JonathanGennick 

The seeming popularity of front-wheel conversions has surprised me. Do people here w/experience see such conversions as a good path to go down? I'm thinking of products like Electron Wheel introduced at CES last week, and the Swytch conversion that has its battery in a basket. (I like the Swytch, btw). Will front wheel drive be a thing in the long run?

2old

Lots of opinions, obviously, but IMO they're appropriate when you want a simple conversion, have an internal gear or some other rear system that you want to retain, want a lighter system or for some cargo bikes. My first e-bike was a front hub and it's still fun three years later.

sweeks

I saw this at InterBike. Drop into any frame and you've got an e-bike. Strikes me as probably having a lot of friction loss. I rode a bike with this wheel, and it definitely moves. It has only a throttle; no pedaling contribution required.
If I were interested in an e-bike, I would prefer a mid-drive model... I think.
Steve

chas58

True, ease of conversion is the biggest plus (doesn't impact the drive train). The downside is you really should not go over ~350 watts, as stock forks are not designed to withstand any torque on the axle. Non steel forks crack fairly easy, and when that happens at the front, you are going down hard.

JonathanGennick 

To those who have run them, has the added weight been an issue at all? What about crosswinds?

2old

BIG +! with C58 about anything but a steel fork. FME, crosswinds didn't seem to have much influence on a front hub conversion, but I haven't ridden in severe conditions (30+ mph winds).

Joe Remi

I started with them but can't recommend now. The power needs to be kept down so as not to twist/snap the fork, they're fiddly to install because some dropouts aren't big enough and some motors can rub on the fork, and they're not enough of a cost savings over mid-drives or rear hubs to justify the hassle.

Doc_Wui

With front drive kits, many kits don't give their users enough info about safety. Torque arms should be standard, but are not. Some owners will file bigger slots in their front forks without realizing that they weaken the assembly. A rear hub motor probably won't throw you over the handlebars if it falls out of the frame.

The Swytch is a kit that looks good to me. It's lower power and uses conventional ebike technology, all repackaged for users who would be intimidated by the crappy connectors you get in most kits. Battery placement is all figured out for you, and at the intro price, it's quite a deal if you live in England.

The other all-in-one wheel-battery-motor combos are all priced too high (maybe 2X) for someone familiar with bike kits. In my opinion, range and power don't compare either. Plus they look goofy to me.

And if one has never ridden an ebike, even the slowest one will impress the typical recreational rider. I had some people try out my slowest one over the holidays last year and everyone was amazed.

JonathanGennick 

Of the ones I've seen, Swytch has been the most appealing. I actually thought a little about grabbing one at their launch price. Decided not to though.

I've only ever demoed a couple of bikes. Oddly enough, I preferred the one that I tried that had the least power.