Bracket on the inside, a couple of washers, and it works beautifully. I'd say the motor isn't all that powerful, but if it is just help you need on some of the stiffer hills, then it works just great. You got stuck when all you needed to save the project was a 5 dollar steel plate...
@@normandgallant8106 true I should have asked the person above for proof... maybe I could get some images out of them. Have the lovely resurrection power ever day kind of day.
@@GDMHificationranpitc I've made two brackets with aluminium for these motors , and using them on mu trikes ,can I help you with the images you mentionned ?
Yeah, I mean the thumbnail says I hate this motor but it seems the issue is the cheap bracket fit. If someone is building the super cheap route, they should expect some fabrication work. You're not going to get anything 'plug and play' going super cheap...
I have one of these kits with almost 1000 miles on it. I wanted to use a cruiser for it so I made a template of the mount and to it shopping with me. I decided on a Kent 2600 Bayside. I did have to modify the mounting bracket by taking about 1/4 inch out of it. The motor sprocket is NOT intended to be used as a lefthand drive. The bearing will actually unscrew itself. I used a little epoxy on the outer ring and have had no issues with it. I went with the 24 volt 450 watt motor and it screams with my 36 volt battery. I can cruise at 28 mph on flat ground. I don't typically ride it that way but I I pedal with it at about 20mph. Hills are no issue either. I have a few videos on TH-cam where I talk about my issues with this kit that I can share is anyone wants them.
Also about same story here, had to cut out pieces of metal from mount, so that the motor sits closer to the frame. In our case we had more hassle with getting both chains tight, as it was single speed bicycle before, had to mount tensioner for the single speed to make it work. Otherwise speed is quite good with 24v 450w motor along with 36v battery and controller. Ive heard it is possible to run these from 48v but then risk is high burning them. Lots of info about these on endlesssphere
@@kineto7 i used a half link to get my chain as tight as i wanted. My biggest issue was the freewheel sprocket kept falling apart. I used some JB weld to attach the back ring to the adapter for the motor shaft. I also run my motor at 36 volts and no issues there. I don't know about anyone else but for me it is well worth the money i paid. I got a 28mph Ebike for $300 including the bike and that is ok with me.
@@jeffholmes9483 Gladly we didnt have any freewheel issues. Buy yes, the chain alignment part was a pain, I think about a day was spent before it got sorted and right technique figured out, also first chain seemed to have worsen situation, so I think at end we switched to bmx chain as well. Price wise very good kit, considering that significant speed can be attained, usually 48v battery might be needed for 40kph speed
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I have this on my bike and it's a good kit, i am thinking of buying another one, but you would always need a little fabrication to make it align. In your case,, you would need several washers per bolt to bring your sprocket out. And somehow bend or mount your motor bracket in a different location like behind the frame. That motor bracket will not fit every single bicycle since every bike has a slightly different frame geometry...
Yes or as @Chris Grillo suggests a steel plate to shim the sprocket. These kits aren't exactly plug and play. They require installation. On one of my petrol motorized bikes I ran into a similar sprocket alignment issue . I used scrap sheet metal salvaged from a discarded household appliance to fabricate the shims. Used the sprocket as a template to mark out the 9 mounting holes + large hole in center and problem was solved at no additional cost. I don't have this exact kit but I have a similar kit produced by Currie a long time ago.
I almost thought of buying this motor for my first time e bike, thanks for being honest with the community , this is way better than just watching you build it perfect from the start. Feels like I'm there with you in the process
@@ItsJoeBull will still pull the pedal off under your feat and break your feet one day.. That kit is ass and should only be used as a motor helper eight thumb gas config, a true "e bike" need you to paddel an double on power not just spin the rear wheel like an idiot
I have seen users modify and fabricate the mount successfully. I purchased an L-Faster kit and used a metal straight bracket to make the upper connection higher and got the motor working on an old 10 speed. It works really great. Thumbs Up!
From Yalu - Marina, I don't like this public reply discussion with you, but TH-cam left me no obvious way to reply. I have been emailing you directly about my getting the wrong kit. I ordered the left kit and received the normal kit which has the freewheel running backwards from what I expected. AliExpress order # 8014776998395459. Shipping carton packing slip # 20012432379. I can't use this kit that way and need to get that freewheel reversed like I expected. I did expect to manipulate the mounting plate, but anything that I accomplish is useless without the backwards (left?) freewheel I ordered and expected I did not get the LEFT kit I ordered. Please help me resolve this problem.
@Zeksteve I realize that, but the freewheel is also backwards. I have ordered that and some extra chain. Turns out I misunderstood what the LEFT version meant. I actually thought it was the freewheel direction, not the bike side. My bad!
@@williamirwin5945 I had the same issue with the freewheel and fixed it with a little JB Weld. I applied it from the retaining ring to the adapter insert. Since using this fix i have put almost 1,500 miles on this kit.
@@jeffholmes9483 Let me understand you. You 'welded'/froze the freewheel so it is now a solid sprocket. This suggests that the motor gets pushed by the bike wheel when not under Epower. Then the motor has low resistance to pedaling.
For a lot of people who are DIYers that are willing to take fitting this kit on, I don't think they'd mind a little bit of fabrication to get the project working. It would be good to see how well the kit works as it does appear to be the cheapest on the market and there have been plenty of people buying this kit but no video reviews on a complete install.
Now only $350 per unit, free shipping within USA Mainland. Original Kiwano KO1 PLUS Unicycle Scooter Store Link: www.alibaba.com/product-detail/FREE-SHIPPING-unicycle-UL2272-KIWANO-KO1_62396810871.html?spm=a2700.icbuShop.111720.3.1f7c3f80MsHXZD#reviewSubHeader
I bought that same pile of crap kit for my daughter's 24 inch bike. After bending the bracket in a vise several times and shimming to align, it worked, for all of 30 minutes before the freewheel sprocket shelled out. I threw it in a box and purchased a $155 500 watt 26 inch front hub motor and a new front fork for 26 inch wheel. This worked 100% and was still budget. Daughter loves it. It is 36 volt, and I got a battery for about 120 bucks on eBay.
@@MumfordJim needed a fork big enough for a 26inch wheel. The bike is a 24 inch wheel bike. Hub motors cost twice the price for 24 as 26. Got the hub motor kit off eBay. Wanted to buy another, but all gone now. Next cheapest was about 220 bucks and 48v 1000watt.
I mounted the bracket on the inside of the stays and it lined up pretty close, added 1 washer to each bolt and the chainline was perfect....but the motor is junk
I wouldn't call the motors junk. I have had both the 250 and 450 watt motors. I have put over 500 miles on the 250 watt and almost 1,500 miles on my 450 watt motor. These are geared motors and they are setup to only run about 16 mph at top rpm but if you step up the battery voltage you can get much higher speeds from them. I'm currently running a 24 volt 450 watt MY1018 motor at 36 volts and my bike will top out around 26 mph on a flat road. My bike is heavy (65 lb) and me (205 lb). I personally think that is pretty good since a comparable ebike would cost over $1,000 and I have right at $300 in mine.
@Ray Ellam Be careful with over voltage. I recently changed my drive sprocket and apparently didn't get everything adjusted correctly. I noticed a decrease in power but thought it was just the mountain bike tires i had put on the bike but is was wrong. I barely went a mile before my motor was burnt up. Because of shipping delays and price increases i decided to purchase an Ebikeling 36v 500w geared hub motor that should be here in a few days. It will be interesting to see what the differences will be. I will be giving this left hand drive kit with the 250w motor to my nephew so it will still be in use.
@@jeffholmes9483 Some frigken glad to hear the motors are rugged , I'm planning a trip to Ecuador and have been testing my motor on a heavy Rover Tandem , sometimes I load up the back seat with large rocks to simulate my wife and her gear ....the extra weight helps the Big Apple tire adhere to road surface
Hi Mikey I purchased it from L-faster it’s the same kit as you have. I bought it after I saw your video. And tried it on 4 bikes I had. Finally returned the kit. I doubt it will fit any American bike. I then bought a hub motor kit by voilamart for $199 on ebay and was easy and fast installation. The total cost of the ebike conversion got bumped up by $100 the but rest of the parts were still utilized for conversion and was great. Infact got a 750w motor the bike goes 22miles and hour.
The problem wasn't the kit I've run several and for £60 you should have to expect to have to trouble shoot n modify he should have researched beforehand 😂✌️
The bracket mounts the other way round by the way. Flip it over and it will be an inch deeper. Also you do have to use washers to level it and also you might need to extend or shortern the chain. Did fit it and works really well btw.
I actually bought all of the parts since your last video and am on my 3rd freehub. I definitely ran into chain alignment issues, but was able to shim it out to get almost perfect alignment...however, the first freehub loosened and spun the bearings within 2 weeks, and it’s replacement freehub from LFaster did the same in 2 days. Trying a different freehub on the lfaster adapter, and after that scrapping the L faster kit and going for a hub motor
Excellent video. LOL I HAVE that exact motor and mount kit and had not yet used it. I my case. the $180 MTN bike I bought to install it on had more issues out of the box than I imagines (chain and rear derailleur had to be replaced immediately) then I over tightened the steering head and stripped it so I fixed and sold that bike before I ever got to trying this kit. I am going to try again soon with a beach cruiser type bicycle which makes no sense to have at all here in Colorado but may work with this motor j=kit. Thanks for the video. I was refreshing after seeing soooo many videos showing "how easy" an eBike kit installs on EVERY bike out there. LOL
This kit worked for me. I am confused a little bit when I opened the box, because it has no instruction manual in the box, even a page! I watched a video on the youtube, it turns out very easy to install. I, first, installed the motor on the right side and it works fine, just you have to pedal along because the crank set has no free wheel. I am about to try it on the left side.
people have been mounting engines and motors on bicycles for a long time. many solutions exist. just because the bracket supplied is not fits all is no reason to bail. it just takes a little ingenuity and time to line things up.
Wish this video was sooner! I got one for my son a few months ago and it sucks. The clutch fell off 1st ride. My son was very disappointed he still doesn't have a working bike now. Still trying to find the money and the right motor to try this over again. Also took a lot of modification to get the chain in line for us also I had to flatten The ears on the bracket where it mounted to the frame and then kind of tweak it in place each time to get the chain and alignment. I had a perfectly aligned everything tight and yet the clutch still fell off and in a really bad way it spun off halfway up the road and that was it. I was able to get it back on a few times but I finally gave up cuz every time we ride it it falls apart
Expecting not to have to modify a $100 universal kit to make it work is kind of unreasonable...it would be like buying a universal front lip for your car and expecting it to work without modifying.
most electric bikes come with something called Pedal Assist, basically you install a sensor that detects when your pedaling and the motor will only power on as you pedal, course you could also go straight throttle and forget to pedal
@@socialfreak6900 I do a little of both. But I love not having to sweat hills on a 44 yr old, heavy steel frame bike. BUT THE LOVE I'M GETTING FROM THOSE WHO SEE ME ON THE THING IS ABSOLUTELY PRICELESS. Micah was right about those Ibera frame bags. Even the large bag scrunches pretty well inside a tight triangle. BTW, I'm a bit older than the bike, so.....
