Some vendors only convert commuter bikes with IGH hubs due to shifting limitations of derailleurs. Also derailleur cages into the spokes is an actual thing. Shimano, SRAM, and Box all say Ebikes can only shift 1 gear at a time, and sell"special" Ebike shifters for this. Rapid Rise low normal derailleurs with a gripshifer used to be the solution. 8 speed is OK for Ebikes, and good cassettes and derailleurs are available. But Rapid Rise is all rare and pricey vintage stuff now, and it pretty much ended at 8 speed. So I'll move on from that.
For mid drives the Front Freewheel(FFW)/ Zip Tie mod and a gripshifter gets you in the game. A chain guide is important for this. But after that it works great.
This is based on the very high end Intend Magic Cranks MTB setup. But we already have the front freewheel.
For non mid rive bikes, or users who converted their mid drive Ebike and now want their other bike to match, or hubmotor users There is another way to do this.
I used Tandem stoker freewheel cranks, and the chain guide form the previous project (zip tie also) to add a front freewheel setup to my 1x11 (converted from Rapid Rise 3x8) XC bike with slicks.
The Rapid Rise let you preselect downshifts w/o pedaling, but you had to pedal the bike into gear. This would even work when stopped.
The FFW setup lets you shift in real time any time the bike is moving w/o pedaling. This has advantages. If you level the cranks to avoid pedal strikes even when going fast, you can shift into a very low gear if you know you will be stopping, and the derailler cage will be pulled up for clearance also. Of course it requires a gripshifter to get full range shifting to do this.
I used the pricey White Industries ENO Ebike freewheel, on the tandem cranks, with the FFW chain guide. The sound of the ENO matches crank speed. So you can shift by ear, or tell when you're in the right gear to resume pedaling by that. Just to see if it would work I put the 72 click ENO Trials driver in my bike. This raises eyebrows at the LBS and downtown dive bar (some of the college students raced BMX as kids).
For mid drives the Front Freewheel(FFW)/ Zip Tie mod and a gripshifter gets you in the game. A chain guide is important for this. But after that it works great.
This is based on the very high end Intend Magic Cranks MTB setup. But we already have the front freewheel.
For non mid rive bikes, or users who converted their mid drive Ebike and now want their other bike to match, or hubmotor users There is another way to do this.
I used Tandem stoker freewheel cranks, and the chain guide form the previous project (zip tie also) to add a front freewheel setup to my 1x11 (converted from Rapid Rise 3x8) XC bike with slicks.
The Rapid Rise let you preselect downshifts w/o pedaling, but you had to pedal the bike into gear. This would even work when stopped.
The FFW setup lets you shift in real time any time the bike is moving w/o pedaling. This has advantages. If you level the cranks to avoid pedal strikes even when going fast, you can shift into a very low gear if you know you will be stopping, and the derailler cage will be pulled up for clearance also. Of course it requires a gripshifter to get full range shifting to do this.
I used the pricey White Industries ENO Ebike freewheel, on the tandem cranks, with the FFW chain guide. The sound of the ENO matches crank speed. So you can shift by ear, or tell when you're in the right gear to resume pedaling by that. Just to see if it would work I put the 72 click ENO Trials driver in my bike. This raises eyebrows at the LBS and downtown dive bar (some of the college students raced BMX as kids).
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