How to convert an analog bike into an electric bike (2025)

Say what you want To obtain a bicycle up and down the hills with a minimum quantity of pedal power. What are you doing? The first option is simple: buy an electric bike. However, ebikes are not cheap. In these days, the less expensive but still reliable Ebike you can buy is Aventon Soltera 2.5, which costs about $ 1,200. You can rent an ebike or find a program of city bikes that you use them or, if you are really lucky, find an eabike in a loan library.

Or you can simply turn your normal bike into an electric bike. That is, you can slap an aftermarket unit on your traditional bike, creating an ebike assisted by engines with little more than your bicycle and a variety of Aphronary Power sources. What was a very niche field with only one handful of offers has become a cottage industry full of contenders and suitors and any number of startups that offer a conversion of the house for your bike.

So how do you transform your traditional bike into an ebike? And what are some of the best offers outside? We will guide you through it. If you don’t see anything you like, be sure to check our guides to the best electric bikes or the best electric scooters.

Hot in throt

Photography: Ryan Waniata

Well, first, you have to decide what kind of conversion you want. There are two types of basic ebikes, pedals and butterfly, with many more recent models that boast a certain combination of both.

Pedal assistance It is a mechanism that provides a greater push of electricity when pedaling. Through the use of cadence and/or torque sensors (how quickly the pedals are rotating and the power that is applied respectively), the pedals units light up at a certain point, making the pedaling easier. Sometimes pedal assistance can be so minimal, it is difficult to say how much work you are doing compared to how much of the load is managing your bike.

Butterfly unit Act more like a motorcycle or cyclò, allowing the pilot to rotate a tube mounted near the cloak or use a thumb -based knob to provide immediate energy to the wheels. EBike based on butterfly can be ridden without pedaling.

When it comes to Ebike conversions, where your power comes from and how it is delivered it may appear in different ways. Some mechanisms offer energy to the rear or front hub of your bicycle. Others are located in the lower range (i.e. where the clobles meet the bike frame). And some more recent conversion kits act like a treadmill mounted on your bike, using the rollers to help push the wheel forward.

Roll the clip

Photography: Stephanie Pearson

Having said that, it is important to consider your level of know-how by bicycle when it comes to the type of EBIKE conversion you want to undertake. If you are a Welcher, the conversion process is generally simple, regardless of the type of unit. If you can change a tire or exchange your box, you will probably be fine with a little trial and error and the help of the tutorials on YouTube. If you are wondering: “What is a box?” It is probably better to visit your local bicycle shop and manage the job.