I bought this kit a few years, and it took me about 2 months to get to align correctly. Although the one i got was with the sprocket that fits on the disk brake rotor, instead of the pineapple brackets that you got. I had to add spacers on the sprocket to push it out a bit more, since it wouldn't align with the motor freewheel. Maybe you could do the same and add washers underneath your hub sprocket? That should push out your sprocket even more and hopefully you'd get a better alignment. Another thing i did is that I hammered the mounting plate straight, since it was slightly curved. I also used hose tighteners to mount the plate on the bike frame (i didnt use their cheap aluminum brackets). As well, I noticed that the entire motor+plate would get pulled back and the chain would come lose whenever it was under load. So what I did is that I used cables with cable tensioners (attached the the seat tube) to pull the motor back, so that the chain always stays tight. Also, always try to keep the chain as short as possible. But you're definitely right, this kit is not something that you put together on the evening and ride the next day. It will most likely not fit on the first trial, and might take a few months to get it to work properly. But to their credit, this motor is a tank, it's super durable and you won't find anything better for the price. So if you get it to align and work properly, then this kit will get you to decent speeds, and you will have it for many years (hopefully). Although, the controller that came with it, well that's another story...but making your own controller for a DC motor is quite easy. Anyways, I hope this helps.
this kit is useless.....i have used it and wasted my money not only one time but in repairing several time... th-cam.com/video/HY7OmsveQ50/w-d-xo.html if liked pls sub my channel
In my application, a mid-drive 500W motor makes the most sense. The full system is a lot of money. I have a touring bike built around 1975. Am I wasting my money modifying this bike? Does it make more sense to pay around twice as much and buy a new eBike? I do have a small machine shop so custom brackets are not an issue. Thanks Micah!
Thanks for the heads-up, I am sure this will be helpful for a lot of ppl. Also thanks for the book, I have been enjoying and learning a lot reading the DIY ebike book.
I got the same exact kit, I was blessed with no mounting issues, i got a Schwinn 2.6 ranger mountain bike, it literally went right on and chain was almost exactly in line, worked the position just right as I was tightening the mount bolts and was good to go
It’s been 2 months since I built my bike and the motor is still running great. Mounting plate can be a bear to install; but everything else is great! If you’re not a DIY type get a front wheel hub motor kit; but if you like a bit of a challenge this is a great kit at a great price!. 8/16/22 motor is still running strong with no problem (using 48 volt battery)
I have seen your first video on the $182 ebike conversion. I think I will still get all the parts recommended in your first video. I have metal fabrication skills and plan on making a custom mount for the motor on the rear triangle of a dual suspension mountain bike that I am converting to a tadpole style trike. Thanks for all of the information.
Good observation. Many DIY on TH-cam stumbled upon the same problem. That is why I picked integrated with wheel motor. It will cost a bit higher, though.
I just ordered my first eBike... I just wanted to thank you for your videos ... I have learned so much and you helped me make my decision on buying one... thank you ... awesome videos!!!
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Oops I just ordered this kit lol but I see a couple issues with the rag joint sprocket mount install causing a improper chain line #1 the sprocket is dished and you have it inward instead of outward #2 usually one of the rubber mounts is thicker than the other one and needs to be behind the sprocket. I have extra rubber spacers so if I can't line it up correctly I'll just run a extra rubber mount between the sprocket and rim to space it out better, also see a comment saying to run the motor mount inside the frame dropouts instead of the outside of them for the way you set it up.
I bought one of those! Luckily I managed to fit everything in my bike, but I wouldn’t buy it NEVER again... Trying to get the cheapest solution I also bought a lead acid battery... you can imagine the gap between that s**t and my current hub motor with lithium batteries haha
@@bingus7361 yep....did that last year myself. Grabbed some scooter batteries this year and put the SLA'S on craigslist for free about 2 weeks ago. SLA is fine for temporary, but lithium is definitely the way to go long term.
Thanks for following up. I wanted to do the build but after pricing and headache I decided it wasn't worth it. I couldn't find a solid 5 star kit with video demonstration and longevity test. I was waiting to see if I made the right call. I just ended up ordering the radrunner 5 and will try a cheap kit once you have tested it and have found a solid kit that works.
Hub motors are the way to go, they are super easy to assemble and don’t matter for your bike frame, by far the easiest and also way more powerful at low prices. I’d have only paid like $50 for the kit he chose, and that’s because I can weld and fabricate a mount incredibly easy, but hub motors really are the way to go for cheap and simple and powerful motors. Downside is for extrme off-road use (like doing backflips off ramps, or downhill trial riding where you want to do 360 spins in the air), well hub motors are not the best since the weight is at the ends of your bike so it has a lot more inertia if you are intending to do serious trail riding or drifting in the mud they might not be a good idea. If you’re just on pavement or commuting on gravel roads, well you’re not exactly doing backflips and tricks, so then the hub motors are fine and all you’d need and those won’t be an issue. A decent 26” wheel kit is like $150 (1000-1500w), even the off road super fat ones are the same price (like I have 4.8 inch wide mud and snow tires on one of my kits I need to install soon, it was like $145 for a 1000w kit). My road bike had to use an expensive one at $230 (because it’s wheel size is 700c), but it runs great (stock rating of 1200w, but I did a simple shunt mod to the controller and I’m measuring just over 2 kW of power, it handles it remarkably well!). You basically swap your wheel out, install the torque arm (needed for these high powered kits that try to do wheelies, haha!), and then zip tie your wires on the frame neatly and put the controller in the included bicycle pouch. The only thing they don’t come with is batteries since everyone’s going to want something different., but very easy to install and they just work on any bike the wheel is made for, it really doesn’t get much easier than that, it’s like 30 minutes to an hour, then your away riding. Just check with laws if you want to be compliant if they are picky (like some places are maybe 250w max, others are 1000w, and where I’m at there is a loophole for unlimited power and speed just as long as you’re pedaling so I made my own sensor and relay so it only allows throttle control when pedaling since I don’t like PAS systems since sometimes I want to pedal without any assist)
@@jakegarrett8109 send me a link to the kits you have had success with. Also where do you source your batteries? Thanks for the info man, that is awesome
Jared L Mine are for uncommon bikes, but Voilamart sells the 26” ~2” wide wheels most bikes use, you can find them selling on EBay and other places. One of mine is 700c race/roadbike wheels, and that one is from company called “EbikeLing” and you can find them on Amazon or EBay if you need that size (best value by far for 700c wheels) also their customer service is top notch, they at first sent the wrong wheel, but it was the easiest exchange I’ve ever done and their phones even at 5 pm on a Friday I got ahold of the correct representative in like 30 seconds and got it sorted quickly as pain free as possible. The other is for my unfinished custom project bike, but it looks like really good quality even down to the Mosfet selection on the electronics circuit board (same power fets as I used for 2 kW, so I know it can easily handle at least double the power they rated without getting warm or any issue), and mechanically looks like a beast. I bet my body and spine will break before that thing does, haha! That one is Voilamart brand (those are probably the guys you want to go with, I know Voilamart makes a lot of good standard 26” MTB wheels like most bicycles use and those are the reviews and abuse tests I watched before selecting it for my off-toad monster bike). I think you can find either on EBay/Amazon/or your preferred place for buying stuff (both were shipped in like 5 days or something fast like that, and price included shipping in the US, which is great because these things are well packed in a huge box and pretty heavy, I picked some of the beefy motors, haha, no 250w legal limits around here!)
Jared L for batteries that’s a good question, I first determined what I needed and valued (cheap/safe/weight, pick 2). I went for safety and long lifetime so I went with LiFePo4 (basically the least explosive and flammable/volatile battery and it way outlived Lipo by a long shot, however it weighs a lot and expensive). That ultimately determines where I would source it. For instance, I use LiPo batteries for my RC planes and quadcopters, but those things love to shoot flames to the ceiling if you mishandle them, like crash/possibly falls over onto a sharp rock, or just not attending them while charging, they have crazy insane power performance but not ideal for long range, great if you wanted to drag race and deplete your battery safely in 1 minute, with say 1000 amps from a 10 Ah battery, these can do it... however standard Li-ion is more popular for ebikes because even if it lacks power it will hold more capacity for that range per battery size and weight, making Li-ion better for any sort of range over 10 miles. So to me it was either Li-Ion or LiFePo4, and I went with the safest and longest lifetime battery, but it cost me extra weight and money. You just have to pick based on where you live like your range for your capacity, and what you’re willing to spend and what your risk level is. So to answer that, all my parts were determined and purchased from EBay sellers and I forget the name of the battery place, but it really will vary since I needed a specific capacity (I estimated range I really needed to size the battery), and then picked based on battery chemistry type and then finally the seller was determined by who had a good battery in the size dimensions I needed (wanted narrow configuration to fit in the frame of my bike, but if it was on a cargo rack it wouldn’t really matter). So that part is complex, and certainly the hardest part. It has some math involved, haha, I think BOSTCH has an alright battery estimator on their website you can input your expected speeds to be cruising and type of bike (affects aerodynamics based on how you sit) and stuff like paved roads or gravel and it will spit out a ballpark range that can help size your battery.
@@jakegarrett8109 thank for taking time to respond with all this info. You are clearly knowledgeable. I have some 1-3s lipos for some quads and man they are finicky and I see why. I thought about building my own battey with some 18650s and they seem to be 3.5-4$ per cell and i would need a spot welder. This safe long lasting battery im not familiar with so i will def be reading up on it. What are your main sources for getting this info, im trying to learn more, but basically FB groups and youtube are sources i was wondering if more were out there. Thx man
With probably thousands ob bicycle frame designs out there, it's unlikely that there's ever going to be a UNIVERSAL KIT that fits all... and is expected when you are doing things in a budget that you will have to do some improvisation, some fabrication.... I really enjoy your videos and consider the information you share usually very helpful: I think that in this case you got carried away for the frustration of not being able to make it work AS IS... Still, the kit you putted together IS FAIRLY GOOD and some body else can make use of it adding a few washers or welding an extension to the mounting bracket. .... Wish you had come up with one of your creative ideas. cheers.
