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My very decent and much loved- (not stealth advert) Bird AM9 seems to be declining in value on a weekly basis. Its now got to the point where I'm minded to hold onto it, and wait for the Swytch type e-bike boosters systems to improve in quality and become mountain bike proof.
I know what I'd be making would not be a "proper" ebike. But do we envisage a time in the next 5 years where the Swytch type converter kits become good enough to electrify many of our old (and undervalued) bikes, giving us enough oomph to get us up the steep bits for a couple of hours?
Is it a matter of time? Or will it never happen?
Can't see them ever having a large enough battery for it as they have to clip on and off the bars.
Plus front wheel drive...
Look into the tongsheng add on kit. Its 90+% as good a s a bosch motor unit. Perfectly OK for what you describe and now on its second iteration. there are other BB mount kits - the newest bafang looks OK as well but the tongsheng is smaller and lighter. These are available now
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/tongsheng-tsdz2-ebike-kit/
Hub based motors will never be any good for mountain biking because of unsprung mass.
Thanks all. This thread seems to cover it. "Tongsheng TSDZ2 ebike kit" thanks for responses
Despite the ads all over YT I think the main market for swytch is people with basic shopping/commuter/pub bikes looking to electrify them for shortish journeys rather than something that "adds value" to a nice but aging bike.
And Shoreditch twits who want to electrify their penny farthing.
1300km in with my tongsheng conversion of my old charge cooker HT so far and still very happy with it. Done some rough and steep tracks and single track with it too, Firmouth and Fungle Roads amongst others. No jumps or drops though.
I think you unfortunately have to accept its sunk money - the relentless march of designed-in obsolescence by the bike industry ensures that.
I've 4 bikes in the same category - well-maintained, perfectly good working bikes that are probably better than the day they came out of the shop - and are worth the square root of ****all. Maybe 5 if you include my half-dozen-year-old non-boost 27.5" wheeled Five (n
The only bike I've got that has some decent residual value is the Brompton - because thank **** they've not decided at Brompton thst what is really needed is a 19" front wheel and a 17.5" rear with a 144.783mm hub spacing with 13 gears and a oversize head tube and creak-fit BB.
It's like owning a Mk2 Mondeo. Not old enough or rare enough to have retro worth and coolness. Sat in the dip in the middle, just considered rather sh1t.
We need the Gov to do a bike scrappage scheme that gives £2k off a new one. But that would never do for the Daily Heil readers.