How to Build a Battery Powered Bicycle
- 1). Choose a conversion kit that will work for your bicycle and meet your needs. The most important thing to consider is how far you have to go and how fast you want to get there. The longer the distance the more battery power you will require. If your average trip has a lot of hills, you may want to consider the most powerful motor your local laws allow.
- 2). Install the conversion kit. You will need to replace your current front or rear wheel (depending on the kit) with the one supplied with your conversion kit that has a "hub motor.' The choice of front or rear wheel hub motor is up to you, but typically people will choose a front hub motor if they are carrying the battery on their rear rack. If the battery is designed to fit on the frame of the bicycle, you can go with a front or rear hub motor. If you have front suspension on your bike, a rear hub motor is often the simplest solution as there can sometimes be issues with fitting the hub motor axle into the front shock drop outs.
- 3). Attach the motor controller to the wiring harness as outlined in the instructions accompanying your conversion kit and clamp the controller onto your handlebars.
- 4). Charge the battery and take your bike for a test ride. Stay within the manufacturer's claimed range until you have a better sense how far you can go before you run out of battery power. Hilly terrain, headwinds, and riding style (how much you use the electric assist) can all have significant impacts on the distance you can travel on a single charge.