I bought this kit, specifically because of your video. It seemed like a fun challenge to accept. What is the cheapest bike a person can build, with what is easily the worst kit available. The combined cost of batteries and a $10 used thrift store Kent put my build cost at a little over $160 plus taxes and shipping. I call it the Povert-E-bike. The key to making it work was using a BMX with a wider axle that foot pegs screw onto. This let me put a spacer on and then the mounting plate. That way my motor leaned in a bit, and lined up perfectly. I've since upgraded it from 24v to 36v, and changed the heavy lead batteries for lithium.
I purchased this kit to see if I could make it work. Mine did not come with part of the mounting pieces. But going into this project I knew it would take some troubleshooting. And with out any welding or steel cutting I was able to get it working with a couple of trips to the hardware store,spending less than 20$ I have a nice ebike but I really enjoy riding my super cheap ebike I built. My total cost was 300 with 150 being the battery, 25 bike, 80 for the kit, 10 new chain, 15 new freewheel and a bit extra at the hardware store.
I did too because it seemed there are quite a few options to mount a motor or engine on a bike. nothing new. rear rack mount (w longer chain) fab a bracket a few different ways. where there's a will there's a way!
Good luck and please keep me updated , my motor is now installed and ready for torture testing ...I use mine at low speeds to help me up steep hills and regenerative braking while going , the energy from the motor ( no freewheel ) is directed to a charge controller , going downhill is slowing me down while charging my batteries . I'm now building a kickstant to raise rear wheel of the ground so I can stay stationary while pedal chatging my batts .
Don’t give up... the problem is a pre-made steel plate with a couple of breaks in it. Just cut a metal plate and break it to a geometry that WILL place the sprocket in line... You could do it with a hacksaw and a vise.... start with a sheet of cardboard and create a pattern for the piece of steel you have to cut that once you put the break in it, will allow you to mount the thing.
at the start of the video I was😢😭 but then at the end I was 🥳😄I'm really excited for the rest of this video to come out .get a hub motor and I want to see those batteries PUMP
It's a lefty kit and brushed motor. Pretty cruddy for now adays stuff. Plus at 4:00 you have the mounting place backwards. Bafang has some pretty cheap full rear hub kits for 300$. Powerful systems. You really not gonna find most conversion kits for less then 200$ unless it's used or a very old one. Plus batteries are like 200-300 for 10ah lithium. but you got many options to go with. Rear rack, water bottle, latch mount, exposed cell, hardcase cell, middle frame triangle. Lead Acid would require a rear rack and if you go anywhere bigger then 10ah. your looking at some hefty weight. Already looking at 21+ pounds with 3 or more lead acids for 36 or 48volts.
I would love to see a video showing a cheap conversion that actually works. Out of curiosity, I looked up what I paid for the components for mine and came up with $109 for a hub motor, $31 for controller with display, $4 for a thumb throttle, $8 for a BMS, $24 for ten high-drain 18650 cells, $4 for a battery charger, and $3 for a pack of XT30 connectors. That comes out to $183, including a small 10s1p battery pack that lasts about 30 min, assuming no pedaling. I also had to buy new spokes, and can't find the receipt for that, but I think it was less than $20. So probably about $200. That's still a pretty good price and the build wasn't too difficult.
I followed Jehu's video here: th-cam.com/video/r12IrYTqvas/w-d-xo.html using a surplus 26" Bafang commercial hub motor, and a XIomi scooter battery pack (10S3P). I used a different controller kit than Jehu and with shipping my cost came to $197 for the bare bones single battery build. It will go 20mph, and has a throttle only range of about 14 miles on relatively flat ground.
Twelve months ago, I purchased a 750W rear hub motor kit, with everything needed, except battery, for $208AU. It has been awesome. I made my own battery ☺
I bought one of these kits, mounted it in a few hours time, I had a lot of fun riding around. No complaints, inexpensive purchase, I have since switched to Ebikeling wheel/hub motor kit. So easy to install and ride.
I bought the 350w version and built a bike. I supplied a 48v/20ah battery. It worked ok, but the freewheel failed and I just soldered the bearings. More resistance while coasting. Then the controller got wet overnight, and I woke up to my rear tire chewing itself up on the pavement. Good kit if you just want to try ebiking, but you will need to buy a real ebike eventually. Oh yeah, I had to bend the mount bracket and make some extensions.
Hi! I did watch your previous video and have since built my e-bike with this kit. At the moment, only one brace is connected so there are 2 points of contact instead of 3, but I will reinforce it later. The wheel sprocket and motor sprocket are decently aligned. My back wheel doesn't have the 9-pointed star shape with the spokes, so I ended up leaving out 2 bolts which has required a bit of fiddling to get the sprocket flat. It's been annoying, but in the end, it works! It was still worth the $200 in my case.
Man, thank you for the honesty, we do not see it every day. There is a video of a guy assembling a gas bike universal kit, he says that it being universal, it is garanteed to NOT fit any bike. Seems true here as well. The thing is, you've left us with some high expectations. If you could come up with a video showing the cheapest way to build an Ebike that is actually good enough, it would be awesome!
Micah I have one of these kits on a beach cruiser it works fine the motor has been pretty reliable I have over 800 miles on it I did have to modify the black bracket by simply laying it on concrete and flattening it out with a hammer it made it work just fine little tweaking it was less than 10 minutes worth of extra work and I was ready to go
To wait that long for parts, get the parts, attempt to put it together, oh crud! Not my idea of a good time and I'm pretty certain that it isn't your's either! I do very much appreciate your honesty. I hope to do a bike conversion this year. Best of luck and stay healthy!
I purchased one and it works amazing for me. I did have to modify the bracket a bit by bending the mounting holes to fit my 20 in. bike. If anyone has purchased and has an issue with the bracket, try cutting the mounts of and making new holes or change the position of the bracket. I have only ordered one battery but planning to order one or two more. Hopefully this comment finds helpful.
Yes they do fit on old simple bike, but not on mountain or gear bikes, As you mentioned It's is little difficult to install that but you can do it and even the universal mount, one side can get bolted and other side, you can make custom bracket to fit or some sheet metal plate that you can mould as per your requirement and the sprocket you used is not the one, please don't use that one, use the freewheel sprocket. Search for Dc gear e bike on TH-cam, you will get an idea from few video
Great kit fitted one on a 1970s racing bike. I upgraded the speed controller to a 36 volt one and a 36v 10amp lithium bottle battery Never ever twist the throttle when your stationary always pedal first
Well thanks. I purchased the kit. Many batteries. And like you said the mount did not fit my bike. I made it work. Unfortunately the two were not aligned and the sprucket on the motor came apart! Waiting on new sprucket to make it work on my daughter bike.i have extra sprucket on order,to make sure as to keep it running. I have already bought the rear wheel kit for my bike. 48 volt 1000 Watt kit. Waiting on batteries. I don't think this will be a much better outcome because it's the 170.00$ kit. 6 speed instead of 7 or more. Owell. We'll see.. well thanks for letting me know about the problem with the kit you suggested back in January. Bought and already know all the problems with it. I'm on a tight budget so I have to buy everything a little at a time. What's up for the stuff not being shipped? Waiting on batteries. I have to go for the cheaper ones. But I figured 2 of them equal one ok one. Can someone let me know what up for batteries through Ali Express not being shipped? Thanks Ray
The gear you put on the tire I use the same kind on my bike for my gas motor you could try to flip the gear ...you can see it has about half inch play left to right depending on what side you have the gear bolted to the spokes...flip the gear bolt it back on you will have it stick out about half an inch more
This video put me off this kit for a while, but after a bunch more research I came back around and tried it. I've actually had really good luck with it, I'm a few months and a couple hundred miles into it. A few points: (A) in my experience, you don't need both of the frame clamps to line up, one is enough: think about a hub-motor torque arm. (B) the bracket does require some bending, but a heavy hammer and a chunk of wood are all you need if you're careful, like in this video: th-cam.com/video/bpkHHyniQcY/w-d-xo.html (C) the only issue I've had with mine is the freewheel cover plate loosened and I needed to re-pack the 1/8 inch bearing balls and add some blue locktite. Several advantages of this setup: (A) super cheap, (B) unlike a hub motor, you don't throw out your existing wheel, (C) fewer worries of wheel compatibility you'd have with a hub motor kit.
i kind of wish i found your video a year ago, i bought this same ebike conversion kit in the summer of 2021 and have unfortunatly had the exact same issue as you have had, ive tried modifying the plate and its some tough steel so no luck there, hoping to get a new plate made at some point that will work for my bike
I bought this kit after watching your initial "window shopping video." Then I bought a used Diamondback Wildwood off Craigslist. I had some spare SLA batteries, wiring and battery case. I spent $75 for the bike (Craigslist), right at $100 for the motor kit (from Amazon), and $15 for a rechargeable light kit (Wal Mart). I paid $50 for the two 12V15AH SLA batteries from Amazon, so in all, about a $250 investment. I used a $5 plastic ammo box for the case, and just cut holes in it for the output and charging terminals. It DID actually work in my case! However, three things I didn't like about the final results. 1: not enough power for climbs. 2: my heel hits the motor while pedaling, and 3: the sprockets don't line up, but the chain stays on. I gave it to a friend, and he's happy with it. It was frustrating, but it gave me a sense of accomplishment, and now I can go riding with my friend. You can't put a price on that.
I already went for a 26 inch 150 dollar rear hub motor kit instead. Less parts that could break. Thicker spokes, And more efficiency. And way easier to install. And if your chain breaks you can ride home on the motor.
all you have to do is put split plate on the outside with spacers for the rear gear to offset the gear. I have seen guys use extra spacers and even cut rubber spacers in diff builds. Also I would cut a hole in mounting plate where the bike frame weld seems to be pushing it out.
I had one of these on my bike before I went brushless. It wasn't bad when it worked but I had a list of issues; 1: Chain tension was impossible to maintain because it kept getting loose and throwing chains every couple hundred miles 2: Sprocket alignment is a pain in the arse 3: the freewheel fell apart on me during my commute so I put it back together as best as I could and welded it, which netted me another 2000 miles luckily. This is a good solution though for fabricating your own electric go-kart though. It would get a decent wriggle on with the right gear ratio.
I am going to try locktiting the sprucket to keep it from coming apart! Mine I couldn't even get it to screw back together! Hopefully this will fix that problem!
Thanks Micah for all the training vids, but I waited and planned not quite long enough. The whole (reverse 450w) package is on order and is somewhere else yet. I did spend some time sketching that mounting plate and realized that it would require a fair bit of creative investment (cobbling!), but I needed a project to get off the ground and could not quite go for a BBS02 system (yet), and wanted to keep my 3 speed mid derailleur. In the prep process I decided that my seldom used 35 yr old Specialized rock hopper mountain bike needed some TLC, so I decided to 'you tube' the maintenance and found another whole project getting the freewheel (not the cassette! who knew!) off to clean and lube the bearings. Now I see your latest and hope that bracket is the only real problem. I intend to mid mount the motor and use a longer chain to allow better alignment anyhow.
