There are so many conversion optiosn, but trying to find the right one for my situation:
•Step through bikes with 7 gears and want to keep the gears, if possible. 700cc tires. 28 inch?
•Mostly need help on hills (not young) and I am short so not all bikes fit me.
•Not mechanically inclined. Only found one bike shop in the area that installs kits so far. Others worried about liability. The one I found sees to only install on 26 in tires. https://ezeryders.com/collections/conversion-kits/products/350w-front-hub-e-bike-conversion-kit •Live in a city. Have good locks but theft is an issue. A small part of why I want to convert versus buy new. I also flat out LOVE my step throughs.
I like the kit Johnny mentions, but doubt I will be able to find someone local to install and shipping the Step Through is not an option. If my recent reading has been accurate - Swytch might be an option but has some iffy reviews and takes a long time to ship. Hilltopper seems interesting but also has some iffy reviews. I feel a bit lost but want to go greener on my transport.
Help me help myself? :)
ok first some pointers. youll want to avoid hub motors, hub drive ebike kits, anything with a hub motor. avoid. those are only suitable for flat commuting, or just not at all. for any climbing, or high torque or speed - mid drive motor kits only. then its finding the right bike that fits you and for what purpose. how steep of hills are you really climbing? why do you feel you need a step through? -those are nice but you can get a bike with a low standover height as well. whats your daily range requirements? consider a full suspension carbon frame? doing the convert is relatively easy, just takes a bit of work, mechanical stuff may seem intimidating at first. but its not automotive, thank god. bikes are easy. most trail and mtb bikes use 29" tires nowadays, 12 speed cassette etc, for climbing ratio. not that you need that specifically. just depends what you think youll use it for mostly. for a lady whos smaller, you do want a frame that fits, and can accept a ebike conversion easily, and to keep the weight low as well for safety. theres not a lot of low weight mid drive motor kits right now. theres like 2 worldwide. $1-2k each. all other motor kits are kind of heavy, then theres premade ebikes which, most i recommend against.