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Conversion kits start at around £150 and can be fitted to that £50 bike. The biggest issue I see for higher priced bikes is secure parking (as mentioned in the

by RegW 5y ago

Conversion kits start at around £150 and can be fitted to that £50 bike. The biggest issue I see for higher priced bikes is secure parking (as mentioned in the article). No one provides secure/supervised parking and its tricky to get insurance. You can't really lock any nice bike outside the supermarket and always expect it to be there when you get back.

gambiting 5y ago
Do they start that cheap? I'm looking at this website and there's nothing even close to that price: https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/best-electric-bike-conversion-kits-give-your-current-bike-a-power-boost/ https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/best-electric-bike-conv...
- RegW 5y ago
  You are right. My minimal research was inadequate. There are some shonky kits on EBay for £53 that don't include the battery. At least one on Amazon for £80, but looking more carefully its probably looking more like £350 to £400.
dreamcompiler 5y ago
If you want 250 watts or less for a bit of assistance with pedaling and ~20 miles of range, a conversion kit is fine. But if you have to deal with serious hills or want to use throttle-only, 250W won't be enough. IMO 750W is the bare minimum for that, and it requires a bigger motor, bigger battery, and disc brakes.* That costs a lot more and it's easier (and probably cheaper) to just buy the whole bike than convert what you have. *Disc brakes are essential for higher-powered e-bikes because such bikes move faster and are much heavier than regular bikes. They need more serious stopping power than rim brakes can provide.
- RegW 5y ago
  Currently 250W and 15.5mph are the current legal limits in the UK. If want buy bigger and take it on the road without registering it as a motorbike, getting an MOT and insurance or paying your road tax, then you may find the rossers feeling your collar. I ride with a friend who has gone MTB electric. I leave him behind on the flat but he gets it back on the hills. He's fine for well in excess of 40 miles. Range is mainly an issue of battery size not the wattage.
- multjoy 5y ago
  If you want to use throttle only, then you're no longer riding a pedal-ec and are riding an electric motorcycle (and will consequently need the appropriate licence, insurance and vehicle type approval).
  - dreamcompiler 5y ago
    In the US if the bike is powered by a 750 watt or smaller motor and travels at 20 mph or less, it's still an electric bike -- not a motorcycle -- even when powered solely by the battery. https://www.congress.gov/bill/107th-congress/house-bill/727/text https://www.congress.gov/bill/107th-congress/house-bill/727/...
- jjav 5y ago
  > 250W won't be enough. IMO 750W is the bare minimum Those numbers seem huge. I can only put out about 150W sustained, so a 250W motor boost on top of that sounds like a lot. That would have me at 400W combined which is nearly pro-rider territory.
  - dreamcompiler 5y ago
    Pro riders are riding 17-lb bikes. An electric bike with a big motor and battery is closer to 60 lbs. Electric bikes are governed by something similar to the rocket equation.
    - jjav 5y ago
      > Pro riders are riding 17-lb bikes. An electric bike with a big motor and battery is closer to 60 lbs. My road bike (a 10+ year old Specialized) is 19lbs. A Specialized Turbo Creo (an e-bike) is under 28lbs as advertised. My mountain bike (regular bike, nothing electric) is 29lbs. I know 60lb behemots exist, but e-bikes don't need to be crazy heavy anymore.

by RegW 5y ago

gambiting 5y ago

Do they start that cheap? I'm looking at this website and there's nothing even close to that price: https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/best-electric-bike-conversion-kits-give-your-current-bike-a-power-boost/ https://www.cyclingnews.com/features/best-electric-bike-conv...

RegW 5y ago
You are right. My minimal research was inadequate. There are some shonky kits on EBay for £53 that don't include the battery. At least one on Amazon for £80, but looking more carefully its probably looking more like £350 to £400.

dreamcompiler 5y ago

If you want 250 watts or less for a bit of assistance with pedaling and ~20 miles of range, a conversion kit is fine. But if you have to deal with serious hills or want to use throttle-only, 250W won't be enough. IMO 750W is the bare minimum for that, and it requires a bigger motor, bigger battery, and disc brakes.* That costs a lot more and it's easier (and probably cheaper) to just buy the whole bike than convert what you have. *Disc brakes are essential for higher-powered e-bikes because such bikes move faster and are much heavier than regular bikes. They need more serious stopping power than rim brakes can provide.

RegW 5y ago
Currently 250W and 15.5mph are the current legal limits in the UK. If want buy bigger and take it on the road without registering it as a motorbike, getting an MOT and insurance or paying your road tax, then you may find the rossers feeling your collar. I ride with a friend who has gone MTB electric. I leave him behind on the flat but he gets it back on the hills. He's fine for well in excess of 40 miles. Range is mainly an issue of battery size not the wattage.
multjoy 5y ago
If you want to use throttle only, then you're no longer riding a pedal-ec and are riding an electric motorcycle (and will consequently need the appropriate licence, insurance and vehicle type approval).
- dreamcompiler 5y ago
  In the US if the bike is powered by a 750 watt or smaller motor and travels at 20 mph or less, it's still an electric bike -- not a motorcycle -- even when powered solely by the battery. https://www.congress.gov/bill/107th-congress/house-bill/727/text https://www.congress.gov/bill/107th-congress/house-bill/727/...
jjav 5y ago
> 250W won't be enough. IMO 750W is the bare minimum Those numbers seem huge. I can only put out about 150W sustained, so a 250W motor boost on top of that sounds like a lot. That would have me at 400W combined which is nearly pro-rider territory.
- dreamcompiler 5y ago
  Pro riders are riding 17-lb bikes. An electric bike with a big motor and battery is closer to 60 lbs. Electric bikes are governed by something similar to the rocket equation.
  - jjav 5y ago
    > Pro riders are riding 17-lb bikes. An electric bike with a big motor and battery is closer to 60 lbs. My road bike (a 10+ year old Specialized) is 19lbs. A Specialized Turbo Creo (an e-bike) is under 28lbs as advertised. My mountain bike (regular bike, nothing electric) is 29lbs. I know 60lb behemots exist, but e-bikes don't need to be crazy heavy anymore.