Meagannn

I've got Fuji Gran Fondo 2.1 bike and I want to convert into the e-bike. Is it a good idea?))
Due to its carbon folks, the front kit wheel won't work out well as far as I heard so who can advise the best option for installing the rear one.
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I'd appreciate if your proposition would be up to 500 bucks.
THNX

chas58

Good question. I’m not sure how you would get a hub motor on a bike with through axles. AFAIK, they are not designed for that – hub motors are designed for really really low end (usually stamped steel) dropouts, or maybe a big beefy dropout on a mountain bike.
I would probably try to see if a mid drive would fit that bike.

Doc_Wui

Stuff that makes a Fuji and your Scott CR1 Comp great bikes is not that important when adding a motor. Five extra pounds costs you money to lose, but it is nothing for an ebike. And the torque of a "small" 250W hub motor can rip up a carbon frame.

In my opinion, you can only ruin a a nice bike with a motor kit, but you can transform a slow bike into a trusted e-bike. Can you get a used steel frame bike?

What's your speed/distance requirements? For $500, you're looking at around 20 mile range and 14-16 mph.

fietsbob

a Mid drive motor kit goes in place of the crankset.

Meagannn

There is no sense in denying that probably you're right

actually, I may look for some options though you can direct me to some good seller
speed up to 20 mph or so

Nelson37

Grin makes a hub kit for through-axle bikes.

However, you are making a very common mistake. This is not understanding that almost everything that makes for a good BICYCLE makes for a bad, even unsafe and dangerous, EBIKE. You wouldn't take a roadbike down a mountainside, right?

Go to Walmart. Find a nice, STEEL frame. It will come with a lot of other stuff attached to it. Start with the brakes, then the wheels and tires, where you stop is up to you. Attach your electric motor and battery to the STEEL frame, and off you go.

Em3EV.com, Ebikes.ca, Ypedal.com are all reputable and trustworthy businesses, from both personal experience and a LARGE NUMBER of customer relations threads read voraciously over a period of five years. Other companies can be far, far less so.

Motor speed rating (NOT wattage!), battery voltage and amps, and wheel size all figure in to finding a motor with a MAX speed about 20-25% higher than what you want to cruise at.

qbiker

A good bike is more than lighter it shifts better brakes better and rides smoother.Brakes are important on a e-bike as your heavier and faster plus you not as critical about what you bring with you.I put a bafang kit on and I'm on steeper terrain as I'm not avoiding 15% plus grades we have around here.

Meagannn

I got your point, let's presume I got a steel frame(yet not a big deal as well as new brakes, wheels, and tires ) I was supposed to change it, but what for the kit? Which do you recommend to install regarding its best convenience? I apologize for my weak awareness
thnx for your response anyway

Meagannn

checked for a bafang kit I took it into consideration, thanks

Meagannn

here what I came across the last time https://www.bestadvisor.com/electric-bike-kits. Is there anything worth looking at?

2old

Read carefully what DW & C58 say, and maybe look at endless sphere where both post. If you're set on using a hub conversion (rear is best unless you have an IGH, belt drive or some system that makes it infeasible), Check Craigslist for a steel MTB (should be a plethora in your area)), then choose a propulsion system. You need to decide how much power. Hill Topper and Leeds have good reputations for low power, Mac and others for more. Should you live in a hilly area, a mid-drive is a good consideration and can be installed on an aluminum or steel frame. Luna Cycle is an excellent source (I have three, one each for my wife and me and one for any guests). Also, read the tutorials at ebikesca so you know the differences in motors, then ask any specific questions that are not answered there.

Doc_Wui

Personally I don't want a 15 pound heavy wheel that will have magnet drag that impedes coasting and unpowered pedalling,and that is what most of the items on that list are, Perhaps, if I had to ride a bike at 30 mph in traffic, I would love those kits, but I just need a bike that feels like a bike, but has power assist for recreational riding. The hilltopper fits that need, is the only light weight kit but has no pedal assist. The base model is only an on/off power switch. The higher end model use throttles. Quite limited in my opinion. I like throttles and find them useful, but a bike should run off the pedals.

Alas, lighter weight geared motors kits with pedal assist/throttle are hard to find in the USA. I bought this one last winter. It has a bug though. WIth the LCD version, the speedometer doesn't run when coasting, I'll have to mount a bike computer to track mileage accurately.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/36V-500W-Ge...S3UR6bzZVYpsNA

I am installing it for a friend right now, and it's on an aluminum bike with steel front suspension forks, I am kind of alarmed putting a rear 500W motor on an aluminum frame. The dropouts look kind of flimsy. And even though I've done this before, I find it tedious to find a location for the controller The PAS sensor took me two hours too. There will be a lot more work shortening the cables. I'm thinking a mid drive kit is a lot lot easier to install. Anyway, I cannot comment on the rideability til it's finished. I've bought two earlier kits from the same vendor but had the 3 speed PAS 36V version. I liked them.

Nelson37

Meagann, I would like to recommend a kit to do the job you want it to do, but there is absolutely no reasonable way I can do that, because you have given absolutely no clue whatsoever about what job you want the kit to do.

Range? Speed? Hill climbing? Load hauling? Amount of pedaling? Budget?

Do you want a Lexus, a Yugo, a pickup truck, a Ferrari, a Semi-truck, a dune buggy? Each of these vehicles is good at one or more things, and bad at others. Which one YOU pick would depend on what YOU want it to do.

Electric motors being essentially LOW-POWERED VEHICLES, the hills you want to climb, length, height, distance, the speed you can currently pedal over them with, and the load you are carrying, are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT and DRAMATICALLY LIMITING factors.

Your own weight is a major factor. Yes, I NEED to know how much you weigh in order to recommend a piece of equipment which will work for you.

veganbikes

They make already made e-bikes that don't have all the many many issues of kits and trying to convert non-e-bikes. Look for a Bosch or Brose motor and you will usually find a decent bike around it. Less stress and hassle especially when you have issues if you have issues because you don't have to hunt down random manufacturers for parts that might not exist or be gotten easily and Bosch from our shops experience has had virtually zero issues most of the issues surrounding Bosch were not Bosch at all but the manufacturers of the bikes or a damaged controller or screen here and there. I took a Bosch course and still haven't had to pull a motor in two years, I have actually kind of forgotten but no worries because if I have to do it Magura (or whomever is taking over their warranty has me covered and will walk me through it)

cyber.snow

chas58

Any more details on that Fuji conversation?

Steel is nice in that it can deform without breaking. I use an aluminium bike that has a beefy vertical rear dropout. But no off the shelf bikes have dropouts designed to handle the torque of a motor. If that motor spins in the dropout, it will destroy it (unless possibly it is steel).

I would rather get a better used steel bike off craig's list than a cheap one from a big box store. The components on those things scare me.