i was/am an urban cyclist for the last 15 years and would like an ebike because i find more and more excuses not to ride, and part of that is - riding a bike is kinda tiring.

i have a surly steel frame bike with 41mm tires that would be a great candidate for an ebike conversion. i don’t think i’m interested in a bike doing most of the work for me, i still want to exercise. i want a stealthy conversion (don’t want to look too much like an ebike, trying to avoid large battery bricks). torque sensors preferred over cadence.

budget: ~$1k

what i’ve learned is that there are four ways to convert a regular bike to ebike, listed in increasing cost/complexity (see table pic below - couldn’t figure out how to format a table)

What I’m determining is - around $400-$600 can get you a basic front hub or friction kit if one wants an entry level/starter option, with kits starting to get “good” at about the $800 range and really good above $1000. I’ve priced out a good front hub kit at $700 and a good rear hub kit at $860. A friction drive kit would be around $400.

As the price approaches $1000, it seems more sensible to get an entire ebike for that price rather than add $1000 in parts to my existing bike. There’s lots of great ebike options out there in the ~$1500 range and having an extra bike could be really useful for guests etc.

So, I guess the question becomes: $500 subpar front/friction kit or $1000+ new ebike? after typing this up, I’m leaning towards the “QiRoll” friction motor as a lower cost of entry option

  • happybadger [he/him]@hexbear.netEnglish
    3·
    3 months ago

    There probably is a Chinese brand that’s on par with Bosch, but they’re the gold standard in $2000+ ebikes with a two year warranty and I like the app/controller/battery that pairs with them. Part availability with repairs is also a big consideration. A bike shop can easily source Bosch parts, while importing parts for a smaller manufacturer could take a month or more if they’re willing to work on it.

    I’ve seen a few attempts at regenerative braking but it you need a direct drive motor and it introduces a lot of wear for basically no gain at cycling speeds. I can’t speak to the improved braking though.