E-Bike Conversion Kit FAQs

Yes. Almost any sound standard adult bike — hybrid, mountain, commuter, road or folding — can be converted, and you keep the bike you already know. A kit adds a motorised wheel (or crank-mounted motor), a battery, a pedal-assist sensor and a display; it's usually a roughly two-hour job with basic tools.

Cyclotricity only makes conversion kits, so if you're unsure your bike's suitable, send us your wheel size and a photo of your frame and we'll confirm the right kit before you buy.

Every Cyclotricity kit comes complete and ready to fit — everything you need except the tools: a motor (pre-laced into your chosen wheel on the front and rear kits, or crank-mounted on the mid-drive), a controller, a pedal-assist (PAS) sensor, a handlebar display (3-level LED on the Front 250W; 5-level backlit LCD on the Mid 250W and Rear 1000W), and colour-coded plug-and-play cabling with sealed connectors.

You then choose a battery for your range (or use your own). A throttle is an optional add-on (£47.99), and frame-battery orders include a free pannier rack.

A structurally sound adult bike with a steel, aluminium or carbon frame, a standard wheel size (26", 27.5" or 700c/28"/29er) and conventional dropouts. Hybrids, mountain bikes and commuters are ideal. Cyclotricity's front-drive kit is the most universally compatible, and the mid-drive needs a standard square-taper bottom bracket (68/73mm).

Carbon frames are supported — but on carbon we recommend the Cyclotricity front- or mid-drive kit rather than the rear 1000W, whose weight and torque can be too much for carbon dropouts. Avoid bikes in poor mechanical condition or with unusual axle standards.

Unsure about yours? We'll check it before you order.

Cyclotricity makes three conversion kits, and the best one depends how and where you ride:

• Front-drive 250W (from £150) — easiest to fit, most universally compatible; ideal for commuting and everyday riding. Our best-value, best-selling kit.
• Mid-drive 250W (from £250) — drives through your bike's gears for the most natural feel and best hill-climbing; great for hilly routes.
• Rear-drive 1000W (from £180) — direct-drive for maximum torque and speed.

Not sure? For most UK riders we'd point you to the Cyclotricity Front-Drive 250W — the easiest fit and best value. Tell us your typical ride and we'll confirm the right one.

For UK roads, 250W is what you need — it's the legal limit and gives strong, smooth assist to 15.5mph: plenty for commuting, hills and leisure. We'd point most riders to the Cyclotricity Front 250W for simplicity, or the Mid-drive 250W for the most natural feel and best climbing.

Cyclotricity's 1000W rear kit is far more powerful and intended for off-road use only.

Choose by the range you need, balanced against weight and cost. Cyclotricity's 36V batteries (for the 250W kits) run from a 238Wh rack (~25 miles, £99) up to a 698Wh frame battery (~65 miles claimed, and 100+ miles in real-world reviews on low assist, £360); the 1000W kit uses a 48V 768Wh battery (~45 miles, £375). All are removable and lockable for indoor charging and good for around 1,000 charge cycles.

For everyday riding, most people land on the 562Wh frame battery (£199, ~50 miles) as the sweet spot. Prefer to use a battery you already own? You can buy any Cyclotricity kit without one (£0) — just note the front and mid-drive kits need a 36V battery, and the rear kit a 48V battery. Tell us your typical journey and we'll match you to the right one.

In most cases, yes. Three things decide fit:

1. Wheel size — the front kit covers 20", 26", 27.5" and 700c/28"/29er; the rear 1000W covers 27.5" and 700c/28"/29er.
2. Frame and forks — front kits need standard ~100mm fork dropouts; rear kits need standard 135mm rear spacing; the mid-drive needs a square-taper 68/73mm bottom bracket.
3. Brakes and gears — works with both disc and V-brakes; the rear kit needs a freewheel (a cassette needs an adapter).

A torque arm is included where needed. Standard hybrid, mountain, commuter or road bike? A Cyclotricity kit will almost certainly fit — and if you're unsure, send a photo of your dropouts and brakes and we'll confirm before you buy.

On the front- and mid-drive kits, yes — your existing gears stay (the mid-drive does require removing the front derailleur, leaving your rear gears intact). The rear 1000W replaces your rear wheel and its hub takes a freewheel (the screw-on type on most everyday bikes); if your bike uses a cassette (common on higher-end bikes) you'll need a freewheel adapter.

Not sure which you've got? Send Cyclotricity a photo of your rear sprockets and we'll tell you and supply the right parts.

Cyclotricity kits start at £150 (front-drive 250W), with batteries from £99 — and your total depends on the battery range and spec you choose. Even a fully-kitted conversion comes in well under the £1,000–£3,000+ of a comparable new e-bike, and you keep the bike you already trust.

Cyclotricity also starts lower than other kit brands (from £150 vs ~£190 Yose Power, ~£465 Swytch), with more battery and power choice.

