Cheap electric bike conversion kit provides unexpected performance 

This all started when my friend and i planned an ebike excursion. We had been on bike adventures before but never on an electric bicycle adventure.  See, I had just finished making another DIY ebike and had personally been on several solo rides.  I was interested in hearing my friend’s thoughts on these cheap electric bike conversion kits as we headed out.

 

Packed with water, food, bike lights, helmets, sunscreen,  tire change kit, and two ebikes, we were ready to go.  My friend started off with the cheap electric bike conversion kit which is a rear hub drive kit. The electric motor is attached to the rim. I took the pricier and fancy mid drive ebike. In this bike, the motor is located between the pedals. 

Performance of the cheap ebike conversion kit

This kit is less expensive than the fancier 1000 Watt mid drive bike, but it still has similar performance.  It provides us with the speed we needed.

This kit took us to speeds around 28mph… Your max speed will depend on your size, the elevation of the road, weather conditions, bike weight, tire size etc. 

We are excited and interested to see your ebike conversion. What size motor and battery did you use for your conversion?  Tag us in a photo of your ebike on Instagram. 

While using a 48V 13ah Battery combined with peddling, we were able to travel over 20 miles. 

We used the conversion kit made for a bike with 26 inch tires. The battery we purchased is specifically made for an ebike kit like this one.

You can save money by getting a smaller battery, which will result in slightly less mph and distance travelled. 

I don’t recommend making your own battery unless you have a lot of electrical experience.

I also would be cautious of very low priced ebike batteries, because they might be built with inferior battery cells. 

In two days of ebike adventures we completely explored two different parks. The average temperature during our rides was 90 degrees.

There really wasn’t much shade in the parks, so it was nice to cool off with the breeze as we rode with electric power. We traversed across pavement, grass, gravel, and a bumpy dirt trail. Both of the bikes rode well together and covered a similar distance and speed. 

Cheap electric bike conversion kits with battery 

There are many other types of electric bike kits for with batteries for under 500 dollars. But most likely you will not be able to achieve the performance that you would with a 1000Watt rear hub bike. 

 

With this set up, you can basically ride your bike like an electric scooter. If you decide to get a workout and use some muscle energy along with  electric power you will be able to double your mileage.  To about 45 miles. I’d love to hear your feedback on the performance you are able to achieve on your cheap electric bike conversion kit. 

 

Keep in mind, 28 mph is quick!  1000Watts is a lot of power! Always take cycle safety into consideration when riding an ebike.  If you don’t have several years of bike riding experience or motor bike experience, this kit might be too fast for you. 

 

Here’s the total amount spent for this custom ebike: 

 

Rear Hub Drive Motor Kit  $220

48V 13AH Battery $270

Torque Arm $10 (Safety Feature- Keeps your wheel on bike) 

Seat Cover $20 

Check out this blog with the best ebike accessories. 

Basically under 500 dollars to make this ebike

 

 For a high performance ebike this is a good price. 

A commercial ebike with this performance could cost nearly double or triple the price.

We made sure when purchasing the bike that it has quality disc brakes and multiple gears. The disc brakes provide optimal stopping power when traveling at quick speeds or in wet conditions. 

 

The multiple gears provide room for the wider electric wheel to be installed. The electric wheel measures 5.12 inches in width. You may want to invest in a caliper tool to measure any bike that you are interested in. 

Thoughts on 3 brands of cheap electric bike conversion kits

There are also several different brands of rear hub conversion kits. I’ve purchased three different brands of cheap electric bike conversion kits and I’ve preferred the Voilamart brand the most. 

5 Reasons I prefer the Voilamart Brand

1. Silent Motor Operations (Other brands sometimes make sounds)
2. Was able to speak with customer service to resolve any issues
3. Comfortable twist throttle to supply power to the bike
4. Motor is attached to sturdy bike rim 
5. Wire attachment is straightforward 

How fun is a cheap electric bike conversion kit?

Lots of fun! We made plenty of stops along the ride to take in the natural surroundings.

We found that we ended up stopping more frequently on the ebikes than we normally do while pedaling. 

Our energy and focus was more geared towards exploring. 

Although we explored using full electric power on the bikes we didn’t ignore fitness.

Every so often we rode the bikes without electric power to get the endorphins flowing.   I think that this idea is what makes ebikes so exciting.  You can sit back and enjoy the ride at your own leisure. Pedal and get a good workout when you choose to get your heart rate pumping. 

