the rim and they sure do stand out, they ain't subtle.

Yeh its pretty big and is certainly more noticeable than my kit. It makes more noise as well to be honest as i can here it when it is coming up behind me. But i will have a go on it tomorrow to see what it rides like as ive only had a quick go so far. The wife seems to like it though so thats the main thing.
Regards
Rob.
 

RobN

Pedelecer
May 15, 2020
101
29
Hi @RobN -nice writeup - I've not heard of nccyles - googling brings up a number of places in different locations - where is the place you got your kit from please?
I had not heard of them to be honest but i ordered the kit from Bournemouth performance electric bikes.
Arrived in about 4 weeks and the help from Paul was first class. Always happy to discuss it over the phone and offer fitting advice ,even on a Saturday afternoon. Knows his stuff as well.
Regards
Rob.
 
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RobN

Pedelecer
May 15, 2020
101
29
Good stuff Rob. I particularly like the branded batteries- very professional!

As @Nealh says, that motor is a beast. Out of curiosity, if you pick it up by the crossbar is it noticeably tail-heavy?

Hi Gavin,
yeh its a bit tail heavy i would say, as it does tilt a bit when lifting, but we wont be pelting down mountains or anything, so roads and trails, tracks should not be a problem i dont think. I think the bike was about 14kg before the kit was put on but now it must be about 25kg i think. I will weigh it and update.
Yeh i got the stickers to blend it in a bit and make it less obvious as a battery....!
Regards
Rob.
 
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RobN

Pedelecer
May 15, 2020
101
29
Hi Guys,
so me and the misses went out this morning for a ride and did the Blackstone Edge route again covering 33 miles this time. She seems to get on well with the set up and on the flat stuff she is choosing no assistance and using the assistance on the hilly bits and the throttle now and again. I went for a quick blast yesterday to see how it feels and i think her bike is probably quicker than my mid mount bike and will comfortably sit at 30 mph. I would say it is more suited to cruising along at decent speeds from my first impressions of it on a short run.
But so far so good and looking forward to our next outing.
Regards
Rob.
 

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