Converting a Pashley into an E-Bike

Soldato
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My wife’s always loved the Pashley style and about 7 years ago we got her a “Bobbin Birdie” which she enjoyed pottering around on.

Sadly she developed a condition which caused chronic pain and exhaustion. So was unable to ride it. Especially with it being quite hilly where we were. So it got sold when we moved house.

Earlier this year we went to Amsterdam and rented bikes and she got an E bike. She loved riding again and didn’t suffer too much afterwards.

Since we got back I’ve had my eye out on bikes but not seen much. Electric step over bikes always seem more expensive than other options and due to her lack of mobility she’d really need that style again.

I’ve seen a Pashley for sale locally which could be an ideal donor bike.

What would I need to look at for converting it to an ebike? I’ve had a read through the ebike thread but I’m not sure what options would be best for this style of bike.

Cheers
 
Soldato
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A 250-300w hub motor (front or back, makes no difference) can be bought quite cheaply and should be a straight swap over.
She wouldn't need a monster battery so the total conversion cost could be about £250 -£300 max.
Probably a lot cheaper to be honest.
It's the battery that's the pricey thing !
 
Soldato
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Cheers

I was just coming back to add some details. Range I would think about 30miles would be nice. Gives us the chance to do some longer rides but also conscious of keeping weight down.

Am I better going this route? The other option is going for something off the shelf at around £700. I saw something called the Cyclotricity Jade. But wonder if I’d get something much better quality by doing it myself.

Also saw something on Pre Order called Swytch which looked good but no idea if that’s just marketing!
 
Soldato
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If the bike itself is in good condition a hub motor kit would be the way to go, cheaper and likely to be better performance that buying some off the shelf bike at that price range.
 
Soldato
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Any suggestions on the best Hub Motor kits? I assume for neatness a rear hub would be better since the battery will be on the pannier rack?

Assuming a budget around £400 for the whole lot inc battery, ideally i'd like an LCD screen too.
 
Soldato
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I do have limited experience with eBike conversion kits but I do lots of research when I get into a subject. I was all up for importing a kit from GRIN in Canada but just the shipping + battery danger surplus is prohibitive. for me having a modular kit was important for future upgrades.

However for the one install I can hopefully recommend a Dillinger 250W front hub conversion kit. It's the best all round conversion kit I've found that most importantly includes branded cells. In this case Samsung battery cells. I would personally never purchase the no name Chinese based kits as they rarely meet the claims. I typically see as low as 300 charge cycles stated for a cheap battery where the Samsung cells are rated to 1000 cycles.

That means many more partial charges and many 1000s more miles of service. Anyway check out the Dillinger UK website for their 2 conversion kit options. Most importantly they have a UK shipping warehouse (They are an established AUS company) and have answered all my questions promptly allowing for the time difference.

I'm literally waiting for my "off road" rear hub conversion kit to arrive maybe this week so I can only provide an update if you're interested later. The front hub kits are much easier to fit though. The battery housing are quite bulky though they do offer a rack option.

https://dillengerelectricbikes.co.uk/

There's also the crowd funded Swytch kits that are like Hens teeth to get hold of. I believe the kit is quality and very easy to fit but the small battery also may be the limiting factor and it's hard to get a price so it may be £550-750 depending on battery. The Dillinger front hub kit that's available now is £699 with a much bigger, though bulky Samsung battery.
 
Soldato
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Hondon de las Nieves, Spain
Brilliant. Thank you for that. I hadn’t heard of Dillinger on my searches.

I have signed up for the Pre Order if Swytch. Will see what happens with that though.

The Pashley I saw for sale sold elsewhere. I’ve suggested at the weekend we head to a bike shop and look at “ladies” specific bikes rather than the Dutch style to see if she finds that better. My thinking is that it should reduce weight and make the bike more manageable and possible open up more options for a conversion.
 
Soldato
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The Pendleton Somerby Hybrid looks quite a decent bike with the Bafang geared rear hub motor. You'd hardly tell at a glance it was electric. The battery is somewhat limited by the overall price but the chap below has a review. I previously watched a few of his vids on the Swytch kit. Was almost sold on it but then saw the next batch was Aug/Jul so went back to searching.

I'm a bit skewed in my aims because I'm already a fit rider and the standard legal kits would only assist me to a point and mostly be idle. Hence the Dillinger 500W rear hub kit. The 250W label is mostly a compliance thing so they all usually can do at least 350W continuous and that's a fair amount of assistance for typical town commutes and pleasure rides.

My preferred route would also be a quality step through bike from the classifieds with a kit like the Dillinger so you get the peace of mind of a larger battery but that doesn't mean the all-in-one bikes aren't going to suit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC5IUv9WAhk
 
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Caporegime
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i'd love to do an electric conversion on my bike but wow those prices, I thought last time I looked stuff like bafang mid mount was 700 although I think people were importing them from somewhere, maybe Uk is just rip off prices

my bike is cyclocross though so not sure I would have clearance for a mid mount kit anyway.

guess I'll wait a few more years
 
Soldato
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Get the Dillinger front hub kit and you shouldn't be disappointed. Mine was delivered next day (yesterday) and today I rode to work on my converted bike. The Swytch kit is still good value for money and should suit light commutes and maybe flatter pleasure rides but you're going to have to wait.

The Dillinger 13Ah battery will be heavier but he weight is lower and should get you a genuine 30-50 miles on varied ride at the standard kit speeds.

I'll post some install and initial impressions on my rear hub kit later. Some parts have changed from the vid below but the process is the same.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-h31yoQNC0
 
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Soldato
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Based on my last couple of days of riding (34 mile commute) the Dillinger 500W kit. I would say the 250W kits should be more than adequate for most conversions for some light assistance. My kit is overkill but it also matches my level of fitness as I can already sustain a fairly high speed. Certainly way above the legal cut off for PAS kits at 15.5mph.

The PAS is still good for moving off and getting some help up hills it's just how fast and far you can go that makes the difference. In town for example the current cut off isn't so bad as you spend a lot of time below 15.5 mph. The 36V 5Ah (£424 + VAT) or 7Ah (£524 + VAT) options for the Swytch still seem a little on the small side for the money compared to the Dillinger 250W kit but the mileage seems achievable with quality cells.

Based on my first charge and 45.5 miles with 2 bars left from 5 I'd expect to get 50-60 miles from my 13.4Ah 48V battery pack in "off road" mode. The battery indicator is based on cell voltage so may drop off more quickly towards the bottom end but I'll find that out on the next few rides.

This isn't a write up so I'll just post a couple of pics of my install. You would need some prior bike DIY experience for the rear hub installs as there more caveats. The front hub are much easier to install.

eBikes really need wider tyres and I struggled to fit the new 24mm width rear rim with my road bike V-brakes. Discs would help here. I've gone from 28C/25C (R/F) tyres to 32C/28C tyres to help with traction and to offset the weight.

Lots of kits like this still use a freewheel hub which is a bit old hat now but I suspect that's more from the Chinese market. Requires another cassette and tools but it works just the same in the end.

I'd prefer a torque based bottom bracket rather than the PAS disc that sends your pedal signal to the cycle computer. That's just me though and it would add another £100+ to the kit. The 12 magnet wheel is a step above the cheapest kits and works fine in use.

Prior to installation
hdnMEDQ.jpg

Post install
8FLt7fV.jpg

Rear motor
M7KBaHn.jpg

Pedal Assist Sensor
cfORl2t.jpg
 
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