Cycling UK Forum

After a knee replacement and the deterioration of my other knee was keeping me off the road, I converted my Trek MTB 830 to electric assistance one year ago and I'm pleased to say it has literally put me back on the road.

viewtopic.php?f=55&t=117417

After more than 50-years of cycling and touring, without it I couldn't see me continuing any more. My knees are still sore at the end of a ride - just back from +40 miles this afternoon - but it really takes the pain out of the hills and has me cycling again; just booked an eBike tour in the Dolomites for September!

I've tried a few off-the-shelf eBikes but personally prefer a decent standard bike + conversion to electric assistance and out of interest + looking for ideas for another eBike conversion, am interested in what other have done / are doing. I get the feeling that a number of Forum members have also gone down this route and would like to suggest other like minded eBikers could post an image of their converted eBike(s) here + any background information so we can learn from each other.



To get the ball rolling here's mine + an update after one year:

https://roundthebendpart1.wordpress.com ... xperience/

hi, good idea.. if you look in this section under Electric bike kits you should come on 2 of mine, I started afaik back in 2013 which i think is the earliest contri on anything regarding E bikes using kits available to prospective users, there were i 'm sure that i read on here of a conversion using a radio control plane motor with a lot of neat fettling and using LI/PO batts..i went for the midmotor after much research and the fact that as a seasoned cyclist I'm a peddler so cadence wasn't an issue, despite both hips surgery imminent.. have diffs mounting any machine but once aboard no probs.. mid motors proven to be better climbing hills and wheels easier to remove when a flat tyre happens.. will

I'd love to, if I knew how to post pics on here. Have four Cyclotricity kits fitted

Phil Fouracre wrote:I'd love to, if I knew how to post pics on here. Have four Cyclotricity kits fitted

Briefly...

Find an online cloud to store photos (Photobucket, Flickr etc)and open an account

Upload the photo to the site.

Now copy the link to photo on the site

Use the "Img" button above which will add the code to your post

Note: I used round brackets to illustrate,assquare brackets do not show

Paste the link between the two "boxes" (img) (/img)

You will get:

(img)http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b60/Cunobelin/33DBFB7F-2D5E-43E6-831D-6AF17B927BB9_zpsxe08xdjj.jpg(/img)

if you use the original square brackets then the result will be:

Thanks for that! Looks a bit beyond my technical capabilities! will have to consult my tech expert (the missus!)

Phil Fouracre wrote:Thanks for that! Looks a bit beyond my technical capabilities! will have to consult my tech expert (the missus!)

On a PC the simplest way of getting smaller images that I've found is to install Image Resizer for Windows (there used to be a Microsoft Add-on that did the same thing but when they discontinued it someone wrote a small, free utility to replicate the features)

Simply select the file (or files) you want to shrink, right click, select the size ("Small" will, I think, always be within the forum limits, using "Medium" may also produce images with a small enough file size) & click OK & you will get a smaller copy of the file(s) in the same folder as the original(s).

pics added above.. #1 ..Vitus is now drop bars,with Clement strada 32's instead of rando 28's and #2. Merckx my first build is a revelation to cycle.. will

I have just bought the stuff I need to do an e bike conversion on one of my bikes ...and I totally agree with your comments on your blog groberts .I found the companies in the UK selling ebike kits very hard to deal with , inaccurate information , lack of any technical knowledge,not answering emails , unable to give any idea of delivery cost until order was completed and paid for. Trying to get info on the dimensions of the batteries and control unit so I could work out the best way to mount them was impossible ....in the end I have ordered a kit from China.(where just about all the kits come from any way)...very helpful advice,they answer emails , and give the price up front including transport .. So now I wait ...watch this space ...

My trike, I did myself use this site http://www.electric-bike-conversions.co.uk/
it works very well and keeps me on the road as my right knee starts to hurt on steep hills.

