Installing a rear hub kit in an afternoon: the order that avoids doing it twice
Difficultymedium
Time3 to 5 hours
Cost$300 to $700 kit plus battery
- Move your cassette or freewheel to the motor wheel (freewheel removal tool, or a new one for $20).
- Transfer the tire and tube, or fit a new puncture-resistant tire. You will not want to pull this wheel often.
- Fit the wheel, torque arm(s), spacers so the chainline is right, axle nuts to 35 to 40 Nm.
- Route the phase cable along the chainstay with zip ties, leaving a loop at the dropout. No tension at the axle.
- Mount the controller (frame bag or under the rack), battery mount to the bottle bosses with rivnuts if the frame ones strip.
- Pedal assist sensor on the bottom bracket: magnet disc on the crank, sensor arrow pointing the right way for your side.
- Brake cutoff sensors or levers, throttle, display. Connectors are keyed; do not force.
- Test with the wheel in the air first. Spin-up, throttle, PAS, brake cutoffs. Then ride slowly.
#hub-motor#conversion-kit#install#pas#ebike
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💬 9 comments
9 comments
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The "what went wrong" section is the most useful part of this. More people should do that.
Question: do you need to disconnect power for this or is it safe to leave it plugged in?
Unplug it. Always. Takes two seconds and the worst case otherwise is a trip to the ER.
Small addition: wear eye protection for the part where you pry it. Learned that one the hard way.
Can confirm, the cheap part is the one that fails. Replaced mine twice before reading this.
Upvoted for the safety notes alone.
Unplug it. Always. Takes two seconds and the worst case otherwise is a trip to the ER.
The "what went wrong" section is the most useful part of this. More people should do that.
Unplug it. Always. Takes two seconds and the worst case otherwise is a trip to the ER.