Top 25 Frequently Asked Questions

The approximate top speeds for the E-BikeKit™ and E-TrikeKit™ electric bike conversion systems are as follows:
Please note: Actual top speed will vary slightly depending on wheel size, rider weight, and road conditions.

E-BikeKit™ (System for every bike outside of upright adult tricycles. Compatible with 36v and 48v batteries.)

E-TrikeKit™ (System for upright adult tricycles. Compatible with 36v batteries only.)

500w high-torque direct-drive hub motor. 36v only = 14MPH Forward / 4MPH Reverse

Most asked follow up question related to speed... "Can I make it go faster or do you sell something faster?"
The answer: No, we don't offer anything faster and modifications to make it go faster usually result in an expensive mess for users. There are other systems on the market that can achieve higher speeds but we don't offer them.

The range of your electric bike will be determined by several factors. The main factor will be the size of your e-bike battery pack. The size of an electric bike battery can be analogous to the size of the gas tank in a car. With batteries the size is referred to as "capacity" and it is measured in amp hours (AH). The more amp hours (or larger the AH number) of the battery, the more energy in the tank and the greater the distance you can expect.

Electric bike batteries are typically available between 7ah (not going very far) to 20ah (you really enjoy a long ride). Over 20ah and the battery packs become a bit impractical (imagine a smart car with a 100 gallon gas tank).

For the E-BikeKit™ and E-TrikeKit™ systems on this site you will see the expected range on each of the product pages. The range you see is determined by the battery and motor combination. Outside of the battery capacity, the other factors will be rider weight, rider input (how much you pedal), and road/wind conditions.

Here is an expanded look at range expectations from an E-BikeKit expert

If you want more insight into your specific range expectations, please call us toll free at +1 866.882.3245 and talk with an expert.

Our electric bike kits range in price from $698 for an e-bike kit without a battery to $1518 for a premium e-bike kit system with 48v 20ah Lithium Ion battery. You can see individual prices on the products pages on this site.

There are many electric bike conversion kits and batteries available online ranging from $200 to several thousand dollars. Conversion systems vary widely in quality and performance. Sellers run the gammut from dishonest to admirable. Ultimately, you get what you pay for.

We would encourage you to do your research before you buy. Our best customers are well-informed customers. Calling a few sellers for information before buying is a good way to find out who deserves your business.

All items are in stock (unless otherwise noted on individual product pages). Wheels are built to order in 16", 20", 24", 26" and 700c sizes.

Business hours are M-F 9am-5pm EST and all orders are shipped from our warehouse in Pennsylvania, USA zip 19021.

Small parts orders are usually shipped same or next business day via USPS Priority Mail with 2-3 day delivery in the US. International small parts orders are shipped USPS Priority International with 6-10 business day delivery.

Conversion kit orders are processed as received and usually ship same or next business day. All conversion kits are shipped via UPS Ground in the US with 1-6 day delivery (depending on zone from PA 19021).

Lithium batteries are in stock and ship seperately via UPS Hazmat Ground (signature is required at time of delivery). 

**TRACKING INFORMATION IS SENT VIA EMAIL FOR EACH PARCEL AT THE TIME LABELS ARE PRINTED.**

Shipping is calculated by weight. You can get a shipping quote by adding items to your cart and viewing cart.

For most items you will have the option of United Parcel Service (UPS) or the United States Postal Service (USPS) and you will be able to choose the lesser of the two options.

Li-ion batteries carry a premium hazmat fee of $35 per pack that is automatically added to the shipping total in our online cart.

All items are calculated based on shipping from zip 19021 in PA USA.

Sure we do BUT we do not ship any batteries outside the contiguous USA.

International shipping of small parts and conversion kits is done using USPS Priority International Mail. Most small parts are shipped in a flat rate envelope.

