thiocyclist

I see lots of threads in the forum about what kits to buy for ebike conversion, but what about the bikes themselves? Are there any bikes that do particularly well or not-so-well as ebike conversions?

350htrr

I like the hybrid type with hydraulic disk brakes, I use mine for all kinds of riding, Mountain, trail, city, cross country touring... Basically the only thing a bike should have is a 135mm dropout I believe, and disc brakes as the average speed increases with E-Assist quite a bit...

Robert C

Without a question, disc brakes.

From that point on you need to decide what kind of conversion. A hub motor will work better, be safer, when attached to steel. You may think about where you will place the batteries and the controller.

A lot of people going with mid drives like full suspension. At higher speeds the suspension matters more, if you are building a commuter then it may not be as important you.

thiocyclist

So disc brakes are needed for the stopping power? Can I mod one of my existing steel frames to a disc brake system or should I locate a used prefab with disc brakes?

FWIW, I do a 15 mile round trip commute each day and the goal of an e-bike for me is to "take the edge off" of the commute, e.g. sweat and fatigue less than I currently do. Exercise is great and all but day in and day out the current commute is a bit much wear and tear. My avg speed currently is 12-14 mph (hilly), I would like to get that up to 16-20 mph with assist but still pedaling.

I appreciate the comments. I'd have never thought about disc brakes or steel frames as factors. Also FWIW I was planning on a front hub motor, since the frame mounted motors just look strange to me (stupid reason, I know). I didn't realize they were better with full suspension -- is mid drive bumpier?

350htrr

Steel for sure if you want to mount it on the front, doesn't really matter for mid mount or rear wheel... If it's big hills then mid-mount can be better than hub but if you plan to pedal anyways it's not a must have, depends on the size of the motor... And the battery... Get the best battery you can afford, it's not the place to try and save money.

2old

Steel frame (or fork for a front hub conversion). FWIW, and there will be detractors, I'm happy with linear brakes on my front hub bike which has a top speed of 20mph. However, if you have steep hills, my suggestion would be at least a 500w motor and 48V battery system.

thiocyclist

The disc brake contingency really limits my choices. Are they fairly easy to retrofit?

SpecialX

You really don't need disc brakes unless you're doing like 40 miles an hour!
disc brakes are really Unneeded especially if the controller has regenerative braking.

Allen

Agreed. Disk brakes are nice but not a necessity.

350htrr

While I agree that disk brakes are not absolutely necessary... They sure are nice to have. In fact for me I wouldn't even consider buying a bike without disk brakes, make that hydraulic disk brakes, but that could be just me... I've had mine for 12+ years, never ever needed to adjust or fix them in any way, changed brake pads 2X in the over 30,000KMs I used them, and the difference in consistency for stopping wet or dry is unbeatable compared to other types, no contest for modulating and power applied compared to effort with any other type of brakes...

DoubleDiamonDog

thiocyclist - what to look for in a conversion bike depends on how you plan to use the bike.

If you plan to regularly ride at faster speeds - say 30 mph your needs will be different than those who are looking more for a cycling experience, with assist. In general, faster = more powerful, less range unless you add more battery = more weight and higher speed = rougher ride = shocks are a good idea and if you want to stop a heavy fast bike you need more powerful brakes. Many e-bikes weigh well over 50 lbs.

As for brakes, my wife and i ride a tandem bicycle and live in a hilly part of the country. The total weight of riders, bikes and gear is about 350 lbs and we have a nice set of regular caliper brakes that work extremely well. But if you and the bike are heavy and you will be riding 30 mph and you plan to commute rain or shine, disc brakes are a good idea. Disc brakes may be "better" in many respects but depending on your needs, rim brakes can be more than adequate.

I am in the process of building an e-bike. I am a cyclist who is looking to make things easier for myself. I am purchasing a steel frame and fork, and will have many options if I want to experiment and try different things. I like the ride of a steel bicycle and will be able to mount a hub motor front or rear w/o torque arms or go with a mid-drive. The frame has horizontal drop outs so I can use an internally geared hub, go single speed or use a conventional derailleur drive train. Although I can choose a fork that will mount a disc brake, I am going with the rim brake option. I am making this choice because i am building the bike for a top speed of 20 mph and total weight of the bike with motor and battery will be 36 lbs.

Another thing to consider is how much room you have in the triangle for a battery. Some frames leave very little room. Many people are happy with simply mounting the battery on a rack over the back wheel but I really want to have the battery located low and centrally - a bottle mount battery or frame pack if more range is needed.

thiocyclist

Thank you ALL!! I love the feedback. I guess I need to clarify what I want to do. I want power assist to help me get to work without breaking a sweat. It's nearly 8 miles one way, lots of hills, stops and starts and plenty of streets without bike lanes. Totally doable for a couple of days but after 4-5 I really start feeling fatigued, and I think it makes me really lazy on weekends. I also hate sweating as much as I do by the time I get to work.

With that in mind would the following hub conversion kit be okay for my Schwinn Conti or Windsor Oxford?

