How to choose an e-bike conversion kit

Hub motor vs mid-drive

Placeholder text. Hub motors sit in the front or rear wheel and push the bike along independently of the drivetrain. They are simpler to fit, cheaper, and quieter, but they don't benefit from the bike's gears.

Placeholder text. Mid-drive motors sit at the bottom bracket and drive the chain, so they multiply torque through your gearing. Better on hills and loaded cargo runs, but they wear chains faster and installation is fussier.

Battery range and capacity

Placeholder text. Range depends on watt-hours (voltage × amp-hours), rider weight, terrain, assist level and temperature. As a rough planning figure, expect 15–25 Wh per mile in mixed riding.

Placeholder text. Talk about where the battery mounts — frame triangle, rear rack or handlebar — and how that affects handling, plus what to look for in cells, BMS quality and charge cycles.

Legal wattage limits in the UK and EU

Placeholder text. In the UK and EU, an electrically assisted pedal cycle is limited to 250W continuous rated power with assistance cutting out at 15.5mph (25km/h), and it must be pedal-assisted. Riders must be 14 or over in the UK.

Placeholder text. Kits above 250W, or with an unrestricted throttle, are generally not road legal and belong on private land. Note insurance, registration and helmet implications for anything beyond the limit.

Fitting and compatibility checks

Placeholder text. Cover dropout width and material, brake type, bottom bracket standard and shell width, wheel size, and whether the frame has enough room for the battery and controller.

Kits compared

The same comparison table from our homepage, for quick reference.