Retrofit electric driven wheel to existing folding bike

[slipknot]

I have a couple of decent Dawes diamond folding bikes on board. I quite fancy fitting one of the electric driven wheel retrofit kits available but there is so much choice. Has anyone done this successfully? Any tips, recommendations? Many thanks.

 

[TonyMS]

I've done it to a 20inch Giant folder, using a kit from Cyclotricity, and it works well, and I'm just fitting out a Transition (cheapo from Halfords).

We choose front wheel kits, because they're easy to remove if you want to potter locally without the extra weight. You need 100mm spacing between the front forks. The Dawes folders in our local shop have this, but I don't know about your model. (Terns and Dahons are narrower.)

Our are 250W, which is enough to give some assistance up hills and into headwinds, but not to let you put your feet up. We use them to visit hill-top villages in Greece, typically at 400 to 500m. If the batteries run out, the return journey is all downhill.

The simplest and most effective speed control is a twist grip throttle, which you can get from Ebay. Of course, it's illegal to use this on the road.

You can get cheaper batteries off Ebay. I'll tell you in a year or two whether they are durable.

TonyMS

 

[oldharry]

250w is the maximum power allowed under EU law. Also as Tony MS says,a twist grip is illegal on anything sold in UK since 2016. Anything since then has to be pedal assisted, so the motor cuts out if you stop pedalling. Anything else is regarded as a motor vehicle, and requires Registration tax and Insurance for on road use. UK plod are happy to nick anyone doing 25mph on the level without pedalling. French dont seem partcualrly bothered, but I'm told Spanish Policia can be very Spanish about it. Driving without tax and insurance etc is bad news in any country.

Many of fthe ebay kits are for more powerful motors, which they are happy to sell you without warning you you cannot use it in a public place anywhere in EU.

Personal experience I would advise 36v units, More power particularly on the hills, for longer!

 

[wully1]

Mate of mine has one on a mountain bike. Bought a Chinese kit from flea bay with a big battery and thumb throttle.

He paced it with his van, says it can do 37 mph.......

 

[oldharry]

Thumb throttle is great, but its still illegal if plod spot it. \The big minus is the batteries. Good ones are very expensive - £500+ Cheap ebay ones can be half that, but with half the life.

 

[Daydream believer]

Why do you say the twist throttle illegal? Lots of bikes have non pedal assist motion once they are running & are legally sold in UK . The limit being a fraction over 15MPH ( Might be KPH, forget). Once they exceed that (by pedaling) the motor cuts out, or provides no further assistance
I have hired lots of E bikes in Belgium, Holland & Guernsey made by Kalcoff, (Excellent), Rayleigh (carp) & others, where I have not had to pedal, but just used the twist grip once the bike is in motion.
The latest Kalcoffs will do 100 kilometres. The bike -not kalcoff- I hire from Oscars in Ostend (he has a special large frame one he keeps for me If I pre book) will take me to the Atlantic wall at Raverside then to Blankenburgh then round the park & Ostend all in a day & with very little pedaling. A great days cycling, well worth the 30 euros
They would not hire illegal bikes

 

[oldharry]

Because its the law: https://www.gov.uk/electric-bike-rules scroll down to "other kinds of electric bikes" and the way it interpreted by the Industry: https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/product-news/electric-bikes-uk-law-234973.

Quite probably the bike you are hiring is pre 2016 legislation, like mine which works throttle only and is entirely legal. The current version does not have the twist and go option.