BionX 250 Watt Lithium powered electric bike kit

350htrr

250 watt is good enough for a bit of assistance on level ground but not really for hills, even my 350 48v set up needs me to pedal up the hills but at least I don't sweat too much on the big hills 7 - 11% and not sweat on the smaller hills 5 - 7%...

thiocyclist

Well I'm having a lot of trouble coming up with any bikes with 135 mm drops and my LBS doesn't seem to want to adjust the drops on any of my bikes. Thoughts?

LesterOfPuppets

I'd just get a lighter bike and take my time. Get a 20-25 pound bike and give yourself 45 mins to do the 8 miles. Riding hills isn't pleasant at all on a 40 pound Schwinn Continental. Never ridden or lifted an Oxford, but I bet it's at least 35 lbs.

Fred Smedley

45minutes X2 makes for a long day , assisted sounds like a better option for someone who wants a sweat free commute.

2old

Your Windsor should have 100mm front dropouts which is the standard and most front hub kits will fit, but as suggested above, you'll need a powerful motor. Many "experts" say that a mid drive is preferable for hilly areas. Look up em3ev, a respected vendor, and read about their Bafang kit.

thiocyclist

Wrong on the Scwinn -- it's 32 lbs. The Oxford is 35 lbs (with lots of accessories on it). I've done this commute dozens of times and I can tell you it's a sweaty one no matter how you swing it. Plus, since it's a work commute, I can't take it too slow.

Is the pedal assist on that pretty good? It seems pricey for a mid-drive.

thiocyclist

I'm pretty convinced now I'd like to put a mid drive on my Windsor, even though it's a 56 cm frame and I'd really prefer a 54. I've already put thousands of miles on it for some reason, so it must be a good bike. Is there a particular 8Fun / Bafang kit that you all would recommend? Is it okay that I won't have disc brakes and that the frame is going to be a tad oversized?

2old

Paul, the owner of em3ev, is very helpful. Explain to him the difficulty of the hills (% grade, length) that are on your commute and he'll assist you. My advice is 750w since you can always just lower the rate of assist. Bafang seems to be the most popular of the aftermarket mid drives; ebikesca has the stokemonkey, but it's primarily for cargo bikes.

slo

Mid drives usually require a 68x113 bottom bracket so I'd make sure your Windsor has that, along with whatever kit you're looking at. A mid kit won't fit in an old Schwinn one-piece bb shell without a threaded insert.

An 8 mile commute only needs a 10ah or so battery at 36 or 48 volts. How steep are your hills? that bionix kit is only 24 volts and won't give much help up hills over 5% or so. For the price of the bionx you could get a 36 or 48 volt kit, much more power and more options to upgrade in the future. There are several stateside vendors in that price range, no need to pay for shipping from China, especially on your first ebike where you may need to return something or order spares. check out ebikekit.com, they have monthly specials, also a couple vendors in california in that price range.

One advantage to a front hub kit is you should be able to swap it between your current 2 bikes, as long as the forks are steel. A 350w 36volt 10ah system would be a good start. I have a 250 watt bafang mounted in an old flat Schwinn fork and it works fine but i'm not using a front brake, you'd need to make sure your brake caliper will hit a 700c rim. Maybe try the windsor wheel in the conti, see if the brakes will hit. You don't need disc brakes on an ebike as long as you keep the speed within the brake limits, although a cutoff switch hooked to the levers is a nice safety feature in case of emergency. $1000 kits usually come with that, good luck

2old

1. ebikekit, a well respected vendor, sells only hub kits. Ask either Jason or Dan, both honest, knowledgeable individuals, on their chat "forum" about their kits.
2. Make sure that you ride a bike equipped with a 350w, 10 ah kit on a hill before you buy one. I'm 175 pounds with a light bike and it doesn't offer much assistance on steep >5% hills.
3. The mid drive kits from em3ev are priced competitively compared to domestic vendors even with the extra shipping cost (I have no affiliation with any vendor).

thiocyclist

Well, I ended up just buying the pre-fab Public Bionx bike that is based on their D8i frame with a 7-speed derailleur system. It was (seemingly) on sale at $1700.

DoubleDiamonDog

Good for you thio.

I think that is a good bang for the buck choice and a nice first step into the world of e-bikes. The chainring is small enough that you will be able to work well with the motor to climb hills and cruise unassisted. By experimenting you will see how much power you want to use on your commute - I hope that it works well for you.

It is hard to go wrong with Bionx, the main knock being that they are so costly, but in your case you got good value in the package.

The Public bike that you bought would be a very useful bike someday you decide to separate it from the bionx and use it or sell it. Many e-bikes don't seem to make the transition to life after electricity very well.

350htrr

Yea, I too think that was a great deal as long as you don't expect a "free ride" (without pedalling up hills) BionX is waaaay out in front for reliability and warranty IMO it's just that their motor and power levels are street legal only, and no off road set ups at all for speed settings and power, All tho Falco is there too and maybe even ahead in price and off road speed and power capabilities/choices... Enjoy the ride.