Electric Bike Conversion Kit or Electric Bike?

I've never had a moped but hopefully can answer your questions.
With a moped you will probably still be stuck in queues.
With a moped you have to stick to designated roads.
I work 5 miles from home and I can get there quicker on my bike than I can with my car (or moped).
You can get electric mopeds but most are petrol, I have a charger at home & work (free juice).
Usually 95% of my commute is without electric but the other week (see post 556) I had a bad fall half a mile from home so basically used my throttle all the way to work and only pedalled for a very short time.
Even when you pedal you don't have to put any hard work in if you don't want to.

My 65 year old mate rang me last week to tell me about his mid drive bike he's just had and said it's changed his life.
He now cycles all those short journeys but I'm already a convert.
 
My Trek 7.5 FX is quite light and which is why I still ride it 95% without power.
My Cyclotricity Stealth 500 watt couldn't be rode without assistance (or not for long).
The new bike I've just put together from loads of spare parts is also decent to ride without electric.

This bloke here has converted many bikes, my Trek is at teh bottom of that page - http://www.electric-bike-conversion...sions.co.uk/acatalog/Electric_Bikes.html&PN=2
 
Do you have any suggestions for a 250 watt front motor conversion kit - manufacturers/dealers/etc? I assume you can get decent performance by staying legal?

I ended up with a Carrera Subway 1 for what it's worth as it seemed to have decent reviews and Halfords had a significant discount.
 
sprite1275 said:
Do you ever get wheel spin on these things on the wet?
Click to expand...

My old build wheelspan even in the dry if you nailed it from a standstill:-

IMAG04141_zpsbc68c71b.jpg


But it was pushing 3000watts and did 45mph.

This will fishtail on gravel/mud:-

10513529_10204557713961592_850770222449929301_n_zps5tspvdya.jpg
 
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philip2009 said:
Do you have any suggestions for a 250 watt front motor conversion kit - manufacturers/dealers/etc? I assume you can get decent performance by staying legal?

I ended up with a Carrera Subway 1 for what it's worth as it seemed to have decent reviews and Halfords had a significant discount.
Click to expand...

Post 559, that's a Carrera Subway but I've fitted a front suspension on it.
The kit is by Cyclotricity and is an absolute doddle to fit however it will be dearer than following AmigaFans advice and buying from abroad.
 
Decided the Subway Carrera conversion wasn't good enough so bought a bargain this morning.
It's a Trek 4300 which is spotless and looks like it hasn't been used and I got it for £150 :D
He's even put some near new 26x2.35 Schwalbe Hans Dampf tyres on which cost him £45.

Trek 4300 1b.jpg

Trek 4300 2b.jpg

Trek 4300 3b.jpg

Trek 4300 4b.jpg
 
I wonder if anyone can advise me on here?

I used to cycle a lot and jump on the train (work in London) - back then I used a Dahon Matrix 26" folding hybrid.

Now I'm older, a lot fatter and lazier!

I still commute but what I'd like is something electric, that can do about 6 miles a day (in London) that is small enough to fold right up and carry in a bag/big rucksack. Does such a device exist?

That way I can get to station, get scooter out of boot, hop on packed train at rush hour and then scoot from station to work. I'm currently walking it as I have s phobia about the tube so don't use them.
 
I can't imagine any bike fitting in a rucksack, electric or not. But with electric you have to deal with a 4kg battery and the weight of the motor and stuff on top.
 
Any thoughts on this kit?

I have a 9 mile commute to work, but the last couple of miles have some long and steep (17% in places) hills which, quite frankly, I am too much of a wimp to manage at 7am, plus taking a shower once I get there takes too long.

I was originally looking at a a front hub kit and in a way would prefer the simplicity of one, But am I correct in thinking that the lower speeds of the last 2 miles is going to overheat the motor and use all my battery?

What Ah battery would be reasonable for this? I'd like at least a 25-30 mile max range. It looks like at max power the motor will use 15amps, so...at 15mph average I'd do my total commute in an hour..so a 30Ah battery? Or is that a crap way of working it out?

I want to convert my ali road bike, it's pretty light-weight, is there any way of knowing if the frame can take the extra power? I'd rather stick with this than get another bike ideally.

That was one reason I liked the front wheel idea as it'd take some load off the frame compared to the mid-drive system. This was the front wheel kit I was looking at..http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/48V1000W-...ersion-Kits-/310805954370?hash=item485d7a7f42

Cheers for any help. :)

edit - Oh, and any idea if I could add a pedal sensor to the kit so I can have auto assist?
 
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Well my new bike above is a right off :(
Yesterday evening I was involved in an RTA when a car drove straight out of the hospital grounds, knocked me into the road knocking me out and dislocating my right shoulder - https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.0...100&yaw=96.39373&pitch=0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en
Luckily I was a few yards away from the Ambulance Station where Paramedics were standing outside so the road was cordoned off while I was dealt with.
The driver took full responsibility and will pay all damages.
 
Bloody hell, sorry to hear that. Reading through this thread you really haven't had much luck with this electric bike lark, remind me not to cycle anywhere near stoke! Hope you mend quickly bud.
 
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