For kits, the parcel size and weight is as follows:

16" and 20" kit boxes:  20" x 20" x 10" and 20lbs

24", 26" and 700c kit boxes: 26" x 26" x 11" and 20 lbs

To get a quote for international shipping you can use the USPS shipping calculator. Choose flat rate envelope Priority International for small parts and use the "large package" option for kits (entering the dimensions above based on the kit you're intending to have shipped.

Many customers ordering outside of the US build their own SLA batteries pack by sourcing 12v SLA cells locally.

**The most common international shipping is to Canada. the rate for kits is usually $74 USD.
Any and all duties on import are always the sole responsibility of the buyer.

The E-BikeKit electric bike conversion kit and E-TrikeKit (tricycle-specific conversion kit) are universal and can be used to convert most conventional bicycles and tricycles. However, there are a few criteria which must be met first.

1. Your front forks or rear dropouts need to be wide enough to accept the an electric bike motor.
Front forks MUST be at least 100mm at the dropouts (where the axle fits into the forks). Rear conversions require 135mm of space between the rear dropouts (this is standard for most bicycles and tricycles).

Front wheel conversions MUST use a Universal Torque Arm & C-Washer (when appropriate with certain alloy or quick release forks). Using the "C-Washers" and Universal Torque Arm ensures a safe to install of the front wheels on "non-steel" & quick release forks.

Please Note: The rear motor axles are 12mm diameter and machined 10mm on the flats. Depending on the forks, a small amount of filing (typically just removing a small amount of paint) may be required to make the dropout slot wide enough to accept an electric bike motor.

2. You MUST use a Universal Torque Arm for certain hub motor conversions. Front conversion with motors above 250w and high-powered (500w or greater) motors require increased strength at the dropouts and a torque arm serves this purpose. A universal torque arm is included with every E-BikeKit conversion kit. Torque arms provide increased support at the axle and are used to prevent the axle from "spinning out" inside the dropouts.

3. Disc Brakes: Every E-BikeKit hub motor is disc brake compatible and uses a standard ISO 6-bolt pattern to connect a standard disc brake rotor. Simply transfer your existing disc brake rotor to the E-BikeKit hub motor.

Please Note: Compatibility of Disc Brake Calipers with the E-BikeKit Hub Motors - 18mm of Space.
Not all disc brake calipers will fit between the motor side cover and the disc rotor. Your disc brake caliper head needs to be narrow enough to fit in this space. In certain situations you may be able to add a spacer to gain a few mm's or you could also possibly add individual screw washers with longer screws to accommodate a larger caliper head. Compatible Alhonga mechanical disc brake calipers are available right here on EBikeKit.com.

The two types of electric bike hub motors offered by E-BikeKit are "geared"(uses an internal gear cluster) and "direct-drive"(uses two sets of rare-earth magnets).

A common misconception is that "geared" motors interact with your bikes gearing, this is NOT the case. "Geared" motors are called geared motors simply because they have an internal gear cluster. there is no shifting or relation to the rear gear cluster of sprockets on your bike.

Each motor has unique properties that may be more suitable for you. Choosing the best option for you will depend on your riding style.

Practical Summary:

If your total load is under 300lbs (total load with rider and gear) and plan on pedaling more than using the battery, and you want your bike to remain more of a conventional bicycle, then the 500w geared "performance" motor is likely your best choice of hub motor.

If your total load is over 300lbs and you plan on using the battery more, or you desire a higher top speed and more power, then the 500w direct-drive "heavy duty" motor is likely your best choice of hub motor. These motors are "puller" motors, and run at lower speeds and higher torque ratings than other motors, so be aware that you will get 15MPH top speed at 36 volt or 20MPH top speed at 48v.

Both motors are the exact same price and both are EASY to install.

Lead-acid and lithium batteries are vastly different in price, weight, performance, life-cycles, care, and warranty. The battery pack you choose to power your electric bike will ultimately depend on your range requirement and your budget.

Price: Lithium batteries are 3-4 times the cost of lead-acid batteries. The reasoning should be obvious based on the following 5 characteristic comparisons.

