Is there a kit to convert Electra Townie 7d?

[zimm]

My wife has an Electra Townie 7D. 26" wheels and Shimano 7 speed on the back. It's about a 2008 vintage.

Is there a decent kit to electrify it? Front or rear hub? What kind of sensors/controllers would be good? Finally, I'll need source a battery (or the whole kit) here in the EU for shipping rules.

 

[Dewey]

Since you’re in the EU, consider a 250w hub motor + battery kit from yose power in Germany

 

[stanmiller]

This was for my wife's Trek Pure but geometry is similar to Townie.

250W Bafang Trek Pure conversion with kit from Bluenergy

Earlier this year I converted my wife's Trek Pure with a 36V 250W kit from Bluenergy. She loves it! We ride nearby greenways, visit coffee shops, and she takes it to the gym. The battery at 5.2 Ah is good for about 15 miles and speed tops out at 23MPH. Weighs 42 LBS Total cost of...

electricbikereview.com

 

[zimm]

Yose power has a 250w hub motor for €209, and €239 for a battery with cargo rack and tail light. Rack has room for the controller too. We already have V-brakes, so I think we're good there. Do I need anything else? Just curious- will the 350w rear hub work with a standard 7 speed shimano cassette? I don't know why, but the idea of front wheel drive seems strange to me and it'll be better hidden in the back. However I have no idea how compatible this stuff is.

E-Bike Conversion Kit 36V 350W 26"/27.5"/28" Rear Freewheel Motor Bicycle Hub Motor Kit

Transform your bicycle with our E-Bike Conversion Kit featuring a 36V 350W Rear Freewheel Motor. Designed for 26", 27.5", and 28" (700C) bikes, this kit delivers enhanced power and performance, perfect for upgrading your ride to an electric adventure.

yosepower.com

 

[stanmiller]

Yose power has a 250w hub motor for €209, and €239 for a battery with cargo rack and tail light. Rack has room for the controller too. We already have V-brakes, so I think we're good there. Do I need anything else? Just curious- will the 350w rear hub work with a standard 7 speed shimano cassette? I don't know why, but the idea of front wheel drive seems strange to me and it'll be better hidden in the back. However I have no idea how compatible this stuff is.

E-Bike Conversion Kit 36V 350W 26"/27.5"/28" Rear Freewheel Motor Bicycle Hub Motor Kit

Transform your bicycle with our E-Bike Conversion Kit featuring a 36V 350W Rear Freewheel Motor. Designed for 26", 27.5", and 28" (700C) bikes, this kit delivers enhanced power and performance, perfect for upgrading your ride to an electric adventure.

yosepower.com

The Yose kit takes a threaded freewheel - looks like a cassette but different design. Also, the Townie might be equipped with a threaded freewheel so you could just move it over to the new wheel. You'll need a special tool.

Here's an example of a threaded freewheel at Amazon: Shimano-TZ500-7-Speed-14-28t-Freewheel

All that remains is a battery and you're good to go!

 

[Dewey]

Yose power offer kits for both rear wheel types, freewheel or cassette which is helpful to have the choice

 

[zimm]

I think it's a standard cassette after looking at a review of it: https://road.cc/content/review/38113-electra-townie-7d

 

[EMGX]

Take a close look at your bike. I checked out a used one of these for my wife several months ago. That one had a freewheel (threaded/spin on), not a cassette (slide on with a lock ring).

 

[stanmiller]

I think it's a standard cassette after looking at a review of it: https://road.cc/content/review/38113-electra-townie-7d

The factory hub is a threaded freewheel. I own an Electra Townie 7d and converted it a couple years ago.

I specifically bought the cassette version of the kit (and not the freewheel) because cassettes are plentiful and give you more gearing choices.

Electra Townie conversion with kit from Bluenergy

After a few years of lurking around here and endless-sphere, I finally took the plunge and converted my Electra Townie to an e-bike. I’m now over 530 634 1386 2000 2530 miles in and couldn’t be happier. I had ridden this Townie and prior Trek Pure thousands of miles and along the way tuned...

electricbikereview.com

And since, I've upgraded the drive train to a 9-speed.

 

[zimm]

Here's some pics. So freewheel model will fit? I don't think I need to change over to a cassette- the gearing is pretty good for her.

 

[zimm]

Stan- what kind of battery did you use with the 7d? I'm tempted to change the cargo rack out for the one that'll hold the battery.

36V 12.5Ah Battery with Rear Carrier and taillight

36V12.5Ah E-Bike Lithium-ion Battery with Black Rear carrier Fit for 26"-28" bike with V-brake 1.Technical DataVoltage: 36VCapaticy: 12.5AhEnergy: 463WhWeight(with holder): ca. 4.2kgCell: High Power 18650Cycle Life(time): 1000+Standard Current: 10AMax Current: 20AProtect Current: 50AEnd Voltage...

yosepower.com

 

[stanmiller]

For compatibility with the Townie, you'll need a rear rack with extra long arms to attach to the bosses behind the seat post. A lot of racks won't work as the arms are too short.

For both Townie and Pure, I attached batteries to the bottle mounts on the down tubes to more evenly distribute the weight. For the Townie, I chose a Hailong style battery and drilled a hole in the base to make it more secure. For the Pure, I bought a small bottle style battery as that was the only size that would fit her bike.

 

[stanmiller]

Here's some pics. So freewheel model will fit? I don't think I need to change over to a cassette- the gearing is pretty good for her.

That first picture is a freewheel. There is no locking ring.

Robot or human?

 

[indianajo]

there is a lot of confusion in the aftermarket between freewheels (internally threaded left side) and cassettes (slip over the axle, have a lock ring right side). Most ebay ads use both keywords. I had no idea what they were selling. 99.9% of rear hub drives take freewheels. Cheap sleazy freewheels, IMHO. I had a rear hub drive that came with a 14 to 28 freewheel for $7 extra; I could never find a 32 to 11 freewheel to fit it. There were 8 speed freewheels of those sprockets, but they were too wide to fit in the fork. 14 to 28 would not get me up a 15% grade unpowered.
Reason I went to front hub drive. I'm back to 8 speed 11 to 32 rear cassette no rear motor, and like it. Warning, front hub drives should not be powered on ice, wet or muddy rock, muddy or wet steel, wet or muddy wood planks. It could throw you or fall down. I have no trouble detecting those situations and turning the power off. Many times when I encounter the slippery situations above, I walk the bike. But I like the motor & battery on the front. It balances the bike better, IMHO.
I make my torque arm out of bed frame scrap steel. cut 2.5 cm x 6 cm flat piece. Two 8 mm holes, connect the dots with round & triangle file, drill 4 mm hole for mount screw. 90 minutes with a vise & nicholsen files. Use safety glasses with power tools.