Henley eBikes
info@henleyebikes.org
We convert your existing bike into an electric bike.
"Kill that hill..."
Convert your old bike to an eBike
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An eBike or electric bike (which uses a new replacement wheel with a built in electric motor and battery) makes cycling easy. Hills seem to disappear and you can get from A to B without working up a sweat or polluting the atmosphere. They make cycling a pleasure rather than a chore.
Instead of buying a new eBike (£900 upwards) why not just fit an eBike kit to that old bike that is just sitting in the shed, particularly if you like the bike you already have. Benefits of converting your existing bike
- Lower cost than buying a new eBike - More sustainable - you are re-using your existing bike investment - We can customise to meet your (and your bike's) requirements - You can give that bike that is sat in the garage a new lease of life. - You can get out and about and get some exercise - Reduce air pollution around town - Keep up with mates/spouse who might be better cyclists |
"What a trip home. It’s a game changer! "
Mr C.F. from Henley
"Our revived bikes have inspired us to get out more and explore the local area."
Mr R.P. from Weybridge
"My bike is the best. It's just FAB. I love it."
Mrs N.I. from Binfield.
Getting a quote
Now we are getting enquiries from outside the Henley area (and with lockdown restrictions) it is harder to bring your existing bike to Henley-on-Thames for us to look at. To get around this we can still quote a price if you can email us the following:-
- Photos of the bike and handlebar layout (so we can see where brackets, bottle lugs etc are, whether the gear/brake is one integrated unit, whether it has disk brakes, gap between left pedal and frame etc.)
- Wheel size (embossed on tyre) - e.g. 26in,
- What you plan to use it for (short distances, long distances, regular commute, off-road etc.)
- Where you plan to charge the battery (i.e. does battery need to be removeable and charged indoors)
- Whether you are happy to have a rear pannier to hold a battery?
- Whether the bike is in good working repair
- Any other requirements? (perhaps you want a thumb throttle rather than a twist grip or you want to disguise it so it doesn't look like an eBike)
Now we are getting enquiries from outside the Henley area (and with lockdown restrictions) it is harder to bring your existing bike to Henley-on-Thames for us to look at. To get around this we can still quote a price if you can email us the following:-
- Photos of the bike and handlebar layout (so we can see where brackets, bottle lugs etc are, whether the gear/brake is one integrated unit, whether it has disk brakes, gap between left pedal and frame etc.)
- Wheel size (embossed on tyre) - e.g. 26in,
- What you plan to use it for (short distances, long distances, regular commute, off-road etc.)
- Where you plan to charge the battery (i.e. does battery need to be removeable and charged indoors)
- Whether you are happy to have a rear pannier to hold a battery?
- Whether the bike is in good working repair
- Any other requirements? (perhaps you want a thumb throttle rather than a twist grip or you want to disguise it so it doesn't look like an eBike)
What sort of bike can you convert? |
How much does it cost? |
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The best bikes to convert are mountain bikes or road bikes. You can get kits in a wide variety of wheel sizes (20", 24", 26", 27.5" 28", 700c etc.) and power. You replace either the front or rear wheel with a new wheel that has an electric motor built into it. There are also "Bafang" mid drive kits that fit to the central pedal mount, but we have not tried to fit such a kit yet. Front wheel kits are easier to fit. You then need to mount the battery, controller as well as a few other components (torque arm, power cut-off brakes, pedal assist). You can have either rim or cable disk brakes. For 250w motors rim brakes are fine. For larger motors you will want disc brakes.
Other types of bike are possible. We are currently looking to do a trike for someone with restricted mobility. What is legal in the UK?To comply with UK regulations for on road use an eBike should meet the following requirements.
- 250w or less power - 15.5mph top speed (25kph) - Use pedal assist (i.e. as you pedal the motor provides some additional power). There is no age limit and you don't need to register an eBike or pay any road tax. If you are not using the bike on a public highway you can do what you want! Electric bikes: licensing, tax and insurance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Common Questions.Q. Can I still pedal the bike?
