Just a thought but here goes... Does the variable resistor connect with 2 or 3 wires? If it is 3 it may be easy to experiment by simply trying a 1K Ohm or 10K Ohm and see if that works. If it is 2 the value may be more critical but again you could try a 1K ot 10 K as well. Might be worth a try. Hardest part might be to determine which wire goes to the center or slider contact but maybe you already know that. I also have a query out to a friend who has purchased and imported an e-bike from China to see if he knows of Peerless.