I don’t need long distance but I need help riding up some steep hills. I need to be able to pick up the bike to put it in my van and I am not able to lift heavy weights so I want to be able to take the wheel and battery off when I have to lift the bike. My only other wish is to have the motor pretty quiet and discreet since I sometimes ride bike paths where ebikes are discouraged. I would like to be able to install the equipment but I will take it to a bike shop if necessary. Price is a consideration since I have a nice bike I would like to avoid buying an expensive new bicycle.
I am looking for a Light weight Front wheel motor kit. I want to convert my Breezer Greenway to pedal assist. I would like an easy to remove battery.
J.R.
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Piedmont Highlands
Hi @Llallall
It looks like some Greenway bikes have steel forks and some have aluminum. Aluminum isn't the best candidate for conversion and even steel should have torque arm(s) installed to keep the fork from becoming damaged, causing an accident.
You might get away using 2 torque arms on an aluminum fork if you limit the power to 250 watts or so, but be aware using torque arms will make removal of the front wheel much more difficult and time consuming.
This will explain torque arms:
http://www.ebikeschool.com/torque-arm-need-one/
It looks like some Greenway bikes have steel forks and some have aluminum. Aluminum isn't the best candidate for conversion and even steel should have torque arm(s) installed to keep the fork from becoming damaged, causing an accident.
You might get away using 2 torque arms on an aluminum fork if you limit the power to 250 watts or so, but be aware using torque arms will make removal of the front wheel much more difficult and time consuming.
This will explain torque arms:
http://www.ebikeschool.com/torque-arm-need-one/
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Dewey
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Arlington, Virginia
If you want to hide the motor consider a compact geared rear hub motor like a Bafang Mini, fit panniers on the rear rack to block the side view, keep the battery in one of them and most people won;t be able to tell it's an ebike. I second the recommendation to fit a torque arm on any hub motor.
Thanks to both of you! The Greenway is aluminum and since weight was a consideration then (2014) as now I am sorry to hear that my bike (like many others) is not a good candidate for conversion. From what I have read on EBR as well as other websites including Superpedestrian, ElectronWheel, Leeds etc. almost any bicycle can be converted. Is this just hype?
J.R.
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Piedmont Highlands
No, not necessarily. You have the option to replace the fork with a chromoly fork and use torque arms. Not too expensive. Or use a rear hub motor. Starting new into ebiking in any way is more expensive than biking, but the payoff is worth it.
harryS
Well-Known Member
First, I think front hub motors are an unneeded risk. They usually need torque arms to keep them tight. Second, taking off the front wheel every day for transport? That will just weaken the threads in the axle/bolts from constant retorquing and you will hate fiddling with the torque arms. Get it wrong just once, and the wheel can fall off. In addition, you want a motor with a quick disconnect cable, and the only ones I have seen are not suited for daily disconnects. That rules out rear motor too.
harryS
Well-Known Member
One aspect of kit bikes is that removeable batteries are sold. You can buy a rear rack mount, or a frame mount, the latter can sometimes be secured with water bottle screws, but many require additional mounting holes be drilled. With tubular frames, I use hose clamps. In your case, where stealth is a desired, perhaps a battery in a bag rather than a frame mount. One of our stealthier bikes, but it was easily identified by other riders when we were riding in Colorado.
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WilliamT
Active Member
I've had good experience with this front hub kit. Its pretty quiet and small enough to not be noticed. https://electricbikereview.com/foru...36v-bike-kit-on-specialized.12308/#post-97853
Thanks to all for your thoughts. I am not wedded to the idea of having the motor on the front wheel but it seems to be a better weight distribution and the rear wheel has the derailleur so it seems to me that it's a more complicated approach. I do not need to take the wheel (motor) off every day but will need to occasionally. My frame is step-through so I will probably have to use a rear rack and I am not too concerned about it's visibility but that's more weight on the rear. If I replace the front fork with chromoly fork can anyone recommend a front drive motor or wheel? I would like to be discreet but I don't need to be majorly stealthy. I rarely ride on the paths and they are not terribly busy with walkers most of the time. I just would like to be able quiet and subtle. I really prefer to pedal most of the time but there are some nasty hills that defeat me. One of the most difficult aspects of making this transition is the lack of ratings for quality or dependability. Court does a great job but without some criteria for ranking these products it's daunting to spend hundreds (or thousands) of dollars for an unknown.