Update: Received the kit (no battery yet!) and decided to check the motor with my auto battery charger set to 6V. That is when I noticed that I received the normal kit not the reverse kit that they offer and I ordered - the freewheel is backwards for my use. My intention was to reverse mount the motor inside the frame under the seat to protect it rather than have it stick way out at weird angles. I expected to have to do some cobbling to mount the motor and align the chain, but the drive has to work in reverse. I am still waiting for a reply/replacement for that freewheel. This turned out to be a whole lot more work than expected - that bracket is weird and strong so needs power tools I don't have access to. I may need to create a special bracket - I don't want to modify the bike frame itself. All of which is secondary to the freewheel. After much effort I wish I had just bit the bullet and gone with a BBS02 system that just fits! Nuts! Thanks for all the videos - learned a lot.
Micah, I hope you get to see this. I chose the newer 450w Yalu kit as mentioned above and figured out that the definition of left side meant the bike not the freewheel, so had to order a reverse freewheel to satisfy my layout. This project was meant as a learning experience and total cost was just over $300 with extra chain and larger battery. So, the lessons: 1. That #*%@ bracket was the main issue that encouraged me to move the motor and reverse the freewheel. It caused me many hours of manual labor to convert (cobble/bend/saw/adapt) it to something that holds the motor in the right position and align the chain. 2. My chain alignment was the next issue - I had to tweak the motor mount (the replacement freewheel had different spacing!) and learned how important that was to keep the chain on and fairly quiet. 3. I didn't expect the chain break in/stretch (around 44" long), so had to keep tightening the chain until it stopped stretching. Still waiting for my cheapo chain tensioner, but it works OK for now. Learned about the wear damage that an over stretched chain can do to the cogs/cassette down the road. Not a problem yet. 4. the coax charger connector on my battery BMC fell onto the bike sprocket and vaporized the connector - what a surprise - so felt lucky - no other damage - I taped it up and use the motor controller charger connector. Bad choice of connector. 5. Not thrilled by the spark I get when connecting the charger so I connect the battery first and the charger power last. 6. I like the half twist throttle option (thanks for that in your video!) with the key switch. I hope some of this helps in a future learning video. Thanks for the training!
By the way, I got it all to work fairly reliably and am happy for now. Only have about 5 miles on it and will post on any new problems. Some refinement for longevity and looks (paint, better battery brackets etc.) is clearly in order. TBD! What a hoot! Still wonder what the top speed is!
Did a Vertical Mount as the Bracket would not fit. Ended up drilling a hole in the Bracket to match one of the spare holes on my bike frame. Mounting is surely a problem with one. Step to resolve this is Mount any-which way and get the Chain Tight enough to work. Mine was left sided. Drill support holes to hold on to whatever frame you can. If you can spend more to get a proper kit, do it, i am just cheap and wont let my money waste, so did some Whack job to get it working.😇 And i used a Kobalt 40 battery on the 24V motor and it works perfectly fine. Excess volt (atleast till 40V) is not a problem with these controllers.
@3:33 - looks like the screws are long enough and one can align the sprockets by adding more padding (e.g. a couple layers of thick vinyl) to the existing black ones.
Thanks for the video. I was researching this as an interesting option for a conversion, and decided to keep going after watching this. I eventually tracked down some installation videos - in Vietnamese I think, and some manufacturer information. And here's the thing - it's not intended to fit a bike with gears. Some people seem to have hacked it anyway, but it's definitely not made to fit with a derailleur system. Bikes around the world are universal at first glance, but very different when you get to the nuts and bolts level. Derailleur gears are standard in the UK, but not expected in other countries. I think the many Chinese dudes selling these kits are unaware of how different bikes can be. BTW, I know these come in freewheel and weird clamp to spokes version (as reviewed) but from what I can make out the the geometry is just different around the world.
These sort of kits sell well in India, Pakistan, China, Africa etc where price is the priority and those countries have a lot of single speed bikes with 120mm OLD etc which would be good bikes to use this kit. You can see from the plate that it's intended for horizontal dropouts typically of single speed bikes, fixies and 3 speed hub gear bikes. The popular Buffalo bike in Africa would probably be a good candidate.
It looks like all your bikes are a variation of the same type of light-trail bike. Try it on a different bike, a road-bike or more appropriately a shopping bike. I'd be surprised if it doesn't fit anything as you seem to suggest. Its a kit, not a complete bike, so you are expected to do a little bit of adjustment. Mine's working fine using a pack of LiPo cells, and I live in a hilly country.
I had the same problems! I'm glad it wasn't just me! It took me about a month to modify the mount with a vice and now it works, but it was a huge amount of effort to make it work.
And initially the sprocket freewheel broke because I had the chain too tight. After learning that I bought another freewheel sprocket and kept the chain less tight.
Just go with a cheap 36v hub drive motor, usually under 200 without the batteries, but you have those already.... only increase your overall cost by 80 bucks....
You CAN make it fit. You need to bend the bracket near the axle to get the proper angle, then install half inch (or larger) bushings behind the sprocket. That will solve your problem. A shop press is very helpful in bending and shaping the bracket. I realise most people don't have a shop press, but most people probably know someone who does. Even the cheap $99 press will work.
I went with the rear hub motor Violamart on Amazon for my crusty but trusty old 2002 Cannondale. They went up about $35.00 since then but still ridding it. I ride a lot now!
thats good to know I have that same kit . i could not get it too work either .on my margaritavile beach cruiser 26 inch that same bracket want line up the same problem you had.
I found out early on that if you try to cheap out in building an E bike that it will usually cost you more in the long run. Converting a bike with a quality kit that does work and fit generally costs more than purchasing a decent E bike outright. Target cost is typically in the $1,300 to 1,500 range. Anything cheaper anything cheaper and parts or support will be sketchy.
Thanks for the review. And thanks for saving alot of people money not buying garbage. My advice ...... stay away from any brushed motor's. Happy riding take care!
L faster rear sprocket kit worked great on my Walmart bike. For 370 cad (kit , SLA battery , frame bag , connectors). It took and hour to build and climbs hills no problem albiat slowly. The true cost was $650 for tools and connectors I didn't have.
There is a kit that is made to allow mounting the sprocket where a disc brake would be. Perhaps they sent you a mounting bracket for that kit. While that doesn't explain mounting bracket issue, it would effect alignment of chain.
I purchased a similar one.. a nightmare to fit on my MTB.. found a cheap used china tandem bike with freewheels on both ends of the rear hub. Changed the motor sprocket to a fixed 13T. Flattened the mounting bracket and added some spacers to align the motor. 36v 350W does 31km/h with solo rider. Cheap, noisy & kinda fun. Will not be buying it again.
Mika, I had exactly the same problem you had with fitting motor and chain misalignment. I ended up making a wooden bracket to mount the motor vertical on the supplied plate. I videoed it and have put t hr e link below. I hope you don't mind. Start watching at 2:45. th-cam.com/video/siVkGvJlcr4/w-d-xo.html While i have a CNC to make the little wooden piece it could easily be done by hand or another style of simple mounting bracket could be used. I called mine the Angry Bumblebee because that is what it sounds like when I ran. Enjoy your videos and just working on bike 3 now. Cheers Peter
It's been a year, so I will search through your videos to see if you did find a cheap kit that actually works. I am reluctant to use my expensive e-bike to run errands around town, so I would like to find a simple and cheap kit for an old bike of mine - one that will hopefully not present as tempting a target for theft! I am enjoying all your videos, and this one was no exception 👍🏼😄.
I was gonna say just buy one of those kits with the motor built into the wheel but I just realized the price shot way up. The kit I used was a 26" 1000 watt conversion kit from violamart that works great however at the time I bought it, it cost $189 now it cost $289. Guess making budget ebikes got harder in the last 3 years.
Bracket on the inside, a couple of washers, and it works beautifully. I'd say the motor isn't all that powerful, but if it is just help you need on some of the stiffer hills, then it works just great. You got stuck when all you needed to save the project was a 5 dollar steel plate...
Easier with aluminium than steel .....
@@normandgallant8106 Hi, proof?
@@GDMHificationranpitc cutting and drilling holes is easier with aluminium
@@normandgallant8106 true I should have asked the person above for proof... maybe I could get some images out of them. Have the lovely resurrection power ever day kind of day.
@@GDMHificationranpitc I've made two brackets with aluminium for these motors , and using them on mu trikes ,can I help you with the images you mentionned ?
I would like to see you finish this with a custom mount bracket so we can hear how well the rest of the components in the kit work.
Xxzzzzzz has a lot of different things to say to me when I'm on the phone with my friends and I just want
@@MrSauve16 I feel the same way
Same
Yeah, I mean the thumbnail says I hate this motor but it seems the issue is the cheap bracket fit. If someone is building the super cheap route, they should expect some fabrication work.
You're not going to get anything 'plug and play' going super cheap...
I used something similar to build a scooter and it wasn't bad for the price
I have one of these kits with almost 1000 miles on it. I wanted to use a cruiser for it so I made a template of the mount and to it shopping with me. I decided on a Kent 2600 Bayside. I did have to modify the mounting bracket by taking about 1/4 inch out of it. The motor sprocket is NOT intended to be used as a lefthand drive. The bearing will actually unscrew itself. I used a little epoxy on the outer ring and have had no issues with it. I went with the 24 volt 450 watt motor and it screams with my 36 volt battery. I can cruise at 28 mph on flat ground. I don't typically ride it that way but I I pedal with it at about 20mph. Hills are no issue either. I have a few videos on TH-cam where I talk about my issues with this kit that I can share is anyone wants them.
Also about same story here, had to cut out pieces of metal from mount, so that the motor sits closer to the frame.
In our case we had more hassle with getting both chains tight, as it was single speed bicycle before, had to mount tensioner for the single speed to make it work.
Otherwise speed is quite good with 24v 450w motor along with 36v battery and controller.
Ive heard it is possible to run these from 48v but then risk is high burning them.
Lots of info about these on endlesssphere
@@kineto7 i used a half link to get my chain as tight as i wanted. My biggest issue was the freewheel sprocket kept falling apart. I used some JB weld to attach the back ring to the adapter for the motor shaft.
I also run my motor at 36 volts and no issues there.
I don't know about anyone else but for me it is well worth the money i paid. I got a 28mph Ebike for $300 including the bike and that is ok with me.
@@jeffholmes9483 Gladly we didnt have any freewheel issues. Buy yes, the chain alignment part was a pain, I think about a day was spent before it got sorted and right technique figured out, also first chain seemed to have worsen situation, so I think at end we switched to bmx chain as well.
