Make an ebike with a bike to electric conversion kit

Yes. You can take that leg powered cycle that’s laying around and turn it into a powerful ride with a bike to electric conversion kit.

I will show you the strengths and weaknesses of two different ebikes I recently made with DIY kits. 

In fact, I’ll pair the bikes against each other in a quarter mile race.

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The two different bike to electric conversion kits I will show you today are: 

Bike to electric conversion kit competitors: 

 Bafang BBSHD Mid drive kit

 

 

Voilamart rear hub drive kit 

We would love to see your ebike conversion. Tag us in a photo on Insatgram. 

Both of these bike to electric conversion kits are 1000 Watt.

1000 Watts is a high wattage.

To check out ebikes under 500 dollars, check out this blog 

Many commercial ebikes range in wattage from 200 to about 900.

Wattage on commercial bikes will vary greatly depending on the brand and style of the bike. 

Here are the links to the kits online. I purchased both kits from amazon and the sellers were able to answer any questions I had.

Voilamart Kit

Bafang Kit 

Ebike Kit Battery

In order to power these bike to electric conversion kits you will need a battery. For the examples today, I am using a 48V 13ah lithium ion Battery.

This size of battery takes me further than 20 miles without peddling on both kits. The distance you can travel depends on many factors including your bike, terrain, the wind. etc

With pedaling and assist for the electric motor, you could probably go 40-60 miles on a battery charge.

 

It ultimately depends on how much energy you are putting into the pedals! 

How far have you travelled on an ebike?

My longest ride was 22 miles, and that was long enough for me. I know some people ride 40 miles plus. 

Here is the battery I purchased for these conversions.

Both of these bike to electric conversion kits can be installed by anyone willing to give it a try.

Check out the mid drive kit first.

 

The mid drive bike to electric conversion kit

The mid drive electric conversion kit is the Bafang BBSHD. 

This bike to electric conversion kit requires removal of:

• pedals
• pedal arms
• crank
• bottom bracket.

Once you get the right tools, it’s just a matter of following a few simple steps. 

In this finished ebike, the motor sits between the pedals and slightly under your frame. 

This is a great location for the motor since it’s barely noticeable on most bikes.

If you want easy step by step instructions for the Bafang mid drive motor installation, check out this blog. 

For this install I ordered the 750C Display.

This display shows the speed, distance travelled, battery level, and pedal assist level.

The color display is easy to read and extremely easy to use. Lets check out the other type of ebike conversion kit. 

 

The hub drive bike to electric conversion kit 

This bike to electric conversion kit requires the removal of the back wheel.

You only need to remove the cranks and pedals if you are installing the pedal assist option. The pedal assist is required by law in some countries. 

If you haven’t rode an ebike with pedal assist, basically the bike supplies power to help you pedal. 

To install this motor you simply remove your back tire and replace with the wheel provided in the kit.

Make sure to get a torque arm to help hold the wheel in place.

This important safety feature can prevent your motorized wheel from flying off of the frame.

Remember, 1000Watts is a lot of power!

To learn more about how to install this hub drive kit, check out this blog 

 

The display on this kit is quite simple. The number of illuminated bars represent the amount of battery life.

This display doesn’t show the speed or distance travelled. 

If you really want to know the speed and distance, you can easily download a free app.  

I downloaded the free GPS app called “speedometer” to use when I want to know the speed or distance. 

 

Battery for the bike to electric conversion kit 

 

As far as weight, both completed ebikes weighed in at 55lbs. 

This includes the Unit Pack Power 48V 13ah battery on the bike. 

To achieve this same amount of power years ago, you would have needed a gigantic battery.

Ebike technology is constantly improving and batteries and motors are becoming more efficient.

***When I transport the bikes I remove the battery for safety. 

This is the battery we used-

Your bike frame shape may dictate the location of your battery install. 

On the hub drive bike, I was not able to fit the 13ah battery on the downtube. Instead, I put the battery in a bag which sits on the back rack.

On the mid drive bike I had exactly the right amount of room to fit the 13ah battery on the downtube. 

The battery measurements are provided in the product description. 

What do you think is the ideal location for battery placement? 

Here is the bag and rack we used for the rear hub conversion kit.

 

 

Braking systems for diy ebike

 

If you go full speed on either of these conversion kits, you will need stopping power.

Both of the bikes in this conversion example have front and rear disc brakes.

The Voilamart rear hub kit comes with two brake handles. These brake handles are installed in place of your old bike brakes.

