Converting a Conventional Bike to an eBitke

Several bicyclist have considered converting their current road bike to an ebike.  Although this approach is likely to be less expensive than buying a complete ebike, according to the following article from Evelo most often result in a less efficient and more difficult to handle alternative, especially with the typical Tennessee terrain.

https://evelo.com/blogs/ebike-buyers-guide/should-i-buy-a-new-electric-bike-or-convert-my-existing-bike

Local eBike Conversions

In mid-May Aussie Bob and Bruce contacted Eco-Cycles to convert Bob's Paulson road bike to an ebike. Bob has not made a decision.  I suspect his plans will be determined by when he can visit the US and lead his H2O Tour that was originally scheduled for September 2020. I found this discussion about Eco=Cycle conversions on Carey's Tennessee Electric Bike Forum.

CAREY

Anybody know these folks? It looks like they do conversions.

Aussie Bob is researching conversion of second bike

Bob has a bike stored in Hendersonville that he uses for tours when he is in the states. With his successful conversion of his Australian bike, he is contemplating the conversion of this bike

He has contacted Eco-cycles in Nashville as a candidate to make the conversion.

Eco Cycles are E-Bike and Green enthusiasts who have spent years riding, building, repairing, and learning from others embedded in the E-Bike/Eco Community. Eco Cycles LLC has developed extensive expertise over the years in the E-bike Industry. They sell, support and repair for various International E-Bike/Motor/Parts/Battery Manufacturers and Distributors. This greatly aids in selecting quality products, negotiating the price and supply, and addressing typical issues to complete e-bike builds.

On Thu, May 20, 2021 Bob wrote:

Sir, I currently have a 2004, UK-built touring bike that I would like to convert to motor-driven. Could you please let me know if this is the type of project you could undertake?

My preference is for a rear-hub motor over a bottom bracket location, not a front-hub arrangement, but I would of course welcome any suggestions or comments you may have, and a guide as to the overall cost.

On Sun, 23 May 2021 at 05:50, David Hall <david@eco-ebike.com> wrote:

Hi, Sure we could handle this no problem. We do not offer rear hubs though, we specialize in mid drives, especially the torque sensing TSDZ2. It really is better suited for this type of bike IMO. Here are a couple pictures of a recent conversion we did:

Let me know what you think and if you have any further questions. The motor kit on this bike ranges from $425-600 depending on model and options, and we have battery options ranging from around $350-700 depending on the size/range.

We typically charge $150-250 for conversion labor.

Best Regards,

	David Hall Eco Cycles LLC email: david@eco-ebike.com phone: 1-833-MY-EBIKE ext. 700 Nashville, TN - USA
	www.eco-ebike.com

Aussie Bob's Road Bike Conversion

Aussie Bob converted his Canondale road bike to an eBike.

Here is his RIDE Report

More Aussie Bob's Trike

I managed quite well on both test rides in the sun worshipper position.  As part of my fine print checklist, I did later question the seating position and the guy easily and quickly made the requisite adjustment - to a much more upright position.  I didn't ride it like that but did sit down, feet on pedals, and it instantly felt more natural.  Apparently there are further refinements that may be made, which I'll try out later.

One local website says the trike is very stable and you can just throw it onto the car roof and tie it there through the windows.  That has to be the Australian way!  As I said before, it does pack down quite compactly. Note, the 'handlebar' was subsequently swung down between the wheels with just a light touch; the seat had been removed.

 The GT20 is 31" wide, track 29." and wheelbase 39" : GreenSpeed Trike Comparison (greenspeed-trikes.com)

It's weight of 17kgs compares with my current bikes' roughly 13kgs, although with battery that goes out to 25kg.  If I get to do an extended test ride, there'll be plenty of bollards, tight turns and the usual bike path obstacles to test it against (or not!).

I've only been on a trike once before, as stoker in 2002 on a tandem ride along the then infamous Rock Creek linear park on the outskirts of DC.  Can't say I felt my outlook was in any way constrained, perhaps I'm not a natural rubbernecker?  By contrast, shortly afterwards I rode as stoker again on an upright tandem on the roads around nearby Poolesville.  At speed, I definitely felt I had to look 90 degrees sideways, just to get an impression of progress by reference to the hedgerows whizzing past.

