There have been some small silver linings to this whole COVID-19 business, and one of them has been a huge boost to bicycle and ebike sales, as millions of people on lockdown steer clear of public transport and gyms and seek ways to take exercise outdoors in a family-friendly way.
Ebikes are well and truly a mature technology now, and I'm on record as being a total convert. But the fact remains, they're not cheap, and for many folks who already own perfectly good bikes, the option to upgrade to electric assistance using a simple, affordable kit is more attractive. And while some ebike upgrade kits look confusing and complex, this has to be one of the easiest-to-install kits we've seen.
The Unlimited Ebike Conversion Kit, in its simplest form, comes to you with a new, hub-driven front wheel (available in a range of sizes to suit most any bike), a battery pack, a quick-release battery mount plate that screws into the holes where you'd normally fix a drink bottle holder, and a wireless pedal sensor that straps onto your crank arm.
The installation process is simple: first, you drop out your front wheel and replace it with the one in the box, which comes pre-fit with a tire. If you're rocking old-school rim brakes, they'll work just fine, but if you've got a disc brake, switch it over to the new wheel.
Screw the battery mount plate into the frame using the screw holes for a standard bottle holder mount, then position the battery however it fits best. Run a wire up the front fork, clipping it to stay out of the way, and connect it to the battery. Then strap the small pedal sensor onto your crank arm.
That's more or less it. The wireless pedal sensor uses accelerometers and other sensors to figure out when you're pedaling and in which direction, and you get electric assistance at the front wheel. It's available in Euro-legal 250W/25km/h or US-legal 750W/22mph versions, with two different sized battery packs offering either 35 km (22 mi) or 80 km (50 mi) of assisted range.
There's a smartphone app, which you can use to change settings or simply act as a dash if you mount it in a cradle. In a perfect world, and this may be the case, you might also be able to unlock a truly "unlimited" mode free from speed limits. There's the option of a small OLED display that wires back to the battery unit, otherwise you can pedal backwards to change modes through the pedal sensor and go totally dash-free.
Other options include a wired thumb throttle, and a rear motor version that's more finicky to fit, and doesn't fit all wheel types. Still, with Indiegogo earlybird pricing starting at €449 (US$510), from a company that has previously successfully delivered a similar electrification kit for skateboards, this is an affordable and super-approachable way to upgrade your existing bike and enjoy the benefits of going electric. Deliveries are slated to begin this November if all goes to plan. Check out the kit in the video below.
Source: Indiegogo
