On 31/07/2025 18:43, ajh wrote:

Does anyone know if it possible to buy an electric bike conversion that:

is front wheel drive
250W
detects pedaling
limits to 15mph?

i.e. is fully street legal and safe.

FWD might be the problem: the need to fit a motor which is light enough
not to make the steering very heavy, and the problem of making the power
cables from the battery cable of carrying the power (250-500 W
typically) without making the cables very stiff, given that they have to
turn with the front fork.

Getting it to respond to the pressure on the pedals would be interesting because it needs some sort of strain gauge in the pedal-chain-gears
drive-chain but that is separate from the mechanical aid that the motor
is giving, unlike a conventional e-bike.

Is there some reason why you need it to be FWD? Are you making a rod for
your own back with that requirement?

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On 31/07/2025 18:43, ajh wrote:

Does anyone know if it possible to buy an electric bike conversion that:

is front wheel drive
250W
detects pedaling
limits to 15mph?

i.e. is fully street legal and safe.

You can kits of all the bits you need. e.g:

https://wooshbikes.co.uk/cart/#/category/uid-8/front-hub-conversion-kits

They work in much the same way as the rear wheel kits. A hall effect
cadence sensor on the crank detects when pedalling. Control on the
handlebar to select the level of assist, and battery mounted in a number
of locations.

Fitting is probably a bit easier than on a rear hub kit. Mine has been
going strong for well over 5,000 miles now. The battery is being to lose
some range, but still does enough:

https://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/DIY_eBike_Conversion


--
Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\
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| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \=================================================================/

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On 31/07/2025 22:26, Theo wrote:

John Rumm <[email protected]> wrote:

On 31/07/2025 18:43, ajh wrote:

Does anyone know if it possible to buy an electric bike conversion that: >>>
is front wheel drive
250W
detects pedaling
limits to 15mph?

i.e. is fully street legal and safe.

You can kits of all the bits you need. e.g:

https://wooshbikes.co.uk/cart/#/category/uid-8/front-hub-conversion-kits

They work in much the same way as the rear wheel kits. A hall effect
cadence sensor on the crank detects when pedalling. Control on the
handlebar to select the level of assist, and battery mounted in a number
of locations.

Whoosh are highly regarded among the ebike community - decent products, well priced, good UK support. If you don't know where to start then talking to Whoosh is a good plan.

Buying the parts direct from China is cheaper, but you have no support
except yourself. Personally I'm happy with doing that, but YMMV.

My feeling at the time was I would rather go for a known working combo
of parts for my first attempt, although now I would be comfortable
buying separate bits if doing it again.

I will probably some things differently next time. I would want the
battery on the down tube and not on the rear rack - I find it makes the
bike tail heavy and rather wobbly if trying to ride standing.

Many of the bits that make a difference are also the spec of the bike
itself rather than the "e" bit of it. Starting with a more modern frame
with disc brakes would be good. Suspension tube on the saddle would be
nice (the weight on the rear wheel helps you feel every pothole!)

I expect a single rear derailer with 8 speeds would be fine (I stick to
the large front cog all the time now) - doing away with the added weight
and complexity of the front one. Have to say the Shimano indexed shifter
is very good - push a button to click up through the gears. (you shift
faster on an ebike).

I quite like the rotation sensing drive rather than torque sensing. I
tend to leave it on full power most of the time unless moving in slow
traffic on in a busy shared pedestrian / bike area. I typically ride a
little bit faster than the top speed limit of the assistance, so only
relay use the power on hills, into head winds and for pulling away. (or
if particularly knackered!) I would also be happy with a 13 to 15Ah 48V
battery - the larger ones probably provide more range than I need and
add weight.



--
Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \=================================================================/

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Does anyone know if it possible to buy an electric bike conversion that:

is front wheel drive
250W
detects pedaling
limits to 15mph?

i.e. is fully street legal and safe.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 31/07/2025 18:49, NY wrote:

Is there some reason why you need it to be FWD? Are you making a rod for
your own back with that requirement?