 

The brake handle uses an electronic cord and a brake cable.

The electronic cord is hooked into the computer. The brakes send a message to the computer to stop providing power when the brakes are hit.  

The brake cable simply hooks into the new handle and operates your brakes the same as your previous brake system.

 

The Bafang mid drive kit comes with a brake sensor and magnets.

These are installed on your current brake lever.

The sensor touches the magnet when the brakes are not used.

When the brakes are used and the magnet moves, the sensor sends a message to the computer to stop providing power. 

Your normal bike brakes will still be in charge of decelerating your bike.

The electric brake wires are important to have these installed on your ebike because you want the power to cut when trying to stop. 

 

Dealing with the bike chain

In the rear hub bike conversion you will only need to touch the chain when you remove your old tire and install the new tire.

On the mid drive bike to electric conversion kit you will need to move the chain while removing the chainring, cranks, and pedals. 

Here’s a blog where you can easily learn how to change a bike chain 

Gloves are recommended when working with a chain to prevent grease from getting everywhere. Here are the gloves we use. 

 

Once the kits are installed, both chains worked well with the bikes.

They functioned as well as they had prior to the electric kits being installed. 

In order to complete the hub drive kit you will need to add a rubber tread and tube to the electric wheel.

An added advantage to the mid drive kit is that it doesn’t require you to remove either of the tires for installation. 

 

Wiring the electric bicycle kit

 

At the final stages of your bike to electric conversion kit, you will need to hook up the wiring.

Don’t stress. The wiring is color coded. 

 

The wiring of the Voilamart hub drive bike to electric conversion kit is not as minimal as the Bafang mid drive kit.

The hub drive connections are larger and more visible.

You could try to hide the cords in the computer bag provided with the kit. 

Here is the battery bag that we used for this ebike conversion.

 

The mid drive connections are small and blend in with the bike’s current cables.

I was able to keep the electric cords on the bike frame near the brake cables.

They are barely noticeable. These wires are easy and quick to connect. 

 

The connections of the hub drive motor to battery require electrical tape to stay secure.

I will do some research on how to make these battery connections into super quick connection. 

Any suggestions? 

 

More about these bike to electric conversion kits. 

When operated at any speed, both ebike motors are completely silent.

The first time I went 20mph on a ebike, it was a weird sensation. I had ridden motorized dirt bikes and mini bikes before, but they were always loud!

The only sound you hear while operating these ebikes is the wind blowing in your ears. 

 

After finalizing the installation of both kits, I raced the bikes against each other for a quarter mile.

The hub drive bike accelerated slightly faster out of the gate, but the mid drive caught up around the 5 mph mark.

The hub drive ended up winning by about 2/10 of a second.

A rematch will be happening soon, because this race was insanely close!

These bikes were very similarly paced in this race.

…Although the mid drive bike had 4” tires while the hub drive bike had 2” tires. I guess there goes the validity of my scientific results. 

Either way, both bikes were really fast.

Have you been on dirt bikes, motorcycles, or motorized bikes before?

Riding these vehicles gives you some practice on two wheeled motorized transport. 

If you’ve never ridden a ebike or motorized vehicle, anything over 1000 watts might seem like a lot!

That’s just my opinion though. 

 

Final thoughts on these electric bicycle kits

Both bike to electric conversion kits exceeded my expectations.

I believe it’s a big advantage of the Bafang mid drive motor that only two large items need to be installed on your bike.  The motor and battery. 

Voilamart hub drive motor installation requires three large items. The Motor, computer, and battery.

This is probably one of the biggest reasons for the price differences. 

Both of these powerful bike to electric conversion kits can completely transform your leg powered cycle into an electric bike. 

we highly recommend checking out some additional safety features for your bike.

These rechargeable strobe lights provide additional visibility to any pedestrians and traffic your path.

When traveling on busy roads we typically use a rear view mirror.

These are becoming more of a standard on many commercial ebikes.

A mirror on your bike will allow you to see who’s behind you without the need to turn around.

Here are the mirrors we use.

 

I hope I helped outline the strengths and weaknesses of both bike to electric conversion kits.

I’m interested to hear which one you choose.

Or did you decide to go with a commercial ebike?

Before plenty of research, I wanted a commercial ebike.

After seeing the availability of the best ebikes and the high price to pay for the small amount of wattage provided, I was convinced to try the DIY route.

I haven’t looked back since.

If you have any questions about which type of bike to electric conversion kit is best of you, let me know in the comments.