nelf

Thanks for the response! Aliexpress has an auto-translate for reviews that are posted in a different language - When ordering I can select which motor, display and wheel size on the main page but for add-ons you send them a message and they will add it to your order and send a request for additional payment separately from the main bill I believe, seems to work quite well from what i've heard. I think (and hope) you're correct with it being a 48v and they just suck at clarifying descriptions. I'll be asking them a couple more questions via messages before ordering but right now they are on a national holiday until 6th May.

Shipping is definitely a lot worse now that most of the EU won't send stuff to the UK. What do you think about this kit? The 48V750W geared https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000757519837.html

Yup it's dodgy - do you where I can buy a better kit on aliexpress?

I asked them via chat why the motor isn't on Bafangs website, they replied with this link of a 'different kit'. https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002545685290.html Looks like it's this motor: https://bafang-e.com/en/oem-area/components/component/motor/fm-g020250350d/ ? It looks like they have just created that listing 2 days before I asked about it (google cached version from 26 Apr), if you go to their profile and sort by new it's the first one listed So if I order it and it's not what they listed I should be able to get my money back - and if it works out, then all is good. Would prefer to get a kit from a more reputable aliexpress supplier but cannot find one and no one has recommended any..

Sent them a message but doubt they will say which one it is. I can't find a different supplier that ticks the boxes so may end up ordering it anyway.

I'll see what arrives, likely just a bad description. None of them seem to have colour displays/USB charging and Woosh didn't have stock for my kit that was recommended so I just decided to ham it and go with aliexpress. --- Now for choosing the battery - Any recommendations from em3ev? I suppose I just need to buy based on the Whrs that I want? https://em3ev.com/product-category/ebike-battery-parts/ebike-battery-in-case/?currency=GBP

The more I read into ebikes, the more confused I get. What do you think of this kit? https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32938300991.html

Ah I see now! This post below also helped me understand it, in case anyone else was also confused: --- Now to try and find a kit on aliexpress..

I want a nice looking colour display with USB charging - 850C / P850C / 860C are ideal and from what I was reading you need to get a compatible controller. KT controllers only match with KT displays - so I figured Bafang match with Bafang? KT-LCD8H also fits the bill for colour+USB charging, so if the controller in a kit is KT hopefully it'll be compatible and I can buy the display separate if necessary. If I were to go with Woosh and get a SWX02 (or a XF08C or DWG22C) kit for example (no stock currently) - Using a programming cable I should be able to adjust the max speed, throttle speed and power settings? I've noticed that a lot of 250w motors are 500w like you said - is that plenty of power to play around with? I think offroad isn't such a priority, I may end up sticking to cycle paths/roads so would be looking for a rear hub. If in future I decide to focus more on offroad I can always work on a second build! Regarding batteries, there are some horror stories out there about dodgy ones - I know Woosh has a good reputation on these forums - have many people taken a look inside their batteries to see the quality of materials/soldering etc?

Thanks for the replies guys, I really appreciate it! USB charging is one of things of, why not - it's not expensive and can come in useful if i'm out all day and using my phone for GPS/music. Sure I could bring a portable battery pack but I already have a huge battery on my bike. Andy Kirby's kit does look pretty decent - I know someone that has bought it and he has no complaints. After doing some research it seems he might be drop-shipping it from Ncycle - they have an alibaba and aliexpress store: https://ncyclebike.aliexpress.com/store/2214086 Is Kirby's a direct drive motor? That's some solid advice. I'll likely be keeping the 15.5 mph limit in place but it'll be nice to have the option to remove it for the odd occasion. For now I think a rear hub is what i'm looking for - Geared would be nice but either will likely do. What difference can I expect with having a 36v 250w hub motor running at 48v vs using a 48v 1500w - faster acceleration and/or maximum speed difference? As for the tyres, you're totally right about the stopping power being very limited - originally I was wanting to go wider on the tyres for that reason, but for now i'll stick with the MTB I have and not rag it. For tyre upgrades (current ones are a decade old and likely have a puncture or two) I was looking at Schwalbe Marathon Plus - i'll revisit tyre options more thoroughly once I have the kit bought as the kit is the priority right now! --- So far my shopping list is this: Rear hub motor - geared preferred (with cassette?) 26" hydraulic brakes + sensors etc (current bike has disc brakes and not hydraulic) cadence sensors throttle bafang controller that can pair with 850C / P850C / 860C shark battery - em3ev supplier most likely

It's a GT avalanche 3.0 hardtail mountain bike 6'4 / 195 cm | 240lbs / 17 stone Bike usage is for general fitness, not commuting so i'll be using it on cycle paths, offroad and probably roads. Fitness is pretty bad right now, it's the reason why I want an ebike and not a normal one so i can exercise without dying.

You make some good points - I remember reading some articles on geared vs direct drive recently however it totally slipped my mind to check when looking at suppliers. Honestly though i'm not too fussed which I get - I suppose a geared would be better due to being lighter and more efficient. I've been looking at aliexpress listings and some UK suppliers for a few weeks now and am just really wanting to place an order sooner rather than later as I know there will be a wait of a good few weeks before it arrives - by then we'll be well into summer so not a lot of riding time left before the cold arrives. The thing that puts me off from UK suppliers is the 250w cap - if they can supply a good quality motor that can produce a lot more via a programming cable then I don't mind buying via UK and paying a small premium. I'm afraid they might be supplying a motor that maxes out near 250w leaving little power to play around with. I totally agree - Very happy to have people here that can offer advice. I've been reading a bunch of forum posts here and other places as there is a goldmine of information available however it's quite overwhelming for a newbie to take it all in. The now updated list is this - hopefully realistic: Rear hub motor - geared preferred (with cassette?) 26" hydraulic brakes + sensors etc (current bike has disc brakes and not hydraulic) cadence sensors throttle colour display with usb charging shark battery - em3ev supplier most likely -- What i've noticed is most controllers seem to be KT which only pair with KT displays? If i'm wanting 850C / P850C / 860C displays then i'll need a Bafang controller? Any links to where to get a conversion kit is appreciated.

I haven't tried one however i'm quite happy to pay a little more for a more powerful setup to future-proof this build (if I move somewhere hilly for example). I don't mind paying top dollar for a good quality battery that can supply enough juice - From researching em3ev seems to be pretty well regarded - I don't really know much about batteries although i've read a few pages, it's still quite new to me - do you have a recommendation from here or do you have a different store in mind? https://em3ev.com/product-category/ebike-battery-parts/ebike-battery-in-case/?currency=GBP I think I may have found the place to order my kit from, but will do more research over the next day or two. Likely from here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001049722406.html There are some upgrades that are offered, e.g a better PAS sensor. If anyone has any recommendations for places to buy the conversion kit or battery i'm all ears! Thanks!

I've been browsing aliexpress for a good few hours trying to find a supplier that has: Rear hub motor 1,000-1,500w conversion kit (all except battery, ideally) 26" 135mm dropout Colour display with usb charging port - something like a 850C / P850C / 860C It's not important that the kit comes with one of those displays, it just needs to be able to support it if I buy it from somewhere else but I cannot find the information that says which displays are supported by the controller - Maybe i'm missing something? Does anyone have any advice?

Oh interesting! I'll look for that sticker when I get the bike this weekend. Did you find the conversion pretty straight forward? You bought the kit from aliexpress right?