Скачать или смотреть Cyclotricity 250W Front Drive Ekit Hub Motor Electric Bicycle Ebike. Updates in Video Description.

(Video made in July 2021. Apologies for the bad sound and video quality.)

This is my GT Transeo 3.0 hybrid bike, fitted with the Cyclotricity
36V 250W front drive Ekit, LCD display with PAS, and 36V 19Ah battery.
https://cyclotricity.com/uk/electric-...

I thought about buying a new 'ready made' ebike,
perhaps something with a Bosch motor, but they're so expensive!

My last ebike was a Voodoo Hoodoo mountain bike with the Cyclotricity 250W front drive and 36V 11Ah battery.
I did over 10,000 miles on it, after which the battery was down to about 70-80% of its original capacity.
Not much went wrong.
The clips on the controller box broke, which was easy to fix.
The charging socket on the battery wore out, due to sparking when plugging in the charger with the charger turned off.
It wasn't too difficult to replace the socket, but it might not have worn out if I had always turned the charger on before plugging it in.
More seriously, the charger packed up (I made a new one!).
Alas, the bike was stolen.

A new Cyclotricity Ekit, battery, etc. cost £700 (with a 19Ah battery).
{
Edit April 2025: It's now on offer for £550.
You can get a bike to go with the Ekit for just another £50!
I'd be tempted by that, but I'd sell the bike (or give it away).
}

Good things about the Cyclotricity kit:
Easy to fit.
The bike can be returned to standard.
Spares won't be a problem.
All the parts are available elsewhere in the UK, or direct from China (If you're brave).
Very reliable (10,000 miles on my old bike).
Overall simplicity.
The LCD display is excellent.
The maximum electrical assistance speed can be increased from a legal 15.5 mph to up to 23 mph.
There's no extra power, but this feature is a real bonus!
With a smaller wheel, the maximum assistance speed would be lower.

Not-so-good things:
The bike looks a bit home-made compared to a 'proper' ebike.
The motor's response to the PAS pedal sensor is basic.
Some posher bikes change the motor power depending on the pedalling speed and force.
The Cyclotricity kit does none of that, it's just on or off.
This could be regarded as a good thing in terms of simplicity and cheapness.
The plastic box for the controller is a bit fragile.
The motor makes a whirring sound. It's not audible in traffic,
but it is slightly annoying out in the countryside.

In the video I say that that power stays on constantly when you're pedalling.
That's not quite right, as the controller briefly cuts the power between gears when it detects a sudden change in pedalling speed.

Range?
Everyday, taking-it-easy riding, without any major hills, drains the battery down to one block after about 35 miles.

If you're expecting to use an ebike just for commuting, and your daily mileage is less than,
say, 20 miles, there's not much point in having a big 19Ah battery.
A smaller battery will be cheaper, and lighter. Just don't forget to charge it every day!

{
Update Jun 2022.
I've now done 2,200 miles.
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{
Update Jun 2024.
6,214 miles (10,000 km). The odometer has 'gone round the clock' and reset itself to zero.
}
{
Update Dec 2024.
7,500 miles. The battery would not charge.
With the charger unplugged from the battery, the charger output measured 42V, which is what it should be.
However, there was no voltage on the battery charging socket, where I'd expect about 36V.
I removed one half of the battery case.
The battery's 10A charging fuse was OK.
I pulled the charging fuse out a little (the fuse is in the positive line), and pushed a pin through the insulation of the negative charging wire.
I measured 36V between one of the exposed fuse terminals and the pin.
Therefore the charging socket was knackered. Luckily, I had an identical new one in my extensive stash of electronic junk.
Removing the old one was a bit of a faff, as along with the switch and USB socket,
it had been completely buried in hot-melt glue.
I drilled out the socket, which seemed rather brutal, but I couldn't think of any other way of getting it out.

New socket now installed, and working!
I'm not sure why the old one went open-circuit, and now there's no way of finding out.
It wasn't due to sparking when plugging the charger into the battery with the charger turned off,
as I've never done that with this bike.
}
{
Update June 2025.
8,500 miles. New chain, sprockets and discs.
That's a reasonable mileage, considering that I use the bike in all weathers.
No further problems with the Cyclotricity parts.

The screws that came with the new front disc were too long.
I tightened the screws up fully, and then noticed that the wheel wouldn't turn!
The ends of the screws were touching the internal rotor.
I changed back to the original (shorter) screws. No damage done, as far as I can tell.
}