Price wise very good kit, considering that significant speed can be attained, usually 48v battery might be needed for 40kph speed
Now only $350 per unit, free shipping within USA Mainland.
Original Kiwano KO1 PLUS Unicycle Scooter
Store Link:
www.alibaba.com/product-detail/FREE-SHIPPING-unicycle-UL2272-KIWANO-KO1_62396810871.html?spm=a2700.icbuShop.111720.3.1f7c3f80MsHXZD#reviewSubHeader
I have this on my bike and it's a good kit, i am thinking of buying another one, but you would always need a little fabrication to make it align. In your case,, you would need several washers per bolt to bring your sprocket out. And somehow bend or mount your motor bracket in a different location like behind the frame. That motor bracket will not fit every single bicycle since every bike has a slightly different frame geometry...
Yes or as @Chris Grillo suggests a steel plate to shim the sprocket. These kits aren't exactly plug and play. They require installation. On one of my petrol motorized bikes I ran into a similar sprocket alignment issue . I used scrap sheet metal salvaged from a discarded household appliance to fabricate the shims. Used the sprocket as a template to mark out the 9 mounting holes + large hole in center and problem was solved at no additional cost.
I don't have this exact kit but I have a similar kit produced by Currie a long time ago.
Is this motor can last ?
I almost thought of buying this motor for my first time e bike, thanks for being honest with the community , this is way better than just watching you build it perfect from the start. Feels like I'm there with you in the process
Mounts pretty good for me
@@ItsJoeBull will still pull the pedal off under your feat and break your feet one day..
That kit is ass and should only be used as a motor helper eight thumb gas config, a true "e bike" need you to paddel an double on power not just spin the rear wheel like an idiot
I have seen users modify and fabricate the mount successfully. I purchased an L-Faster kit and used a metal straight bracket to make the upper connection higher and got the motor working on an old 10 speed. It works really great. Thumbs Up!
Thank s
Did you try mounting the bracket on the inside of the frame instead of the outside it looks like it would fit and line up the chain that way
That was my plan, but it requires a reverse freewheel which they offer.
From Yalu - Marina, I don't like this public reply discussion with you, but TH-cam left me no obvious way to reply. I have been emailing you directly about my getting the wrong kit. I ordered the left kit and received the normal kit which has the freewheel running backwards from what I expected. AliExpress order # 8014776998395459. Shipping carton packing slip # 20012432379.
I can't use this kit that way and need to get that freewheel reversed like I expected. I did expect to manipulate the mounting plate, but anything that I accomplish is useless without the backwards (left?) freewheel I ordered and expected I did not get the LEFT kit I ordered. Please help me resolve this problem.
@Zeksteve I realize that, but the freewheel is also backwards. I have ordered that and some extra chain. Turns out I misunderstood what the LEFT version meant. I actually thought it was the freewheel direction, not the bike side. My bad!
@@williamirwin5945 I had the same issue with the freewheel and fixed it with a little JB Weld. I applied it from the retaining ring to the adapter insert. Since using this fix i have put almost 1,500 miles on this kit.
@@jeffholmes9483 Let me understand you. You 'welded'/froze the freewheel so it is now a solid sprocket. This suggests that the motor gets pushed by the bike wheel when not under Epower. Then the motor has low resistance to pedaling.
For a lot of people who are DIYers that are willing to take fitting this kit on, I don't think they'd mind a little bit of fabrication to get the project working. It would be good to see how well the kit works as it does appear to be the cheapest on the market and there have been plenty of people buying this kit but no video reviews on a complete install.
This is one of the most useful videos! You're saving many people the time, money, and frustrations! Thank you for being our guinea pig. God Bless.
Agreed. There are so many choices. It's good to know where to get the most reliable products for the best prices. We need more guinea pigs.
Now only $350 per unit, free shipping within USA Mainland.
Original Kiwano KO1 PLUS Unicycle Scooter
Store Link:
www.alibaba.com/product-detail/FREE-SHIPPING-unicycle-UL2272-KIWANO-KO1_62396810871.html?spm=a2700.icbuShop.111720.3.1f7c3f80MsHXZD#reviewSubHeader
Even if you get it to work it will have problems after regularly using it for over a year
I bought that same pile of crap kit for my daughter's 24 inch bike. After bending the bracket in a vise several times and shimming to align, it worked, for all of 30 minutes before the freewheel sprocket shelled out. I threw it in a box and purchased a $155 500 watt 26 inch front hub motor and a new front fork for 26 inch wheel. This worked 100% and was still budget. Daughter loves it. It is 36 volt, and I got a battery for about 120 bucks on eBay.
Explain why the new fork? Also who sells the kit?
@@MumfordJim needed a fork big enough for a 26inch wheel. The bike is a 24 inch wheel bike. Hub motors cost twice the price for 24 as 26. Got the hub motor kit off eBay. Wanted to buy another, but all gone now. Next cheapest was about 220 bucks and 48v 1000watt.
I mounted the bracket on the inside of the stays and it lined up pretty close, added 1 washer to each bolt and the chainline was perfect....but the motor is junk
I wouldn't call the motors junk. I have had both the 250 and 450 watt motors. I have put over 500 miles on the 250 watt and almost 1,500 miles on my 450 watt motor. These are geared motors and they are setup to only run about 16 mph at top rpm but if you step up the battery voltage you can get much higher speeds from them. I'm currently running a 24 volt 450 watt MY1018 motor at 36 volts and my bike will top out around 26 mph on a flat road. My bike is heavy (65 lb) and me (205 lb). I personally think that is pretty good since a comparable ebike would cost over $1,000 and I have right at $300 in mine.
@Ray Ellam Be careful with over voltage. I recently changed my drive sprocket and apparently didn't get everything adjusted correctly. I noticed a decrease in power but thought it was just the mountain bike tires i had put on the bike but is was wrong. I barely went a mile before my motor was burnt up. Because of shipping delays and price increases i decided to purchase an Ebikeling 36v 500w geared hub motor that should be here in a few days. It will be interesting to see what the differences will be. I will be giving this left hand drive kit with the 250w motor to my nephew so it will still be in use.
@@jeffholmes9483 do you have a list of links to the parts you used? 300 bucks sounds pretty sweet.
@@jeffholmes9483 Some frigken glad to hear the motors are rugged , I'm planning a trip to Ecuador and have been testing my motor on a heavy Rover Tandem , sometimes I load up the back seat with large rocks to simulate my wife and her gear ....the extra weight helps the Big Apple tire adhere to road surface
Hi Mikey I purchased it from L-faster it’s the same kit as you have. I bought it after I saw your video. And tried it on 4 bikes I had. Finally returned the kit. I doubt it will fit any American bike. I then bought a hub motor kit by voilamart for $199 on ebay and was easy and fast installation. The total cost of the ebike conversion got bumped up by $100 the but rest of the parts were still utilized for conversion and was great. Infact got a 750w motor the bike goes 22miles and hour.
@KRUNAL DOSHI Can you provide link to your voilamart motor kit?
He have risk himself for all our sake.otherwise we will be in the same problem.Thank you.
Biji kuriakose I ordered the kit and got it yesterday... I am going to try today
The problem wasn't the kit I've run several and for £60 you should have to expect to have to trouble shoot n modify he should have researched beforehand 😂✌️
@@tjmorgan8194 how is it now
@@MLGsavageking it probs exploded and he's ded
The bracket mounts the other way round by the way. Flip it over and it will be an inch deeper.
Also you do have to use washers to level it and also you might need to extend or shortern the chain.
Did fit it and works really well btw.
If you still have this setup could I get a picture uploaded that I can see?
I actually bought all of the parts since your last video and am on my 3rd freehub. I definitely ran into chain alignment issues, but was able to shim it out to get almost perfect alignment...however, the first freehub loosened and spun the bearings within 2 weeks, and it’s replacement freehub from LFaster did the same in 2 days. Trying a different freehub on the lfaster adapter, and after that scrapping the L faster kit and going for a hub motor
Excellent video. LOL I HAVE that exact motor and mount kit and had not yet used it. I my case. the $180 MTN bike I bought to install it on had more issues out of the box than I imagines (chain and rear derailleur had to be replaced immediately) then I over tightened the steering head and stripped it so I fixed and sold that bike before I ever got to trying this kit. I am going to try again soon with a beach cruiser type bicycle which makes no sense to have at all here in Colorado but may work with this motor j=kit. Thanks for the video. I was refreshing after seeing soooo many videos showing "how easy" an eBike kit installs on EVERY bike out there. LOL
Thank you for going the extra mile to help us out as we try to navigate the crazy complicated world of ebike conversions!
This kit worked for me. I am confused a little bit when I opened the box, because it has no instruction manual in the box, even a page! I watched a video on the youtube, it turns out very easy to install. I, first, installed the motor on the right side and it works fine, just you have to pedal along because the crank set has no free wheel. I am about to try it on the left side.
It is refreshing to find someone who steps up to the plate , and admits he has been taken ,
on his purchase ..... Good show!
he hasn't been taken at all... the fix was so easy it is hilarious to think that he did not manage....
Yeah and he sells ebike books
people have been mounting engines and motors on bicycles for a long time. many solutions exist. just because the bracket supplied is not fits all is no reason to bail. it just takes a little ingenuity and time to line things up.
@@pauls5745 People in third world countries, have, indeed, been coming up with ideas on how to fix this problem. 50c is all it takes.
Wish this video was sooner! I got one for my son a few months ago and it sucks. The clutch fell off 1st ride. My son was very disappointed he still doesn't have a working bike now. Still trying to find the money and the right motor to try this over again. Also took a lot of modification to get the chain in line for us also I had to flatten The ears on the bracket where it mounted to the frame and then kind of tweak it in place each time to get the chain and alignment. I had a perfectly aligned everything tight and yet the clutch still fell off and in a really bad way it spun off halfway up the road and that was it. I was able to get it back on a few times but I finally gave up cuz every time we ride it it falls apart
hello universal fit means you universally have to make it fit. ''Stacy David''
Expecting not to have to modify a $100 universal kit to make it work is kind of unreasonable...it would be like buying a universal front lip for your car and expecting it to work without modifying.
I want to electrify my bike so badly, but I'm afraid that it's going to be so awesomely amazing that I'll never want to pedal a bike again.
most electric bikes come with something called Pedal Assist, basically you install a sensor that detects when your pedaling and the motor will only power on as you pedal, course you could also go straight throttle and forget to pedal
That’s exactly what will happen. All my vehicles are electric and I’ll never walk again
BNa
@@socialfreak6900 I do a little of both. But I love not having to sweat hills on a 44 yr old, heavy steel frame bike.
BUT THE LOVE I'M GETTING FROM THOSE WHO SEE ME ON THE THING IS ABSOLUTELY PRICELESS.
