Deamonata

Would it be possible to go back on topic please? Are there any issues with filing out the dropouts? Won't it weaken them?

Yorkshire. Why do you ask?

I'd probably describe my bike maintenance ability on the more novice side, I've not done a huge amount before now. But in my favour I am a mechanical engineer so I do have some familiarity with the tasks involved even if I've never done any before.

How easy are rear hubs to install? I thought they were almost as much of a pain as mid-life systems. What sort of things do I need to consider when looking for one? Out of curiosity would powering yourself home using the front motor after snapping the chain still be legal in the UK for road use?

Right so I think I'll rule out friction motors then. How do hub motors compare for providing power up hills, my previous understanding was that certainly the front hub ones can struggle a bit because the drive is in front of the center of gravity so you end up with a lot of wasted power. Are there any advantages for going with a hub motor over mid drive. I had a quick look at the GSM, it looks pretty good, is whoosh a fairly reputable brand/company?

I've seen alot of people mentioning the 8fun bbs01/bbs02 kits looking around it looks like the price would be around the £600 mark. Do you know how good they are/how they perform next to the pedalease kit?

I've got a carrera crossfire, but I can't remember the exact model. I believe it is the carrera crossfire 3. http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/hybrid-bikes/carrera-crossfire-3-hybrid-bike?cm_mmc=Google+PLA-_-Bikes-_-Hybrid+Bikes-_-266499&_$ja=tsid:60494%7Ccgn:GoogleShopping%7Ckw:266499&istCompanyId=b8708c57-7a02-4cf6-b2c0-dc36b54a327e&istItemId=wriaitra&istBid=tztx&_$ja=tsid:35522|cid:344520484|agid:24344217364|tid:aud-80976662749:pla-224053420084|crid:83789280484|nw:g|rnd:930216018533728767|dvc:m|adp:1o2&gclid=CjwKEAjwrIa9BRD5_dvqqazMrFESJACdv27GDgMPBhRqs611P8FF5Z1xXgWXZM62numGowBh661e9xoCbBnw_wcB

I've recently moved and unfortunately my commute to work has significantly increased, and now consists of about 30-40 minute ride along a canal, plus an additional 20 minutes of steep uphill on my return journey. As a result of this I'm looking into whether or not a conversion kit might assist me. I'm currently looking at two options for a conversion kit and I was wanting some advice on them both or if anyone has any other alternatives that might work well for me that I can obtain in the UK. Option 1: This is from a Company called Bike tails. From the installation video it looks like it would be very easy to install which is a nice plus point and it looks like a fairly straight forward system, I also would be very surprised if this didn't work on my bike as I already have a pannier rack fitted. My concern is that I'm not sure how well it would cope with the steep hill and I've also heard that friction drives aren't as good if the tires are wet, or if it's raining. Bike tail site Amazon Listing Option 2: Is a mid-drive system from Pedalease. This claims to solve the problems I was worried about with the friction drive option, in that it claims to cope well with hills, and this is back up with other information I've read about mid-drive systems, because they are able to make use of the gearing. My concern is how easy it would be to fit myself and if I would need to take it to a local friendly bike shop, and also if it would be possible to fit on my bike at all. Fish Type Battery Bottle type Battery Has anyone had any experience of these brands before? Will the friction drive cope with the hills near me?(according to http://veloroutes.org/ the gradient of my hill is ~8%) How hard are most mid-drive systems to fit? Are there any better options?