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Comment by cmclaughlin | Hacker News Reader

I converted a nice traditional steel frame bike to with an e-bike kit. I would not really recommend that route - especially not if you’re hauling around a kid or gear like me. I was blowing through brake pads every 3-6 months and for most people it’s probably best to buy a nice e-bike that’s well built and tailored to the task.

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That’s a question of riding habits not the conversion. Treat em like a bike with assist up hills and the breaks last just as long as a normal bike. Treat it like a moped with lots of hard braking and you want quality disk brakes as part of your conversion.

Saying that I stick at the low end. 50W - 150W is still very noticeable assistance, but still mostly a bike. 500+W is really a very different category.

Been seeing a guy in the neighborhood with an old schwinn mated to a chainsaw motor. Looks like a death trap putting that rotted frame under so much load.

No wonder! You definitely want disc brakes on an e-bike. Rim brakes are unsafe due to the increased weight of the bike and generally higher speeds.

What was the cost/time to convert a steel frame bike?

512 euro for the kit with battery. 1 hour if you exclude the YouTube tutorial videos prior to getting the kit.

Having witnessed ebike conversions by a couple folks that I would characterize as skilled, I would recommend buying something premade. Unless you are both a skilled bike mechanic and into electronics, it can be a huge rathole. It won’t be less than getting either a used ebike or a radpower bike new.

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