JLTinsley

Hello all!

Sorry ahead of time for a very long post-- I really appreciate any help as I'm lost but very much want to start biking my commute!

I'm very new to biking but want to get an e-bike kit to help with the *VERY* hilly commute to school and work. There are a few things I need though from this conversion kit. I'm thinking of fitting it to a Windsor Oxford Deluxe , which has a rear wheel 3speed IGH . If I don't do that bike, I'd like a bike with either a 7 or 8speed IGH and preferably disc brakes or rollerbrakes (bad weather where I live), but might get stuck with v-brakes anyway.

If I go with a front wheel conversion kit that works with disc brakes, that means it won't interfere with an IGH since thats on the back wheel, right? I think I want to do a front-wheel direct drive but am wondering how that would interact with a back wheel IGH...if I'm using battery power, will I still be able to shift/use gears or not? If I'm not using battery power, would I be able to just pedal and use gears normally? Also, what is a "Universal Torque Arm" and would I need it?

Those are my main questions. I'm also looking for advice on what kit to go with. What I'm looking for:

1. I'm not large (5'7", 135lbs) but I do need some real power to get up the steep hills, because I will be using this bike to do some heavy transporting. So I need help getting a load up those big hills as well.
2. I need a range of at least 20ish miles (with hills) but more is better.
3. I want a battery other than SLA but I don't know what batteries are considered most superior? I've seen a bunch of names like LiPo4 and such and I don't know which battery is best to use.
4. Something quiet and/or discreet gets extra bonus points. I particularly like the kits that mount on a rear rack (like some of the BionX kits, but they are VERY expensive!) or in a triangle shaped frame bag. I've also seen kits from AmpedBikes that look just like a waterbottle. Does anyone recommend these/know if they'd work with the kind of bike I want?

So has anyone got recommendations for a kit that would meet these needs? Or, does anyone have a suggestion of a regular bike similar to the Windsor Oxford Deluxe, but with a 7-8spd IGH and disc or roller brakes that a kit would fit well to? As an aside, I'm a female and prefer step-through frames...and maybe something girly and cute. lol.

Lastly, I would definitely consider finding/paying a knowledgable e-biker to help with install (rather than having a LBS do the work--$$$$$$), so if anyone lives near Columbia, Missouri and would be willing to help me out for a reasonable sum (and maybe some chocolate chip cookies), please let me know!

Thank you ahead of time for all of your help! You all are wonderful!!!!

-JL

TL; DR- I need help picking a good front-wheel conversion kit for a bike with a rear-wheel IGH, and/or buying a good bike with a rear wheel IGH and disc brakes, and any other general advice you have for a newb.

coolio

You didn’t mention if you want the ebike to push you all the time or you want to do some pedal assist to get some exercise in. Here are some of my thoughts on your post.

That bike is ok. I would prefer it to have a front suspension fork b/c the load you’re carrying will be hard your wrists as you go over bumps and the undulations of the road. One positive about your bike is that it has a cromoly fork, though. Aluminum front forks crack easier than cromoly.

Yes. You would be able to pedal normally if you use a back IGH. You’d probably have to pedal on a steep uphill anyway unless you go with a high volt batterypack, which it doesn’t sound like you want. A torque arm basically braces the emotor to the fork so that it won’t “spin out” and crack the fork and/or ruin your emotor. Depending on the power your using, you may not need one.

If you want to go with a battery, get Lifepo. It is lighter, stable (won’t catch fire) but price is high. 36v 15ah sounds about right. Go with 20ah if you want to be safer. A 36v/20ah battery will probably cost you $750. $500 for the 15ah one.

Amped bikes has good motors. However, that water bottle battery will probably be not enough for your commute. Not enough juice.

