Make a bike into an ebike?

A

AuntyLizzyG

1 mW
Joined
Apr 18, 2025
Messages
13
Location
Richmond, CA
I'm looking to buy an ebike - I'm disabled and have some restrictions. I once spent a $2000 on a recumbant bike and couldn't use it for reasons I won't list here. Anyway, I'm looking to by an ebike with back support - either like a Day 6 or a semi-recumbant bike - but I'm very cautious of spending a lot of money on something that I won't use. Is it a good use of money and time to find a used bike that fits my body and take it to a shop and get it turned into an e-bike?
 
AuntyLizzyG said:
Is it a good use of money and time to find a used bike that fits my body and take it to a shop and get it turned into an e-bike?
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If the end product is something you will use and enjoy, then maybe yes. Fortunately Craigslist, in the Bay Area, has a lot of good used bikes, so that’s an advantage. You’ll need to describe in more detail what you plan on using the bike for and how far you plan to ride it. Finding a place to mount the battery is something you’ll need to plan for in your decision making, but otherwise, most kits are straightforward. Use this forum to become an educated buyer, as well as an educated customer when approaching a shop to do the work.
If you live on or plan to ride on the hills, let us know. But if you are on the flatter part of town, you won’t need too much assistance.
There is only one shop that I believe does this type of work as well as ebike repairs around your area (but I haven’t searched much). I have not used them, but have ridden by the shop on my ebike, and checked out some of their custom conversions. Not a bike shop, but an ebike shop. The place is called Pacific Ebike, in Berkeley.
Once you figure out the appropriate kit and cost of a suitable donor bike, you can ask for an estimate for installing the kit, then decide whether if it’s worth it, before spending money.
 
Thank you! That shop is close to me. I am looking to use my bike to be more mobile - walking is not that comfortable but I want to be out in nature - and to possibly, eventually, commute to San Francisco buy taking the bike on the Ferry or Bart from Richmond to the city. I only have to do it a couple of times/month. Although live in flat part of Richmond and can get to the Bay Trail in just a few blocks, I wouldn't want to rule out being able to ride up hills.
 
As a gross generalization, any bike over 20 years old can be converted to an e-bike. The newer than that it is, the more likely there are complicating issues that make it not so good an idea. But cheap (like sub $1000 new retail) bikes and those whose designs haven't changed in a long while are also good candidates.

There's are lots of very easy to convert bikes that wouldn't make good e-bikes, though. Because you're looking for a chair bike, I don't think you'll be using one of those.
 
AuntyLizzyG said:
It's this bike Log into Facebook
Can I assume that any bike can be made into an e-assist bike, though? Or do I have to take the bike to the shop and find out?
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If you go to the ebike build thread subforum, you can search on "Giant Revive" and see several conversions; front hub motor, rear hub motor, and mid drive. For the one on the link, a front hub conversion is probably easiest, and there's plenty of space to mount the battery.
endless-sphere.com

Search results for query: giant revive

endless-sphere.com endless-sphere.com
 
What kind of recumbent bike didn't work for you and why?

Here's my weapon of choice. Big fan of the semi recumbent.

20240825_104930-jpg.358739
 
Yeah I tried one of those in trike form at BORP Adaptive Cycling and Kayaking Center and it was pretty good. I would love to try one in a bike form but I don't know what to do that. I should look into that. Thank you.
 
What type of bike is that called? Is it just call semi-recumbent? Is it called a delta? What exact make and model? Did you do it yourself? Thanks so much!
 
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That's a Maxarya Ray 2. it's a traditional semi recumbent.
I converted it, see the thread in my signature for more details.

Another example of a semi recumbent:

1745351666319.png
 
AuntyLizzyG said:
What type of bike is that called? Is it just call semi-recumbent? Is it called a delta?
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Delta is a trike with two rear wheels and one front, like my SB Cruiser (custom built by me for cargo and dogs). It's sort of semi recumbent, but not exactly; uses a StadiumChair on top of the forward cargo box; the front of the main cargo box is folded down over it in the pic below so harder to see. (sorry it was the first handy pic of the present version of the whole trike I ran across in the thread The SB Cruiser : Amberwolf's 2WD Heavy Cargo Trike & Dog Carrier
20241103_174842-jpg.361479

This is the seat unfolded after I'd changed out the worn-out red cover for the new black one.
20210203_151507-jpg.287456
 
so cool! Okay, so a delta is a trike. A semi-recumbent with 2 wheels is just called a semi-recumbent. I looked up your bike and it's Canadian.
 
