Thinking about an electric bicycle upgrade

cowman

Final Approach
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Cowman
So I've had my KHS Urban X bike since 2008 or so... it's a good all around bike. Starting to show some age but I like it and how it's set up. I ride up and down the highway and around the general area, normally when I go it's a good 5-10 miles out then back.

That's changed now, I have a kid so I added on one of those kid hauler trailers so I'm not stuck in the house when I have him. Problem is while the trailer isn't that hard to pull even up hills, it's basically a parachute when it comes to wind. The drag factor is huge and I've had to call for a pickup when I turned around one day and found I could go nowhere near as fast going back into the wind as I did with it at my back..... this is all greatly limiting my range.

Primary goal would be to bail me out in headwinds but I also know myself and I'd probably end up trying to go faster/farther in general just because.

I'm seeing electric conversion kits on amazon... wide variety of wattages, front drive, pedal drive, rear drive. I also wonder if putting upgrades/mods into a now 12 year old bike with rust showing saddle bags fading is wise over just eating the cost of a ground up electric. Anybody else tried this and have any wisdom to offer?
 
Since the issue only shows itself when hauling a trailer, how about putting a booster battery in the trailer?
 
E-Bikes in general are getting amazingly efficient, streamlined, and cheaper. I would go shop around for a real E-Bike before you spend any cash on some wonky conversion kit.
 
I like my bicycles (normal pedal powered bicycles), and had considered getting a conversion kit, but then you're trying to mount batteries, run wiring, and it's usually a front wheel electric conversion kit which seemed odd to me. I bought an eBike (AddMotor M150-P7) because it was a folding, fat tire bike. I figured that this would be a way to have a bike and go on those longer rides where, when I'm tired to ride back, the electric motor would help. Dang if it didn't take up the job of the regular bikes and, with the rear rack, I installed a Topeak MTX Trunk Bag and it hauls extra stuff (including groceries) just fine. I don't get near as much exercise as with the normal bike (which now hangs on the wall), but it's plenty of fun and starts to encroach on the motorcycle thread elsewhere on this forum. :p
 
I have a Swytch conversion kit on my folding bike for the plane. Seems nice enough, minimal weight gain, not a full 'eBike' but pretty good assistance.
 
How about getting a Triobike? Already setup to carry kids and has electric assist. No trailer needed.

https://triobike.com/en/

Photos of two different models from their Instagram page
75FC8557-334E-40FC-BBA7-F3414FAD509C.jpeg

DFF9E287-EC75-469F-8466-34DE065ED4BE.jpeg
 
The lower one looks like it's getting ready to dump the kid in the drink.
 
I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on the Jetson Bolt Pro folding electric bike if Costco gets them in stock.

$300
41lbs
has electric and pedals (the old model didn't have pedals)
17 mile range (but you can pedal, so I guess it's unlimited)

My bike just broke this weekend, so I'm considering getting one of these to see how the four of us like it, and potentially get more of them over time. our whole island is only 5 miles end to end, so we could use these to go uptown and back on one charge and once I get a plane, these would be easy to chuck in there for trips
 
The lower one looks like it's getting ready to dump the kid in the drink.

That kid looks plenty old enough to be responsible for her own propulsion.

That thing looks more like something you'd pay the driver for to take you around town.
 
Since the issue only shows itself when hauling a trailer, how about putting a booster battery in the trailer?

...and powering the trailer instead of the bicycle.

Not you're talking. Put some kind of pressure sensitive device in the trailer coupling such that the trailer follows along with the bike, and when the bike brakes, it senses and does regen charging to help slow down.
 
I wouldn't put too much money in the solution. Kids in trailers and bike carriers are a very temporary phase.
 
I wouldn't put too much money in the solution. Kids in trailers and bike carriers are a very temporary phase.
Agreed. We use a Thule Chariot 2-child trailer and it has been great since it converts to jogging stroller and regular stroller. However, the oldest is getting her first bike in one week (turns 4), and the youngest has a few more years to go. I can sell the trailer for what I paid for it used and come out no worse for the wear (other than having to buy a longer QR axle bolt). Those kid carrier bikes look like a pain to use in tight quarters and will probably be hard to sell for anywhere close to what was paid for them.
 
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