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If you are longing for an electric bike, but don't want to say goodbye to your original bike yet, why not try an e-bike conversion kit?
These conversion kits allow you to transform your bike into an electric one, containing all the important parts such as the motor, battery, controller and more.
Finding the right e-bike conversion kit isn't always easy, however, you need to make sure the electric motor is of the right quality and power, plus consider if the e-bike kits are for mountain bikes or commuter bikes.
We've done the hard work for you and rounded up our top three best electric bike conversion kits below to help you find the right one for your e-bike conversion.
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BAFANG is very well known in the e-bike industry for creating reliable e-bike motor technology, this e-bike conversion kit in particular comes in three different 50.4A basic motors wattages; 1000W, 750W and 500W.
Main features of the electric bike conversion kit are its 19.6Ah battery which comes with its 4A charger and is removable. The easy to use bike conversion kit fits most 27.5-inch bikes and is compatible with most 100mm and 60mm bottom bracket bikes, a 46T chainring crankset is provided.
For the display, this electric bike conversion kit is equipped with a DPC181 display which shows all your important metrics and has Bluetooth as well as a USB charging port. Essential accessories are included with the kit such as; a thumb throttle for an electric boost, rear lights, headlights and a speed sensor.
Overall, this BAFANG electric bike conversion kit is an excellent choice for converting regular bikes, equipped with a powerful battery pack, high motor power options and a wide range of accessories, making it a good value for money.
We also rate this conversion kit highly due to the one year warranty on its motor, increasing buyers' confidence.
If you are looking for a more affordable e-bike conversion kit, this kit from Viribus could be a good choice, featuring the option for a front or rear hub wheel motor and coming with a 1000W power.
Top specs of this conversion kit are its dual control system which allows you to control the bike and ride it even when its signal is disabled. The kit can be easily slotted onto a 26-inch rear wheel and reaches max speeds of 48 km/h or 25 km/h when the PAS speed limit is set.
Other accessories included with the Viribus kit are its twist throttle, two brake pullers and PAS sensor. The battery is not included with the kit, but you need to ensure it's paired with a 48V battery.
To conclude, if you're looking to make your e-bike with high enough power to get up steep hills and difficult road terrains, this 1000W conversion kit could be an excellent pick when paired with large battery size.
The conversion kit is also very simple to fit and affordable.
Downfalls of this Viribus conversion kit are its heavyweight of around 12kg, which is something to consider if you want to keep your bike lightweight.
Mid-drive conversion kit models are often very popular since a mid-drive motor gives the most natural feel to your bike. This Bafang kit in particular features a 250W road legal motor and comes with a 36V 15.6Ah battery.
The Bafang battery has its charger and a built-in IC chip which prevents the battery from overheating, giving it a charging life cycle of over 1000 times. Max torque of the kit is 80Nm and an optional LCD can be attached.
Extras included with the Bafang kit are its thumb throttle, pair of cranks, speed sensors, brake levers, chain wheel, lock nuts and a mounting wrench for easier installation. A one year warranty is included for the buyer's confidence.
Overall, this Bafang mid-drive conversion kit is not only affordable but also easy to fit and gives a natural feel of electric assistance thanks to the mid-drive position of the motor.
This electric bike conversion kit is also a good choice due to the number of spare parts for Bafang motors and parts available, allowing you to maintain your new e-bike with ease.
Some notable downfalls of the Bafang kit are its charger which is said to get very hot during use, and the range of the battery may also lower over time.
To conclude our reviews of the top three electric bike conversion kits, our favourite easy to install kit has to be the BAFANG Electric Bike Conversion Kit.
This e-bike conversion kit has the best range of motor options and has a very large battery capacity, allowing you to ride the long-range with no issues. The quality of the accessories included with this kit is also great value for money, with the LCD even having Bluetooth connectivity.