It is how my ancient, defunct powabyke is configured, useful offroad and possibly.

I was hoping just to swap the wheel

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ajh <[email protected]> Wrote in message:r

Does anyone know if it possible to buy an electric bike conversion that:is front wheel drive250Wdetects pedalinglimits to 15mph?i.e. is fully street legal and safe.

https://www.swytchbike.com/

--
ChipMonk


----Android NewsGroup Reader---- https://piaohong.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/usenet/index.html

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Theo <[email protected]> wrote:

John Rumm <[email protected]> wrote:

On 31/07/2025 18:43, ajh wrote:

Does anyone know if it possible to buy an electric bike conversion that: >>>
is front wheel drive
250W
detects pedaling
limits to 15mph?

i.e. is fully street legal and safe.

You can kits of all the bits you need. e.g:

https://wooshbikes.co.uk/cart/#/category/uid-8/front-hub-conversion-kits

They work in much the same way as the rear wheel kits. A hall effect
cadence sensor on the crank detects when pedalling. Control on the
handlebar to select the level of assist, and battery mounted in a number
of locations.

Whoosh are highly regarded among the ebike community - decent products, well priced, good UK support. If you don't know where to start then talking to Whoosh is a good plan.

Buying the parts direct from China is cheaper, but you have no support
except yourself. Personally I'm happy with doing that, but YMMV.

Theo

Personally I’d stick with a company with a good reputation. Buying cheap from the far east is fine when the only risk is financial.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy8e84v5e4go

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm25e414dq8o

Tim


--
Please don't feed the trolls

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Tim+ <[email protected]> wrote:

Theo <[email protected]> wrote:

John Rumm <[email protected]> wrote:

On 31/07/2025 18:43, ajh wrote:

Does anyone know if it possible to buy an electric bike conversion that: >>>
is front wheel drive
250W
detects pedaling
limits to 15mph?

i.e. is fully street legal and safe.

You can kits of all the bits you need. e.g:

https://wooshbikes.co.uk/cart/#/category/uid-8/front-hub-conversion-kits >>
They work in much the same way as the rear wheel kits. A hall effect
cadence sensor on the crank detects when pedalling. Control on the
handlebar to select the level of assist, and battery mounted in a number >> of locations.

Whoosh are highly regarded among the ebike community - decent products, well
priced, good UK support. If you don't know where to start then talking to Whoosh is a good plan.

Buying the parts direct from China is cheaper, but you have no support except yourself. Personally I'm happy with doing that, but YMMV.

Theo

Personally I’d stick with a company with a good reputation. Buying cheap from the far east is fine when the only risk is financial.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy8e84v5e4go

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm25e414dq8o

The risk with ebikes is in the battery. A lot of the times it's people charging one battery with a charger designed for another, typically a 36v
pack with a 48v charger - they often have only a basic barrel jack and
there's nothing to stop you mischarging.

Also some batteries don't have the best BMS or proper thermal sensors to cut off charging if an overheat is detected.

That means you should be careful where you buy your battery from. It
doesn't impact what kind of motor or conversion kit you fit.

Theo

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On 1 Aug 2025 at 07:31:08 BST, Tim+ wrote:

Theo <[email protected]> wrote:

John Rumm <[email protected]> wrote:

On 31/07/2025 18:43, ajh wrote:

Does anyone know if it possible to buy an electric bike conversion that: >>>>
is front wheel drive
250W
detects pedaling
limits to 15mph?

i.e. is fully street legal and safe.

You can kits of all the bits you need. e.g:

https://wooshbikes.co.uk/cart/#/category/uid-8/front-hub-conversion-kits >>>
They work in much the same way as the rear wheel kits. A hall effect
cadence sensor on the crank detects when pedalling. Control on the
handlebar to select the level of assist, and battery mounted in a number >>> of locations.

