A good electric bike conversion kit will allow you to easily and cheaply add a battery to your bike. This is a significant savings compared with buying a new bike. There are many types of ebike conversion kit on the market. These kits are becoming easier and more complex to install on your bike. It’s a practical alternative for buying an electric bike.
The motor to drive your electric bike along with the battery will be included in an electric bicycle conversion kit. The power control system must be included. This typically takes the form a bar-mounted LCD display.
Additionally, the kit will contain sensors to determine how fast you are traveling and what level of pedal input you have to ensure that your power supply is adequate.
All electric bike conversions must be stopped when you’re not pedalling. The USA’s speed limit is 20 mph.
BikeRadar has tried a few of the electric bike conversions, but there are many others. For a complete review of the best electric bicycle conversion kits, check back soon.
For a more in-depth explanation of the various types of kit, please visit our explanation section further down.
Top 2022 electric bike conversion kits
Swytch kit for electric bike conversion
Pros: The range is compact and easy to set up.
Cons: Front axle 100mm threaded only, not compatible for thru-axles
Swytch is a London-based conversion kit. It weighs in at just 3kg. It can turn any bike into a ebike.
Kit includes a 40Nm Brushless Hub-Based Motor and Replacement Front Wheel. The lithium ion battery packs connect to your handlebars. They also act as the system controllers and LCD displays. The crank-mounted cadence sensors is also included.
Brompton has a Brompton-specific kit, complete with an adaptor for its front luggage mount.
Depending on your desired range, there are three types available: 35km, 50km and 100km.
Swytch just unveiled a new compact kit. It weighs in at 700g and provides 15km range. The new kit will officially launch in May. Pre-orders are expected to open shortly after. However, the existing Swytch kit is still available until late Summer 2022.
Cytronex conversion kit for electric bikes
Pros: Excellent range, clever sensor tech
Cons: The onboard information about range and battery levels is limited.
The Cytronex Cytronex ebike converter kit weighs in at between 3.2kg – 3.6kg. This is another front wheel conversion that houses a motor hub. But in this case, it is designed to fit into a standard bottle cage.
We tried the kit on a Cannondale Quick hybrid, and it took us around 30 minutes to convert. The system controller and LEDs that display the battery’s charge level are located on the battery. The battery can go up to 48 miles per charge.
We also tested the kit with a Brompton P Line light-weight folder. The total weight was lower than that of the C Line-based Brompton electric. The Brompton Electric is more affordable than it if you fit it to a C Line.
Electric bike conversion kits: different types explained
There are many ways to electrify your bike to help you climb those hills. You can either attach a front or rear-mounted motor to the bottom bracket. You can also mount a motor over the rear wheel and drive it by friction. Or you can hide the motor in the seatpost.
You can convert any bike you like, whether it’s a hybrid, road, mountain, or folder bike.
Many of these can be installed by a skilled home mechanic if necessary.
What are your options then? Let’s examine the various ways you can convert your non-assisted bikes into electric bikes.
Powered ebike wheel
The most practical way to use an e-bike is to swap out your regular non-powered wheel for one that has a motor. This hub will also include a battery and all the gearing required to turn the bike. A large hub drives the bike, and there is a strap-on pack for the battery.
It sounds simple but it has the disadvantage of adding rotating mass to your bicycle, making it more difficult to accelerate than nonrotating mass.
Kit for rear-mounted friction ebike conversion
A number of readers of a certain age might recall the earlier versions of these boxes in the 1980s/90s. This box sits on your back wheel and drives it by friction with a rubber flywheel.
This idea isn’t dead, and it lives on today in devices such the Rubbee which promises electric assistance bolt-on for almost any bike.
Rubbee’s basic model weighs in at 2.8kg. It has a range of 16 km that can be extended to 48 km with the 4kg top-spec version.
It can work with any wheel diameter between 16in – 29in. The integrated carrying handle clips on to your seatpost. Prices start at EUR579.
Concealed ebike kit conversion
The Vivax Assist hidden a motor in the frame’s seat tube, and applied power directly towards the crank.
Vivax
Here’s the low-key method: hiding a motor within your bike, so no one will know it is there.
The Vivax Assist, the most popular device for this purpose, has ceased to trade. Femke van den Driessche, a Belgian cyclocross pro, used it to power her 2016 victory in her home championships. At a subsequent race, she was discovered and received a six-year ban. She then quit racing.
Although Vivax Assist may no longer exist, we believe this idea has legs – at most for budding cyclocross athletes.
Mid-drive ebike convert kit
Many ebikes on the market are equipped with motors located around the bottom bracket and near the pedals.
These have the benefit of placing the bike’s weight lower, which makes it more stable.
This is not a standard option. You can also purchase aftermarket conversion kits for mid-drive models.
Bafang is an ebike brand that is increasingly focused on complete ebikes. However, it also sells a mid-drive conversion kit and wheel hub motors on Amazon.
Bafang states that the conversion can be done in less than an hour and costs PS360.
As mentioned above, you should be cautious with throttle-controlled bikes that don’t meet the UK ebike regulations. Otherwise, they will be legally considered a moped.
Amazon has other mid-motors available, including one from TongSheng that is said to fit 95% of standard bikes frames and weigh 30% less than a Bafang unit.
It has a torque sensor so should fall within the regulations for ebikes. The price is around PS350 but doesn’t include batteries.
Folding ebike conversion kit
Brompton electric conversion kit from Electric Concepts is available to electrify an existing Brompton.
Electric Concepts
What can you do with a folding bicycle?
If you have a Brompton, there are a variety of ebike-conversion kits. The kits come with a front wheel powered hub and a bag to carry the battery.
Cytronex and Swytch both can be used for converting a Brompton, as discussed above. Although the Brompton kit costs PS999, Swytch offers discounts up to 50% on occasion.
The system also includes a front-wheel hub motor, clip-on power packs, and a bottom bracket torsion sensor. It can travel up to 50 km.
Swytch also builds wheels for folders that have different wheel sizes or fork blade widths.