It is not easy to determine which electric bicycle kit is right for your needs.
Are you going to ride off-road or on roads?
What bike is best for family fun, commuting, weekend riding or leisure?
Are you willing to have the kit professionally installed or will you install it yourself?
What will the bike look like after the e-bike conversion kit with battery has been installed?
Are there any modifications that need to be made to the bike so the kit can be fitted?
These are the typical questions that our customers asked when deciding on an electric bike. We’re sure there are many more questions than these. To help you make your decision, here is our quick guide for choosing an electric-bike kit.
Road Legal Kits
The following kits are legal for use on UK roads. They also meet the same specifications and requirements as the original electrical components of an electric bike. The difference between our kits and factory bikes is the high quality of ours, which means that there is a lower failure rate.
250w Front Hub Kit
Kit 250w Motor Drive
250w Rear Hub Kit
The 250w kits are almost identical in performance. They will not give assistance below 15mph because they are made to UK law. It is important to ask “will 250w be enough power to assist me on steep hills?” The answer is yes – if you add the pedal assistance system (which, we strongly recommend) it will transform your riding experience. You will be able climb hills that you would not have thought possible if you use the pedal assist controller at a high level and you pedal normally. If you want to be offroading and need speed, then you don’t need a 1000w or 500w rear kit. For on-road use in the most hilly areas, any of the 250w kit will work. All you have to do is choose from the 250w options.
Front hub kits are simpler to fit, as they don’t have to be removed from your gears. Rear hubs are neater and offer better traction on a wet surface. The mid drive kits look nice and you can keep your original tires. However, we have not found much advantage to crank drive over hubdrive.
Kits for Off-road Use
While the hub based on road kits may be restricted to 250w to meet UK law, they are not allowed on UK roads in this state. Consider a 250w kit if you want to purchase a more powerful kit. A derrestriction form must be signed and returned to us in order to receive high power setting instructions.
500w Rear Hub Kit
1000w Rear Hub Kit
Before we get into the benefits of these kit, it is important to note that they add substantial weight to the bike. This is mainly due to the motor’s mass. To accommodate the ECU controller, which is too large to fit in the standard holders, a larger waterproof bag was ordered. Installation isn’t as straightforward as 250w kits. You are still interested in the 500w and 1000w kits? Let’s get started…WOW!! It’s incredible to witness the speed and acceleration of these more powerful bikes. While you are accelerating through the gears to reach your top speed, don’t let the bike’s weight and waterproof bag distract from your thoughts. The 1000w and 500w kits are both gearless, which means that the bike will feel a little bit of drag when it isn’t powered on. However, the advantage of having one of these kits on your bike is that it will always have power so this problem does not become an issue. Battery life will vary depending on the model, but you will still be able to go 20-35 miles on one charge. However, it will leave you smiling big. The decision of which 500w or 1,000w kit to use is simple. You can choose the 1000w kit for pure speed (upto 30mph), but not for hill climbing. Or you can choose the 500w to combine speed (20mph) with hill climbing ability.
The question is, what kit should I choose? The 250w models are the most sensible and can be used for commuting, leisure biking, and holidays. Higher powered kits are for the most avid thrill seekers who like to have some riding fun on their bike during weekends. It doesn’t matter which kit you choose to put on your bike, you’ll be happy with it. We never tire of seeing our customers taking their new bike for a test ride. They’ll smile and say that the bike is so much fun.