AuntyLizzyG said:
so cool! Okay, so a delta is a trike. A semi-recumbent with 2 wheels is just called a semi-recumbent. I looked up your bike and it's Canadian.
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I presume that despite the first part of your reply being to me, the last sentence is an undesignated reply to Neptronix...mine is self-designed and built, here in Phoenix, AZ. ;)

BTW, if you want to build your own, then depending on your usage / needs you can do it with recycled materials. I started out with a bike version, Crazybike2 (which has it's own thread around here somewhere, showing the various versions over the years as I designed and redesigned and modified it. :)
 
Oh sorry. Yes, I was talking about the Maxarya Ray 2 re: Canada. I'm not up to doing it myself, unfortunately. I ended up on this forum because I saw a local bike for sale and was wondering if it could be converted.
 
Ebikes.ca makes some ready to ride kits that you just bolt on. Might be an option for a hesitant DIYer.

If your bike has a 20 inch wheel, you'll have very good times with hub motors!
 
AuntyLizzyG said:
Okay, so a delta is a trike
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A trike with one wheel in front is a 'delta'. A trike with two wheels in front is a 'tadpole'.

You can see a tadpole in the third link in my signature. I've gone from upright (1st link) to recumbent (2d link - a Cruzbike) to a tadpole (3d link - a Greenspeed Magnum Big Wheel).

After my back told me I could not ride an upright bike I went to the recumbent, which worked quite well. After I had to slam a foot down to keep from falling in the city and still fell I went with the trike.
 
offGridDownUnder said:
A trike with one wheel in front is a 'delta'. A trike with two wheels in front is a 'tadpole'.

You can see a tadpole in the third link in my signature. I've gone from upright (1st link) to recumbent (2d link - a Cruzbike) to a tadpole (3d link - a Greenspeed Magnum Big Wheel).

After my back told me I could not ride an upright bike I went to the recumbent, which worked quite well. After I had to slam a foot down to keep from falling in the city and still fell I went with the trike.
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That's a good start, just a little more. recumbent is laid back and semi recumbent (not real sure) could be feet forward to portal laid back with feet forward. recumbent and semi recumbent has nothing to do with the number of wheels. That would be bike, trike and quad. Yes, four wheels. Not all will call them a bike.
 
ZeroEm said:
That's a good start, just a little more. recumbent is laid back and semi recumbent (not real sure) could be feet forward to portal laid back with feet forward. recumbent and semi recumbent has nothing to do with the number of wheels. That would be bike, trike and quad. Yes, four wheels. Not all will call them a bike.
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Thank you!
 
AuntyLizzyG said:
Thank you!
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I'm disabled and went down the road your on. purchased 2 bikes before getting a tadpole recumbent trike with rear suspension. My back is bad can not stand or sit upright to long. Could not peddle an up right bike for a mile. After a couple of years on my trike the longest ride was 4hr and 50miles. My advise is see what fits you and what you like. They have full and semi recumbent bikes. the trikes are full and semi recumbent with the tadpole or delta. They are all dangerous around cars..
 
ZeroEm said:
I'm disabled and went down the road your on. purchased 2 bikes before getting a tadpole recumbent trike with rear suspension. My back is bad can not stand or sit upright to long. Could not peddle an up right bike for a mile. After a couple of years on my trike the longest ride was 4hr and 50miles. My advise is see what fits you and what you like. They have full and semi recumbent bikes. the trikes are full and semi recumbent with the tadpole or delta. They are all dangerous around cars..
Click to expand...
True. Thanks.
 
A totally different question - where can I buy a good but not too expensive helmet? Just FYI, I'm boycotting Target, Amazon. Bike store? Are they all the same?
 
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