Weight & Power Density: SLA batteries are 3x heavier for approximately the same amount of power supplied by lithium batteries. Above 12ah size, SLA becomes too heavy for practical use on a 2-wheel bike. 3-wheel bikes can carry the heavier weight of SLA more comfortably, but if you want distances over 20 miles, lithium is the best choice.

Performance: The chart below illustrates the discharge curves for SLA and lithium batteries. As you can see, the SLA is more of a diagonal and the lithium is more even. This means the SLA pack will deliver performance based on the capacity remaining in the pack; as you use it the performance decreases 1:1 with capacity (imagine your cars performance slowing down as your gas tank empties). lithium, on the other hand, delivers more even performance for the duration of the charge and then falls off more steeply towards the end of the charge (rides like its full first 85% of the ride and then falls off in performance when close to empty). One downside of this is that the battery indicator on the LCD is less accurate when using a lithium battery. Just like the discharge curve of a lithium battery, the battery level indicator will remain high showing a full charge for most of the discharge, and then fall steeply as the battery is very close to empty. It is important to be aware of this and understand the expected range of your particular system.

Life-cycles: How many times a rechargeable battery is expected to undergo the process of complete charging and discharging until it starts to lose capacity (rendering it unchargeable). All rechargeable batteries have a certain number of expected life-cycles. SLA batteries are expected to last 175-250 "cycles" until they will need to be replaced. The lithium batteries offered by E-BikeKit are expected to last up to 1800 life-cycles and still return up to 80% capacity. Considering this, although more expensive upfront, lithium is half the cost of SLA on a per-cycle basis.

Care: SLA batteries need more care than lithium batteries. SLA battery packs should be charged as soon as possible after every use and stored full. If storing for more than 30 days, they should be stored full and "topped-off" with a maintenance charge at least once every 30 days. lithium packs can be charged as needed but should not be left "dry" (completely empty) for long periods of time. The same as SLA packs, lithium packs should be stored full and maintained with a charge at least once every 30 days while in storage. Both SLA and lithium batteries should be kept indoors (garage is fine) and will operate best at room temperature. Cold reduces the capacity/range of all batteries. A cold battery will take you less distance than a room temperature battery.

Warranty: SLA battery packs have a 6 month warranty. Lithium batteries have a 1 year warranty.

Direct-drive motors have a very slight drag when not engaged by electric current. This is due to the magnetic field between the two sets of rare earth magnets in the motor. This drag is very minimal with higher quality direct-drive motors like the one used by E-BikeKit. The resistance is non-existant when the motor is engaged with even the slightest amount of current.

When asked this question we typically explain it this way... If you took a conventional bike wheel, a geared hub motor wheel and an E-BikeKit direct-drive hub motor wheel and spun all three in the stand with the same amount of pressure, the regular bike wheel would get 10 revolutions, the geared hub motor would get 10 revolutions and the direct-drive would get 8.5 revolutions.

The hub motor you use should be chosen based on the application and weight of the load. For lighter applications the decision woud be more about the weight of the motor as the direct-drive is 14lbs and the 500w geared motor is 9lbs.

**Lately an increasing number of competitors (that only offer a small geared motor) will use the "drag" of a direct-drive motor to sell their geared motors. The fact is that direct-drive motors are reliable and ideal for many riders. Do not let the "drag fear factor" guide your motor decision. Base your decision on the overall application.

The E-BikeKit™ does not have regenerative braking and does not charge the battery when braking (or pedalling). Some electric bike systems do have "regen braking". There are several reasons the E-BikeKit does not.

1. Regenerative braking can loosen axle nuts due to the back and forth torque on the axle.

2. Regenerative braking systems require the controller and the battery pack to be "married" to prevent the system from hurting the battery pack. The E-BikeKit system is "open", meaning you can use any 36v or 48v battery third-party battery pack with the conversion kit. If regen were initiated, the charge going back to the battery, could damage the third-party battery pack.