A. Yes. It still works as an ordinary bike (but carrying a bit more weight). The existing gears still work as normal. If the battery runs flat then just pedal! Q. If your weekend chat is all about "Whoops, Berms and Jumps" or you wear Lycra are these kits for me? A. Probably not! Q. Does it regenerate the battery when going downhill A. No. Q. What does the controller do? A. All wires connect into the controller and it determines what power is sent to the motor (for example when you pedal, twist a throttle or apply brakes. Q. How do I charge it up? A. Plug the battery into the mains via a charger (like a laptop). Takes a few hours to recharge. You can get replacement chargers on eBay for about £30. Q. What mileage might I get? A. Around 15 to 30 miles on one charge. Obviously depends on lots of factors (battery size, whether you pedal, terrain etc). We tested a 10amp hour battery around Henley and it covered 18 miles. Q. How long does the battery take to recharge? A. About 6 hours for a battery that is on 2 out of 3 bars (e.g. after 25 miles use). About a hour of charging for every 4 miles ridden. Q. Can I convert the bike back to its original state and use the battery as a massive phone battery? A. Yes! (but you would need a Buck converter to drop from 36v/48v down to 3v) Q. What wheel sizes are available? A. Most kits are 20in, 24in, 26in, 27.5in, 28in, 29in or 700C. They come with different controllers but all work in the same basic way. The kit replaces the existing wheel. Some manufacturers only make a limited range of wheel sizes. Q. Can I lock and remove the battery? A. The battery kits are lockable and removable, but it depends on where it is mounted. A battery on a rear rack is easiest to remove. Some locations may mean the battery is not easily removed. Q. Can I power other things off the battery? A. Yes, but to get from 36v or 48v down to 12v or 5v you will need a buck converter (a small electronic device). You can get 36v headlights. Q. Which kits have you used? A. Voilamart, Yose Power and CSC (all made in China). The quality seems pretty good and we have not had any issues except with a 1500w CSC kit that required some minor modification to prevent it from rubbing. The technology is well established. The Yose Power kits have a better display and neater waterproof cable connectors. Q. What do the kits contain? A. A replacement wheel with the motor installed, a controller with bag, replacement gear levers, throttle mechanism, handlebar display and peddle assist mechanism. Some include a new tyre and inner tube. Battery is separate and needs a connector to join battery to controller. Q. Are they noisy? A. When accelerating the hub motors make a faint whining sound, but nothing to be bothered about. Q. What about steep hills? A. On flat roads (say the Fairmile) you would get 15mph. On a slight to medium incline (say up Greys Rd or St Andrews Rd) you might get 8-10mph. On a steep slope (say road out of Henley towards London) then you would need to do some peddling to keep to 8-10mph (i.e. about the same amount of effort as on a flat road). In other words your peddling is additive to the motor. Q. Where to buy add-ons (odometers, pump, lights, water bottles, mirrors etc) A. I use Decathlon in Reading for most parts. Others (like GPS, bike stand, torque arm etc.) come from eBay. Q. Do they work on bikes with disk brakes? A. Yes. You can attach a standard 6 bolt disk rotor to the new wheel. Q. Can you repair an electric motor? A. There are not many serviceable parts, but one issue I have seen are slipping magnets. We can be fixed by applying epoxy between the magnets and the outer case. Q. What does the torque arm do? A. The original dropouts in the forks would not have been designed to take the torque produced by the motor. A torque arm is a piece of metal that transfers the force to the fork leg. Particularly useful on aluminium forks. Q. Do they have gears (and a clutch) A. No. They have fixed gearing and have no clutch mechanism. The rotating motor directly drives the wheel casing. The only variable is the current delivered to the motor by the controller (based on throttle). Q. What if I get a puncture? A. Fixing a puncture is a bit more time consuming on the eBike wheel (you have to disconnect the torque arm with screwdriver to get the old tyre off. ). For this reason it's good to use a self sealing tyre. Q. Do you have Public Liability Insurance A. Yes, underwritten by Covea Q. Are the kits waterproof? A. If you submerge in water then you will ruin them, but a bit of rain wont harm them. Q. Where to charge them and at what temperature? A. Lithium Ion batteries like to be charged at room temperature. |
About £500 - £600. Depends on the bike. (The price of batteries has risen since Jan 1st as a result of European suppliers no longer shipping to UK due to having to collect VAT on behalf of HMRC). The wheel kits are about £170 - £220 (some are a bit cheaper, some more expensive) and a battery is about £180-£200 (search "ebike conversion kit" on eBay). You buy the parts from eBay (we add no mark up) or we can do it for you if you transfer the money. You may need some other parts depending on your bike (pannier rack, different controller bag etc.). Your can either do the conversion yourself or we can do it for a small fee. (~£150 depending on effort required). We assume that the bike is in decent working order. We also quote £20 for misc parts (C nuts, washers, cable ties, wood, tape, electrical connectors, bolts, replacement inner tube, tape, glue etc. which we only know we need when we fit the kits).