Micah was right about those Ibera frame bags. Even the large bag scrunches pretty well inside a tight triangle.
BTW, I'm a bit older than the bike, so.....
@Dennis Young I like that perspective. I think it's possible that that will be the case for me as well.
Maybe you should try a front hub style. Much simpler and no bracketing. 8)
I don’t thing there’s any point on getting anything else but a middle or a hub motor.
I bought this kit a few years, and it took me about 2 months to get to align correctly. Although the one i got was with the sprocket that fits on the disk brake rotor, instead of the pineapple brackets that you got. I had to add spacers on the sprocket to push it out a bit more, since it wouldn't align with the motor freewheel. Maybe you could do the same and add washers underneath your hub sprocket? That should push out your sprocket even more and hopefully you'd get a better alignment. Another thing i did is that I hammered the mounting plate straight, since it was slightly curved. I also used hose tighteners to mount the plate on the bike frame (i didnt use their cheap aluminum brackets). As well, I noticed that the entire motor+plate would get pulled back and the chain would come lose whenever it was under load. So what I did is that I used cables with cable tensioners (attached the the seat tube) to pull the motor back, so that the chain always stays tight. Also, always try to keep the chain as short as possible. But you're definitely right, this kit is not something that you put together on the evening and ride the next day. It will most likely not fit on the first trial, and might take a few months to get it to work properly. But to their credit, this motor is a tank, it's super durable and you won't find anything better for the price. So if you get it to align and work properly, then this kit will get you to decent speeds, and you will have it for many years (hopefully). Although, the controller that came with it, well that's another story...but making your own controller for a DC motor is quite easy. Anyways, I hope this helps.
I almost purchased one of those. Thanks for posting!!!
Yeah I almost bought one too, on eBay they are like $93
this kit is useless.....i have used it and wasted my money not only one time but in repairing several time...
th-cam.com/video/HY7OmsveQ50/w-d-xo.html
if liked pls sub my channel
In my application, a mid-drive 500W motor makes the most sense. The full system is a lot of money. I have a touring bike built around 1975. Am I wasting my money modifying this bike? Does it make more sense to pay around twice as much and buy a new eBike? I do have a small machine shop so custom brackets are not an issue. Thanks Micah!
Thanks for the heads-up, I am sure this will be helpful for a lot of ppl. Also thanks for the book, I have been enjoying and learning a lot reading the DIY ebike book.
I got the same exact kit, I was blessed with no mounting issues, i got a Schwinn 2.6 ranger mountain bike, it literally went right on and chain was almost exactly in line, worked the position just right as I was tightening the mount bolts and was good to go
It’s been 2 months since I built my bike and the motor is still running great. Mounting plate can be a bear to install; but everything else is great! If you’re not a DIY type get a front wheel hub motor kit; but if you like a bit of a challenge this is a great kit at a great price!. 8/16/22 motor is still running strong with no problem (using 48 volt battery)
Exactly. This not much of a problem for DIYers. In fact, DIYers would love some customization.
1/6/2022. Motor is still running strong with no problems
@@Scott4271 you use this one ?
I have seen your first video on the $182 ebike conversion. I think I will still get all the parts recommended in your first video. I have metal fabrication skills and plan on making a custom mount for the motor on the rear triangle of a dual suspension mountain bike that I am converting to a tadpole style trike. Thanks for all of the information.
You have an honest face and seem very knowledgeable. You should run for president
Good observation. Many DIY on TH-cam stumbled upon the same problem. That is why I picked integrated with wheel motor. It will cost a bit higher, though.
'The problem begins when you start installing it' I'm glad you at least got it out the box before their were problems lol
there
I just ordered my first eBike... I just wanted to thank you for your videos ... I have learned so much and you helped me make my decision on buying one... thank you ... awesome videos!!!
We all have to be careful when buying cheap things.
Now only $350 per unit, free shipping within USA Mainland.
Original Kiwano KO1 PLUS Unicycle Scooter
Store Link:
www.alibaba.com/product-detail/FREE-SHIPPING-unicycle-UL2272-KIWANO-KO1_62396810871.html?spm=a2700.icbuShop.111720.3.1f7c3f80MsHXZD#reviewSubHeader
@@marywong2159 bot
Oops I just ordered this kit lol but I see a couple issues with the rag joint sprocket mount install causing a improper chain line #1 the sprocket is dished and you have it inward instead of outward #2 usually one of the rubber mounts is thicker than the other one and needs to be behind the sprocket.
I have extra rubber spacers so if I can't line it up correctly I'll just run a extra rubber mount between the sprocket and rim to space it out better, also see a comment saying to run the motor mount inside the frame dropouts instead of the outside of them for the way you set it up.
I bought one of those!
Luckily I managed to fit everything in my bike, but I wouldn’t buy it NEVER again...
Trying to get the cheapest solution I also bought a lead acid battery... you can imagine the gap between that s**t and my current hub motor with lithium batteries haha
lead acid batteries are cheap but for a reason, they drain fast and are heavy as all living hell
@@bingus7361 yep....did that last year myself. Grabbed some scooter batteries this year and put the SLA'S on craigslist for free about 2 weeks ago.
SLA is fine for temporary, but lithium is definitely the way to go long term.
Thanks for following up. I wanted to do the build but after pricing and headache I decided it wasn't worth it. I couldn't find a solid 5 star kit with video demonstration and longevity test.
I was waiting to see if I made the right call. I just ended up ordering the radrunner 5 and will try a cheap kit once you have tested it and have found a solid kit that works.
Hub motors are the way to go, they are super easy to assemble and don’t matter for your bike frame, by far the easiest and also way more powerful at low prices. I’d have only paid like $50 for the kit he chose, and that’s because I can weld and fabricate a mount incredibly easy, but hub motors really are the way to go for cheap and simple and powerful motors. Downside is for extrme off-road use (like doing backflips off ramps, or downhill trial riding where you want to do 360 spins in the air), well hub motors are not the best since the weight is at the ends of your bike so it has a lot more inertia if you are intending to do serious trail riding or drifting in the mud they might not be a good idea. If you’re just on pavement or commuting on gravel roads, well you’re not exactly doing backflips and tricks, so then the hub motors are fine and all you’d need and those won’t be an issue.
A decent 26” wheel kit is like $150 (1000-1500w), even the off road super fat ones are the same price (like I have 4.8 inch wide mud and snow tires on one of my kits I need to install soon, it was like $145 for a 1000w kit). My road bike had to use an expensive one at $230 (because it’s wheel size is 700c), but it runs great (stock rating of 1200w, but I did a simple shunt mod to the controller and I’m measuring just over 2 kW of power, it handles it remarkably well!). You basically swap your wheel out, install the torque arm (needed for these high powered kits that try to do wheelies, haha!), and then zip tie your wires on the frame neatly and put the controller in the included bicycle pouch. The only thing they don’t come with is batteries since everyone’s going to want something different., but very easy to install and they just work on any bike the wheel is made for, it really doesn’t get much easier than that, it’s like 30 minutes to an hour, then your away riding. Just check with laws if you want to be compliant if they are picky (like some places are maybe 250w max, others are 1000w, and where I’m at there is a loophole for unlimited power and speed just as long as you’re pedaling so I made my own sensor and relay so it only allows throttle control when pedaling since I don’t like PAS systems since sometimes I want to pedal without any assist)
@@jakegarrett8109 send me a link to the kits you have had success with. Also where do you source your batteries?
Thanks for the info man, that is awesome
Jared L Mine are for uncommon bikes, but Voilamart sells the 26” ~2” wide wheels most bikes use, you can find them selling on EBay and other places.
One of mine is 700c race/roadbike wheels, and that one is from company called “EbikeLing” and you can find them on Amazon or EBay if you need that size (best value by far for 700c wheels) also their customer service is top notch, they at first sent the wrong wheel, but it was the easiest exchange I’ve ever done and their phones even at 5 pm on a Friday I got ahold of the correct representative in like 30 seconds and got it sorted quickly as pain free as possible. The other is for my unfinished custom project bike, but it looks like really good quality even down to the Mosfet selection on the electronics circuit board (same power fets as I used for 2 kW, so I know it can easily handle at least double the power they rated without getting warm or any issue), and mechanically looks like a beast. I bet my body and spine will break before that thing does, haha! That one is Voilamart brand (those are probably the guys you want to go with, I know Voilamart makes a lot of good standard 26” MTB wheels like most bicycles use and those are the reviews and abuse tests I watched before selecting it for my off-toad monster bike).
I think you can find either on EBay/Amazon/or your preferred place for buying stuff (both were shipped in like 5 days or something fast like that, and price included shipping in the US, which is great because these things are well packed in a huge box and pretty heavy, I picked some of the beefy motors, haha, no 250w legal limits around here!)
Jared L for batteries that’s a good question, I first determined what I needed and valued (cheap/safe/weight, pick 2). I went for safety and long lifetime so I went with LiFePo4 (basically the least explosive and flammable/volatile battery and it way outlived Lipo by a long shot, however it weighs a lot and expensive). That ultimately determines where I would source it.
For instance, I use LiPo batteries for my RC planes and quadcopters, but those things love to shoot flames to the ceiling if you mishandle them, like crash/possibly falls over onto a sharp rock, or just not attending them while charging, they have crazy insane power performance but not ideal for long range, great if you wanted to drag race and deplete your battery safely in 1 minute, with say 1000 amps from a 10 Ah battery, these can do it... however standard Li-ion is more popular for ebikes because even if it lacks power it will hold more capacity for that range per battery size and weight, making Li-ion better for any sort of range over 10 miles. So to me it was either Li-Ion or LiFePo4, and I went with the safest and longest lifetime battery, but it cost me extra weight and money. You just have to pick based on where you live like your range for your capacity, and what you’re willing to spend and what your risk level is.
So to answer that, all my parts were determined and purchased from EBay sellers and I forget the name of the battery place, but it really will vary since I needed a specific capacity (I estimated range I really needed to size the battery), and then picked based on battery chemistry type and then finally the seller was determined by who had a good battery in the size dimensions I needed (wanted narrow configuration to fit in the frame of my bike, but if it was on a cargo rack it wouldn’t really matter).
So that part is complex, and certainly the hardest part. It has some math involved, haha, I think BOSTCH has an alright battery estimator on their website you can input your expected speeds to be cruising and type of bike (affects aerodynamics based on how you sit) and stuff like paved roads or gravel and it will spit out a ballpark range that can help size your battery.
@@jakegarrett8109 thank for taking time to respond with all this info. You are clearly knowledgeable.
I have some 1-3s lipos for some quads and man they are finicky and I see why.
I thought about building my own battey with some 18650s and they seem to be 3.5-4$ per cell and i would need a spot welder.