3. Regenerative braking returns very little energy for the risk of loosening axle nuts and damage to third-party battery packs. The claims for regen return are typically from 3% to 12% depending on the source. Remember that bicycles are not like electric cars (which all have regenerative function). Electric cars are very heavy and bikes are not, so the force supplied to braking is far less and therefore the energy return is far less.

There is one positive upside to regen braking that we agree with; regen braking saves your brakes. Those who do use regen braking save a lot on brake pads.

This is one we hear a lot and it always surprises us a bit. Our usual reply is, "if it wasn't rain-proof, we wouldn't have a business". The E-BikeKit is more water-resistant than most electric bike conversion kits; the reason is that we use proprietary water-proof connectors that do not allow moisture into the cables.

This is also important for the motors. The motor connector on the E-BikeKit and E-TrikeKit are water-proof. Therefore they do not allow moisture to get through the motor cable and into the motor. This is an important differentiator over similar direct-drive hub motors.

Please note that while the E-BikeKit is fine to ride in the rain, and even get caught in occasional inclement weather when parked, it is best to keep the bike covered or indoors when not in use. This goes double for battery packs. Battery packs should be stored indoors whenever possible and kept at room temperature for best results. Cold batteries will deliver a decreased capacity resulting in less range.

The E-BikeKit™ and E-TrikeKit™ wheels are built to order and available in 16", 20", 24", 26" and 700c.

The wheels do not include tires. The intention is for you to remove the existing tire and intertube from the bike you are converting and transfer them to the E-BikeKit wheel (this is as simple as changing a flat tire).

The E-BikeKit rims are 25mm wide (brake pad surface to brake pad surface) and will accommodate any tire width from 1.15" to 2.25".

The E-BikeKit™ is primarily designed for converting 2-wheel bicycles (mountain bikes, road bikes, cruisers, recumbents, tandems etc.). It is also ideal for converting 3-wheel recumbent trikes with a  single rear wheel like the SUN, TerraTrike, ICE, and Catrike.

The E-TrikeKit™ is designed primarily for converting adult upright tricycles, industrial tricycles, side-by-sides, front load movers and food cart bikes. Trikes from Worksman,SUN and Schwinn are the most common candidates for electric conversion.

Motor: The E-BikeKit has either a geared 500w motor (performance) or a direct-drive 500w motor (heavy-duty). The motor on the E-TrikeKit is the same 500w direct-drive motor used on the heavy-duty E-BikeKit; it has a lower "winding" (how copper is wound on the stator. It also uses more copper to make the motor). The resulting heavy-Duty/E-TrikeKit motor yields a lower top speed (safer for an upright adult tricycle) and more low-end torque (better for pulling more weight).

Controller: The E-BikeKit and E-TrikeKit both share a 12 FET 22amp controller compatible at 36v and 48v.

Display: Both the E-BikeKit and E-TrikeKit share an LCD Dashboard. This programmable display has an on/off button, battery indicator, current indicator, trouble-shooting icons, and 5 levels of top speed.

Throttle: The E-BikeKit comes with a standard thumb throttle and a split-twist throttle (you can use either and they are modular). The E-TrikeKit comes with a split-twist throttle that has a red button on it to set forward or reverse. All throttles are variable, allowing the user complete control over power and speed.

E-Brakes: The E-BikeKit comes with a set of high-end Tektro brand e-brake handles with magnetic switches. The E-TrikeKit comes with a set (left and right) of Wuxing brand long e-brake handles with locking mechanism used for secure parking. The E-TrikeKit cables will allow for one e-brake to be used (left or right - both handles are included in every E-TrikeKit).

Price: Both systems are priced exactly the same.

Absolutely, The connectors on our lead-acid battery packs is the same as those on our li-ion packs so upgrading is easy. If you choose to buy a third-party lithium pack for your upgrade you would simply need to convert you controller to a co0mpatible connector (for example using this Anderson Powerpole Quickset, or you can purchase our battery wire harness and connect it with the positive and negative wires on your battery pack.

