Is it possible to transfer kit from one bike to another?
Posted by Swurpz@reddit | ebikes | View on Reddit | 11 comments
So I was thinking of buying this bike for 350 which I think is a good deal it’s a 2000W 52V Front hub motor Cruiser E-bike and I was wondering would I be able to swap the kit on it to my personal mountain bike? Also wondering if it’s possible to swap it from the front wheel to back? Sorry if these are dumb questions I have zero knowledge with these kits.
JG-at-Prime@reddit
It’s likely possible to move the kit. The biggest issues are with tire size and axle width. If both are the same then it’s easy.
One of the things to consider is that you won’t be able to put a 2,000 watt hub motor into allow suspension forks. It’s wildly unsafe. Even with torque arms it’s not a great idea.
The other thing is that you may not want such a powerful front hub motor for a first e-bike. Front hubs can be a little squirrelly sometimes. (from experience: try to accelerate in a relatively straight direction. Then turn. If you try to power into a turn from a dead stop the bike can skitter out from under you)
The front wheel doesn’t have nearly the traction that the rear does so you may need to feather the power to avoid the front wheel breaking loose.
It is not possible to swap the front and rear wheels.
It’s not a bad price but it is a lot of work. You may want to watch a bunch of YouTube videos on e-bike kits before taking on the challenge.
Swurpz@reddit (OP)
In the listing it said 203mm front disk brake, rear coaster brake
26" wheels, 19" frame, 30" from ground to seat with the seat at its lowest.
So my bike would just have to be like the same specs or tire size
JG-at-Prime@reddit
The 26” wheel size will usually mean that they are compatible. If the axle width is compatible then you can swap it.
Otherwise you will be riding a cruiser. (they are surprisingly comfortable bikes)
Swurpz@reddit (OP)
How much would it be to buy a kit like this for rear wheel?
JG-at-Prime@reddit
About ~$300 for a rear wheel hub motor. Plus a similar amount for the battery.
I’m not saying that it’s not a good deal. (on the surface) I’m just saying that it’s not the best starter e-bike ever.
Swurpz@reddit (OP)
I found another one for $50 more that has rear motor or would you recommend I buy a bike myself and do it?
JG-at-Prime@reddit
Rear wheel drive hubs have a lot more traction and tend to be more forgiving of newer riders.
This one looks like it has the parts that you need. I’m very dubious of range estimates coming from a 13s6p pack but if the speed is kept low and the rider pedals like a madman, it could do it.
The top speed is also a little suspect but you don’t really want to go that fast anyway.
This one looks like it’s all pretty generic components so it should be easy to repair. That’s nice.
If you get a wild hair, you could buy them both and build a beast.
aero_sock@reddit
around 250usd on aliexpress for a full kit
Swurpz@reddit (OP)
With the battery or without all I’m seeing cost a lot more without battery. Where did you see for $250?
aero_sock@reddit
without a battery definitely
i recommend buying battery separately since the once that come bundled are often times poor quality or straight up lying about the characteristics. unitpackpower, chamrider, varstrom are amongst the more or less well knows chinese battery manufacturers. though with them you shouldnt buy from aliexpress directly but rather on their official site - comes out cheaper a lot of the time.
Dmanthirtyseven@reddit
You can move the kit to another bike, but you can't put a front motor on a rear wheel.