Yosepower 350w kit? Or alternatives (cheap)

[Stephenmacleod]

Hi all.
So last year I was considering an e bike conversion on my old bike but with money tight at the time and bike prices through the roof i sold my bike. Have been toying with the idea of picking up a dirt cheap hybrid / xc bike such as a carrera subway or specialized rockhopper, something along those lines.

Now for kits, I've been told mid drive may not be as reliable as a front or rear hub conversion (how true I dont know, I'm still fairly new to this) however, upon reading a few reviews of the yosepower 350w kit apparantly battery included these come in at around 370, with a budget of around 80 on a used bike (Facebook marketplace has plenty at that price range, especially the carrera subway some as cheap as £40!)

Now I'm just wondering if the yosepower 350w kit is any good. I'm 5'10 and 114kg. So looking for something to help lose a lot of weight ideally. Would like to use it for work on mainly hills and b roads around 15 miles per day, so anything around the 35 mile range would be more than adequate.

I'm trying to keep costs down as once fitter I would upgrade the full bike, I'm confident I could make my initial investment back (or close to it) upon resale and upgrade so the question is, with my requirements mentioned, what would be the best kit at this sort of price range (definitely sub 450 pounds) 26" wheel by the way.
Thanks in advance,

Ste

 

[vfr400]

It's not bad for a first kit. A rear motor is always better than a front, especially if the donor bike has suspension forks.You need a cassette motor for 8 speed gears or more and a freewheel one for 7 or less.

 

[Stephenmacleod]

It's not bad for a first kit. A rear motor is always better than a front, especially if the donor bike has suspension forks.You need a cassette motor for 8 speed gears or more and a freewheel one for 7 or less.

Thanks
Is there much better out there at a similar price? Bafang or swx02 or? (More expensive but)

 

[Scorpio]

Hi Ste,

I fitted a 350W Yose kit last year (my first kit) and like it a lot.
My main dislike was the operation, very "full acceleration then a sharp cutoff when it hits the speed limit" which is typical of "Speed-controlled" systems. I've now swapped the controller & display for "Current-controlled" KT parts and I prefer the way the KT rides,

When buying a donor bike I'd make sure you get hydraulic brakes, for front forks avoid cheapo suspension (Suntour etc), either go for decent air shocks or a rigid fork.

Background
https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/yose-350-rear-hub-kit-onto-spanish-mtb-by-mondraker.37899/
https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/yose-350-rear-hub-kit-transplanted-onto-scott.40186/

 

[egroover]

Hi Ste,

I fitted a 350W Yose kit last year (my first kit) and like it a lot.
My main dislike was the operation, very "full acceleration then a sharp cutoff when it hits the speed limit" which is typical of "Speed-controlled" systems. I've now swapped the controller & display for "Current-controlled" KT parts and I prefer the way the KT rides,

When buying a donor bike I'd make sure you get hydraulic brakes, for front forks avoid cheapo suspension (Suntour etc), either go for decent air shocks or a rigid fork.

Background
https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/yose-350-rear-hub-kit-onto-spanish-mtb-by-mondraker.37899/
https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/yose-350-rear-hub-kit-transplanted-onto-scott.40186/

with a 80 quid budget for a donor bike, he'll be very lucky to get one with hydraulic brakes and an air fork, but yes with disc brakes possibly. OP talks of possible upgrades later

 

[wheeliepete]

You can now buy Yose kits shipped from the UK.

| eBay

 

[sjpt]

Yose kits are mostly 350w and technically illegal for pedelecs (250w nominal max). You may be happy to take the (small) risk.

 

[Stephenmacleod]

Yose kits are mostly 350w and technically illegal for pedelecs (250w nominal max). You may be happy to take the (small) risk.

Yeah I get that. That's a risk I'm willing to take tbf as the cops here don't seem to be as hot on e bikes/scooters as elsewhere in the country. And like you say the risk is small.

 

[Stephenmacleod]

with a 80 quid budget for a donor bike, he'll be very lucky to get one with hydraulic brakes and an air fork, but yes with disc brakes possibly. OP talks of possible upgrades later

Tbf I've seen many older bikes (rockhoppers, carreras giant xc bikes etc) at that price point. Can always upgrade later

 

[Stephenmacleod]

So having priced it up, with a 15ah battery (seems you have to buy seperate) a 26" rear cassette kit is 225 and the battery is around 220, vs around 390 all in with a 12ah battery. I wouldnt mind paying the extra 55 quid if it was a huge jump in battery life but in real world terms is 12ah sufficient or is it a worthwhile upgrade?

Also, that price point puts it around 100 or so cheaper than a whoosh swx02 kit, again, is it worth just going for that or would the YP350 be adequate? Like I say I'm not looking to be a speed racer or doing 100 miles a day, just something i can tinker with and get motivated to burn some fat.

 

[vfr400]

with a 80 quid budget for a donor bike, he'll be very lucky to get one with hydraulic brakes and an air fork, but yes with disc brakes possibly. OP talks of possible upgrades later

My mate got a Carrera Kraken with hydraulic brakes and forks in perfect condition for £110. I got one for £100 with only hydraulic brakes, ut it was an earler model. Both were perfect for conversion.

 

[egroover]

My mate got a Carrera Kraken with hydraulic brakes and forks in perfect condition for £110. I got one for £100 with only hydraulic brakes, ut it was an earler model. Both were perfect for conversion.

did either bikes have an air fork? like I said lucky to get both air fork and hydraulic brakes on a 80 quid bike

 

[Stephenmacleod]

Don't know how to tag on here, but trying to tag whoosh - I'm actually visiting Southend next month for family, was wondering if they had any rear hub bikes to test ride (preferably a swx02 motor as if I didn't go for the YP kits that would be my next go to) as I've never ridden an e bike before so would be great if I'd be able to see one and test ride it round the block or something (if that's something they do)

 

[wheeliepete]

Don't know how to tag on here, but trying to tag whoosh - I'm actually visiting Southend next month for family, was wondering if they had any rear hub bikes to test ride (preferably a swx02 motor as if I didn't go for the YP kits that would be my next go to) as I've never ridden an e bike before so would be great if I'd be able to see one and test ride it round the block or something (if that's something they do)

Give them a call.

 

[Scorpio]

^ @Stephenmacleod to tag woosh on here put @ at before the username, @Woosh

Or give them a call to discuss your visit

 

[sjpt]

So having priced it up, with a 15ah battery (seems you have to buy seperate) a 26" rear cassette kit is 225 and the battery is around 220, vs around 390 all in with a 12ah battery. I wouldnt mind paying the extra 55 quid if it was a huge jump in battery life but in real world terms is 12ah sufficient or is it a worthwhile upgrade?

Also, that price point puts it around 100 or so cheaper than a whoosh swx02 kit, again, is it worth just going for that or would the YP350 be adequate? Like I say I'm not looking to be a speed racer or doing 100 miles a day, just something i can tinker with and get motivated to burn some fat.

The range you will get is proportional to battery capacity.
To get a very good idea of what capacity will give what range for your sort of riding see https://www.bosch-ebike.com/en/service/range-assistant/ That is tailored for Bosch motors, but with a little interpretation will give reasonable results for any sensible motor, and will certainly give a very good idea of the huge variations based on different conditions and riding styles.

 

[Stephenmacleod]

^ @Stephenmacleod to tag woosh on here put @ at before the username, @Woosh

Or give them a call to discuss your visit

Many thanks - will give them a bell near the time.