Hi all, been lurking on this forum a while as I am thinking of converting my VITUS MACH 1 THREE CITY BIKE NEXUS (2022). As the name suggests it has a 3 speed nexus hub, so from reading some of the previous advice on here, a front hub seems appropriate.

I am looking at the Yose kits and there is a front hub kit they do with a 27.5 inch wheel but you have to buy the battery separately.

In my basket I have

36V250W 24"/26"/27.5"/28" Front E-Bike Conversion Kit

36V13Ah HL-I Down Tube Lithium-ion E-bike Battery

Hydraulic Brake Sensor fit for All Kinds of Bikes

Do I have everything covered for the conversion? I have found it a bit confusing when you come across different pins on the batteries (this one says 5 pin gold plated round) and warnings around choosing a battery with a compatible discharge socket.

I did also consider a Swytch kit but the negative comments on here put me off and the Yose kits seem generally well received.

Hopefully someone can confirm I am on the right track as I don’t want to spend 350 quid and realise I have ordered parts that are not compatible with my bike or each other!

I will say that any front hub drive should use current control rather then speed control. Current control gives one better traction and far better control of power applied.

Yose are lishui speed control, one is better off with a KT current control system.

Edited Friday at 19:011 day by Nealh

Front drive can be a bit of a liability in the wet or on steep hills. I'd favour a mid / crank drive, or possibly a rear hub and derailleur. The bike looks like a flat-land commuter, if that's not how it's used we need to know what uses you want out of it and about your terrain and you and the range you want.

5 hours ago, Guest Newbie said:

Hi all, been lurking on this forum a while as I am thinking of converting my VITUS MACH 1 THREE CITY BIKE NEXUS (2022). As the name suggests it has a 3 speed nexus hub, so from reading some of the previous advice on here, a front hub seems appropriate.

I am looking at the Yose kits and there is a front hub kit they do with a 27.5 inch wheel but you have to buy the battery separately.

In my basket I have

36V250W 24"/26"/27.5"/28" Front E-Bike Conversion Kit

36V13Ah HL-I Down Tube Lithium-ion E-bike Battery

Hydraulic Brake Sensor fit for All Kinds of Bikes

Do I have everything covered for the conversion? I have found it a bit confusing when you come across different pins on the batteries (this one says 5 pin gold plated round) and warnings around choosing a battery with a compatible discharge socket.

I did also consider a Swytch kit but the negative comments on here put me off and the Yose kits seem generally well received.

Hopefully someone can confirm I am on the right track as I don’t want to spend 350 quid and realise I have ordered parts that are not compatible with my bike or each other!

I prefer this one over the Yose kits because it has the KT controller that gives much better control of the power. That won't mean much until you try the two, then you'd see the difference.

PSWPOWER.com

MXUS Electric Bike Conversion Kit Wheel Hub Motor 36V 48V...

MXUS Electric Bike Conversion Kit Wheel Hub Motor 36V 48V 1000W 500W 250W 26 28 700C Rear Front Drive Engine eBike Kit XF07 XF08 XF08C XF15F XF15R

7 hours ago, AntonyC said:

Front drive can be a bit of a liability in the wet or on steep hills. I'd favour a mid / crank drive, or possibly a rear hub and derailleur. The bike looks like a flat-land commuter, if that's not how it's used we need to know what uses you want out of it and about your terrain and you and the range you want.

I just use the bike for getting out and about, mainly on cycle paths. There are a few hills to contend with but nothing really too major, and electrifying the bike was to try and make it a bit more enjoyable as I get older. I am reasonably fit at around 6ft and 13 stone so can still put some decent effort in. Currently I cycle no more than around 12 to 15 miles when I go out so range shouldn’t be too much of an issue. It is just getting that extra boost I suppose, that an e-bike gives.

The reason I looked at a front hub is that I read a few comments that the nexus hub might not get on too well with a rear conversion in terms of wear and tear on the hub.

I rode a high torque front hub motor for many years (Ezee) around the steep and often slimy back roads of west Wales. It is true that there are some handling peculiarities with front hubs but, to my mind, I think they are grossly overstated.

There will be some scrubbing on steep hills, but you say you don't ride these. This does cause extra tyre wear and I would say I got through 3 front Marathon plus tyres for every one on the back.

Low speed manoeuvring can be a bit tricky but using the brake cut out negates this. Also with a KT kit there won't be the sudden jolt of full power (as on my ezee kit).

Make sure you use at least one torque arm to prevent the motor axle spinning in the fork drop outs. Here's a link to ne I've used a few times:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145366123136?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338590836&toolid=10044&loc_physical_ms=41774&customid=d08f60b87b1919af52300ab04c616a07&gclid=d08f60b87b1919af52300ab04c616a07

Just make sure it is for the correct motor axle size.

There can be some scrubbing at start up on loose gravel path surfaces. Actually I used to quite enjoy this and rather miss the fun now I've got a rear hub. Nothing a competent rider can't handle. Moving ones weight forward over the handle bars generally sorts this out.

I have no experience of Nexus hubs but the consensus does seem to be that they don't fair well with the extra torque from a mid drive.

Apart from that, buy the largest capacity battery you can afford as it will be stressed less than a small one and will last longer.

May you discover the silly e bike grin soon !

