Had a bit of time to kill today so I visited 3 bike shops in Glasgow(2 independent? And 1 part of a chain)and I'm amazed how much these shops have increased their displays of ebikes this year and they must be selling them cause I'm seeing more and more on the road/cycle paths and it's mostly shop bought ones I'm seeing,not many conversions spotted so far.

DIY folk are the pioneers - look at the history of aviation, cars... We will always be the odd ones out. I saw a conversion the other day, the first I have seen in about 18 months!

 

The e-bike is now mainstream after being a niche market for many years and it won't be long before more e-bikes are sold than normal ones. All the factors are in place to push mass uptake, France just added 10% tax to diesel for example. As soon as people have a work mate who gets to work on time and without getting all sweaty and tells everyone how much he is saving a month on transport...

I thought about the diy route, but after deciding cost of bike + cost of conversion kit with the time to fit and fettle and the fact the base bike is set up for non assist, in regards to suspension, I went with purpose built.

Glad I did, doesn't look like a dogs dinner with wires and allsorts bolted on.

I would of had the satisfaction of " I made this ", but I just like to ride

Ive got to agree with you,last year when I fitted the conversion almost everybody said the usual thing "It's cheating" my reply was usually along the lines of "cheating who/what" followed by ebikes are the future,in 10 years most folk will use them for commuting.i don't think it'll take 10 years now,it'll be less,maybe 5 years.

Argoose you got in before me,It's anotherkiwi I agree with,saying that I don't mind which route folk go,diy or shop built is all good.

I thought about the diy route, but after deciding cost of bike + cost of conversion kit with the time to fit and fettle and the fact the base bike is set up for non assist, in regards to suspension, I went with purpose built.

Glad I did, doesn't look like a dogs dinner with wires and allsorts bolted on.

I would of had the satisfaction of " I made this ", but I just like to ride

 

Let's see some pics then boyo.

 

Here's my dogs dinners..

 

Lovely jubbly.

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I like these better lol

I like these better lol

 

They do look nice. They're clean and very pretty.

 

My minging 3 boneshakers didn't cost much. But I'm convinced that they give me equally as much fun as the next bike.

They do look nice. They're clean and very pretty.

 

My minging 3 boneshakers didn't cost much. But I'm convinced that they give me equally as much fun as the next bike.

 

I agree, its whatever works for you, I do mostly trail centres in south wales .

The 140mm suspension and geo work for me.

Full hooligan mode is

They do look nice. They're clean and very pretty.

 

My minging 3 boneshakers didn't cost much. But I'm convinced that they give me equally as much fun as the next bike.

Probably more so, knowing that you built them yourself (and if anything went wrong you'll know how to fix it)

 

I have my beloved '99 GT Avalanche MTB at the back of the garage, not ridden in years, I might just try my first conversion on that...

Imagine with me a moment:

 

 

Put a Q100H in the rear wheel, a HL battery with internal controller and you would have exactly 2 wires one of which would follow the gear wires up to the handlebars. If you pay attention to detail and if you go the extra way to drilling the frame and running the wires internally there is no difference between a DIY and factory. Especially as you don't need to mount brake cutoffs on a DIY bike.

Egroover,a wee pic of my GT conversion

I like these better lol

 

So the wind turbine charges the battery on the move?

Clever!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

a wee pic of my GT conversion

 

[mention=14616]Tabs[/mention] I see that you went with the bikehut basic suspension seatpost. How are you finding it compared with your regular seatpost?

Hi leighping,Can't remember what make the seatpost is(could be the halfords one)but it's been good so far but av never tried any other one to compare it to.

At any price point,i am sure a kit based bike could be built,with very little effort that offers better performance,and better components.

This is the type of riding I do, so need the travel and insurance might be an issue.

For days out in the Beacons a diy ebike would be fine, but I do like the trails too mucho_O

DIY folk are the pioneers - look at the history of aviation, cars... We will always be the odd ones out. I saw a conversion the other day, the first I have seen in about 18 months!

 

The e-bike is now mainstream after being a niche market for many years and it won't be long before more e-bikes are sold than normal ones. All the factors are in place to push mass uptake, France just added 10% tax to diesel for example. As soon as people have a work mate who gets to work on time and without getting all sweaty and tells everyone how much he is saving a month on transport...

 

.. not to mention the grant being given by the French government for specific ebike purchases. There is an incentive to getting them used for the short local 3 to 5 km shopping trips.

At any price point,i am sure a kit based bike could be built,with very little effort that offers better performance,and better components.

.. you might assume so, since you are contributing the labour yourself, but but there are economies of scale and purchasing individual parts can mean a multiple of postal , customs or travel charges. Swings and roundabouts

I can agree that ebikes are becoming more acceptable. Just yesterday in the last of the fine weather, I was viewing local houses under construction and got talking to a foreman , who had recently purchased a conventional bike, on medical advice to strengthen his knee, and he was very envious of my ebike, which probably have been a better therapeutic aid. This follows a number of previous conversations , all positive regarding ebikes , from the limited number of people I talk to on my rambles.

This is the type of riding I do, so need the travel and insurance might be an issue.

For days out in the Beacons a diy ebike would be fine, but I do like the trails too much.

 

I don't mind watching a bit of downhill or bikepark riding. But it's not really my scene. I'd never actually go to one. Even though Cannock is not too far from me. Each to their own and all that. As long as you're active and having fun, it's all good.

Besides, you'd only get in my way and slow me down.

.. you might assume so, since you are contributing the labour yourself, but but there are economies of scale and purchasing individual parts can mean a multiple of postal , customs or travel charges. Swings and roundabouts

 

I suppose that it all depends how far abroad you go shopping, and your budget. If you already have a good, suitable bike, that you want to convert, it shouldn't be too bad on your pocket and there are benefits with certain kits.

 

http://www.oxydrive.co.uk/electric-bike-kit/

 

Alternatively, if you want bike, kit support and a bit of peace of mind, you may as well get yourself a ready built one, for another £200 - £300 or so. From the service I've seen provided by the traders on this forum, I'd happily go down that route.