Here are a few of the other popular brands of hub wheel conversion kits:

• Bafang Rear Wheel 500W 48V Hub Motor Electric Bike Conversion Kit
• Ebikeling 1500W Conversion Kit for 26″ tire
• Ebike Conversion Kit 48V 1200W 700C
• JAXPETY 48V 1000W Electric Bicycle for 26″ Wheel
• EBIKELING 48V 1200W 26″ Direct Drive Electric Bike Kit with Battery 
• AW 1000W Rear Wheel Electric Bicycle LCD Display Motor Kit E-Bike Conversion
• Schuck  500W Front Wheel Electric Bicycle Conversion Motor Kit

We traveled 45 miles on our two trips.  Without electric, I’m guessing we would have only travelled about 15 miles. 

Unfortunately we did get a flat tire while we were traveling over rough terrain.  Luckily we were prepared with a flat tire kit. Without this kit, our day of riding would have been completed after 5 miles. This flat proved to be a good learning opportunity of how to change a bike tire tube. If you ride a lot on an ebike, I highly recommend making a kit. Our flat tire kit included: 

 

Mini Bike Pump

Tire Levers and Tubes

Adjustable Wrench 

In 20 minutes we were back to riding. The fancier mid drive conversion kit and the hub drive conversion kits are both very enjoyable to ride. As my friend said, “It’s hard to stop smiling.” “ It’s a lot of fun to ride. “

 

We took pictures of the scenery and animals that we saw.  Riding an ebike can give you the sensation that you are on an expedition. We saw Blue Herons, Sandhill Cranes, Lizards, Alligators, a snake, and parrots. 

 

Check out a video of the parrots on Tik Tok. 

 

@expeditionelectricSpotting some green parrots on ebike in Florida ##ebike ##parrot ##nature♬ original sound – expeditionelectric

Follow me @expeditionelectric

 

What have you seen on your ebike adventures? 

 

Good power and distance for cheap ebike conversion kit

If we would have chosen a smaller 48V battery or 36V battery we could have lowered the cost of this cheap electric bike conversion kit. But we wouldn’t’ have been able to travel as far or fast with a smaller battery. 

 If you don’t have a lot of bike experience I will typically recommend starting with a 350Watt Motor.  With this motor you could probably also use a 36 Volt battery. This will usually take you to speeds of around 15 mph. 

 

If you have a lot of bike experience or motorbike experience you may prefer a 500-1000 Watt. Basically if you aren’t extremely agile on a bicycle then I would be very cautious about going speeds faster than 15mph. 

Cheap electric bike conversion kit quick install

Right after we got back from our second ebike ride, my friend decided he wanted his own ebike. He said that the main reason he wanted an ebike is “I’ll feel more motivated to ride.” “I’ll  be able to cover more ground in the small amount of time I have available.” 

 

 We decided to install a rear hub kit because we wanted a cheap electric bike conversion kit. We both worked on the conversion and we were able to complete the transformation in just under two and half hours.

We took the bike for a spin up and down the street to test out. The bike operated smoothly and my friend had a huge grin on his face. 

 

Here’s a video of the installation of the cheap electric bike conversion:

The links of the items we used in the conversion are listed in the description of the video.

Make sure to subscribe to the YouTube Channel here: 

 

 

I’m excited to hear about his adventures taken on his new ebike. I’m also excited to hear how often he chooses to ride his ebike over driving his car.  Ebikes help decarbonize transportation when chosen for commuting over gas fueled cars. 

Tools for rear hub ebike conversion

We ordered him a few accessories to make his ebike experiences more enjoyable. He said that he plans to take his ebike to over 20 states in the next few months.  

 

Here is what we ordered: 

 

Hex key set– to tighten or loosen many of the parts of the bike 

 

An adjustable wrench– to tighten the bolts of the motor 

 

A flat repair kit– In case of a burst or leaky tire

 

A comfortable gel cushion seat– His previous bike seat was very uncomfortable. 

 

You can make a thrilling electric ride

This is a powerful, yet cheap electric bike conversion kit. I challenge you to find an ebike conversion for less than $500 that provides speed over 25mph and 20-25miles of pure electric range.  

 

Be careful about selecting batteries that have inferior cells. These batteries might not last as long as mentioned.  We recommend selecting a battery with 18650 cells. Check out this blog to discover the best ebike batteries. 

 

Or an inferior motor might have a slight noise or less straightforward wire connections.  Either way, you can build an ebike with a much lower budget than you can purchase an ebike. If you have any questions about which kit is best for you, let me know in the comments. 

We had an awesome weekend adventure on ebikes and plan to do much more exploring in the future. I’m glad I was able to share my excitement for ebikes with another friend!