How to Choose An E-Bike Conversion Kit: Everything You Need to Know
You love riding your bike but are frustrated by other riders who fly passed you as you struggle up the slightest incline. Or maybe you’re just tired of showing up to work in a sweaty shirt.
Or maybe you’re a DIY’er and already have a perfectly functioning bike and want to upgrade to something with a little (or a lot) more pep. In either case, you want to join the e-bike revolution.
You’re in luck. E-bike conversion kits make it easy to keep your current bike while reaping the rewards of electric motors with minimal cost.
Motor Types and Strength
There areseveral ways to build a DIY e-bike, and they all depend on the kind of motor you choose in your conversion kit: mid-drive, direct-drive hub, or friction-drive. A mid-drive motor is integrated into the lower-middle section of the bike frame, generally in between the pedals. A direct-drive hub motor is integrated into the front or rear wheel hub. A friction motor is mounted with a roller that contacts your rear wheel.
Each motor type has pros and cons. Hub motors are less expensive and easier to install, but they offer less torque, and the added weight on the front or rear wheel can affect the bike’s balance. Mid-drive motors are more expensive and difficult to install but offer more torque and put the added weight in the center of the bike, making it more balanced. Friction motors are the easiest to install but offer minimal performance gains.
There arevarious e-bike classes, and e-bike conversion kits are no different. When comparing the power of different kits, you’ll be comparing the watts of each motor. Wattage (or the number of watts) refers to how much power a motor requires to run. Motors with more watts will deliver more torque. Most e-bike conversion kits fall between 250 and 1,000 watts, but some jurisdictions restrict e-bike motors, so check your local laws before buying.
How much power does your e-bike need? That depends. E-bike conversion kits with hub motors are usually better suited for flat roads and long distances. In contrast, mid-drive conversion kits are usually better suited for people carrying more weight or living in hilly areas. The amount of power your motor requires will also affect the range.
Ease of Installation
At first glance, e-bike conversion kits might seem daunting to install yourself, but these small, powerful kits can be very easy to connect.
Friction-drive kits are the easiest to install. For example, theRubbee conversion kitattaches to your bike’s seat tube using a few bolts and rests on your bike’s rear wheel.
Direct-drive hub motor kits are the second easiest to install. All you need to do is replace your front or rear wheel with a new one that includes an integrated motor. It might take some ingenuity to find a place to mount your battery and electronics, especially in a way that keeps your bike looking clean, but anyone with a few basic tools and some zip ties can install this kind of kit.
Mid-drive motor kits are the most difficult to install but are still easy for people who are handy and can work on their bikes. The installation will generally require you to remove and reinstall your bike’s cranks, chain, and chainring and attach the motor and sensors.
Battery Capacity
When comparing the battery of different conversion kits, you’ll be comparing something called watt-hours (referred to as Wh). Watt-hours refers to the number of hours a battery can produce one watt of electricity. E-bike batteries can be anywhere between 500 and 700Wh.
E-bike kits will vary in the distance they can let you travel. The size and capacity of the onboard battery, combined with the power of the motor, determine the distance you could ride. While bigger batteries are usually better, several factors can influence the longevity of your battery between charges, including the weight you’re carrying and the speed you’re traveling. Under typical demands, one mile will cost about 20 watt-hours.
The range of your new e-bike will be a function of motor power and battery capacity. Generally, the more powerful the motor and the smaller the battery, the less range you’ll get out of your bike. However, you can affect the range of your bike in several ways. For example, by reducing the level of pedal assist from the motor and using more muscle power, you can dramatically increase the range of your e-bike.
Before you pull the trigger on an e-bike conversion kit, use theReally Good E-Bikesrange checker to ensure it will give you the range you need.
Additional E-Bike Features
All e-bike conversion kits should come with controllers and batteries. Those that provide pedal assist will also come with a speed (aka cadence) sensor or a torque sensor to detect how fast you’re going or how much effort you’re spending so that it knows how much assistance to provide.
Other e-bike kits may come with throttles that allow you to use the motor independently of the pedals making your new e-bike feel more like a motorcycle than a bicycle. For this reason, throttles may be regulated in your jurisdiction, so check before you buy.
Additional components may come included in e-bike conversion kits, such as various kinds of back-lit LCD controller screens, speedometers, odometers, trip odometers, wattmeters, headlights, taillights with brake light indicators, and more.
You’ll probably want to invest in asmartwatch with GPSortransform your phone into a GPS deviceto help you navigate where you’re going.
Value for Money
Dedicated electric bikes range in price from $400 to over $10,000, andseveral e-bikes can be purchased for under $1,000. However, by going with a conversion kit, you save considerable money by using your existing bike. E-bike kits usually range from $250 to $900.
More expensive bikes will have bigger batteries, stronger motors, and more features, but you can electrify your current bike for much less than the cost of a new dedicated e-bike.
Which E-Bike Conversion Kit Should You Buy?
If your regular cycling routes include hills, if you want to carry more weight, or if you have the DIY skills to tackle a slightly more involved installation process, you might want to choose an e-bike conversion kit with a mid-drive motor. Alternatively, direct-drive hub kits are cheaper and easier to install, so if you’re on a budget and/or have limited DIY skills, you might opt for this kit. Finally, choose a friction kit if you want something super easy to install but aren’t too concerned with performance.
If you’re choosing an e-bike for your family, these are the features you need.
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