Crank drive motor kit for electric bike
07/10/2026New electric bikes from car manufacturers
07/10/2026
Already owning a 250W e-bike with front motor and a 36v battery, a road accident sent that bike to the scrapyard.
Refunded by the insurance, I wanted to switch to a powerful rear motor kit because the 250W had trouble on significant climbs and did not exceed 30 km/h.
I stumbled by chance upon the power ebike website.
The hardware looked good quality and cheaper, but above all it allowed choosing your battery unlike competitors.
And by pure chance, power ebike was organising a group buy on the 205rh…
That sale precipitated my purchase decision….order placed, received a few days later but no bike to install it on….
So I toured the bike shops with a budget of €600-700 and safety requirements: hydraulic disc brakes mandatory and I wanted to get under 11kg weight….plus I wanted it black and red…. As you can imagine all the shops I visited failed: either I could not find it, or it was the colour, or the brakes, or the price… In short I decided to build it myself…. Not being much of a handyman and having absolutely no knowledge of cycling (I only use the bike to go to work to save petrol), in fact I hate that sport….but the savings made for my daily 20km decided me on this means of transport.
So I figured it couldn’t be that complicated to assemble a bike (in fact it is complicated)… I look on the internet, I find a bare frame to paint at €99…
– 6 cans of Ferrari-black car spray paint bought on sale at €10.90 a can
– 5 cans of gloss varnish at €10 a can
– 1 can of primer at €11
I find on the net a bike sticker manufacturer and I decide to take the GT brand simply because I like the design…
Stickers ordered for €15
Once all that was received, painting the bike was very simple….
I started looking for parts: front and rear Shimano Altus derailleurs…at a good price on the net….square classic Shimano crankset at €50…Suntour front fork at €90…and bottom bracket at €35…
I found a Chinese site where you find everything for bikes..
Result: I fill up…. Carbon bar, red ergonomic grips, red mirror, comfort saddle, carbon seatpost, handlebar bag rack, lighting, pedals, cables, watch, ties, bottle holder, bell..
But you have to be patient: one month of waiting to receive everything…
But given the price, about €150 for everything ….I did not hesitate….
The problem: I could not find my hydraulic brakes, the discs and the magnesium front wheel… Products found on another Chinese site for €120….the lot. Once everything was received,
I was still missing the tyres ordered for €30 with anti-puncture inner tubes, the shifters found at €20 and the rear bag for €25….but the most important thing was missing: the battery….
I wanted to buy it on the Chinese site but I was too afraid of losing my money if the battery never arrived… I asked advice from power ebike…who did not give me a site because of non-compete clauses but who steered my choice.
I found a 48v 17.5ah battery for €749 on a French site and it took me about 15 hours to assemble the whole bike….
Then a quick trip to the shop to adjust the brakes and derailleurs… Final result for €1,875.00, a brand-new bike to my taste….
After the first trials, top speed 42km/h (a bit disappointed, I expected 48-50km/h with the 280/380 8×8 motor),
As power-e-bike says, the table is given for a 48v nominal battery which, at end of charge, would show 58v or even 60v, which apparently is not my case, since mine shows 54v.
The bike weighs 35kg… in short I am happy to have pulled it off… (Project started end of February and finished on 8 May)
Do not hesitate: the investment is substantial but the pleasure is there….
