e-bike conversion on trike

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

stuee147

Senior Member
Location
north ayrshire
hi all
as some of you will be aware im considering a e-bike conversion for my recumbent trike. iv been looking around and i was wondering would a front wheel conversion work on a trike ?
the only thing i could think of is with the drive on just one of the front wheels it could cause it to pull to one side as the power cuts in. but would it be a big issue or would it be manageable.? has anyone any experience ?

im asking as i have noticed that front wheel conversions are a lot cheaper than a rear wheel.

stuee
 

starhawk

Senior Member
Location
Bandhagen Sweden
When I bought my kit there was no difference i price, when I look now it is the frontwheel which is more expensive. Driving on just one of the frontwheels of a trike would be very akward you would have to have a trike which is brake-neutral to even try it. Besides that my supplier doesn't even have frontwheels in any other size than 28"
 
OP
OP
stuee147

stuee147

Senior Member
Location
north ayrshire
the kits iv been looking at for the rear wheels seem to be around the £450 price range but iv just found a supplier doing 20" front wheel kits for £350 and its uk spec so legal for me to use on the road. my biggest concern is how it would handle with drive to one side but at the same time iv seen a lot of delta trikes with drive to only one wheel. and thats sort of how i got to the idea but im not sure if it would work with the steering.
to be honest its just an idea i would much prefer a rear wheel drive system, or maybe a mid-drive system. i have to do a lot of working out and comparisons before i decide on what way to go.
 

raleighnut

Legendary Member
the kits iv been looking at for the rear wheels seem to be around the £450 price range but iv just found a supplier doing 20" front wheel kits for £350 and its uk spec so legal for me to use on the road. my biggest concern is how it would handle with drive to one side but at the same time iv seen a lot of delta trikes with drive to only one wheel. and thats sort of how i got to the idea but im not sure if it would work with the steering.
to be honest its just an idea i would much prefer a rear wheel drive system, or maybe a mid-drive system. i have to do a lot of working out and comparisons before i decide on what way to go.
£450 with the bigger 11ah battery that comes with a dedicated rack to carry it (its like a double deck rack where the battery slots in so leaving a normal looking rack) is pretty cheap when you think what they cost a few years ago.
 

BlackPanther

Hyper-Fast Recumbent Riding Member.
Location
Doncaster.
I'm on the look out for a cheap trike such as a KMX to turn into an ebike, just for the hell of it. No it wouldn't be road legal......in fact I'd quite like it to be able to leave burnout marks on set off! The kits are a bit of a minefield. Most don't include batteries, do you import or not, do you go road legal or not.

Any recommendations from anyone on good value, good quality kits?
 

raleighnut

Legendary Member
The legal kits are 250 watts but there is a 1000watt kit available google that and BTW they've fitted an MTB with 2 kits and no restricters :eek:apparently so you'll know when you hit the right page.
 
OP
OP
stuee147

stuee147

Senior Member
Location
north ayrshire
I'm on the look out for a cheap trike such as a KMX to turn into an ebike, just for the hell of it. No it wouldn't be road legal......in fact I'd quite like it to be able to leave burnout marks on set off! The kits are a bit of a minefield. Most don't include batteries, do you import or not, do you go road legal or not.

Any recommendations from anyone on good value, good quality kits?
build a basic trike and build it with the kit so you can hide the wires ect there is a kit iv seen on ebay with a 48v 1000w rear wheel motor all the wires and controllers and the batteries (4x12v ) with a bag to keep the batteries in while on the bike and you can unclip the bag and take the batteries in to charge and it all comes for what i think is a pretty good £499 just search for E-bike conversion kits theres loads of options iv even seen a 48v 3000w version that will leave some burn marks lol
 
Also look at the drive mechanism, there are three options (or a combination)

1. Simple throttle - all that needs to be said
2. Assisted Torque - a sensor in the wheel measures the pressure on the chain and then according to the setting subsidises your effort
3. Pedal speed - measures cadence /pedal pressure and as above subsidises

All have their pros and cons, the advantage of the first being simplicity and the second wo the fact you don't need to operate a throttle.

Also consider braking - many systems have brake sensors that cutthe motor when they are applied. These can be in-line as part of the cab;e.or attached to the levers.
 
hi all
as some of you will be aware im considering a e-bike conversion for my recumbent trike. iv been looking around and i was wondering would a front wheel conversion work on a trike ?
the only thing i could think of is with the drive on just one of the front wheels it could cause it to pull to one side as the power cuts in. but would it be a big issue or would it be manageable.? has anyone any experience ?

im asking as i have noticed that front wheel conversions are a lot cheaper than a rear wheel.

stuee

Have you done the e-bike conversion done yet , I have used several type of rear drive motors on a tadpole ( 5 conversions to date and we still own 4 ) and the q100 seems to be the most versatile of them all , This is the one used on the red 20/20 tadpole and has both throttle and pedelec sensor , The motors are available from BMS in China and the bare motor is much cheaper to import due to weight and size , I am using the 328 rpm as the 20/20s use a 20" rear drive wheel , The nice thing about these motors are the configurations you can get , and mine has a screw on freewheel and a disc brake as well , On a tadpole the rear brake locks up on hard braking as the weight transfers to the front , so a 140mm rear disc is still overkill .Another BIG advantage is the q100 is a geared motor rather than direct drive which makes it easier to pedal as you are not turning the motor in pedal mode .
The q100 can be overrun if you want extra power for off road use and a lot of controllers with LCD screens have settable parameters

regards emma
 
Top Bottom