Many first time buyers will purchas an SLA (sealed lead-acid) battery pack first and upgrade later, keeping the SLA pack for backup.

The simplest way to determine charge time is to divide the battery's capacity (ah) by the charger's amps per hour rating.

For example, a 9ah (amp hour) battery pack will take approximately 4.5 hours to charge with a 2amp charger. 9ah / 2amp per hour = 4.5hrs charge time.

If the same battery were only drained 50% and then charged, it would take approximately 2.25hrs to charge to full (4.5ah / 2 = 2.25hrs).

The E-BikeKit™ and E-TrikeKit™ extension cables (the cables between the motor and controls to the controller) are approximately 5ft. They are long enough for any conventional 2-wheel bicycle conversion and they are long enough for tandems, industrial tricycles, recumbents and pedicabs. The cables are longer than necessary for most conversions which typically results in some additional cable being folded/tied and kept in the battery bag. It is very rare for the cables not to be long enough for a conversion.

500w-1000w hub motors operating with 22amp controllers (such as those on the E-BikeKit™ and E-TrikeKit™) will provide plenty of assistance getting up hills. That said, if a hill is steep enough and the total load is heavy, the rider will have to pedal. Standard electric bicycles are designed to assist. They are not designed to climb mountains with zero input.

If any of the systems are faced with enough resistance (for example placing your front tire against a brick wall and hitting full throttle), the controller will automatically cut power to prevent itself from harm.

If you are carrying a heavy load, not pedalling, and experiencing the controller shutting down... you need to pedal more:)

This is a rare occurence and an even less likely complaint as the Electric Bike Tech systems are plenty powerful and riders learn quickly what to expect and how to adjust input.

The E-BikeKit™ and E-TrikeKit™ conversion kits are assembled in Croydon, PA USA.

All hub motor wheels are built in Croydon, PA USA.

Electric Bike Technologies lithium battery packs are made in China.

Hub motors are made in China.

Components including the controllers, throttles and e-brakes are made in China.

The watt rating of motors is simply the rating at which the motor will run cool all day long. Our motors are 500w Nominal motors, meaning they will run at 500w cool all day, but will take peaks up to 1000 Watts.

Every E-BikeKit™ comes with a thumb throttle and a split-twist throttle.

The E-TrikeKit™ comes with a split-twist throttle that has a button for controlling forward and reverse.
The E-TrikeKit throttle is connected to the E-TrikeKit accessory cable and not sold as a separate item.

All E-BikeKit and E-TrikeKit throttles use TRS (audio jack type) connectors.

The E-BikeKit™ and E-TrikeKit™ are both offered without battery packs.
Kits purchased without batteries include a battery wire harness for connecting a 3rd party battery to the controller.

The E-BikeKit and E-TrikeKit are both compatible with any 36v or 48v battery pack.

The chemistry of the battery does not matter. You can use any battery type (lead-acid, NiMH, Li-ion, Lipo, LiFePO4, etc.).

People often ask if the size (ah) of the battery used matters. The size of the batteries does not matter as long as the voltage is 36 or 48 volts. Theoretically a 100ah battery would work, and yes 3 x 12v car batteries would work in series, but the resulting pack would not be practical for an e-bike (think Volkswagen Rabbit with 300 gallon gas tank).

No. EbikeKit is only offered on our alloy, eyeleted double-walled rims which have proven to stand up to the demand of the motors.

Contact your nearest local dealer for any questions regarding a particular build or any special circumstances.

Electric Bike Technologies products are sold via this website and through authorized dealers and distributors only.

Potential dealers are encouraged to apply online. We do not have "online only" resellers.

Qualifications (MUST haves):

• Must have an established brick and mortar business
• Must have liability insurance
• Must offer in-shop conversions and services