May 8, 20232 yr The cassette version is a little more on the UK site - I think the OP needs the cassette version (out of stock at the mo) https://www.yosepower.co.uk/products/36v350w-26-28-rear-e-bike-conversion-kit-for-cassette-with-36v13ah-hl1-battery?variant=43397932777692 Oops! Quite right. If the OP follows up on this, and is tempted by the 250w. cassette kit (which is in stock) unlike the 350w. version it is restricted to 15.5mph and the throttle is limited as a "walk assist" - so not such a good buy as the 350w. It is a good hill climber though (and street legal!)
May 9, 20232 yr Not relevant to the OP but an advantage of a front hub is you can have hub gears if that’s your thing rather than derailleur. Is that an advantage? I know some people that don't know how to ride bikes like them, but I wouldn't have them on one of my bikes. I tried one of thos Nuvinci things for a bit. it was horrible. It's normally the other way round - your donor bike has hub-gears, so you can't have a rear motor and therefore are forced to choose between a front one and a middle one.
May 9, 20232 yr Is that an advantage? I know some people that don't know how to ride bikes like them, but I wouldn't have them on one of my bikes. I tried one of thos Nuvinci things for a bit. it was horrible. It's normally the other way round - your donor bike has hub-gears, so you can't have a rear motor and therefore are forced to choose between a front one and a middle one. I did say “if that’s your thing”, but they still have plenty of fans and are easier in city traffic.
May 9, 20232 yr An advantage of a front hub is you can have hub gears if that’s your thing rather than derailleur. Fair point, rear hub gears are popular is some parts of the World, Holland for instance. They used to be popular in the UK too, but in recent years there seems to have been an obsession in having as large a number of gears as possible. The OP wanted the converted bike for London commuting, and its no coincidence that one of the most popular London commuting bikes is the Brompton which does have a 3 speed rear hub gear, some of course have the simple chain pusher which gives you 6 speed.
May 9, 20232 yr Throttles are personal choice, no throttle if you are strong and fit and can safely move off from a junction, which may be on an incline. I personally find not having a throttle control, downright dangerous, but I live in hilly terain, so is a totally no no for me, unless I want to end my life very quickily. One advantage of my new Decathlon is the torque sensing so power comes on immediately I start pedalling.
May 9, 20232 yr Author The cassette version is a little more on the UK site - I think the OP needs the cassette version (out of stock at the mo) https://www.yosepower.co.uk/products/36v350w-26-28-rear-e-bike-conversion-kit-for-cassette-with-36v13ah-hl1-battery?variant=43397932777692 This looks really good - I beleive this is a throttle one? To be honest I think I’d prefer a pedal powered bike as it’s what I’m more used to and don’t see the advantage of having a throttle as long as breaks are strong enough. thanks so much for the help!
May 9, 20232 yr Loads of advice here - difficult to pick through the biases:). If I was in London then I think I'd get on the train and visit Messrs Woosh dahn in Sahfend(*)... Fenchurch Street/Liverpool Street => Southend Central = GBP14.60 (cycle back!) (*) Once had to attend an "interview" @ Alexander House.
May 9, 20232 yr Loads of advice here - difficult to pick through the biases:). If I was in London then I think I'd get on the train and visit Messrs Woosh dahn in Sahfend(*)... Fenchurch Street/Liverpool Street => Southend Central = GBP14.60 (cycle back!) (*) Once had to attend an "interview" @ Alexander House. I doubt even Woosh can help on a £350 budget
May 9, 20232 yr I live in a very hilly place and got a bike converted to have a Bafang 250 watt hub motor. I have had it just on two years and have loved it. The ability to use the gears to help the motor get up hills is a great advantage for me, though not for the OP. It is completely silent and has had no service needed in 2000 miles of quite hard use. The conversion was done by Billy Milburn from a village near Durham, called Esh Winning. I don't ride it in the winter much, but I keep the battery charged up and I always keep the chain well oiled because it is worked quite hard. A kit like mine with a 14ahr, 36v battery costs about £700 as far as I can remember.
May 9, 20232 yr Author yeah difficult to come to a conclusion from my side, a conversion kit that is 36v, is pedal powered (unrestricted with the capability to go above 15.5mph would be nice but I guess not required). The main thing is that if it is in line with my £350 budget. I’m really not looking for anything too advanced but just the best value for the price really! Also to mention I wouldn’t need more then like 7 miles range Edited May 9, 20232 yr by coolio2000
May 9, 20232 yr You noticed then ? I can't speak for others, but my advice was given purely on experience with the items I've purchased. I've no experience of other products and don't get any reward for mentioning the items I have. You can be assured that if I come across any problems they will be reported here. Nobody should feel compelled to take the advice!
May 9, 20232 yr Just to add to your confusion and I haven’t read the entire post, but £350 budget is very small. A decent battery costs that much.
