LIVALL PikaBoost 2 – A Different Approach to Converting Your Existing Bike to an E-Bike

[livall-loen]

Hi everyone,

I’m with the LIVALL team, so I want to be transparent from the start that I’m affiliated with the product I’m sharing here.

We’ve been working on PikaBoost 2, an e-bike conversion solution built around a simple idea:

What if riders could add electric assistance to a bike they already enjoy riding, without turning it into a completely different bike?

A lot of conversion systems work well, but different riders have very different priorities. Some care most about power and climbing ability. Others care more about installation, weight, portability, or being able to keep the original character of their bicycle.

With PikaBoost 2, our focus has been on creating a compact conversion system for riders who want to upgrade an existing bicycle while keeping the conversion relatively simple.

What we’re especially interested in hearing from this community

There are a lot of experienced DIY builders and e-bike riders here, so rather than simply posting an advertisement, I’d genuinely like to get your perspective.

When evaluating an e-bike conversion kit, what matters most to you?

Ease of installation?
Weight?
Hill-climbing performance?
Range?
Noise?
Tire compatibility and wear?
Ability to remove the system?
Reliability over long-term use?
Something else?

We’re also interested in hearing what kinds of real-world tests you think are actually useful.

For example, would you rather see:

Hill tests, commuting tests, range tests, installation demonstrations, noise comparisons, or long-term durability testing?

I’m happy to share more information, photos, installation details, and answer technical questions where I can.

For anyone who wants to see how the product is designed, more information about LIVALL PikaBoost 2 is available here:

[Insert LIVALL PikaBoost 2 product page]

Feedback—positive or critical—is welcome. We’re especially interested in hearing from riders who already have experience with other conversion systems.

Thanks, and ride safe.

LIVALL Team

 

[stompandgo]

Support and reliability

 

[kevinmccune]

hill climbing and noise.

 

[harryS]

I've done close to 20 ebike conversions in the last 11 years, Front, rear and dual drive, Mid drives too. I'm partial to torque sense mid drives for clean appearance, simpler install, and pedal feel. The long term issue with DIY is battery safety. Short term is water resistance. The economics favor buy vs convert. I can buy, in my opinion, very rideable ebikes on Walmart.com for less than the price of a trustworthy battery for a DIY project. I can also buy a warranty for $50 that will re-imburse me for early failures.

So while the PikaBoost looks like a quick way to power up a beloved pedal bike, it's competimg aganst those cheap ebikes. Without ever seeing one, it seems like the potential tradeoffs are noise and slipping on wet tires. I did consider buying a Qiroll kit from CHina and using it with a 24V battery to propel my grand daughter's bike, but while I was pondering it, she had a growth spurt and was able to ride my 20 inch minivello, 300W hub motor.

 

[EMGX]

I have way more experience with ebike conversions than a sane person should, as well as one complete Yamaha mid drive bike. Two Qiroll friction drive (Mute and Pro versions), two TSDZ2 mid drives, a Keyde rear hub motor, MXUS front hub motor, Bafang front hub motor and a generic rear hub motor. I've ridden thousands of miles with my Yamaha and each of my TSDZ2, less with the rest although the Keyde might catch up someday. The Qiroll friction drives are interesting. mostly because of the light weight and adaptability but the temporary on/off actuation switching is cumbersome and function/durability doesn't match any of the others. I live in a very hilly area, in fact on a small mountain so everything gets a good workout. Send me a loaner and I'll give it a good try and write up, not like the few mile reviewers that I see all over the internet - distance, hills paved roads and gravel, and a lot of each.