2 hours ago, Guest Newbie said:

I just use the bike for getting out and about, mainly on cycle paths. There are a few hills to contend with but nothing really too major, and electrifying the bike was to try and make it a bit more enjoyable as I get older. I am reasonably fit at around 6ft and 13 stone so can still put some decent effort in. Currently I cycle no more than around 12 to 15 miles when I go out so range shouldn’t be too much of an issue. It is just getting that extra boost I suppose, that an e-bike gives.

The reason I looked at a front hub is that I read a few comments that the nexus hub might not get on too well with a rear conversion in terms of wear and tear on the hub.

A rear motor is always better than a front one, but you have no choice. Any motor is better than no motor. There are some issues when considering a front motor that you need to be aware of:

1. The drop-outs on some bikes have insufficient strength to deal with the torque. Basically, you need a bit of meat around them if they're aluminium. Steel forks are much more resisistent to the torque, so if that's what you have, you should be OK. If you're unsure about this, post pictures of your drop-outs.

2. Quick release wheels have a 9mm axle. The motor axle is 10mm wide, so if you have a Q/R axle, you'll need to file the drop-outs wider.

3. Most forks are tubular with the drop-outs welded to the inside edge so that you have approximately 100mm between the tubes, which gives all the space you need for the motor. Some forks have the drop-outs welded in line with the middle of the tube. In that case there can be insufficient space for the motor because the gap between the tubes is much less than 100mm

4. Some forks only have 75mm between the drop-outs. In that case you have to fit a less common narrower motor.

Used bikes can be bought pretty cheap from Facebook, Nextdoor, and anything else that gives local ads. That gives you the chance to build a more suitable electric bike if you encounter any issues with your bike. Cheap bikes can become very good bikes with an electric conversion.

12 hours ago, AntonyC said:

Front drive can be a bit of a liability in the wet or on steep hills. I'd favour a mid / crank drive, or possibly a rear hub and derailleur. The bike looks like a flat-land commuter, if that's not how it's used we need to know what uses you want out of it and about your terrain and you and the range you want.

Is your reply from experience or hearsay ?

I have had two front wheel drives and both have coped admirably with most terrain and condtions, speed controllers can be a bit slippy on loose terrain but never experienced it in the wet during three or four years of continuous commuting and errand riding. A KT current control system is the perect partner for front drive and my Road rat build is still going very strongly with the superb Bafang G370.

I chose the G370 front hub because I adore the Alfine 8 twsit grip system , G370 for high internal gearing and ability to ride like a normal bike with no power.

It is horses for courses dependent on the bike chosen and gearing preference.

Rear drive generally is better then front , one can put more power through a rear and the drops outs aren't and issue though maybe CF should be ignored. In most cases dropout filing is needed as axles are 12 x10 so not straight drop in for 9mm QR.

Front requires ideally steel or chrome alloy forks and forget suspension , forks need to be rigid.

Choose the right motor and fork selection and they should give effortless use and years of reliable service.

1 hour ago, Nealh said:

Is your reply from experience or hearsay ?

I have had two front wheel drives and both have coped admirably with most terrain and condtions, speed controllers can be a bit slippy on loose terrain but never experienced it in the wet during three or four years of continuous commuting and errand riding. A KT current control system is the perect partner for front drive and my Road rat build is still going very strongly with the superb Bafang G370.

I chose the G370 front hub because I adore the Alfine 8 twsit grip system , G370 for high internal gearing and ability to ride like a normal bike with no power.

It is horses for courses dependent on the bike chosen and gearing preference.

I've experienced slipping on many occasions with afront motor. It'll happen on any very steep hill if the surface is compromised in any way, say a bit of gravel, even with relatively low power, like 36v 15A. It can be a liabilty on off-road trails when you get a steep rise. There's no problem on any normal road with hills that aren't too steep.

I don't see it as a deal-breaker. It's just a disadvantage when compared with alternatives.

The way I see it is that if you have a bike that you love to bits forwhatever reasons, you can add an electric kit to make it better, but if you just want an electric bike for getting about on and a bit of exercise, you buy a ready-made one from Ebay for as low as £400 - cheaper than many conversion kits. If you want to make your own electric bike because you like making stuff and doing projectsit's better to put a bit more thought and effort into it.

The difference in cost between finding a suitable donor bike and fitting the best kit and bodging an unsuitable bike with the cheapest kit is not very much, so you might as well do it right, and your work will give you years of happy cycling.

I find my front wheel yose build is great fun, you soon get used to it, i also have a rear hub on my other bike, but tend to use the carrera front hub more, puts a smile on my face .

14 hours ago, Guest Newbie said:

I just use the bike for getting out and about, mainly on cycle paths. There are a few hills to contend with but nothing really too major [...]

The reason I looked at a front hub is that I read a few comments that the nexus hub might not get on too well with a rear conversion in terms of wear and tear on the hub.

Then medium 'assist' would add some virtual stamina and a front drive should be OK and cheaper than mid drive. Maybe "liability" was too strong, D8veh put it better. We get quite a few enquirers with reduced strength on one side etc. and near me 12% (1 in 8) gradients are common: when needing a goodly shove I'd pick rear drive.

It's true Nexus 7 and 8 speed hubs have a modest torque limit but if you look on Endless Sphere the Nexus 3 seems famed for toughness.