May 9, 20232 yr The only way for a small battery is bespoke made one but these are stiil not cheap as one needs the very best cells. I make my own the cost is still £100 using the very best current rated cells, my 6ah drinks bottle battery is about 1.5lbs and in low PAS assist with my KT set up can manage easily over 30 miles , curently on 30.9 miles for the charge and SOC sitting at 3.6v per cell.
May 9, 20232 yr For £350 you are looking at a legal 15.5mph kit , you might be able to scrape a hub kit together just but it means using a really cheapish 36v ebay battery . A new rear cassette hub motor $80 - $100 and a decent KT controller kit $80 - $100 from China, but it will still need building in to a rim. Then theirs always used stuuf on ebay if got cheap enough.
May 10, 20232 yr More options: Bes Bikes in New Charlton (Greenwich) - they do conversions and might be happy to show you around some of the options. Buy a used electric bike within your budget (GBP350) from Ebay, or similar. Ride it for a bit, learn more, sell it and then do your conversion. There are a few folding ones available right now - perfect for shortish journeys and storage - plus - no-one ever wants to nick a folder. Rob a bank and use the ill-gotten proceeds to purchase a Tern Vektron S10 (GBP4,100).
May 10, 20232 yr I got rid of my throttles as I never really found them of much use. There's only one time I miss having a throttle: Hill starts while hauling a bike trailer full of water. Almost impossible. I used to miss it at roundabouts and intersections, for rapid start, but with the BBS01B's gear sensor working brilliantly, if I remember to change to a low gear (gear 3 of 8 on the flat, 2 or 1 of 8 on hills) before stopping, I can start on a low gear and simply zap up fast, powering through the gears with no grinds. (P.s. the gear sensor doesn't seem to work for everyone, my bike appears to be the exception) Edited May 10, 20232 yr by guerney
May 10, 20232 yr I think the donor bike is a Carrera Subway so has an aluminium frame and likely a high tensile or chromoly front forks. So personally I would of thought a front hub motor was the ideal option. I also seem to remember someone had quite a lot of difficulty fitting a rear hub motor to a subway as it required a serious amount of metal removal to get the hub motor axle to fit which compromised the frame slightly. It's probably worth checking with a magnet just in case but if the forks are steel I would definitely go the front hub route. If you are fitting a fairly low power front hub motor without regen I personally think you can get away without a torque arm on steel forks which is a huge bonus for dealing with punctures etc. Also by keeping your original rear wheel you will have more comfort due to the longer spokes and more spring in the wheel. Also by having the rider power the rear wheel and the motor power the front wheel you have effectively two wheel drive and a reduced incidence of broken spokes. However steering can be a bit heavier and for lighter riders the front wheel tread is more likely to slip. However the Subway is basically a mountain bike with a rigid fork so has pretty thick road tyres so this is less of an issue. I realise I'm presenting another conflicting opinion just to make the choice more difficult.
May 10, 20232 yr I think the donor bike is a Carrera Subway so has an aluminium frame and likely a high tensile or chromoly front forks. So personally I would of thought a front hub motor was the ideal option. I also seem to remember someone had quite a lot of difficulty fitting a rear hub motor to a subway as it required a serious amount of metal removal to get the hub motor axle to fit which compromised the frame slightly. It's probably worth checking with a magnet just in case but if the forks are steel I would definitely go the front hub route. If you are fitting a fairly low power front hub motor without regen I personally think you can get away without a torque arm on steel forks which is a huge bonus for dealing with punctures etc. Also by keeping your original rear wheel you will have more comfort due to the longer spokes and more spring in the wheel. Also by having the rider power the rear wheel and the motor power the front wheel you have effectively two wheel drive and a reduced incidence of broken spokes. However steering can be a bit heavier and for lighter riders the front wheel tread is more likely to slip. However the Subway is basically a mountain bike with a rigid fork so has pretty thick road tyres so this is less of an issue. I realise I'm presenting another conflicting opinion just to make the choice more difficult. You're right. If they're steel forks, there's no problem from a safety point of view. I thought that they were aluminium alloy.
May 11, 20232 yr You should avoid heavy front hub motors but anything up to 3kgs is OK. Avoid also 48v and square wave controllers if it is for a front hub, too much power is not good if you ride over a wet surface.
May 11, 20232 yr Author Thanks for all the useful info guys. Theres a lot of conflicting viewpoints which makes it quite difficult for me to decide especially considering I’m not too savvy in this department. it would be great to come to a conclusion to find something that’s quite bare bones, affordable, and easy to deal with. I don’t have too much free time to do a lot of independent research which is why I’ve come here! Anyone new reading this please read my first couple of messages where I list other requirements/expectations I have. Thanks for all your help ✌️
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