Lessons learned from converting my ebike

[joha]

hiii, i'm here because after realizing that it has already been 3 years since i converted my bike! I was reflecting about some ttips that may be useful for someone who is starting

First of all, i have to clarify that i converted it with a conversion kit that uses a hub motor, with that being said, my first advice is:

READ. Don't be lazy when it comes to check the specs of the kit and the compatibility with your bike! And that lead me to the second advice: The condition of the original bike is very very important, a conversion kit adds practical assistance, but it doesn't make miracles , so starting with good brakes, tires and wheels is important.

As i told you before, the Switch Three is a hub-motor conversion, so it does not use the bike’s gears in the same way a mid-drive system does. Even though it works well, doon't treat it as a mid drive.

Also, even if the kit is excellent, a huge part of the realibility depends on the small installation details, so in my experience, regular basic checks are more valuable than waiting for a major problem...

 

[fill]

The unexpected lesson i received was feeling every bump and ripple in the road or track surface now that the hub drive allowed me to spend my time sat on the saddle rather than rising up to employ my mass on the pedals for at least 50% of the ride..
I hadn't considered suspension crucial on a push bike before..

 

[neptronix]

Oh no kidding, above 20mph / 45kph, the forces from the road increase in what seems like a non linear fashion.

 

[Balmorhea]

Oh no kidding, above 20mph / 45kph, the forces from the road increase in what seems like a non linear fashion.

While this is true and inescapable because physics, I have gone about twice as fast on regular pedal bikes than I ever have on an ebike and that wasn't enough to make me want suspension. I dabbled with a couple of suspension forks and a couple of suspension seatposts on both pedal and electric bikes, but they did not change my mind overall.

I think suspension is more significant on ebikes than on pedal bikes because of the inert-rider effect and because there is no immediate disincentive to riding at 100% full blast almost all the time. But it is more about rider habits than about any engineering considerations.

I will always be open to sprung saddles and long flexible seatposts and poofy tires when they apply, but those things don't add maintenance or points of failure or dynamic changes in bike fit as they work.

 

[Risky Rob]

I did the same sort of conversion 2 years ago, with a cheap Chinese hub motor kit, and my old 90's mountain bike. I absolutely love my ebike, and rode it this morning. I improve it all the time. The strong points are the speed, low center of gravity, and good suspension.