UK E-Bike recommendation + conversion kit

[sambaker]

Hello!

I was wondering if someone could recommend an e-bike that can be bought in the UK. My budget is £650 (maximum). I'd also be interested in recommendations for a conversion kit, budget around £300.

I'd be using it for about 2 trips a day, around 20 miles each trip, 5 days a week. For commuting in London. I don't mind charging it every day. If I need to then I wouldn't mind carrying a battery in my bag for a journey home if needs be.

I think I'd prefer it to be foldable, but it depends if a non-foldable bike within my budget is far better.

I've looked through a whole bunch but it seems pretty difficult to get good reviews on E-Bikes in the UK.

So, any ideas?
Thanks!

 

[wesnewell]

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=66302

 

[ronniec95]

Hi sambaker

I jusr posted a long term review of what I use to do a similar journey around London
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=69404

I commute from west london into central about 12 miles each way but I've done 60 miles on a single charge without issues (London to Brighton); but it depends on how much throttle you are using. The nice thing about london is that it's slow traffic so you'll never get to really use the full power anyway (except down the Embankment!) so it conserves power. If you went with a smaller battery pack and carried a charger with you that would probably get you the range (charge at starbucks or whenever you can) and cut your budget. I reckon a smaller 10ah 48v battery (480WH) would just about give you 20 miles at 15WH/mile around 20-25mph (with reasonable pedalling), with a 1.5hr recharge time using Cellman's charger. The only other thing, some people say that that PAS is good to install to get better efficiency but I've not done that.

You budget seems tight though, I would has estimated nearer 1000GBP (for a conversion kit alone incl batteries) and you'd have to factor in doing all the installation work yourself. Getting the wheel laced up right seems to be the only real issue with the kit I bought, but apparently you can get it done properly at source.

I've not had any other issues over 2 years.

If you are in the area, and have got your bike, feel free to meet up.

 

[d8veh]

First, a reminder that to be legal in the UK, your motor has to have a nominal continuous rating of no more than 250w.

For a bike, this one will give a range of about 30 miles as long as you pedal too. It would take about 3 to 4 hours to charge the battery, so you'd probably need a spare, which will cost about £200. You get good support and backup from E-bikes direct.

http://www.e-bikesdirect.co.uk/Item/Brands/Green_Edge/Greenedge_CS2__Electric_Mountain_Bike.aspx

Another good vendor is Wooshbikes in Southend.

You won't get a kit for £300 that includes a battery. The cheapest is £375 from Panda Bikes:

http://www.pandabikes-shop.co.uk/250w-bottle-kit-details/4586709625

If you're going to park your bike on the street in London, you'd better invest in a high grade lock and some tamper proof screws/nuts.

 

[cwah]

I can sell you my q100h 260RPM kit on 26" wheel with sine wave controller and 48v10AH battery + torque arm and charger for £300 if you come to pick it up in east london.

Also, i have a spare frame battery (you can have 2 for safety) for £149.

I'm not using anymore as I changed to bigger motor

You should be able to easily wizz arounf 25mph with this kit. But beware when you start not to force too much on the motor.

Basically, all you need with this kit is a 26" bike with decent (steel?) front fork and you're good to go

 

[sambaker]

The max I think i'd want to do is 15mph - if I wanted a foldable bike, is there any key advantages over buying a foldable e-bike versus buying a foldable bike that I then convert?

 

[d8veh]

It's not so easy yo convert a folding bike unless you have a good imagination and good DIY skills. Finding a place and a way to mount the battery is the hardest step. Ready-made folding bikes are designed with suitable battery mountings and routing for wiring. There's no point in converting a bike unless you have some special requirements. It won't work out any cheaper.