Electric wheel conversion

rodders · 9 Jun 2023 at 10:23

Anyone done this?

Thinking of doing it on my commute bike. 700c wheels and discs.
Don't want eBay junk, with cables, switch, new levers and stuff all over the place.

Seen a few systems with everything in the bottle and then hub motor, that work with your pedaling.

What's good out there?

SexyGreyFox · 9 Jun 2023 at 13:20

I've converted at least 25 bikes with Yose Power gear - https://yosepower.com/collections/e-bike-conversion-kit.
These two are mine, one for summer and one for winter, the MTB has got spikes on the tyres for ice.
The top one is 700c.

rodders · 9 Jun 2023 at 15:42

Thanks SexyGreyFox, ill check them out!

rodders · 12 Jun 2023 at 15:27

I found a company called 'bikeboost'
Their system looked good, until you read about water resistance and you can't ride it in the rain....!?!
Seems really stupid.

SexyGreyFox · 12 Jun 2023 at 16:41

I use my Yose Power in all weathers, never had a problem in 13 years.

Mattyjw · 17 Jun 2023 at 06:56

The swytch bike may be a good option, but I have no personal experience with them. They have good marketing so that could be a mark against them. Looks cleaner than a standard big battery version if that matters to you usb charging battery too very sleek.

bainbridge · 17 Jun 2023 at 08:50

Mattyjw said:
The swytch bike may be a good option, but I have no personal experience with them. They have good marketing so that could be a mark against them. Looks cleaner than a standard big battery version if that matters to you usb charging battery too very sleek.

We have 2 swytch kits and they haven't missed a beat in nearly 2 years, but they're the chunkier older battery versions.

Mileage is much better than the new ones though.

SexyGreyFox · 17 Jun 2023 at 09:20

Switch is quite expensive , £449 for a 15km range or £574 for 30k.
Using connersion kits like Yose Power you can pick a very large battery and it will still work out cheaper than Switch.
I've converted at least 25 bikes and both mine are still going since 2011.

Even Cyclotricity are cheaper with their huge battery conversion of 36v 19ah coming in at £649.
That means on full assist you should get around 34 miles, on lower assists that gets way higher.

bimbleuk · 17 Jun 2023 at 09:56

Yose look good value but also have a look at Dillenger. They use Samsung cells so not Amazon/Ebay junk. I bought an "off road" kit but it's very OTT. I had all my questions answered before and after I had fitted the kit.

Dillenger Electric Bike Conversion Kits. The Home Of All Things E-Bike

Welcome to Dillenger Electric Bike Conversion Kits. Dillenger is the current world leader in e-bike conversion kits, specialising in both hub-drive and mid-drive kits. Our complete conversion kits are built with quality brand name components which enable us to offer our industry-leading 12 month...

dillengerelectricbikes.co.uk

SexyGreyFox · 17 Jun 2023 at 10:33

bimbleuk said:
Yose look good value but also have a look at Dillenger. They use Samsung cells so not Amazon/Ebay junk.

You are correct about Samsung cells being one of the best and I'm positive both Yose and Cyclotricity use quality cells in their batteries, I think Panasonic.
Definite no on the generic Amazon/ebay junk.

bimbleuk · 18 Jun 2023 at 05:45

SexyGreyFox said:
You are correct about Samsung cells being one of the best and I'm positive both Yose and Cyclotricity use quality cells in their batteries, I think Panasonic.
Definite no on the generic Amazon/ebay junk.

They really only need to be using known brands though I'd admit to not knowing everything about the many suppliers.

However just one example from Project Farm on YT. Comparing a few no name cells showed how the label info could mean very little and simply weighing a cell would tell you more as more mass meant more energy storage.

Haze · 18 Jun 2023 at 07:46

I have Sywtch latest version, been ok so far

rodders · 20 Jun 2023 at 20:59

Been looking at mid drives too, bangfang seem to suffer from controller issues, but tongsheng seem ok, just not as powerful.

Still like hub motors, as seem a bit more out the bad weather, but not many do 11spd.

Yose don't seem to do 11spd.

SexyGreyFox · 20 Jun 2023 at 21:03

rodders said:
Yose don't seem to do 11spd.

Front motor or put your own cassette on

rodders · 21 Jun 2023 at 15:55

Didn't really want front motor.

Rear seems to suggest it won't accept an 11spd cassette

SexyGreyFox · 21 Jun 2023 at 16:04

rodders said:
Didn't really want front motor.

Why not?
All my conversions (around 25) have been front motor with no problem except one where I had a 1000 watt rear for a while.
I've also done a couple of mid drives.

rodders · 22 Jun 2023 at 14:27

Kinda set on mid drive now, to keep my wheels, as they are decent strong ones and I'm not the lightest!

Martynt74 · 5 Jul 2023 at 10:13

rodders said:
Kinda set on mid drive now, to keep my wheels, as they are decent strong ones and I'm not the lightest!

Bit late, but i've installed 2 BBS02B motors now. I think the controller issues are mainly from people who try and use them with 52v batteries and introduce a lot more stress, either that or not use gearing correctly (best in the larger cogs to keep cadence high).
Keep within their limits and they're golden. I can't remember the conversation i had, but it seemed the Tongshen didn't fit my wifes needs. It *might* have been that they had no clutch, so using the power would just turn the pedals faster and my wife needed the ability to use a throttle. May/May not be an issue for you though.

Both have been straight forward installs and performance has been great. Give me a shout if any questions.