MNebiker

Five years ago I added an Ebikeling 500w kit with a 36v 12AH battery. It had a range of about 35 miles, however after about 20 - 25 miles the performance would begin to drop off and the bike was less responsive - sometimes needing to use a higher PAS level on some hills. Last fall I upgraded to a 16AH battery with significant performance improvement. So far I have noted no performance drop-off and even after 20+ miles the display shows the battery at full. I haven't tested the max range yet, but on one occasion I rode about 19-20 miles and neglected to recharge. The next day I rode an additional 15-16 miles and the display indicated slightly above 1/2. I anticipate it would have a 40+ range with no problem.

jplee3

Thanks for the feedback! Were you using pedal assist in this case(and with that, are there different modes of power with pedal assist? If so, which mode were you on?)?

jplee3

I did see the Lectric bikes which also are enticing. The mental roadblock is having more than one bike each for myself and my wife hahaha. I don't really want to deal with reselling (if I don't have to) which leaves us with converting. Would mid-drives be better for the hills then btw? I don't think there are too many super steep hills here. I do see kids on ebikes quite a bit but most of them are the fatter tire kind (or at least ones that look more like the Lectrics, Rads, etc)

2old

If others are riding hub systems, you should be able to also. There's no compelling reason to use a mid-drive unless the hills are really steep or for full on MTB (not just riding on dirt trails). DW's suggestion of e-Bikeling is good, but there are other options. You might convert one bike and see how you or your wife like the end product before proceeding with a second.

MNebiker

This was in pedal assist - I never used the throttle (actually removed it a couple years ago as it was in the way when I added some larger ergon grips and bar ends.) I also upgraded the display/controller when I replaced the battery. The original had only 3 levels of PAS - I used level 1 most of the time with level 2 for tough hills. That gave approx 15mph, a safe speed for riding in the mix of users on the local MUP trails. The new unit has 5 levels - I use level 2 most of the time (15mph prox) and level 3 (about 17-18mph) sometimes when the trails are relatively free of traffic or I'm riding a bike lane on the street.

jplee3

I see. What other kits are there that you'd recommend besides ebikeling btw? And what size battery would you suggest as well? Seems like for the motor 500w is probably the way to go in our case.

2old

yescomusa.com ($225 for a direct drive kit), where I procured my 48V, 1000w kit; Rice (Amazon, about $300) for my 48V, 500w geared kit; many others on ebay.

jplee3

If the legal limit is 750w, how do you get away with any of those kits that are bigger (e.g. 1000w, 1200w or 1500w)?

2old

I didn't know the rules when the 1000w kit was procured (I realize that's no excuse), but you're right, and should limit to the US max of 750w. I am decommissioning the 1000w system in favor of the 500w for now since a problem could surface if I get in an accident and someone realizes the "bike" is illegal.

jplee3

Ahh ok. I was trying to find the "Rice" brand - "Ricetoo" is what I came across. The price range is roughly the same as ebikeling so not sure if I'd be saving a ton. They also seem more limited in their selection and I've only seen "1500w" offerings which would be ruled out. In any case, I probably will just start with one of the ebikeling mods (maybe to my wife's Schwinn bike) and see how it goes from there.

tds101 

As long as you limit the speed of the system to the legal speed limit for an ebike in your area there won't be any issues. The only side effect of the more powerful system will be more power and torque for hills. The police care about speeds here in the USA, and really don't break chops UNLESS you're a speed demon.

jplee3

I see... I was curious about this -how do you limit the speed on the ebike? Is there a switch or toggle on the motor to set a lower wattage ceiling or something? I thought I saw that some of the Amazon sellers won't even ship the higher powered motors to CA... I could be wrong though. Last thing I'd want of course is to install a 1200w motor, get "pulled over" by a cop for something unrelated to speed (or perhaps they might still pull me over anyway because they think I'm going to fast), check and note that it's over 750w and then end up confiscating the bike or something like that hahaha... doubt they'd do that but I'd hate getting written up or getting a ticket etc.

tds101 

Depending on the display, you just enter the (secret) settings menu, and then make the appropriate adjustments.

2old

tds, exactly my experience from a lot of errands on the bike. I just slowed down and pedaled when encountering the gendarmes.

Doc_Wui

If you have the caliper mounts, it's easy. Otherwise, it's an awful job unless you like to tinker in the garage. They sell adapter plates, but they're not one size fits all, and each has to be fitted to your actual bike. Takes me about two days to get one right with my limited machine shop, but at least I have a drill press.

scrolltonowhere

I'm working on a 90's Trek Multi-track hybrid with a Tongsheng Tsdz2 road kit. I pad $300 for the 36v motor and found a battery for around the same price. For more electric bike related questions endless sphere forum is a great resource for everything. People get real geeky but there are more on the surface level questions and answer as well.

scrolltonowhere

After I bought my 90's trek without knowing which components needed to be replaced, I ended up having to replace nearly everything aside from the rims and the rear derailleur so far. I feel like maybe I should've just bought a frame

tornado60

Great way to learn about bike maintenance though. How I did it. I decided to resurrect an old 3 speed. I also got an education in removing rusty bolts.

Doc_Wui

On my 1991 Trek, I replaced the front fork just to have the front suspension, Also changed out the rusted brake cables and v-brakes. New trigger shifters and cables. New tires/tubes. Kept the original seat, front/rear derailleurs, freewheel, chain, crank and pedals. The front fork was a major learning experience, but still easy.