April 27, 20251 yr HI All Greetings from the land downunder I recently picked up a Dahon Ciao which I'd like to convert as it is : very light, seems well made and has Nexus 8 IGH (which i prefer to deraillier) and in particular a very low step-through. It will just be for short trips (1-2km each way) to the shops etc, with some moderate hills. Not looking for ultra speed just make things a bit easier on my 75kg 67 y.o. knees. So, Im hoping for advice on: 1. a good, reasonably priced kit, eg this one: https://topbikekit.com/16kg-tbk74ad-36v250w-48v250w-front-motor-with-20inch-406-wheel-rim-for-bromptoncranstondohon-bike-p-1320.html?number_of_uploads=0&zenid=k0fjrkpag0ippfr4rr7466lbi5 . it has the 75mm drop out.s 2. any tips on doing the conversion? I've a basic understanding of ebikes, already having a Velectrix step-through which is good, but just a bit heavy 3. will i need a torque arm? front forks are steel 4. current tyres are 1.5", they are ok but was thinkng of moving to 1.75" (rims are 406) and any other suggestions very welcome!
April 27, 20251 yr 4. current tyres are 1.5", they are ok but was thinkng of moving to 1.75" (rims are 406) My Dahon Helios P8 had 1.5" wide Marathon tyres on Kinetix rims, but I had to change the rims to fit 1.75" Marathon Plus, which are much comfier traversing road cravasses etc. You may be able to source suitable built wheels down under, but if not, it's possible to buy rims and hubs from AliExpress, as I did a couple of months ago, after a welcome tipoff from [mention=23434]esuark[/mention]. https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005005929015035.html https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005003842886111.html Edited April 27, 20251 yr by guerney
April 27, 20251 yr HI All Greetings from the land downunder I recently picked up a Dahon Ciao which I'd like to convert as it is : very light, seems well made and has Nexus 8 IGH (which i prefer to deraillier) and in particular a very low step-through. It will just be for short trips (1-2km each way) to the shops etc, with some moderate hills. Not looking for ultra speed just make things a bit easier on my 75kg 67 y.o. knees. So, Im hoping for advice on: 1. a good, reasonably priced kit, eg this one: https://topbikekit.com/16kg-tbk74ad-36v250w-48v250w-front-motor-with-20inch-406-wheel-rim-for-bromptoncranstondohon-bike-p-1320.html?number_of_uploads=0&zenid=k0fjrkpag0ippfr4rr7466lbi5 . it has the 75mm drop out.s 2. any tips on doing the conversion? I've a basic understanding of ebikes, already having a Velectrix step-through which is good, but just a bit heavy 3. will i need a torque arm? front forks are steel 4. current tyres are 1.5", they are ok but was thinkng of moving to 1.75" (rims are 406) and any other suggestions very welcome! The topbikekit.com kit one will be fine. You only need to think about secure locations for the controller and battery. 36v should be enough for you at only 75kg. Generally, you don't need a torque arm for a low power motor in those type of steel forks, but if you decide to go with 48v, you should fit one. After you've fitted everything, you should download the manual for your LCD and go through all the settings because the defaults probably won't work. Most settings aren't important, but the ones for the pedal sensor and speed sensor need to be right. If your state has adopted EN15194 as the legal standard, you set P4=1 and C4=3 to make the throttle legal, where it gives 6km/hr max when not pedalling and max power when pedalling. Most important is to check that P3=1 for the desirable "torque simulation", which is current control.
April 27, 20251 yr I converted a dahon clone with that 74mm front forks tbk kit https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/converting-a-little-folder.47261/post-716537
April 27, 20251 yr Author My Dahon Helios P8 had 1.5" wide Marathon tyres on Kinetix rims, but I had to change the rims to fit 1.75" Marathon Plus, which are much comfier traversing road cravasses etc. [ATTACH=full]62976[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]62975[/ATTACH] You may be able to source suitable built wheels down under, but if not, it's possible to buy rims and hubs from AliExpress, as I did a couple of months ago, after a welcome tipoff from [mention=23434]esuark[/mention]. https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005005929015035.html [ATTACH=full]62977[/ATTACH] https://vi.aliexpress.com/item/1005003842886111.html [ATTACH=full]62974[/ATTACH] excuse my ignorance, but how do i measure the inner rim width? presumably remove the tyre ? I couldnt see any markings on the rim itself. also, if i do this, does the outer rim width change too, and so affect brakes?
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.