Whoosh are highly regarded among the ebike community - decent products, well >> priced, good UK support. If you don't know where to start then talking to >> Whoosh is a good plan.

Buying the parts direct from China is cheaper, but you have no support
except yourself. Personally I'm happy with doing that, but YMMV.

Theo

Personally I’d stick with a company with a good reputation. Buying cheap from the far east is fine when the only risk is financial.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy8e84v5e4go

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm25e414dq8o

It's difficult to tell how many of these examples are dodgy kit, bad luck, or simple misuse. But in any event decent provenance is a particularly good starting point when buying an electric bike.

I bought a Bafang kit about 5 years back - crank motor and downtube-mounted battery. It was pretty much ubiquitous at the time, and had a good reputation. So far so good, although I've only done a few thousand miles on it.

--
Cheers, Rob, Sheffield UK

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On 31/07/2025 21:58, John Rumm wrote:

On 31/07/2025 18:43, ajh wrote:

Does anyone know if it possible to buy an electric bike conversion that:

is front wheel drive
250W
detects pedaling
limits to 15mph?

i.e. is fully street legal and safe.

You can kits of all the bits you need. e.g:

https://wooshbikes.co.uk/cart/#/category/uid-8/front-hub-conversion-kits

They work in much the same way as the rear wheel kits. A hall effect
cadence sensor on the crank detects when pedalling. Control on the
handlebar to select the level of assist, and battery mounted in a number
of locations.

Fitting is probably a bit easier than on a rear hub kit. Mine has been
going strong for well over 5,000 miles now. The battery is being to lose
some range, but still does enough:

https://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/DIY_eBike_Conversion

Thanks everyone, I'll read the faq.

The parts are not available for the powabyke, so swapping a wheel make
sense and if the battery is light and easily removable it shouldn't
attract thieves.

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On 31/07/2025 19:40, ChipMonk wrote:

ajh <[email protected]> Wrote in message:r

Does anyone know if it possible to buy an electric bike conversion that:is front wheel drive250Wdetects pedalinglimits to 15mph?i.e. is fully street legal and safe.

https://www.swytchbike.com/

Thanks for that, the marketing seems a bit confusing

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ajh <[email protected]> wrote:

Thanks everyone, I'll read the faq.

The parts are not available for the powabyke, so swapping a wheel make
sense and if the battery is light and easily removable it shouldn't
attract thieves.

Unless the Powabyke is a particularly good model or with something you can't find elsewhere I might suggest it's worth thinking about converting a
'normal' bike. Old-school ebikes were often very heavy - big steel frames, lead acid battery, chunky motor - and not actually that great as bikes
without the power assist. A normal street bike from somebody like Ridgeback
is a lot lighter and better specced than an older ebike, and can be picked
up second hand for not-a-lot (£20-£80 looking at ebay sold listings). The conversion adds weight, but not hugely, and you can always use it without
the battery as a regular bike if you prefer. The only thing that a
dedicated ebike gets you is better integration of the battery and the
wiring, but that doesn't really apply to a retrofit unless you're doing
things like putting new cells in the old battery case.

Theo

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On 1 Aug 2025 at 20:08:26 BST, Theo wrote:

ajh <[email protected]> wrote:

Thanks everyone, I'll read the faq.

The parts are not available for the powabyke, so swapping a wheel make
sense and if the battery is light and easily removable it shouldn't
attract thieves.

Unless the Powabyke is a particularly good model or with something you can't find elsewhere I might suggest it's worth thinking about converting a 'normal' bike. Old-school ebikes were often very heavy - big steel frames, lead acid battery, chunky motor - and not actually that great as bikes without the power assist. A normal street bike from somebody like Ridgeback is a lot lighter and better specced than an older ebike, and can be picked
up second hand for not-a-lot (£20-£80 looking at ebay sold listings). The conversion adds weight, but not hugely, and you can always use it without
the battery as a regular bike if you prefer. The only thing that a
dedicated ebike gets you is better integration of the battery and the
wiring, but that doesn't really apply to a retrofit unless you're doing things like putting new cells in the old battery case.