Another option is a ready made ebike:
https://www.performancebike.com/bikes..._1107385_-1___
The above is more of a pedal assist, but could give you a good start in the ebike world. This would be your first ebike, then you’ll find what you like (or not) in it. In my area, ebikes and ebike parts are always coming on craigslist. That way you can buy a motor, batteries etc. and start building up your dream ebike.

JLTinsley

Thank you so much for your input! That info is a huge help. I want more pedal assist than having the motor do all the work...I just need help getting up the huge hills.

I've decided to go for a front-wheel direct drive from ampedbikes and get a Ping 48V 20AH. I found a guy who put some very detailed tech/mechanical info on a forum that will help me put together a non-ampedbikes battery with the rest of the kit.

I see that the amped bike hubs are also disc brake compatible, so I'm wondering, if I had a bike with rim brakes (or for that matter, drum/roller brakes), what all would I have to do to switch the front tire to disc brakes? I mean, the hub will already be compatible for them...will I need to do anything to the front fork/frame of the bike to make it compatible with discs? Or will it simply be a matter of buying the disc brake components (the disc/brakes themselves, the cords/handlebar levers) and having a mechanic swap them in? How much would that cost, for parts, and for labor (and possibly any work on the frame)? Is it something I (or an experienced biker friend) would be able to do with some tools and an instruction manual, and then just take to an LBS to have them adjust them for safety purposes?

Thank you so much!

arkcom

The parts alone for disk brakes would be $50-$100 and you would need to have mounts welded to the fork for the caliper to mount to. I don't think it would be a worthwhile upgrade.

I would go with the standard Windsor Oxford rather than the deluxe. That rack it comes with doesn't look up to the job of holding all those batteries.

coolio

Woohoo! 48v20ah. That's a lot of juice. You may not need to pedal at all!

Upon further reflection, I don't think that bike is a good candidate for your hub. I just noticed that bike has those canti type brakes. I would at least look for a bike with V brakes. You will easily hit 25mph or maybe more. You need good brakes.

Look for a bike with disc brake nubs and V brakes. You can always upgrade later to the disc brakes. You just got to make sure your bike fork can take them.

JLTinsley

Thanks all. The amped bikes kit I'm looking at has "speed controller" wires that will limit it to about 18-20mph with a 48V, I think. So, I might just do good v-brakes instead of worrying about disc....maybe upgrade to disc at a later date but I'm not going to worry about them now. I'm not planning on riding like a speed demon or trekking through torrential downpours, so a good v-brake should be good for me. I've heard Shimano Deore XT's are good...do you guys concur? Would that be suitable for my bike?

Anyway, I'm still looking around for bikes, but am considering a single-speed (not too worried about gears with a powerful enough motor/battery...and can always upgrade in the future) with a rear coaster brake, and I will just add a front v-brake (probably the Deore XT mentioned above). I don't mind upgrading some components, because this frame fits all the other (rather silly) things I want in a bike...I like its frame shape and colors. Yeah, I'm shallow. Plus I can get it on the cheap, so I don't mind spending more on upgrading other components. How much would it cost to add just a front v-brake?

Lastly, I won't be mounting the battery to the back rack... you're right in that it doesn't look too strong. I think I might stick a front rack and basket and keep it in there...stealthy and won't detract from the cruiser look I like

JLTinsley

Oh, and how much would it cost/how hard would it be to convert from a caliper brake to a v-brake?

My two lead choices in bikes right now meet all my other specifications *except* the front brake. So I want to know how much it would cost either to a) Add a front v-brake where there is no brake OR b) To change a caliper brake to a v-brake.

Thanks for all your help and sorry for all the questions!

Allen

You will have to swap out the fork to do it, and maybe the brake leaver too as well as the brake. North of $100, maybe as high as $250 depending on the quality of parts you choose.

arkcom

https://bikesdirect.com/products/moto...e_express3.htm

How about this? 3 speed hub and cantilever brakes. Not as retro as the Windsor, though.

or

https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...e_express8.htm

8 speed, also has cantilever brakes

Both have steel forks.