Straightbangin

Looking for suggestions for a good company to buy an electric bike kit from basically the motor on a front wheel plus controls. Biking 45 minutes to work each way which is soon going to be an hour to work each way on top trying to go to the gym and standing 8 hours a day at work is absolutely killing me so I could use a little help. Looking for a company that stands behind their product with easy to reach customer service to be able to buy a part, battery and not the whole kit again when there are issues or if it's worn out. I've researched online and not found much other than websites that lead to Facebook pages with zero reviews thanks. I'm looking for something where I can turn it on and off as needed obviously but also if I start pedaling with motor on it will help save on the battery. (That would be ideal) do these things even come with additional breaks?I feel like the breaks that come with a bike aren't sufficient enough for stopping something when you're going a little faster. Obviously I need to do a complete break over a home to begin with on my bike lol.

mclewis1

www.ebikes.ca

Grin sells a wide variety of hub motor setups (motors, bits and pieces, complete kits, etc.). They also modify motors, design controllers, displays, etc. and support it all out of their operation in Vancouver. The downside is that you'll pay more than from the online storefronts.

What kind of bike are you considering converting?

cat0020

I've used: Magic Pie hub motor in the past.
They stand behind their products, over the years have shifted their production overseas, but still offer decent support.
https://goldenmotor.bike/product-cat...nversion-kits/

Depending on your budget, sometimes a complete ebike can be better value with just slightly more money and without the conversion/wiring/testing labor involved.
Complete ebike that you can pedal without the motor, PAS (pedal-assist) only or full-on throttle operation can be found under $1k.
https://lectricebikes.com/collections/ebikes

2old

+1 with mc, but there are considerations like whether you can recharge your battery at work, do you need to carry your bike up stairs, how fast do you want to travel. As he said, tell us what bike you're going to convert and answer some of these questions. Remember a kit may add as few as 15 pounds to your bike, increasing its overall weight plus rider by 10% or so. Depending on what brakes you're using, it may be necessary to change to premium pads or.... I've never changed the brakes on any DIY conversion and haven't had problems. Since you like to pedal, I'd avoid the monstrosities that cost $1,000 - $2,000 and weigh 60 - 80 pounds. You would be better off with a scooter or motorcycle. My daughter-in-law has one and it's great for sauntering around the park and short trips, but not much else.

MNebiker

I've had good results dealing with ebikeling.com. I bought a basic conversion kit from them 5 years ago, and have added several upgrades since. They offer kits with various wattage ratings, complete bikes, and replacement parts. Plus they are US based (Chicago) and ship N/C. Quality of their product seems pretty good, as is their service.

My double wall rims have machined braking surfaces. The only change I made to the existing v-brakes was to replace the OEM pads with premium grade MTB pads. They have been more than adequate.

Straightbangin

Thanks.
I don't even know. I'm trying to figure out what is best if I get one of these electric helper motors. I'm so totally sick and tired of v brakes though I feel like I'm always adjusting them. My rims are as true as I can get them but still always a headache with the V brakes

Straightbangin

I can charge my battery at work. I don't have to carry it upstairs . Not sure about speed but pretty much as fast as I like in a medium pace LOL. I would be putting it on my hybrid bike which weighs around 26lbs. I'm used to my mountain bike which weighs 45 and my beach cruiser bike which weighs 70 with a mega bike basket and a huge heavy rear rack so I'm not really worried about putting extra weight on the bike in general. I have had two scooters and actually want to build a motorcycle. The issue is with the route to work it's really dangerous with motorcycles and scooters actually safer with the bike because half of the commute is a bike path away from traffic.

Straightbangin

I have been researching and holy crap these things are expensive. Maybe I will just get that motorcycle LOL

2old

Since you're in FL which is pretty flat AFAIK, a hub motor is a good choice. Grin is an excellent company, but expensive as you may have determined. Dillenger has reasonably priced hub kits ($700 - $800) with excellent motors, but I had a battery problem with a kit; fortunately they replaced it on warranty. The watt hours of a battery are volts X amp hr (ah), so a 52V 10 ah battery has 520 watt hours (wh). Figure 20 wh per mile at 20 mph and 30 at 25 mph and you'll be able to calculate the battery range. More pedaling, more range. Obviously if you can charge at work you double the range. The advantage of an electric bike in CA is no license or insurance,and where possible you can ride on a bike path. Please ask if you have any more questions.

cat0020

I have been commuting with motorcycles & scooters for the last two decades.
I remember back in 2008 when gas price went up, I rode my 250cc scooter far more than any other vehicle I owned; including multiple business trips that is over 100 mile away.
With higher cost of gasoline, registration, insurance & parking; I've been fazing out my motorcycles & scooters.
Only if I need to travel longer distance and/or carrying significant weight/volume while I travel that I use motorcycle or scooter.

I started converting MTBs into ebikes since 2014, capable to move on the roads among traffic at 45 mph.
The speed gets old pretty quickly, I find myself getting to my destinations faster because I can travel between car mirrors in slow moving traffic; not because of speed. But your local traffic pattern may be different, that would need higher speeds; which also increase the risk when accidents do occur.

Personally, ebikes are just more flexible in congested traffic, which is what my commute involves.
I like smaller ebikes in congested traffic because it allows me to get by among slow moving traffic easier and smaller target to get hit.
Smaller bike also seem to attract less attention from thieves or LEO (law enforcement officer); even when I ride it on the sidewalk among pedestrians or cut through public parks on trails.

2old

One thing about OEM-type bikes. The Ariel Rideal seems to be a low-priced bike with good features ($899, but currently sold out) that can actually be ridden and not like most that have abominable pedaling platforms, but its history for durability isn't readily available. This is what I would consider (when it's back in stock) if looking for a hub-oriented low-priced bike.

