KickGas

Curious to know how possible and how pricey it would cost me to convert my Hybrid Raleigh c40 700cc bike. It rides so smooth and is such a good commuter ive put some work into it. All i really think it needs is the electric conversion. Ive seen kits on amazon but am scared to purchase without knowing if its good quality or even compatible. Please any info on the subject is appreciated.

-KickGas

slomoshun

With a few required tools, the Bafang mid-drive conversion is not beyond the average rider. Or, have a bike shop do it. Installation instructions are on Youtube. Very popular kits.

Bafang mid-drive kits: 350, 500, 750 and 1000 watt

https://www.lectriccycles.com/

https://lunacycle.com/bafang-bbs02-750w-middrive-kit/

https://electricbikereview.com/?s=mid-drive+kits

nfmisso

@KickGas what are you goals for your e-bike?

Hub motors are good for level ground, and getting there. Mid drives are better for steep grades, because they use your bike's drive train. Which is also a downside because they stress your drive train.

I have converted a 1992 Trek 950 and a mid '90s Trek 720 to ebikes for commuting. My ride is 10 miles each way, with minimal hills (just a few over/underpasses.) I have access to electric power at work. I used a front hub motor (36V, 500W) on the 950 and a rear hub motor (48V, 1200W) on the 720. The 950 has a 468Wh (36V, 13Ah) downtube battery, the 720 has 624Wh (48v 13Ah) down tube battery.

Based on this picture: https://content.propertyroom.com/lis...6116134879.jpg
it appears that your bike has a 1" headset; if true, I recommend against a front hub motor. My 950 has a 1 1/8 inch headset - which is 60% stronger than a 1".

More W = faster acceleration and faster hill climbing. More Wh = longer range. The two bikes have less than 1 mph difference in top speed.

Hub motors work well on the flat, not so good on steep grades, they really do not like going less than about ½ their maximum speed.

Hub motor kits are about half the cost of mid drive kits. Both types require you to purchase a battery, which cost $300- and up (way up).

2old

IMO, great advice; hills, off road, more bike-like feel, mid-drive and Bafang is the best DIY kit --- commuting, flatter terrain (unless you go big on the motor and battery), more durable, less expensive and less drivetrain wear, hub motor.

veganbikes

Go to your nearest e-bike retailer and try some Bosch, Brose, Shimano or Yamaha motors and find a bike that works for you. Conversions can be a fun project but to make a reliable low maintenance commuter they do not make. Hub drives add rotational weight and are much less efficient then mid-drives and the bolt on mid-drive kits can end up reeking havock on your bottom bracket and potentially ruin the frame. A bike designed to be an e-bike can handle the torque and stresses the bike will go through and generally (if it is of good quality) will have a mid-drive motor. If you like Raleigh they make the Redux which is a great bike with a 28mph Brose motor and a reliable Deore drivetrain and more decent Tektro hydraulic brakes.They also have several other options as well. However Specialized, Bulls, Gazelle, Riese and Mueller and even my least liked Trek makes some great e-bikes worth trying as well.

Doc_Wui

Kickgas, figure on $500-1000 to add motor assist to your Raleigh. Hubmotors, whether lower powered geared motors, or a 1000-1500W monster direct dive run $200-300. A middrive will run you around $500. Each of these fell much different. Batteries start at $300. You can get by with cheap 36V models for slower speed, but need 48V high AH batteries to maintain range with the +1000W motors.

With the higher speeds, you would want to upgrade tires and brakes..Maybe stronger rims.

Suggest you share with the forum how you commute now. How fast you plan to go, and how far you want to go/ That plus budget, really determines the conversion.

Personally, I think it's hard to err with a mid drive kit. You can ride slow or fast, and climb hills, but you need to use the gears. Direct drive is more for higher speed using throttle. Geared hubs are good for assisted riding at bike speeds. Put them in assist level 1 and they put out 100 watts, enough to take the effort out of riding at 14 mph. I've no direct experience with the direct drive, but own a bafang and a half dozen geared motor hubs. A relatively cheap hobby, compared to golf and cars,

2old

My direct drive kit, which cost $200, has operated perfectly for three years as an errand bike; individuals on endless sphere report up to 20,000 miles with similar (or same YESCOM kit). During that time I haven't needed to change the drivetrain since the hub motor doesn't add wear to it. Top speed with a 52V battery is 33+ mph (I know, too fast even for Class 3 in CA).

Doc_Wui

I should add that you can motorize your own bike, but you still cannot beat the cost of the $500-700 chinese imports sold on Amazon and ebay because you have to buy the components from middlemen, You might have a better or worse quality bike, depending on what you started with and the parts you selected.

It's easy to throw abuse at the inexpensive imports. I recall going to Chicago's e-bike expo last year and one guy had a couple of this genre for demo. He had no idea how to set them up. Wheels rubbing. Bars were crooked Gears not shifting. Really set a bad example for quality but nothing wrong with the way the motor worked. On the other hand, the chain also fell off on a name brand bike I was trying out. It was a mid drive. Stuck on the test track, but I got my hands dirty and set it back on the gears.

slomoshun

Doc, you're too old to be doing wheelies. : )

nfmisso

I'll re-emphasize this FIRST determine what your needs are for an electric bike.:
* how far do you want to be able to go?
* how fast?
* what is the downside if you run out of battery power before you complete your ride?
* commuter, recreational, delivery, fun - which of these are you planning to use the ebike for.

With the above, you can determine how many Watt-hours (Wh) you need from the battery. From there you can go shopping for a complete ebike or a battery for a conversion.

For me, commuting is my primary use, running out of battery power would be very bad for me, based on my experience to date, I feel that I need 50Wh per mile to have peace of mind. If it was primarily for recreational riding, 25Wh per mile would be adequate. A very informal look at people's postings on this and other boards, suggest that typical energy usage is in the range of 8Wh to 30Wh per mile for ebikes going 30 mph or less.

Speed vs power consumption: Frictional drag force is basically independent of speed, so frictional drag power consumption is proportional to speed. Aerodynamic drag force is proportional to speed squared; so aerodynamic drag power is proportional to speed cubed. References:

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/rinard/aero/formulas.htm
https://www.cyclingpowerlab.com/Cycl...odynamics.aspx
https://fitwerx.com/bicycle-aerodynamics/
https://www.exploratorium.edu/cyclin...dynamics1.html

BrocLuno

TSZD2 is mid-drive kit with a torque sensing crank spindle. Nice kit and no harder to install the Bafang BBSxx. If you want pedal assistance only - that's teh way I'd go (oh wait a minute, I did go that way ).

Available here: TSZD2 kit