Suggestions for ebike conversion

I'd like to convert one of my bikes to an ebike. Don't want to do it myself, so looking for recommendations on people/shops that are willing to do the work. Not much showed up in a search. Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on October 13, 2021 at 5:52am

I want to do the same one day. One local place whose website I often check out is Ebikeling, which carries a good inventory of do-it-yourself kits and has been around for some time now. I don't know if they do installation, but if not they probably know who does.

Permalink Reply by The Korn on October 14, 2021 at 12:05am

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll check them out.

Permalink Reply by Eric R on November 17, 2021 at 1:22pm

Nice. This is the info I was looking for. I rode an e-divvy twice this week and was surprised that I still got a good workout while shaving about 15 mins off of my commute. 

I bought a $1,200 Priority bike early on in the pandemic but wish I would’ve held out a bit for an e-bike. A conversion like this is doable and still cheaper than most e-bikes on the market. And a local company, too!

Permalink Reply by Eric R on February 20, 2022 at 12:49pm

I purchased the 500W 36V 700c front motor with the smaller battery option. It took around four hours over two days to install, disassemble, and reinstall to make sure I did it correctly. I'll be keeping a close eye on the fork for any cracking, etc., but it was easier to install than I'd thought it would be.

500W is probably more than most people will ever need for a pedal-assist motor. I'd recommend a 250W motor.

Pros: I took it out for a spin today and was able to go 20 MPH on speed setting 2 (out of 5) into the wind. When I rode with the wind, I turned it off, and it felt like a regular bike. Speed 3 got me up to 25 MPH with no effort. Fortunately, I capped it at 3 in the settings, so I didn't get to test 4 or 5 today, even though I tried. :) The speed limit can also be capped in the settings.

Cons: Going 25 MPH is honestly too fast for our pothole-ridden streets, but it was an excellent option going uphill in the wind. It can be a bit sketchy on ice or gravel. The cockpit is chaotic now, so forget about a streamlined look. The motor and battery added at least 25 lbs.

Consider me a convert. Sorry, cycling purists, for better or worse, e-bikes are coming for your streets. Or maybe they've already landed, and I'm late to the game? Since I work from home now, I don't ride as much. :)

Permalink Reply by Doug Johnson on February 21, 2022 at 4:20am

I've got one of their (Ebikeling) 1200W rear wheels, with a 48V battery from ebay.  I've had it for around 2 years now and lots of miles on it.  I use it mostly for errands, groceries, post office runs, etc.  The other normal bikes in my fleet get the long miles.  The Ebike conversion is fantastic, being able to go 25mph into a 25mph head wind is pretty awesome.  And doing that same speed, with the same headwind loaded with say, 10-15lbs of groceries in the panniers for sure is awesome.  While my normal bikes get the bulk of my miles each year, having the option of the e-motor to make those errand runs really opens the opportunity for leaving the car at home.

Permalink Reply by Eric R on February 21, 2022 at 4:54am

Nice. I’ll mostly use it to commute to the Loop one to two days per week, so it should be good for more than a few years. A bigger motor for a cargo bike is ideal. 

Not getting my arse thoroughly kicked by a steady headwind and arriving at work or home in a completely exhausted state will be a nice change. :) Yesterday’s headwind would’ve drained me when I was in shape from commuting daily.

I plan to dust off a single speed bike for casual rides, around the neighborhood,  etc. 

Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on February 25, 2022 at 4:43pm

Could you tell me what kind of real-life mileage you get per battery charge? I'm thinking about a similar setup. Thanks! 

Permalink Reply by Eric R on February 26, 2022 at 2:21am

I’ve only been out once for a 10 mile roundtrip ride. The battery discharged to 92% when I was home and the bike out of the cold. During the ride it dropped to 78% when I was maxing out the speed and going into the wind. The usage (percentage of battery remaining) is estimated by the speed, power setting, etc.

I did have to turn the screen off then on for it to update the numbers. I read that in a review, too, but it only takes a few seconds.

If you don’t mind waiting, then checkout swytch bike. They do their production runs like a kickstarter, but you can get the basic motor and battery for around $650 with shipping. The catch is, it can take up to six months to receive it at that price. However, the motor and battery are much lighter. 

Permalink Reply by Doug Johnson on February 26, 2022 at 2:52am

My system is ok for mileage -  if I remember right, my battery is 48v, 12000 mah (12 amp hours?). I only have the cheap controller with led lights, so my battery has a full charge of 4 lights, 75% = 3 lights etc.  On high, my max speed is over 30mph, but I’ll only get around 10 miles before range anxiety sets in and I need to charge it.  On medium with an avg speed of around 23mph, I think I’ve got around 20 miles before that anxiety gets me to plug in. On the low setting, I’ll roll along around 19-20mph on average, and get up to 40 miles.  That said, those 40 miles have been over the course of a couple days of riding shorter 10-15 mile errands, and not charging the battery between errands.  

Permalink Reply by Doug Johnson on February 26, 2022 at 3:00am

It’s also worth noting, my system was from the Ebikeling “refurbished” section on their website, so if I remember right, I only paid around 300 for the conversion kit, and another 100 or so for the battery on eBay (buying a cheap 48v li-ion battery from eBay does indeed have it’s risks….  That said, Ebikeling is in Chicago, and I got the kit within a week or so of ordering.  The battery did take a few weeks to get from China, but after 2 years, all is still going well.

Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on March 1, 2022 at 6:05am

Thanks! That's a powerful system you've got there! 

Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on March 1, 2022 at 6:07am

Thanks for the info, Eric! I have a friend who has the Swytch and it's very cool. The only thing I don't like is that the battery is on the handlebars. Otherwise, brilliant.

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