D
Deleted member 4210
Guest
You are clearly one of the few people out there (that I've learned of anyway) who is actually a great candidate for the GeoOrbital. https://www.geoo.com/ I sell electric bikes, and also do many kit conversions, and while investigating many kits,over the years, and looking at this Geo, I never thought I'd meet anyone who would be a candidate. But your needs described are an exact match. 1. You don't need long distance. (Perfect for GEO, as battery is light and small, and for shorter ranges) 2. You want to pick your bike up, and put in van, by taking off wheel and battery. (Again perfect for GEO. In fact its the only product I'd recommend for both a front wheel, and regular removal. Since the battery is built into the wheel, there are no cords to disconnect. Regular kits are not meant for this type of regular disconnection, and in fact I'd advise against it.) (dont worry about what the person says who indicates you need torque arms. Thats only for real high power, and this is not that. Your needs dont require that.). This will help you up those hills. 3. The GEO wheel is designed to be mounted upfront, and provide the balance you want/need. Its very lightweight for any kit, and for the power and range it delivers for that weight not too bad. You have a very good idea and grasp of how it'd work. You'll get both drive from the front (motor assist), and from your rear wheel (your pedaling). Hence AWD ! Balance for weight distribution, and balance for traction and drive. So you are right on ! Its cost effective. You seriously will not find any kit at this low of price, that has all the features and convenience you want and need. (there are cheap kits out there for $400 or $500 but I wouldn't touch those with a 100 ft pole.) Check out GEO's videos. you can see how they even carry their regular bike wheel around. You don't need to do that, but the important thing is you can actually convert back to your regular bike anytime you want, and as frequently as you want. No other regular kit is going to do that. Even the Copenhagen Wheel or SuperPedestrian really isn't designed to be taken off and easily put back on frequently. The GEO is. Wow. I'm impressed. Someone is actually out there who might like and be able to use the GEO. I decided against carrying it bc I didn't think it would fit very many people. Plus they wouldn't provide any margin, bc they have it priced so low on their website. Of course their CEO says its for all the people who have regular bikes, but are not buying ebikes. 95% of the population. Maybe he is on to something ? Good luck. report back if you buy it. Tell us how it works out !
D
Deleted member 4210
Guest
Your fork on your breezer could very well be steel, while your frame is aluminum. Try using a magnet on it. if it sticks, its steel or chromoly. For the GEO, due to its design you won't need torque arms anyway, so even if your is aluminum, the GEO will be fine. Regarding the tires, they are solid core, but these guys knew all the issues surrounding foam tires. Seems like they've worked them out. They need some break in time, but for your needs, this GEO is still pretty much your only option. Any decent kit is going to be more expensive, and it will take someone who knows what they are doing to install one. With step through you'd have to likely go with rear battery mount. And to have something removable like you want, your standard conversion kit, front or wheel, will not be easy or conducive to removing for the purpose you describe. Hence why I suggest the GEO. I've done all sorts of conversions, front hubs, mid drives, rear hubs, and on nearly every conceivable bike style. Step throughs, fat tires, recumbents, trikes, fixies, 24 speeds, aluminum, carbon frames, folding bikes, and tandems.
harryS
Well-Known Member
I'd go with a conventional design like the Dillinger. What's nice about that kit is good connectors and a integrated battery/controller. When the battery wears out, one can move that controller to a standard aftermarket battery that will fit the same cradle. Also, it has good performance and handling.
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My first bike shown below) was built in 2015 using a $200 motor kit and a $280 battery. I put 470 miles on it last year. Except for rear wheel drive, it's functionally similar to the Dillinger, running a 36V battery with a top speed of 18-20 mph. Pedal assist is easy at 14 mph and range is about 22 miles on an 8.8AH battery at that speed. My motor is a little bigger at 500W. I've run it at 48V to 24 mph. It's a good recreation bike for flat land and moderate speed. A commuter or someone in hill country might melt the motor. For me, it's a nice kit that doesn't drop jaws when someone ask waht it cost me.
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The motor/wheel is still available on ebay for $200 today, and a similar battery might cost $350, but a person building a kit would still find the $629 price of the Dillinger hard to beat, and it would be a bit easier too as the Dillinger will go together faster. However, I'm frugal, so my next kit will use another one of these motors.
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My first bike shown below) was built in 2015 using a $200 motor kit and a $280 battery. I put 470 miles on it last year. Except for rear wheel drive, it's functionally similar to the Dillinger, running a 36V battery with a top speed of 18-20 mph. Pedal assist is easy at 14 mph and range is about 22 miles on an 8.8AH battery at that speed. My motor is a little bigger at 500W. I've run it at 48V to 24 mph. It's a good recreation bike for flat land and moderate speed. A commuter or someone in hill country might melt the motor. For me, it's a nice kit that doesn't drop jaws when someone ask waht it cost me.
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The motor/wheel is still available on ebay for $200 today, and a similar battery might cost $350, but a person building a kit would still find the $629 price of the Dillinger hard to beat, and it would be a bit easier too as the Dillinger will go together faster. However, I'm frugal, so my next kit will use another one of these motors.
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Thanks guys. I was intrigued by the Geoorbital when I read about it but the few reviews that are not just gee whiz tech reviews state that it is hard to pedal a bike when the powered wheel is not being used. That discouraged me since I really want to be able to ride normally most of the time and get assist only when needed. Mike, have you ridden a bike with the Geoorbital wheel installed? If these reviews are inaccurate I wish the company would go on YouTube to defend their product. And I wish Court would test it and give a report. I checked my forks on the Breezer and, unfortunately, no magnetic attraction. I have an older Trek Multitrack 7200 that held the magnet, but it's been neglected due to it's weight. So concerns about the torque arms may be justified.
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