Recommended mid-drive conversion from alibaba

[Neilneilorangepeel]

Hi, could anyone recommend a mid-drive conversion kit from alibaba? I have a giant lafree and love the way you can ride it as a normal bike. I'd like to install a similar, easy-to-ride-when-switched-off motor to my non-electric bike and probably sell it. I understand that mid-drive motors are best for this. (Is that right?) I'm quite ignorant about this stuff, but I would enjoy messing about in the garden in the warming weather and learning to install a motor, and if it goes well and I find it profitable, am considering making a bulk order and selling converted bikes on ebay/gumtree as a little part-time sideline. Any recommendations and comments would be most appreciated. Thanks - Neil

 

[Nealh]

By the time you pay fees, import and courier fees you aren't much cheaper then a Woosh kit. When or if it goes wrong you have no CS or a headache getting it repaired, UK vendor like Woosh giver you all of that with great CS.

 

[sjpt]

Most ebike systems are easy to ride switched off ... weight penalty but no drag. Main advantage of mid-drive is for steep hills, as they take advantage of the gearing which hub drives don't.

 

[Neilneilorangepeel]

Thanks sjpt. I read on some forum someone complaining about how hard it was to pedal his ebike with the battery flat. The thing is to make sure the motor has a freewheel mechanism ... (is that right?)

 

[Woosh]

Thanks sjpt. I read on some forum someone complaining about how hard it was to pedal his ebike with the battery flat. The thing is to make sure the motor has a freewheel mechanism ... (is that right?)

they all have two freewheels/clutches inside a crank drive motors, on on the main gear, the other between the motor and the main gear.
You can put the bike on a stand and see for yourself how easy it is to turn the cranks without turning on the motor.
When the battery goes flat, the withdrawal of assistance that they used to have makes them gasp for air...

 

[Neilneilorangepeel]

By the time you pay fees, import and courier fees you aren't much cheaper then a Woosh kit. When or if it goes wrong you have no CS or a headache getting it repaired, UK vendor like Woosh giver you all of that with great CS.

Thanks Nealh. I lived in China for many years and my experience of customer service there was always excellent (as long as you weren't dealing with out-and-out criminals!) Since being in the UK I've ordered computer gear from Alibaba and so far have been OK. This TSDZ2 from Alibaba is £358 (for a single unit without a bulk discount), from Whoosh what appears to be more or less the same kit seems to be about £685, so I think I can save a fair bit even with fees and taking a chance on CS. I'd just like to dabble at first, as I've never fitted a kit and would like to see how easy/fiddly it is and how the finished article rides like compared to my classic old la free, and I wondered what people thought might be a good motor for my needs, or at least warn me what I should steer clear of.

 

[sjpt]

What to steer clear of is the big direct drive motors, usually with very high quoted power ratings. They often don't have the clutch discussed above, they are very heavy, poor at hill climbing, and inefficient and eat battery (both range and battery life). They are good at going fast on the flat.

 

[Woosh]

This TSDZ2 from Alibaba is £358 (for a single unit without a bulk discount), from Whoosh what appears to be more or less the same kit seems to be about £685,

the kit that is comparable on that page is their 48V 500W TSDZ2 with 48V 12AH HL battery, priced at $476.80
If you want branded cells, you have to pay surcharge for Panasonic, Samsung or LG cells. Let's say $25.
then you have to pay their Paypal surcharge because paypal charge then about 4% fees unless you pay by bank transfer.
You have to add to it air freight to the UK, with the battery, it's roughly about $120

You bill so far would amount to $ (477+25)*1.04= $522
Paypal exchange rate is about 5% above interbank median rate, that is £1 for $1.15 (today's interbank rate is about $1.23).
Your first payment would be: £454
You then sit tight, wait between 2 and 4 weeks for your kit to be prepared, packed, sent and transited.
When it arrives, you'll have to pay 5% import duty on the £454, then £12 import declaration, then 20% VAT on top of all that.
Total: ((£454 * 1.05) + 12) * 1.2 = £586

Your saving will still be there but probably not as good as originally thought.

 

[Neilneilorangepeel]

Thanks all - just the kind of advice and info I was after.

 

[Woosh]

Thanks all - just the kind of advice and info I was after.

By the way, I forgot to add the air freight charge to the total.
The main problem I have with the Chinese sellers is that they don't charge VAT. They leave to the customer the entire burden of declaring, paying VAT and assuming product liability.