This safe long lasting battery im not familiar with so i will def be reading up on it.
What are your main sources for getting this info, im trying to learn more, but basically FB groups and youtube are sources i was wondering if more were out there.
Thx man
With probably thousands ob bicycle frame designs out there, it's unlikely that there's ever going to be a UNIVERSAL KIT that fits all... and is expected when you are doing things in a budget that you will have to do some improvisation, some fabrication.... I really enjoy your videos and consider the information you share usually very helpful: I think that in this case you got carried away for the frustration of not being able to make it work AS IS... Still, the kit you putted together IS FAIRLY GOOD and some body else can make use of it adding a few washers or welding an extension to the mounting bracket. .... Wish you had come up with one of your creative ideas. cheers.
I bought this kit, specifically because of your video. It seemed like a fun challenge to accept. What is the cheapest bike a person can build, with what is easily the worst kit available. The combined cost of batteries and a $10 used thrift store Kent put my build cost at a little over $160 plus taxes and shipping. I call it the Povert-E-bike. The key to making it work was using a BMX with a wider axle that foot pegs screw onto. This let me put a spacer on and then the mounting plate. That way my motor leaned in a bit, and lined up perfectly. I've since upgraded it from 24v to 36v, and changed the heavy lead batteries for lithium.
i wish u just had MacGyver some thing up and tried it for a few months, cheers Graham
I purchased this kit to see if I could make it work. Mine did not come with part of the mounting pieces. But going into this project I knew it would take some troubleshooting. And with out any welding or steel cutting I was able to get it working with a couple of trips to the hardware store,spending less than 20$ I have a nice ebike but I really enjoy riding my super cheap ebike I built. My total cost was 300 with 150 being the battery, 25 bike, 80 for the kit, 10 new chain, 15 new freewheel and a bit extra at the hardware store.
The seller must have watched this video and left a thumbs down.
I did too because it seemed there are quite a few options to mount a motor or engine on a bike. nothing new. rear rack mount (w longer chain) fab a bracket a few different ways. where there's a will there's a way!
I paid $70 for the same kit on eBay. I work in a vacuum store so, I have all the parts to make this kit work on my bike with 2 Ryobi drill batteries.
Good luck and please keep me updated , my motor is now installed and ready for torture testing ...I use mine at low speeds to help me up steep hills and regenerative braking while going , the energy from the motor ( no freewheel ) is directed to a charge controller , going downhill is slowing me down while charging my batteries . I'm now building a kickstant to raise rear wheel of the ground so I can stay stationary while pedal chatging my batts .
Back in the days when there wasn’t much for bike motors,that motor would have been really nice 👍.
If you could get it to fit on your bike
Don’t give up... the problem is a pre-made steel plate with a couple of breaks in it. Just cut a metal plate and break it to a geometry that WILL place the sprocket in line...
You could do it with a hacksaw and a vise.... start with a sheet of cardboard and create a pattern for the piece of steel you have to cut that once you put the break in it, will allow you to mount the thing.
at the start of the video I was😢😭 but then at the end I was 🥳😄I'm really excited for the rest of this video to come out .get a hub motor and I want to see those batteries PUMP
It's a lefty kit and brushed motor. Pretty cruddy for now adays stuff. Plus at 4:00 you have the mounting place backwards.
Bafang has some pretty cheap full rear hub kits for 300$. Powerful systems. You really not gonna find most conversion kits for less then 200$ unless it's used or a very old one.
Plus batteries are like 200-300 for 10ah lithium. but you got many options to go with. Rear rack, water bottle, latch mount, exposed cell, hardcase cell, middle frame triangle. Lead Acid would require a rear rack and if you go anywhere bigger then 10ah. your looking at some hefty weight. Already looking at 21+ pounds with 3 or more lead acids for 36 or 48volts.
I would love to see a video showing a cheap conversion that actually works. Out of curiosity, I looked up what I paid for the components for mine and came up with $109 for a hub motor, $31 for controller with display, $4 for a thumb throttle, $8 for a BMS, $24 for ten high-drain 18650 cells, $4 for a battery charger, and $3 for a pack of XT30 connectors. That comes out to $183, including a small 10s1p battery pack that lasts about 30 min, assuming no pedaling. I also had to buy new spokes, and can't find the receipt for that, but I think it was less than $20. So probably about $200. That's still a pretty good price and the build wasn't too difficult.
I followed Jehu's video here: th-cam.com/video/r12IrYTqvas/w-d-xo.html using a surplus 26" Bafang commercial hub motor, and a XIomi scooter battery pack (10S3P). I used a different controller kit than Jehu and with shipping my cost came to $197 for the bare bones single battery build. It will go 20mph, and has a throttle only range of about 14 miles on relatively flat ground.
Twelve months ago, I purchased a 750W rear hub motor kit, with everything needed, except battery, for $208AU. It has been awesome.
I made my own battery ☺
Wanna sell it? I’ll give you $3 and free shipping. 😂
I'll bid $10 and I'll even pay for shipping too!
@@AnthonyGoodley Donated $100 for you to buy a bin and trash it.
I didn't donate.
I bought one of these kits, mounted it in a few hours time, I had a lot of fun riding around. No complaints, inexpensive purchase, I have since switched to Ebikeling wheel/hub motor kit. So easy to install and ride.
I bought the 350w version and built a bike. I supplied a 48v/20ah battery. It worked ok, but the freewheel failed and I just soldered the bearings. More resistance while coasting. Then the controller got wet overnight, and I woke up to my rear tire chewing itself up on the pavement. Good kit if you just want to try ebiking, but you will need to buy a real ebike eventually. Oh yeah, I had to bend the mount bracket and make some extensions.
Hi! I did watch your previous video and have since built my e-bike with this kit. At the moment, only one brace is connected so there are 2 points of contact instead of 3, but I will reinforce it later. The wheel sprocket and motor sprocket are decently aligned. My back wheel doesn't have the 9-pointed star shape with the spokes, so I ended up leaving out 2 bolts which has required a bit of fiddling to get the sprocket flat. It's been annoying, but in the end, it works! It was still worth the $200 in my case.
Man, thank you for the honesty, we do not see it every day.
There is a video of a guy assembling a gas bike universal kit, he says that it being universal, it is garanteed to NOT fit any bike. Seems true here as well.
The thing is, you've left us with some high expectations. If you could come up with a video showing the cheapest way to build an Ebike that is actually good enough, it would be awesome!
Micah I have one of these kits on a beach cruiser it works fine the motor has been pretty reliable I have over 800 miles on it I did have to modify the black bracket by simply laying it on concrete and flattening it out with a hammer it made it work just fine little tweaking it was less than 10 minutes worth of extra work and I was ready to go
To wait that long for parts, get the parts, attempt to put it together, oh crud! Not my idea of a good time and I'm pretty certain that it isn't your's either! I do very much appreciate your honesty. I hope to do a bike conversion this year. Best of luck and stay healthy!
I purchased one and it works amazing for me. I did have to modify the bracket a bit by bending the mounting holes to fit my 20 in. bike. If anyone has purchased and has an issue with the bracket, try cutting the mounts of and making new holes or change the position of the bracket. I have only ordered one battery but planning to order one or two more. Hopefully this comment finds helpful.
Also try putting washers on the axle to make the motor align a bit.
Yes they do fit on old simple bike, but not on mountain or gear bikes, As you mentioned It's is little difficult to install that but you can do it
and even the universal mount, one side can get bolted and other side, you can make custom bracket to fit or some sheet metal plate that you can mould as per your requirement and the sprocket you used is not the one, please don't use that one, use the freewheel sprocket.
Search for Dc gear e bike on TH-cam, you will get an idea from few video
Great kit fitted one on a 1970s racing bike. I upgraded the speed controller to a 36 volt one and a 36v 10amp lithium bottle battery
Never ever twist the throttle when your stationary always pedal first
Ever think about making your own 4-wheel e-bike?
Well thanks. I purchased the kit. Many batteries. And like you said the mount did not fit my bike. I made it work. Unfortunately the two were not aligned and the sprucket on the motor came apart! Waiting on new sprucket to make it work on my daughter bike.i have extra sprucket on order,to make sure as to keep it running. I have already bought the rear wheel kit for my bike. 48 volt 1000 Watt kit. Waiting on batteries. I don't think this will be a much better outcome because it's the 170.00$ kit. 6 speed instead of 7 or more. Owell. We'll see.. well thanks for letting me know about the problem with the kit you suggested back in January. Bought and already know all the problems with it. I'm on a tight budget so I have to buy everything a little at a time. What's up for the stuff not being shipped? Waiting on batteries. I have to go for the cheaper ones. But I figured 2 of them equal one ok one. Can someone let me know what up for batteries through Ali Express not being shipped? Thanks Ray
I just ordered 3 of your books, DIY E-Bike, Solar and DIY Lithium Battery's. I am looking forward to my ebike build. Take care and stay safe!
The gear you put on the tire I use the same kind on my bike for my gas motor you could try to flip the gear ...you can see it has about half inch play left to right depending on what side you have the gear bolted to the spokes...flip the gear bolt it back on you will have it stick out about half an inch more
This video put me off this kit for a while, but after a bunch more research I came back around and tried it. I've actually had really good luck with it, I'm a few months and a couple hundred miles into it. A few points: (A) in my experience, you don't need both of the frame clamps to line up, one is enough: think about a hub-motor torque arm. (B) the bracket does require some bending, but a heavy hammer and a chunk of wood are all you need if you're careful, like in this video: th-cam.com/video/bpkHHyniQcY/w-d-xo.html (C) the only issue I've had with mine is the freewheel cover plate loosened and I needed to re-pack the 1/8 inch bearing balls and add some blue locktite.
Several advantages of this setup: (A) super cheap, (B) unlike a hub motor, you don't throw out your existing wheel, (C) fewer worries of wheel compatibility you'd have with a hub motor kit.
i kind of wish i found your video a year ago, i bought this same ebike conversion kit in the summer of 2021 and have unfortunatly had the exact same issue as you have had, ive tried modifying the plate and its some tough steel so no luck there, hoping to get a new plate made at some point that will work for my bike
I bought this kit after watching your initial "window shopping video." Then I bought a used Diamondback Wildwood off Craigslist. I had some spare SLA batteries, wiring and battery case. I spent $75 for the bike (Craigslist), right at $100 for the motor kit (from Amazon), and $15 for a rechargeable light kit (Wal Mart). I paid $50 for the two 12V15AH SLA batteries from Amazon, so in all, about a $250 investment. I used a $5 plastic ammo box for the case, and just cut holes in it for the output and charging terminals. It DID actually work in my case!