I would have to agree with others hereabouts as to the dearth of accurate and useful tips, pertinent info when considering any kit buying within UK, as mentioned on here before I started research back in 13, when it was perhaps to my mind ..kicking off in the UK.. few answered email enquiries, they must depend on walk in's.. as my research led me to the pedelecs forum, yes some would say they are a bit picky, but i found my supplier on there, and we have had some good business, buying from a chap who has experience in doing conversions, and now building his own batts, freely admits he's no cycle teck guy, and was able to direct me based on his own experience to Bafang motors and what size battery i would need for my requirements, i know hes not as cheap as i could do dealing directly with the Far East, but i can live with that, a long time ago I learned that people do biz with people they like, yes price has a revelance, i keep him honest.. anyone on here who has any issues with Bafang fitments could do worse than pm me and i'll run it past him..will

Thanks for the response so far. The point (if possible) is to create an ongoing thread which shows 'how to' and the result of other peoples eBike conversion experiences and issues from which others can learn. I personally found such good and reliable information difficult to come by, so keep them coming please.

I don't have a picture of mine to post (and if I did it'd be embarrassing it's so filthy).
Willcee's tourer is fairly close though (although my battery is frame mounted).

I did mine back in October, it's done around 6000 miles since.
It's a bafang mid drive and here are some of my observations.

It eats chains and sprockets. I need to do some research to see if I can get rid of the 9 speed cassette and replace the whole lot with something that supports a more heavyweight chain.
I've reduced cassette wear by having two chains and swapping them out every two weeks (I think chain stretch due to torque and only using a small number of the small gears on the cassette are primary causes of cassette wear here)

Out of the 9 speed cassette I only use 3 (perhaps 4 into a headwind) gears. These are mainly at the 'small' end so I swapped the 44t chainwheel for a 52t to move the range further down the cassette, hopefully reducing torque and thus chain wear - although this is still an experiment in progress.
I've also gone for a more limited range cassette rather than the touring cassette - I may even move to a road cassette.

I'd like to move to hub gears, but the problem is that ideally you just need 4 or 5 fairly closely spaced gears and the spacing on a five speed hub is probably too great, whilst more gears would increase cost and most wouldn't get used.

It also eats brake blocks (and eventually wheels), given the extra mass I think I'd be inclined to go the disc route.

So overall the mid drive works well, but there is the question of whether for my use (42 miles per day commuting) a hub wouldn't be better? Probably less good into head winds but then much less wear on the drive chain. I suspect a hub would be less efficient and thus need a larger battery too.
If a hub had regenerative braking then wear on the brakes could also be reduced (although I can't imagine the regenerative effect being worth much on a bicycle).

I am considering moving the kit over to another bike, I think I've been riding this one for long enough now to know what would make me the ideal commuting e-bike.
This would be; heavier chain, hub gears (pref close ratio), disc brakes, front suspension, fat(ter) tyres, chaincase and decent mudguards.
Without the assist my tourer was a perfect commuter for that sort of distance but with it some of the less efficient options can be considered.

yakdiver wrote:My trike, I did myself use this site http://www.electric-bike-conversions.co.uk/
it works very well and keeps me on the road as my right knee starts to hurt on steep hills.

Did the same with ours - it's brilliant

In reply to Kwackers, I was advised by experienced old hands to go down from 11sp to 8 sp or even 7, like K. I find I'm really only using 5 gears and more often than not 4..My last build the Vitus has 46 T ring & 11 Top, a 9 speed. but I'm only using it maybe once or twice a week...I'm using lt /wt 28's on the Merckx, but 32's on the Vitus as its a bit sharper on the road...After several hunderd miles on the Merckx, Lekkie 42 ring and 13 top I measured the chain with no significant stretch.. and it has a lot more power than yours... What's killing your drivetrain is long distance commuting, dirt grit and all manner of crappy weather this past winter and spring would eat chains and cassettes even without the added torque that the Bafang provides so adequately..I would pm Brucey about the hub gear idea, he will keep you on the right track, although I think there's a bit too much torque for any longevity.. will

pedals2slowly wrote:

yakdiver wrote:My trike, I did myself use this site http://www.electric-bike-conversions.co.uk/
it works very well and keeps me on the road as my right knee starts to hurt on steep hills.

Did the same with ours - it's brilliant

Is that the Malvern hills? If so it is a very steep ascent if I remember.