I did a DIY conversion of my Brompton (https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/variation-on-a-nano-conversion.251868/) which uses two small bottle batteries rather than one larger one so that it fits on the Brompton without affecting the fold. It then occurred to me that buying two batteries meant I now had a spare battery holder, so I set out to convert my cheapo 20 year old basic Raleigh mountain bike as cheaply as possible, as I could share the batteries with the Brompton (I only use the Brompton when I need to; the cheap bike is my all weather, all year round main bike because I don't mind if it gets trashed.)
I bought the cheapest Chinese-made kit available off eBay for £110. It came with a 7-speed rear wheel with the motor in which I hoped I could make work on my 3x6-speed bike. I had to widen the rear fork by using two nuts on a piece of threaded rod, gradually opening them while hoping not to hear any cracking noises. This was successful and to my amazement the gears and gear selector worked on the first six cogs of the 7-speed wheel without needing any further adjustment!
The rest of the work went smoothly except for fitting the throttle on the handlebars - it contains a little battery monitor screen which is designed to fit over a brake lever mounting band but which does not fit over my rotary gear selector, So another £8 for a new style gear selector, which I am still waiting for. The controller fits in my existing frame bag though a little triangle bag did come with the kit, as did new brake levers (with switches in to stop the motor) and pedal detection sensor.
Expecting the worst, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the parts in the kit and the ease of fitting.
(It doesn't look like a mountain bike anymore because I have previously replaced the straight handlebars with old-man handlebars as I prefer to look around me when cycling rather than down at the tarmac.)
I bought the cheapest Chinese-made kit available off eBay for £110. It came with a 7-speed rear wheel with the motor in which I hoped I could make work on my 3x6-speed bike. I had to widen the rear fork by using two nuts on a piece of threaded rod, gradually opening them while hoping not to hear any cracking noises. This was successful and to my amazement the gears and gear selector worked on the first six cogs of the 7-speed wheel without needing any further adjustment!
The rest of the work went smoothly except for fitting the throttle on the handlebars - it contains a little battery monitor screen which is designed to fit over a brake lever mounting band but which does not fit over my rotary gear selector, So another £8 for a new style gear selector, which I am still waiting for. The controller fits in my existing frame bag though a little triangle bag did come with the kit, as did new brake levers (with switches in to stop the motor) and pedal detection sensor.
Expecting the worst, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the parts in the kit and the ease of fitting.
(It doesn't look like a mountain bike anymore because I have previously replaced the straight handlebars with old-man handlebars as I prefer to look around me when cycling rather than down at the tarmac.)