Yes — a quality kit gives you a genuine e-bike for a fraction of the price, on the bike you already like. Cyclotricity is rated 4.3/5 on Trustpilot across 1,000+ reviews, with riders reporting 1,500+ trouble-free miles and kits still going strong after 5+ years. They're designed and assembled in Britain with UK-based support.

The one trade-off versus a factory e-bike is that you fit it yourself (an afternoon's work) — which is exactly why Cyclotricity focuses on easy installation and real help.

It's a straightforward DIY job — most riders fit a Cyclotricity kit in around two hours with basic hand tools (spanners, Allen keys; a torque wrench helps for the motor nut). The cabling is colour-coded, plug-and-play with sealed connectors, so there's no wiring guesswork, and a full step-by-step guide is included (plus a fitting video for the mid-drive).

Reviewers routinely call it "really easy" and "running in a few hours." Get stuck? Cyclotricity's UK team will talk you through it.

About two hours — an afternoon. The front-drive is quickest (swap the front wheel, fit the sensor, mount the battery and display, connect the colour-coded cables); the mid-drive and rear take a little longer.

Every Cyclotricity kit includes a step-by-step guide, and support is on hand if anything slows you down.

You're not on your own. Every kit includes a step-by-step guide (and a fitting video for the mid-drive), and Cyclotricity's UK team in Scotland is available 9–5, Monday to Friday — call 029 21 679 515 or drop us a message through our Contact form and we'll walk you through any step.

Customers single out our support in reviews — "prompt and accurate and always solved my problem." That hands-on help is a big reason people choose Cyclotricity over faceless importers.

Cyclotricity kits come with a 12-month warranty from delivery covering technical faults across the electrical components — motor, controller, display and battery. Normal wear and consumables (inner tubes, tyres, brake pads) aren't covered.

After the 30-day return window, any faults are handled under this warranty — just contact Cyclotricity's UK team and we'll sort it.

Yes — Cyclotricity is supported on Cyclescheme, Cycle2Work, Bike2Work and Caboodle, with no minimum or maximum voucher value, saving you up to 40% on any kit. Zero upfront cost: it's paid tax-free from your salary.

Get your voucher from your employer's scheme, send it to us, and we'll handle the rest.

Yes — a conversion is road-legal as long as the finished bike meets the EAPC rules: motor 250W or less, assistance that cuts off at 15.5mph, the motor only assisting while you pedal, and the rider 14 or over. Cyclotricity's front- and mid-drive 250W kits are built to meet these limits — no licence, tax, registration or insurance needed.

The 1000W rear kit exceeds them and is for off-road use.

On UK roads the motor must stop assisting at 15.5mph (25km/h) — you can pedal faster under your own power, but the motor won't push beyond that. Cyclotricity's 250W kits are capped at 15.5mph to stay legal.

The 1000W kit can be de-restricted to around 30mph via the display, but only for off-road / private use — riding a de-restricted or over-powered bike on public roads is illegal and uninsured. For everyday road riding, 250W is the right and legal choice.

Yes — and we'd encourage it. A Cyclotricity thumb throttle (£47.99) gives you full power on demand without pedalling — brilliant for off-road use.

The legal bit: a full-speed throttle like ours isn't road-legal in the UK. That's exactly why Cyclotricity has engineered its throttles as easy plug-and-play, with a connector near the handlebar — so you can unplug it for road riding and reconnect it wherever it's legal to use full power. Unlike throttles capped at 6km/h, ours delivers your kit's full speed when you want it.

For a road-legal 250W e-bike (EAPC), no — no licence, road tax, registration or insurance, and no compulsory helmet law (though we always recommend one). You just need to be 14 or older, and every Cyclotricity 250W kit is built to stay within these EAPC limits.

This applies only within the 250W/15.5mph limits; a 1000W or de-restricted bike falls outside EAPC rules and would legally need registration and insurance — which is why those are private-land only.

Use a lower assist level for everyday riding (Cyclotricity's biggest battery has topped 100 miles on the lowest setting), keep your tyres properly inflated, and go easy on full throttle (1000W kit). For battery health (around 1,000 charge cycles), charge it regularly, don't store it fully flat, and keep it cool and dry — it's removable so you can charge indoors.

Smooth, steady riding always beats stop-start for range.

No need to buy one — a display is included with every Cyclotricity kit (a 3-level LED on the front-drive; a 5-level backlit LCD on the mid-drive and rear). It sets your assist level and shows speed and battery status (the 1000W's display also controls de-restriction for off-road use).

Replacement and upgrade displays are available if you ever need one, but everything required to run the kit is in the box.

Yes — fitted correctly the system is water-resistant: the displays are sealed and the cabling uses weatherproof connectors, so normal UK rain and wet roads are fine. Just don't jet-wash the motor, controller or battery connectors directly, and store the battery somewhere dry.

Riders use Cyclotricity kits year-round.