However, three things I didn't like about the final results. 1: not enough power for climbs. 2: my heel hits the motor while pedaling, and 3: the sprockets don't line up, but the chain stays on. I gave it to a friend, and he's happy with it. It was frustrating, but it gave me a sense of accomplishment, and now I can go riding with my friend. You can't put a price on that.
I already went for a 26 inch 150 dollar rear hub motor kit instead. Less parts that could break. Thicker spokes, And more efficiency. And way easier to install. And if your chain breaks you can ride home on the motor.
Where you find that mate
Thomas C You can find them on Ebay. With the current sickness situation i reccomend to buy from the same continent where you live if possible.
a cheap front 250w kit is £129.99 no battery included
all you have to do is put split plate on the outside with spacers for the rear gear to offset the gear. I have seen guys use extra spacers and even cut rubber spacers in diff builds. Also I would cut a hole in mounting plate where the bike frame weld seems to be pushing it out.
I had one of these on my bike before I went brushless. It wasn't bad when it worked but I had a list of issues;
1: Chain tension was impossible to maintain because it kept getting loose and throwing chains every couple hundred miles
2: Sprocket alignment is a pain in the arse
3: the freewheel fell apart on me during my commute so I put it back together as best as I could and welded it, which netted me another 2000 miles luckily.
This is a good solution though for fabricating your own electric go-kart though. It would get a decent wriggle on with the right gear ratio.
I am going to try locktiting the sprucket to keep it from coming apart! Mine I couldn't even get it to screw back together! Hopefully this will fix that problem!
Thanks Micah for all the training vids, but I waited and planned not quite long enough. The whole (reverse 450w) package is on order and is somewhere else yet. I did spend some time sketching that mounting plate and realized that it would require a fair bit of creative investment (cobbling!), but I needed a project to get off the ground and could not quite go for a BBS02 system (yet), and wanted to keep my 3 speed mid derailleur.
In the prep process I decided that my seldom used 35 yr old Specialized rock hopper mountain bike needed some TLC, so I decided to 'you tube' the maintenance and found another whole project getting the freewheel (not the cassette! who knew!) off to clean and lube the bearings. Now I see your latest and hope that bracket is the only real problem. I intend to mid mount the motor and use a longer chain to allow better alignment anyhow.
Update: Received the kit (no battery yet!) and decided to check the motor with my auto battery charger set to 6V. That is when I noticed that I received the normal kit not the reverse kit that they offer and I ordered - the freewheel is backwards for my use. My intention was to reverse mount the motor inside the frame under the seat to protect it rather than have it stick way out at weird angles. I expected to have to do some cobbling to mount the motor and align the chain, but the drive has to work in reverse. I am still waiting for a reply/replacement for that freewheel.
This turned out to be a whole lot more work than expected - that bracket is weird and strong so needs power tools I don't have access to. I may need to create a special bracket - I don't want to modify the bike frame itself. All of which is secondary to the freewheel. After much effort I wish I had just bit the bullet and gone with a BBS02 system that just fits! Nuts! Thanks for all the videos - learned a lot.
further replies to Andrew above. Everything is installed and working except for the reverse freewheel and extra chain. Whew!
Micah, I hope you get to see this. I chose the newer 450w Yalu kit as mentioned above and figured out that the definition of left side meant the bike not the freewheel, so had to order a reverse freewheel to satisfy my layout. This project was meant as a learning experience and total cost was just over $300 with extra chain and larger battery. So, the lessons:
1. That #*%@ bracket was the main issue that encouraged me to move the motor and reverse the freewheel. It caused me many hours of manual labor to convert (cobble/bend/saw/adapt) it to something that holds the motor in the right position and align the chain.
2. My chain alignment was the next issue - I had to tweak the motor mount (the replacement freewheel had different spacing!) and learned how important that was to keep the chain on and fairly quiet.
3. I didn't expect the chain break in/stretch (around 44" long), so had to keep tightening the chain until it stopped stretching. Still waiting for my cheapo chain tensioner, but it works OK for now. Learned about the wear damage that an over stretched chain can do to the cogs/cassette down the road. Not a problem yet.
4. the coax charger connector on my battery BMC fell onto the bike sprocket and vaporized the connector - what a surprise - so felt lucky - no other damage - I taped it up and use the motor controller charger connector. Bad choice of connector.
5. Not thrilled by the spark I get when connecting the charger so I connect the battery first and the charger power last.
6. I like the half twist throttle option (thanks for that in your video!) with the key switch.
I hope some of this helps in a future learning video. Thanks for the training!
By the way, I got it all to work fairly reliably and am happy for now. Only have about 5 miles on it and will post on any new problems. Some refinement for longevity and looks (paint, better battery brackets etc.) is clearly in order. TBD! What a hoot! Still wonder what the top speed is!
Thank you for the update Micah - I was looking forward to your progress on this project. I hope you find a solution!
Did a Vertical Mount as the Bracket would not fit. Ended up drilling a hole in the Bracket to match one of the spare holes on my bike frame. Mounting is surely a problem with one. Step to resolve this is Mount any-which way and get the Chain Tight enough to work. Mine was left sided. Drill support holes to hold on to whatever frame you can. If you can spend more to get a proper kit, do it, i am just cheap and wont let my money waste, so did some Whack job to get it working.😇 And i used a Kobalt 40 battery on the 24V motor and it works perfectly fine. Excess volt (atleast till 40V) is not a problem with these controllers.
@3:33 - looks like the screws are long enough and one can align the sprockets by adding more padding (e.g. a couple layers of thick vinyl) to the existing black ones.
Ive wanted to see that mid drive kit for ages you would be the first person on youtube to do a video on that one.
Thanks for the video. I was researching this as an interesting option for a conversion, and decided to keep going after watching this. I eventually tracked down some installation videos - in Vietnamese I think, and some manufacturer information.
And here's the thing - it's not intended to fit a bike with gears. Some people seem to have hacked it anyway, but it's definitely not made to fit with a derailleur system.
Bikes around the world are universal at first glance, but very different when you get to the nuts and bolts level. Derailleur gears are standard in the UK, but not expected in other countries. I think the many Chinese dudes selling these kits are unaware of how different bikes can be.
BTW, I know these come in freewheel and weird clamp to spokes version (as reviewed) but from what I can make out the the geometry is just different around the world.
These sort of kits sell well in India, Pakistan, China, Africa etc where price is the priority and those countries have a lot of single speed bikes with 120mm OLD etc which would be good bikes to use this kit. You can see from the plate that it's intended for horizontal dropouts typically of single speed bikes, fixies and 3 speed hub gear bikes. The popular Buffalo bike in Africa would probably be a good candidate.
It looks like all your bikes are a variation of the same type of light-trail bike. Try it on a different bike, a road-bike or more appropriately a shopping bike. I'd be surprised if it doesn't fit anything as you seem to suggest. Its a kit, not a complete bike, so you are expected to do a little bit of adjustment. Mine's working fine using a pack of LiPo cells, and I live in a hilly country.
I had the same problems! I'm glad it wasn't just me! It took me about a month to modify the mount with a vice and now it works, but it was a huge amount of effort to make it work.
And initially the sprocket freewheel broke because I had the chain too tight. After learning that I bought another freewheel sprocket and kept the chain less tight.
Just go with a cheap 36v hub drive motor, usually under 200 without the batteries, but you have those already.... only increase your overall cost by 80 bucks....
You CAN make it fit. You need to bend the bracket near the axle to get the proper angle, then install half inch (or larger) bushings behind the sprocket. That will solve your problem. A shop press is very helpful in bending and shaping the bracket. I realise most people don't have a shop press, but most people probably know someone who does. Even the cheap $99 press will work.
I went with the rear hub motor Violamart on Amazon for my crusty but trusty old 2002 Cannondale. They went up about $35.00 since then but still ridding it. I ride a lot now!
Your friend is right those spoke mount sprockets have to be installed perfectly and on the correct wheel or they will destroy the spokes.
thats good to know I have that same kit . i could not get it too work either .on my margaritavile beach cruiser 26 inch that same bracket want line up the same problem you had.
I found out early on that if you try to cheap out in building an E bike that it will usually cost you more in the long run. Converting a bike with a quality kit that does work and fit generally costs more than purchasing a decent E bike outright. Target cost is typically in the $1,300 to 1,500 range. Anything cheaper anything cheaper and parts or support will be sketchy.
Thanks for the review. And thanks for saving alot of people money not buying garbage. My advice ...... stay away from any brushed motor's. Happy riding take care!
L faster rear sprocket kit worked great on my Walmart bike. For 370 cad (kit , SLA battery , frame bag , connectors). It took and hour to build and climbs hills no problem albiat slowly. The true cost was $650 for tools and connectors I didn't have.
i appreciate this work of yours..I bought 2 kits and they exactly had the same problem of alignment and $300 gone waste ...
I used a blowtorch and hammer to make the mount flush. I haven't had any issues, though I've only ridden the bike twice.
There is a kit that is made to allow mounting the sprocket where a disc brake would be. Perhaps they sent you a mounting bracket for that kit. While that doesn't explain mounting bracket issue, it would effect alignment of chain.
I purchased a similar one.. a nightmare to fit on my MTB.. found a cheap used china tandem bike with freewheels on both ends of the rear hub. Changed the motor sprocket to a fixed 13T. Flattened the mounting bracket and added some spacers to align the motor. 36v 350W does 31km/h with solo rider. Cheap, noisy & kinda fun. Will not be buying it again.
looked like you might be able to bend or tweek the mount a little and maybe add some washers for spacers to get final alignment, maybe.
I am literally about to buy this exact kit. Thanks for the review.
Mika, I had exactly the same problem you had with fitting motor and chain misalignment. I ended up making a wooden bracket to mount the motor vertical on the supplied plate. I videoed it and have put t hr e link below. I hope you don't mind. Start watching at 2:45. th-cam.com/video/siVkGvJlcr4/w-d-xo.html
While i have a CNC to make the little wooden piece it could easily be done by hand or another style of simple mounting bracket could be used. I called mine the Angry Bumblebee because that is what it sounds like when I ran.
Enjoy your videos and just working on bike 3 now.
Cheers Peter
awesome thanks, I’ll check that out!
I’m with you bro,have to do a lot cut and trim finally I’m able to line up the chain to make it work
It's been a year, so I will search through your videos to see if you did find a cheap kit that actually works. I am reluctant to use my expensive e-bike to run errands around town, so I would like to find a simple and cheap kit for an old bike of mine - one that will hopefully not present as tempting a target for theft! I am enjoying all your videos, and this one was no exception 👍🏼😄.
I was gonna say just buy one of those kits with the motor built into the wheel but I just realized the price shot way up. The kit I used was a 26" 1000 watt conversion kit from violamart that works great however at the time I bought it, it cost $189 now it cost $289. Guess making budget ebikes got harder in the last 3 years.