Bob

Aussie Bob's eDrive

 http://www.greenspeed-trikes.com/gt20.html

 It may be a little jerry-rigged

Make Your Bicycle an E-Bike

I have tried out three e-bike kits that turn a bicycle into an e-bike. The first two contained the motor and the battery in the front hub,which as you can guess, was rather large. One was pedal assist and one was throttle only and the weight produced a rather squirrely front end. Both worked reasonably well on an old Fuji hybrid but both companies are now out of business. Both were good for short neighborhood trips but I didn’t try them beyond a 10 to 12 mile radius.

In a continuing quest for e-bike knowledge I found a company on IndieGogo (a Kickstarter competitor) called Swytch. The  campaign is closed after they raised over $1 million. The motor is in the front hub and the battery hangs from the handlebars. I ordered a $624 kit  in November 2019 which contains the complete front wheel, battery and accessories. It arrived in September because covid-19 wrecked their supply chain from China. An unofficial Facebook group for owners is full of complaints about the lengthy delivery times.

https://www.swytchbike.com/

I placed the kit on the Fuji without too much trouble and I can assure you I am no bike mechanic. The kit includes the complete front wheel so you install a tire and then place it on the front fork. Then you must install a circular pedal sensor on the pedal crank and a wired pickup on the frame next to the sensor. You install the battery  mount on the front bars and complete by connecting the wiring which is color coded. The battery is easily lifted from the mount for charging. The instructions are pretty straight forward and I was able to complete the task by being very deliberate. There is a YouTube video that is somewhat  helpful.

https://youtu.be/Bg1gOLZXD1g

The kit worked as advertised and actually has more power than I expected from a 250W motor because my Trek Class 3 with a Bosch mid-drive is 750 watts. Riding on flat surfaces I will sometimes stop pedaling because the speed is greater than l want. The motor was not a great deal of help on fairly steep hills but I made it up all of them. I have not ridden far enough to really test the battery but 15 miles on a charge should be easy enough but beyond that I’m not sure.  One optional accessory is a twist throttle which I installed after a couple of weeks. I have not really used it that much but is helpful from a standing start.

In my continuing quest for e-bike relevancy I decided the Fuji hybrid was not the proper platform for a full experience. I found a Linus Roadster 7i that seemed to be an interesting hybrid city bike that was reasonably priced ($829)  and  utilized a Shimano Nexus internal 7 speed hub. I’ve never had one so the experiment was broadened.  I pre-ordered it online last fall with a promise of delivery in the spring. It was delivered to the local Linus dealer Green Fleet Bikes in January and they assembled the bike. After a few unpowered rides I installed the Swytch kit.

The Linus is a nice looking bike and it’s a pretty typical aluminum framed hybrid but it came with fenders and a rack which I would have installed anyway. The metal fenders are not really high quality and a short ride on the cheap saddle convinced my sore butt that a Brooks is called for very soon.

https://linusbike.com/products/roadster-7i

The riding experience on the Linus is superior to the Fuji and the Nexus hub shifting is very smooth if a little slow. More miles may lead to a different conclusion but I think this combination will work. I found that I used the old Fuji to ride the around the neighborhood rather than the Trek which I use for longer rides.

I think the Linus and Swytch combination is a good way to start in the e-bike world although it’s a lot more trouble than just buying a Trek or Specialized at the dealer.  I’ve noticed that Rad Power e-bikes, sold on line, are becoming popular. The price is comparable to the $1,400 I have in the Linus + Swytch. I dare say that the Linus is a comparable if not a superior bicycle. Only time will tell and I may come to a different conclusion after a thousand miles.

Carey Rogers

The Swytch bike chat owners facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2679153205653978

The official FB page
https://www.facebook.com/swytchbike

Green Fleet Bikes
https://www.greenfleetbikes.com/