Road bike conversion

[tcea]

I'm looking to convert my Canyon Inflite CX bike to help me keep up on hills when cycling in a group, unfortunately a heart condition makes me too slow on hills, but fine the rest of the time. Rides are typically 40-60 miles, but I wouldn't need to have assistance for the whole time.

The bike is aluminium with a carbon fork. Ideally I'd like to be able to return it to a normal bike easily when I'm on my own, so think a front wheel hub would be best but open to ideas. Most of the front hub systems I've seen seem to require 10mm spacing in the dropouts and I'm not too keen to file down mine which are 9mm. Cytronex seems to be the only one that would fit. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

 

[Nealh]

Front hub in steel good, ali can be iffy, carbon isn't recommended.

 

[Woosh]

I would recommend the XF08C kit with 17AH battery.
On a lightweight, fast rolling bike, you can easily get 70-80 miles from a full charge.
http://wooshbikes.co.uk/?hubkits#xf08ckit

 

[Hightechpete]

I was in much the same position as you 6 months ago, not wanting to permanently modify my 'best' bike, I've now fitted a rear Yosepower kit to it and glad I did.
I bought a Cyclotricity front wheel kit in March, the carbon forks had a 100mm dropout but were too narrow to accommodate the motor. The motor was then fitted to my spare bike, an old steel framed Raleigh. I was never completely happy with the weight and the old fashioned brakes and gears.
I'm not trying to put you off a front wheel kit, just make sure it will fit, be prepared to buy or make some adequate torque arms and understand that it will affect the handing. The Cytronex kit is a big investment, so my advice would be 'try before you buy'
If my experience is anything to go by, once the kit is fitted you won't want to be without it.
Pete.

 

[tcea]

I was in much the same position as you 6 months ago, not wanting to permanently modify my 'best' bike, I've now fitted a rear Yosepower kit to it and glad I did.
I bought a Cyclotricity front wheel kit in March, the carbon forks had a 100mm dropout but were too narrow to accommodate the motor. The motor was then fitted to my spare bike, an old steel framed Raleigh. I was never completely happy with the weight and the old fashioned brakes and gears.
I'm not trying to put you off a front wheel kit, just make sure it will fit, be prepared to buy or make some adequate torque arms and understand that it will affect the handing. The Cytronex kit is a big investment, so my advice would be 'try before you buy'
If my experience is anything to go by, once the kit is fitted you won't want to be without it.
Pete.

Thanks for letting me know your experience Pete, I did wonder about the handling. Does the rear wheel kit mean you have a reduced range of gears?I'm not adverse to a rear wheel kit but as I'd be converting the bike for road use but still wanting to use as a CX bike. With reduced gear numbers might make things difficult with the shifters

 

[sjpt]

Rear hub should not have reduced gears. However, some are available only with old screw-on freewheel style rather than cassette which considerably limits your choice.

 

[Hightechpete]

Does the rear wheel kit mean you have a reduced range of gears?I'm not adverse to a rear wheel kit but as I'd be converting the bike for road use but still wanting to use as a CX bike.

The ten speed shimano cassette fitted easily, I don't think the 11 speed will fit on this freehub without modification i.e. removal of one cog. The total width is a shade under 35mm, I think you need 38mm for 11 cogs.
If you swap the 11 speed cassette for a 10 speed you might have indexing problems. There are threads on the cycling forums that discuss the differences between 10 and 11 speed cassettes.
Pete.

 

[tcea]

The ten speed shimano cassette fitted easily, I don't think the 11 speed will fit on this freehub without modification i.e. removal of one cog. The total width is a shade under 35mm, I think you need 38mm for 11 cogs.
If you swap the 11 speed cassette for a 10 speed you might have indexing problems. There are threads on the cycling forums that discuss the differences between 10 and 11 speed cassettes.
Pete.

Thanks. Its currently 11 speed but 10 is possible, would need to get a new shifter though. Had thought it might be about like 7 which would be impossible to find in hydraulic disc

 

[chris_n]

Front hub in steel good, ali can be iffy, carbon isn't recommended.

Is that still true with a fork designed for disc brakes? I guess the stresses will be a lot higher from the brakes than the motor. Always assuming good torque arm(s) are fitted.

 

[John_S]

I would advise against using a front hub motor with carbon forks. Ideally, you should use strong steel forks for a front hub motor.

Would you consider a rear hub drive instead?

A rear motor has several advantages over a front one. Wheel spin is a big problem with front motors, especially on hills and in the wet. I used to own a front hub drive and had a real problem with wheel spin. I eventually moved the battery to the front of the bike on one of those chair-like pannier racks to put weight over the front wheel. This helped a lot but still didn't completely stop the problem. Also, a front wheel setup will put a lot of strain and wear on the forks and headset, and front dropouts are generally weaker than rear dropouts. A front motor is also not as discreet as a rear one.

BMSBattery do some very good kits that I recommend you take a look at. Most of their kits and motors are over 250w though. If you want to stay legal, the front XF08C kit from Woosh is a good option, as already mentioned in this thread. If you'd consider a rear drive, the 48v SWX02 kit from Woosh is worth considering in terms of its power and its excellent hill climbing ability.

 

[Woosh]

the XF07 kit has a soft start - CF fork is OK.
rear XF08C is better for traction and about half a kg heavier.

This is a 20kg road bike conversion I did last week with BBS01B and 17AH battery. The customer is well delighted with its performance. The XF07 kit is 1kg lighter.

The wiring is on the non drive side and discreet:

 

[mephisto]

this boardman bike looks nice setup like that, very discreet!

What bike model is it?

 

[Woosh]

this boardman bike looks nice setup like that, very discreet!

What bike model is it?

I think it's this one:

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes/boardman-hyb-8-6-womens-hybrid-bike

Her husband wears Lycra.

 

[mephisto]

I like that setup, perhaps would just choose a men's bike in place. What about the gears, is the cassete something like 11-36T? Does it give a reasonable range?

I was wondering it it would make sense to replace it with a wider range cassete like 11-42 or even wider up range?

 

[Woosh]

I was wondering it it would make sense to replace it with a wider range cassete like 11-42 or even wider up range?

it comes with 11T-34T 9-speed cassette. For wider range, you should consider the TSDZ2 kit with double chain rings (18-speed), slightly lighter and more powerful.