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My Dad is considering a conversion kit for one of his bikes, all flat bar due to arthritis stopping him using brakes on drop bars, he won't buy a proper ebike as they are either ugly/expensive or both (his words). I've said Switch looks ok but he's seen Kamingo which looks a bit dodgy/scammy to me.
He probably only needs about 20ish miles of range these days but I think he wants it to be discreet and removable as he's a bit embarrassed that he needs the assistance (crazy I know). I signed him up for Strava a few weeks back but he's embarrassed at his average speed so deleted his ride which is a shame as I wanted to see how many miles he was doing, likely more than my 50 miles a week to and from work. Can anyone recommend a kit, would love to be able to try one before buying if possible.
Just in case you missed my other GT ebike plugs in recent times
£1049 plus postage
Bit out of left field, but my neighbour was similarly old and struggling. A proper hardcore roadie, with massive frames, he couldn't get his leg over.
I persuaded him to get an ebike and found an islabike eJimi 27 lbs ish, step through frame. 27.5" wheels (it had Nobby Nic tyres he pumped up to about 70psi!).
Really impressive bit of kit. Other models were made by them. They are like rocking horse poop, but certainly worth considering.
Kept him going for the last few years after his car was taken off him.
One thing I would say was that as an old guy with bladder issues, he was prone to not drinking enough. A few times he was rescued back by passersby in a confused state. There's no way he could have continued on his collection of road bikes - he barely carried on with the Isla in the end.
That GT looks good - I have the CYC Proton kit and it is great but by the time you have the kit and battery you are getting towards a good percentage of the cost of the GT (more for the CYC) and it is always going to look crap compared to the svelte GT.
+1 on a step through bike, but I would err towards lighter if you can. They are not cheap! I have an family member who did buy a hybrid eBike, but has moved onto a step through and just thinks it is wonderful and wishes he had got over the 'embarrassment' of it earlier...
+1 for step through frame, stepping off the bike was how my dad (93) broke his hip! I would also add a dropper post so can get both feet on the ground before stepping off.
Recently saw a Skarper unit (Chris Hoy and Co enterprise) on a road bike, the owner was particularly pleased with how easy it was to use and to get on and off the bike. Very expensive still!
If he thinks ebikes are ugly (and he's correct 😂) then he won't go for a bafang conversion.
I have a couple of friends who have the switch setup on their Bromptons and are happy with it.
I can annecdoteally concur with the weight comment. A riding buddy of my mum recently got an ebike and the weight of it really spooked her (admittedly she is tiny). It dissuaded her from riding for a while and she had to be encouraged out on a few short acclimatising rides to gain confidence, and she did drop it as feared a few times. Sorted now, she's out on an 80 miles for her 80th birthday ride this week.
Ribble also do some surprisingly un e-bike looking e-bikes.
If you could find a nice second hand Islabikes electric Janis, that would be a great bike. My uncle has the non-electric one as his utility scoot and really rates it.
He actually just bought a Specialized step through off FB marketplace which he really likes as he was starting to struggle getting on/off his other bikes so I think best option is to get the something like the Swytch kit for that
Those GT ebikes are ~15Kg bare as supplied without pedals, I'm getting used to carrying it up and down our one flight of stairs to get from/to our ground level front door, but especially with ~9Kg over the rear wheel with the hub motor it's a bit of a beast compared to my 12.5Kg hybrid and my 8.5Kg road bike.
Pre long covid me was approx 85-95 total weight including the road bike and I could do approx 100W higher average over 5mins, so getting upto 250W help from the Bolt motor (Mahle X35) when the total weight of me and the Bolt is ~116Kg, makes inclines far more friendly.
I purchased a Dillinger e bike kit a few years back.
when it finally found a suitable bike to be attached to, it works great. The added throttle control makes standing starts and hill starts so much easier.
the problem is that the pedelec sensor and magnet can be a pita to get lined up.
it never really worked on the cube (just the way that the chain stays were positioned), much better on the Raleigh.
i also struggled to get the brake sensors to correctly calibrate.
i just purchased a pair of their own v-brake levers with the integrated sensor.
the kit is now being transferred to my Joan smoke, as I purchased one of decathlons all integrated units. Much less hassle,
bear in mind that e-bike batteries degrade over time, so try to use the bike as much as possible. You’re essentially buying the battery overall, so try to get the most out of it.
i like that decathlon makes rear racks to suit their hard tails.
mines is full sus, so I’ll have to make do with a backpack!
this fits in nicely at the front:
adding a kickstand is a must.