My council did a free ebike loan for a month - I got a Specialized road bike, something like this:

https://www.specialized.com/gb/en/turbo-tero-40/p/4262681?color=5401103-4262681

I'd just say it was astonishing. From the fit and finish (especially the very neat cables, in-frame controls, and concealed battery), light weight, smooth drivetrain, really nice balance and overall ride to the feeling that it wasn't an electric bike at all - it is all so well integrated. OK, the range not
quite as good as my kit bike, and not as powerful. And five times the price.

But overall much nicer - and my donor bike is a half decent 10kg mountain
bike.

But if you have the money, I would suggest trying it. Or try it anyway and
live with not being able to afford it :-)

--
Cheers, Rob, Sheffield UK

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On Fri, 8/1/2025 2:11 PM, ajh wrote:

On 31/07/2025 21:58, John Rumm wrote:

On 31/07/2025 18:43, ajh wrote:

Does anyone know if it possible to buy an electric bike conversion that: >>>
is front wheel drive
250W
detects pedaling
limits to 15mph?

i.e. is fully street legal and safe.

You can kits of all the bits you need. e.g:

https://wooshbikes.co.uk/cart/#/category/uid-8/front-hub-conversion-kits

They work in much the same way as the rear wheel kits. A hall effect cadence sensor on the crank detects when pedalling. Control on the handlebar to select the level of assist, and battery mounted in a number of locations.

Fitting is probably a bit easier than on a rear hub kit. Mine has been going strong for well over 5,000 miles now. The battery is being to lose some range, but still does enough:

https://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php/DIY_eBike_Conversion

Thanks everyone, I'll read the faq.

The parts are not available for the powabyke, so swapping a wheel make sense and if the battery is light and easily removable it shouldn't attract thieves.

For the benefit of the audience, is this the bicycle you
are attempting to "convert to something modern" ?

https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/powabyke-starting-to-play-up.14438/

https://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr1/ady347/image-14.jpg

The voltage of that system, is different than the Bafang wheels
making the rounds today (which would be mated to Lithium packs).

And I think the ally "tub" on that thing, is welded to the frame.

Your project might be easier, as someone already suggested,
getting a used bicycle from a reputable recycler shop that
has reconditioned the bike, then adding a new front wheel,
pack, throttle, sensors or whatever. Because a regular bike
has more room for fitting all the components.

Paul

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On 02/08/2025 07:31, Paul wrote:

Your project might be easier, as someone already suggested,
getting a used bicycle from a reputable recycler shop that
has reconditioned the bike, then adding a new front wheel,
pack, throttle, sensors or whatever. Because a regular bike
has more room for fitting all the components.

I agree and I have two ordinary bikes , one of which I could convert.


The powabyke is heavy, under geared for normal use, old and worthless
but I want it to go shopping for a month and it is otherwise scrap.

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ajh <[email protected]> wrote:

On 02/08/2025 07:31, Paul wrote:

Your project might be easier, as someone already suggested,
getting a used bicycle from a reputable recycler shop that
has reconditioned the bike, then adding a new front wheel,
pack, throttle, sensors or whatever. Because a regular bike
has more room for fitting all the components.

I agree and I have two ordinary bikes , one of which I could convert.

The powabyke is heavy, under geared for normal use, old and worthless
but I want it to go shopping for a month and it is otherwise scrap.

OK :-) Not sure what wheel size it has, but if it's a standard size like
26" or 700C you should be able to swap the parts over to a better bike
later without too much hassle, as long as it takes the same size wheels.

If you wanted to alternate between old and new, all the parts are easily available on Aliexpress so an easy swap might duplicate some of the cheaper parts which are more finnicky to install (sensors, controller, display,
wiring) and then you're just swapping wheel and battery.

Theo

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