hub Drive conversions

Front and Rear Hub-drive conversions are easier installations than Mid drives. They require less technical skill.

• Chilled Squirrel builds the motor into a wheel that matches your current bike’s wheel diameter. Half the work is done!

• The ready-to-fit hub motor systems are built-in to a double walled wheel rim with x36 reinforced stainless steel spokes.

• Hub motor installations begin with replacing your current wheel and swapping the tyre over to the new motor wheel.

• Chilled Squirrel’s front and rear hub motors are geared , offering more torque for steep hills .

• The motors are gear, disc brake and v-brake compatible.

• The motor will integrate with your bikes current rear cassette - 8, 9, 10 and 11 speed cassettes ).

Pluses of a Hub drive conversion:

• Maintain all your current gearing - front derailleur and rear cassette.

• Much easier to convert your bike with a hub drive system.

• Lower on-going maintenance.

• If the chain ever breaks you can still use a throttle to get back.

Potential negatives of a Hub drive conversion:

• Less torque than a mid drive for the same wattage , however your weight , riding terrain, type of bike and preferences may actually suit a hub drive more.

• More Gears - some people like the simplicity of less gears ( This is actually a Plus if you ever ride the bike non-electric ) .

CHECK-LIST FOR hub DRIVES.

1. CHAIN WHEEL.

2. FRAME.

3. Mechanical Specs.

4. Weight.

5. HEALTH.

6. Terrain.

7. Steepness.

8. power and speed.

The Pedal assist (PAS) cadence magnet sensor fitting.

• PAS Sensor and magnets are fitted in this position and in the following way as per illustrated on your left.

• On some bikes the installation of the PAS can be more challenging and may require some basic re-working of the Chain wheel to allow more space for it to fit.

• In order for the entire e-drive system to work properly and smoothly, it is important that the PAS is installed securely without any hindrance from other mechanical parts.

• Let us know what bike you have and we will let you know if yours is a straight forward PAS installation or not.

Frame considerations

• What are the dimensions of the triangular area between your top tube , down tube and seat tube?

• The most likely and ideal fitting position for the battery and controller is on the Down tube.

  As Illustrated in the image on the right.

BATTERY MODELS FOR DOWN-TUBE INSTALLATION.

IF YOUR FRAME IS TIGHT YOU MAY NEED A SIDE-SLIDE BATTERY SYSTEM WHERE THE BATTERY SLIDES IN FROM THE SIDE INTO THE CRADLE.

ASK ABOUT OUR NEW SIDE-SLIDE BATTERY DESIGNS IF THIS APPLIES TO YOUR FRAME.

THRU-AXLE VS QUICK RELEASE (QR) AXLE

Please note that our rear hub drive conversion systems will not work on a bike that is a rear wheel thru-axle bike.

TYPE OF TERRAIN

If you intend riding light-off road such as light trails , jeep tracks and on-road track then a rear hub drive will work great.

GEARS

Your bike may have 2-3 front cogs working in union with a rear 8,9 or 10 speed gear cassette. If you like having more gears and are used to riding like this : Front and Rear geared hub conversion systems will work great for you . Your bikes front derailleur and chain wheel systems remain the same.

This does have the benefit of assisting you more if and when you do not use electric assistance especially up super steep hills.

TYPES OF BRAKES

For Front and Rear drive conversions, ideally your bike has Hydraulic or good quality Mechanical disc brakes such as Tektro. V-brakes will work fine as long as your brakes are well maintained and you install e-brakes for cutting motor power as soon as your use the brakes.

CHAIN AND REAR GEAR CASSETTE

The quality of your cassette and chain is super important to performance . Be sure to check the condition it is in before going ahead with any conversion. If they are worn and need replacing it is best to do that before starting your conversion. Keep in mind that your current chain may not be long enough to fit the new mid drive conversions. This is often the case therefore replacing with a new chain is highly recommended.

REAR AND FRONT HUBS

If you decide to go front hub conversion, your front hub will be replaced with a motor . Make sure that your Rear hub is in good condition and not in need of new bearings. And vice versa : If. you decide to go Rear hub conversion , your rear hub will be replaced by a motor. Make sure your front hub is in good condition and If you have air shocks on the front make sure they are working nicely and pumped up pressure relative to your weight. There will be increased torque on your bike and making sure your bike has been checked and is well serviced is super important before proceeding to do the conversion.

RIMS , SPOKES AND TYrES

Please make sure these have been checked before taking off on your e-biking adventures.

Your weight plays an important role in deciding on which motor power wattage output is best for your conversion. Your weight plays an equally important role in helping you understand which battery will fulfil your desired range ie: distance in km per ride that you’d like to achieve.

We recommend that you get a motor that is either just right for your weight or bigger. Having more power and being able to reduce it at your fingertips is better than having a motor that is slightly under-powered for your weight. Also consider getting just the right motor size for your weight because as you get fitter on an electric bike, you will start to use lower levels of PAS ( pedal assist). This way you will need less and less power as you get fitter one ride at a time.

Below is a *Guideline Chart comparing a 500w Geared hub drive vs 500w Mid drive.

For some people retaining a steady heart rate level is life-saving or detrimentally important to their health during exercise.

Electric pedal assist helps people maintain a steady level of power no matter how much the gradient of the terrain changes.

With PAS at your fingertips you simply increase and decrease the level of power when needed without having to stop to change anything.

if you do have any sort of problem breathing or need to alleviate pressure on your knees , hips or shoulders during riding, we suggest getting motor size that is slightly more powerful than your weight category.

Below is a *Guideline Chart comparing a 500w Geared hub drive vs 500w Mid drive.

Steepness and Roughness of terrain play a big role in pointing you in the direction of the size mid drive and battery that would better suit you. If you plan to ride a lot up some seriously steep and rough terrain , it is going to need a slightly bigger motor and battery size than your weight category.

Choose one power level up if you think this will be the type of riding you will be mainly doing so that you always have that extra bit of power when you most need it.

Below is a *Guideline Chart comparing a 500w Geared hub drive vs 500w Mid drive.

Steepness and Roughness of terrain play a big role in pointing you in the direction of the size and type of motor and battery that would better suit you. If you plan to ride a lot up some seriously steep and rough terrain , it is going to need a slightly bigger motor and battery size than your weight category.

Choose one power level up if you think this will be the type of riding you will be mainly doing so that you always have that extra bit of power when you most need it.

Below is a *Guideline Chart comparing a 500w Geared hub drive vs 500w Mid drive.

Electric bikes are made for exercising and while power and speed are not the main focus, it is important to choose a motor that provides you with enough oomf to choose whatever level of assistance or non-assistance you want at any given moment.

It’s simple , if you want just the right amount of power and speed then choose the motor size that suits your weight.

If for whatever reason you want more then choose a bigger motor. This is one of the big pluses of a conversion system.

Below is a *Guideline Chart comparing a 500w Geared hub drive vs 500w Mid drive.