As a runner up, we also suggest checking out the Viribus 48V 1000W 26" Electric Bikes Conversion Kit, this model is more affordable with a great range of accessories and a powerful motor for its price, but it does not include its battery, there is an option to include the 48V battery separate, however.
After reviewing our top three e-bike conversion kits, we can now move on to learning more about these conversion kits and what should be looking for in the best kit.
Down below in our buying guide, we will cover the different types of e-bike conversion kits out there, what influences the power of your conversion kit, what battery you need for your conversion kit, other features to watch out for and more.
On your hunt for the best e-bike conversion kit with a battery, you've probably realised that these kits come in three different types; front hub, mid-drive and rear hub kits.
These relate to the motor position and where it will be installed on the bike.
We've gone into more detail about the different types of kits below.
These kits are the easiest type to install, front-wheel kits are especially easy to install and give the feeling as if you are being pulled along by the motor, this is why they are often the cheapest too.
Rear hub wheel conversion kits are much more desirable than front-wheel kits, although a little harder to install, these give motor assistance directly to the rear wheel when you pedal, giving a more natural and boosted feel.
Mid-drive conversion kits are often more expensive than wheel hub conversion kits and are harder to install, but they do produce the best performing electric bike.
These motors will be attached directly to the drivetrain of the bike, allowing the motor to work with the pedalling of your bike giving you the quickest response of assistance.
The only drawback of these conversion kits is that they can wear down the drivetrain of your bike quickly.
Before investing in a conversion kit for your bike, you might be torn between just buying a whole new e-bike, or spending the time converting your own.
Some e-bike conversion kits with high power can even cost a similar price to an affordable e-bike, so what makes these conversion kits worth it?
When choosing the power you need in your conversion kit, you need to consider three different factors; the watts, volts and amp-hours, these all determine how powerful your bike will be.
We've gone into further detail down below.
This measures the power input and output of your electric bike motor, when choosing your e-bikes motor you need to consider the continuous watt rating and peak watt rating. To work out wattage, you can get this calculation by multiplying the amps and volts together.
Volts measure the amount of energy which comes from the battery in your electric bike to the motor and how well the bike responds. The higher the volts the speedier the motor typically.
This determines the amount of energy that your battery can hold, the higher the amps then the more power it can hold and the further your e-bike will be able to go. The bigger the amps and voltage the faster your e-bike will be able to accelerate.
Choosing the right battery power is one of the most important parts of your conversion kit, avoid budget batteries at all costs in conversion kits, otherwise, these will ruin the quality of your e-bike.
To choose the right voltage for your battery, you must make sure it's matched to the motor voltage in your e-bike, too high could even start a fire. Picking a matching voltage or within the higher end will ensure your bike performs fast.
The higher the amps of your battery then the more current it will have, therefore the more torque the e-bike will have. Always take the estimated range of e-bike batteries with a pinch of salt, many factors affect the watt-hours of a battery such as the terrain and weight.
Now we covered the main types of e-bikes conversion kits, the pros and cons and how to choose your battery, let's move on to some additional features which you should be considering in your conversion kit.
How much do electric bike conversion kits with battery costs?
This depends on the power of the battery combination with the motor as well as the type of motor, whether rear wheel kits or mid-drive kits.
Can you turn any kind of bike into an e-bike?
You can convert any bike into an electric one, but your current bike should be strong enough to handle the weight and power of the motor, preferably a bike with steel dropouts is better for conversion.
What type of brakes should I put on my electric bike?
When converting your conventional bike into an e-bike it's best if you equip it with either double disc brakes or hydraulic disc brakes rather than standard rim brakes.
Our number one electric bike conversion kit is the BAFANG Electric Bike Conversion Kit, this kit has a wide range of motor options, and is a reliable fit for bikes with a 27.5-inch wheel, making it great for mountain bikers.
We also recommend the more affordable Viribus 48V 1000W 26" Electric Bikes Conversion Kit which still comes with an excellent bit of power and accessories, do be aware you need to buy the battery separate from this model, however.
