Any eBike kits compatible with road bikes?
- Thread starter xenon
- Start date
George S.
Well-Known Member
Hub motors create a lot of torque. Race bikes lack the strength of, say, a hybrid designed for disk brakes. That leaves mid-drive, but I'm not sure that is a desirable look. And the Bafang does make some noise. Some might perceive the package as being a bit 'funky'.
Once you add a motor, there is much less reason to go with narrow/lighter stuff. Plus you add a LOT of weight which is anathema to the road bike people.
Arguably, it is the wrong platform. You want to adapt a bike, which makes perfect sense, but you are sort of jumping categories. Because of the efficiency of electric bikes, there is a tendency to make them upright, with a beefy frame and wide all-purpose tires. Consider the Prodeco Titanio as a model, at least. You could add torque arms and do frequent inspections. Be creative, I guess. There are bare motors.
https://www.electricbike.com/lace-hub-motor/
Once you add a motor, there is much less reason to go with narrow/lighter stuff. Plus you add a LOT of weight which is anathema to the road bike people.
Arguably, it is the wrong platform. You want to adapt a bike, which makes perfect sense, but you are sort of jumping categories. Because of the efficiency of electric bikes, there is a tendency to make them upright, with a beefy frame and wide all-purpose tires. Consider the Prodeco Titanio as a model, at least. You could add torque arms and do frequent inspections. Be creative, I guess. There are bare motors.
https://www.electricbike.com/lace-hub-motor/
Cameron Newland
Well-Known Member
You can use a powerful rear hub motor and use torque arms to spread out the torque load on the rear dropouts, so you don't necessarily have to go the mid-drive route.
I would strongly recommend adding a front suspension if your ebike build is going to have more than 350W or attain speeds of 22mph+ on flat ground, however, some road bikes don't have the right geometry for adding a front suspension (you could do it, but it's just not optimal). Also, you'd want to run at least 32c (if not 45c) tires, and that might require changing out your wheels, too, as some road bike wheelsets are better fits for thinner (23c-25c) tires.
I'm looking at turning a touring/road bike with CF fork and disc brakes into an ebike soon, and I'll be facing the same issues (adding suspension, attaching torque arms, using bigger tires, etc). Luckily, the bike I'm looking to convert allows for big/wide tires (38c, I believe), which is wide enough for a 45lb ebike + 180lb rider.
I would strongly recommend adding a front suspension if your ebike build is going to have more than 350W or attain speeds of 22mph+ on flat ground, however, some road bikes don't have the right geometry for adding a front suspension (you could do it, but it's just not optimal). Also, you'd want to run at least 32c (if not 45c) tires, and that might require changing out your wheels, too, as some road bike wheelsets are better fits for thinner (23c-25c) tires.
I'm looking at turning a touring/road bike with CF fork and disc brakes into an ebike soon, and I'll be facing the same issues (adding suspension, attaching torque arms, using bigger tires, etc). Luckily, the bike I'm looking to convert allows for big/wide tires (38c, I believe), which is wide enough for a 45lb ebike + 180lb rider.
Aushiker
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Australia
- City
- Walyalup, Western Australia
I have done it and so far I am very happy with it. In my case I have taken my Bafang BBS01 off my now sold Bacchetta Giro 20 ATT and installed it on a aluminum framed Giant OCR 1. Sorry the photos are on my computer at home but will post them later if you wish.
Because the Giant OCR has drop-bars I do not have the throttle installed but then that does not bother me as I really wanted a pedalec anyway. I use this bike mainly for commuting only. It works out well for my commute which is 42 km each way including a lovely return ride down the coast here into the infamous Fremantle Doctor wind which likes to come a visiting all summer at speeds in excess of 40 km/h
I should add that I have low-end caliper brakes on this bike (Sora) but have swapped the brake pads out to seriously expensive and seriously good Swiss Stop pads. I have braking now which is really up there with what I had with Avid BBS07 on the Bacchetta and braking which is more than adequate for this bike. That said I will in due course swap out the Sora brakes for a higher quality variant for added piece of mine and better modulation.
A taste of my commute (summer view) at ebike speeds (just kidding)
Andrew
Because the Giant OCR has drop-bars I do not have the throttle installed but then that does not bother me as I really wanted a pedalec anyway. I use this bike mainly for commuting only. It works out well for my commute which is 42 km each way including a lovely return ride down the coast here into the infamous Fremantle Doctor wind which likes to come a visiting all summer at speeds in excess of 40 km/h
I should add that I have low-end caliper brakes on this bike (Sora) but have swapped the brake pads out to seriously expensive and seriously good Swiss Stop pads. I have braking now which is really up there with what I had with Avid BBS07 on the Bacchetta and braking which is more than adequate for this bike. That said I will in due course swap out the Sora brakes for a higher quality variant for added piece of mine and better modulation.
A taste of my commute (summer view) at ebike speeds (just kidding)
Andrew
Last edited:
Similar threads
