ConnoisseurEqua

Hi
I was thinking of converting one of my 3 speed Raleigh to electric.
All conversions I have seen are for modern bike.
Is there a way to convert a 3 speed Raleigh? It could be done on the front wheel maybe..
Thanks

surveyor6

I would add a front hub motor. Your Raleigh may not have type of bottom bracket that can accommodate a mid-mount Bafang.

cat0020

Depends on how strong that fork is.
Old-school Raleigh 3-speed may not have strong enough fork (or brakes) to handle the wieght/speed of electric motor:

Doc_Wui

You can get some ideas in this long thread. Many people are using a low power TSDZ2 mid drive or a 36B BBS01 mid drive, Front motor is a little risky, because of fork breakage. Brakes no issue. People ride these slow.

https://electricbikereview.com/forum...3-speed.30064/

2old

Be aware that with a mid-drive you could have a major problem with your chainline, since some/most/all have a much greater crank to chainstay distance on the right side than the left. Those are steel forks and if the distance between the dropouts is 100 mm, I see no problem with a 250w system as long as you use one, preferably two torque arms. Read about this in the tutorials at ebikesca. There are small motors which fit narrower dropouts, but you'll need to research if that's the case.

ConnoisseurEqua

Thanks
I have read about those 250W motors.
I was thinking of the front wheel conversion,
It's just to get some help with some hills I have to face and the days I am not ready for them. ```silly hills.
I still cycle for cycling not to be taken for a ride yet. But there are days..

2old

One thing to remember as you search: the rule of thumb for hub drives is you should (must) ascend at half the top speed of your system (probably 9 or 10 mph) or too much energy is being converted to heat and you could fry your motor.

chas58

My choice would be to put a hub motor on the rear of that thing. Simple, cheap, and easy. the 3-speed will be redundant with a motor (heck, I built a single speed as I just don't shift). 250 watts is about the power of a strong rec cyclist, so if you like to pedal no need to go much above that (i.e. 36v motor at 10amps). If you go a lot more, the motor will overpower you.


True that!
In my experience, the controller will go first (well, they aren't that expensive). It will probably take 5-10 minutes to overheat - but of course that depends on how slow/heavy the load is.