J Palmer Cass

I fit 5 bikes and trikes with Tongsheng TSDZ2 torque sensing mid drives. The whole schmear for a bicycle---motor, wiring, battery with mount and charger--will run around $1000-$1100 from Dave Hall at Eco Cycles in Nashville. Hall is honest, very helpful and ships promptly. IME&O Tongsheng is THE way to go, check it out. Very easy to install too, many videos on youtube.



https://www.eco-ebike.com/collections/tongsheng-tsdz2

sknhgy 

Do you have any suggestions for reading up on the process of converting a bike? I have an old Schwinn Sprint sitting around taking up space. I see where conversion kits on Amazon cost a little over $600, including a battery. For me it would be a toy or short distance grocery getter.

linberl

I've had a system installed on my recumbent trike by this guy, Doug, who is actually only 45 minutes away from me. He's super knowledgeable and very nice. He sells kits you can install yourself and his prices are really decent. https://gocarlite.com. Good warranties and he's super responsive by email or phone. Highly recommend. And the system comes with brake levers with a cut off, so when you apply the brakes it automatically stop the motor assist.

cat0020

Not a good candidate for conversion.
Likely frame or parts will start to fail once you put an electric conversion and ride it regularly.
The old Schwinn 10-speed is not meant for daily operation over long distance, by adding performance with electric power output, the stress on the frame/parts will reduce its service life for certain, even if you operate it below 20 mph.
Likely you can find a used mountain bike that has 21 or 24 speed under $500, that would be better candidate that can take the stress of daily cycling & extra power output of an electric motor.
By then you're in the price range of a complete ebike, that is designed to handle the stress of daily riding with motor.
If budget allow, Lectric XP2 is a very capable ebike with low price.

DowneasTTer

Have you looked into Swytch kits? Check out their web site at https://www.swytchbike.com and look at some of the Facebook groups. Once in a while some come up on ebay but mostly it's put the $$ down and wait several months. However, most of those that have done it seem to enjoy them. Good luck from another Floridian.

mclewis1

Could you upgrade that bike ... yes, particularly if you were very handy or had help from someone who knows bikes. Should you? NO. The Schwinn has a number of potential issues, things that could be dangerous or cost more money to upgrade. I think you'd be better off selling that bike (the used market is very good these days) and looking for a 10+ year old hard tail mountain bike or a hybrid. That way you'd get a better starting point. A bike with a beefier frame, better brakes (anything is better than the braking and tire disaster that's on your Schwinn), better (more robust) wheels/tires, and components that can be more easily adapted/reused. Plus you'd have a flat bar setup and mounting points for a rack that would make more sense for casual use around the neighbourhood and getting groceries.

A drop bar bike is more difficult to adapt to an ebike unless you want to get really creative with mounting things like the throttle and controls (they are almost always only available for mounting on narrower 22mm diameter bars). The Schwinn probably has 130mm rear dropout spacing so a rear hub motor would be a problem (hub motors come in 135/8mm spacing and therefore would require cold setting the frame ... again possible but not easy without experience). A front hub motor is a possibility as is a mid motor. The mid mount motor could help get around a number of issues but it's more expensive and puts a lot more stress on the old rear gear cluster and chain ... so upgrades would be highly recommended, and that means even more money.

Then there's the issue of where to put the battery. A decision on that would depend on taking some careful measurements of the Schwinn or going with a rear rack mounted one which would be nice but potentially a real problem ... as I don't see upper rack mounting points on the seat stays.

There are potential solutions to all the issues I've mentioned but they require time and money to find and source. I really think you'd be happier starting with a different donor bike.

roadcrankr

+1. Swytch powers a front hub motor, via a mounted battery pack.
It allows one to turn a conventional bike into an on-demand electric.
I think they sell it in various wheel sizes, or one can simply string up their own front wheel.
They came out with a new version with a lower-profile swapable battery pack to mount under the saddle or in front of stem.
I ordered their approx $600 universal kit for my girlfriend, so she can make quick trips to town or her nearby work.
We live on a long, gradual uphill. She is not a fervent cyclist like me!

sknhgy 

Thanks. I'm completely new to this. Just getting my feet wet. I'll do some more reading.

linberl

Swytch has a facebook group. A percentage of users have problems with the connection of the battery to the mount and have had to get their mounts replaced several times. some folks have much better luck so maybe it has to do with the terrain you ride and the stress on the mount connection to the battery electrics. anyway, you can read up on it there yourself. other than that, it seems fairly bullet proof and super easy to install. there's also a guy there who makes extender batteries that can be connected in series to add range.

Doc_Wui

Installed an Ebikeling 500W rear geared motor kit in 2015. $200 plus a $280 battery. Here it is last month, still running great. Today, the kit is about $360 with a speedometer, but I could still get the battery for the same price. Bike tops out around 20 mph on throttle and 36V. I crusies around at 12-14 mph. If I had used a 48V battery, then top speed goes to 25 mph,



This bike uses a BBS02 mid drive, which costs about $450-500 today on amaxon. It's using a rear rack battery, but i could used a downtube battery like on the previous model, available between $250-500, depending on what you want.



This is my latest project. Parts are ala carte, It's a used front motor ($45). Electrics would cost about $100, but i had the parts, Battery was $250 on amazon, Bike looks oh so cool, but it squeaks and creaks. If i can get rid of the noise, it will make for stately summer cruising. Could have bought that $360 ebikeling kit and not have to do so much work.

fgeneral

I used electrifybike.com to order my Bafang BBS02 mid drive motor and battery I installed on a Trek Marlin 5. I recommend them, their support tickets take a few days to get back to you but they eventually do. Their suppliers seem to have good batteries and they have good mods for sale as well.