How do you get started?- Come and try one out first to see if you like it. We have a test bike you can use.
- Let us check whether your bike is likely to be suitable - Decide on exactly what you want. - Make sure the donor bike is in good working order. - We send you a list of required parts (eBay links) - Either you buy the parts on eBay or we can do it for you if you transfer the money. We add no margin to the parts so we are easy going either way ) - Kits shipped from China can take a few weeks to arrive, but we try and use UK stock. - Once we have all the parts we fit them and resolve any issues. Usually some minor engineering/ woodwork/ is required. - We keep you posted on progress - You collect and test (or we could bring it to you) - If you have any questions or problems, give us a call Some considerations- Which kit to buy (power, front or rear, wheel size, what comes with kit). The battery and motor voltages must match.
- How to fit the battery so you can charge it up. Do you need to be able to quickly remove battery? - Handlebar layout and whether to use existing brake levers or fit levers with motor cut-out. - What extras to fit (USB charging point, GPS tracker, lights, reflectors, speedometer, buck converter, sidestand, rack, displays etc.) - Any modifications that need to be made to either the kit or the bike. I have had to fit extra washers, make C washers and do some light filing/cutting to get things to fit. - With an eBike you usually don't use the lowest gears. Where you have twist grip gear change you can fit both changers onto the same side of the handlebar. - If the kits are coming from China then there will be a couple of weeks delay in shipping. We now have a stock of common items so when we order one for your bike, we can fit one from our stock if it is delayed. Any downsides?- The hub and battery add about 8-10kg to the weight of the bike, so it is heavier to lift.
- You can't add a rear wheel kit to some rear wheels (like ones with 3 speed Sturmey Archer gears or front drum brakes). - If you have a puncture then removing and changing the tyre is a bit harder. You might want to use a self sealing inner tube. - For basic on and offroad use the kits are perfectly adequate, but they are not as good as professionally made/branded bikes (at many times the cost!) - To fit the cut-off brake levers it may be necessary to cut off the existing levers if part of an integrated brake/gear mechanism. - If you plan to use offroad, then more powerful rear wheel kits are better (so you can lean back on ruts and not have front wheel spin) What optional extras are possible?
You might want to fit a GPS Tracker (5cm x 4cm x 1cm) in case of theft or just to have a record of where you have been. This uses a PAYG SIM and is powered off the main battery together with an App on your phone.
A foot stand is useful given the extra weight.
A USB charging port is useful to charge up your phone and to charge up things like USB lights. An odometer/speedometer is useful and we have found that a wired version is better than a wireless one given all the electric components in use which can cause interference. Links Cycle to work scheme https://www.bike2workscheme.co.uk/ Fix Your Bike Voucher https://www.gov.uk/guidance/fix-your-bike-voucher-scheme-apply-for-a-voucher Electric Bike Rules https://www.gov.uk/electric-bike-rules |
Some examples of bikes that we have converted
