Why buy a whole electric bike, when you can convert your favorite bike to electric with the complete eZee hub motor kit? Your bike will be faster and have more power than most electric bikes, but it will still be your bike.

The eZee kit is one of the lightest weight and highest torque e-bike conversion kits available on the market. What does "high-torque" mean? It means that it can get you up hills, even steep ones, with only a little pedaling on your part. The days of grunting up a hill (or worse, walking your bike) are over.

Have you ever experienced your bike sitting in the garage or on the wall for months on end? Just don't have the energy to take it out? An electric conversion kit like the eZee will make it fun to ride your bike again. It won't sit in the garage for months or years on end anymore. No, you'll be competing with your spouse and kids to see who gets to ride the bike.

The eZee is a complete kit, ready to go

An advantage of the eZee kit is that it is a complete kit that comes ready to go. There's no figuring out which battery will work with which kit, digging around the basement for cable ties, or figuring out how to mount a massive lead acid battery your bike (the eZee uses a lightweight lithium battery that mounts on a standard bike rack, more on that in a minute). It is already figured out for you, based on years of electric bike experience by people like Justin Lemire Elmore, who has ridden his electric bike across Canada, and Dr. Morgan, Chief Technical officer for Cycle 9, who has been riding electric bikes since 1994!

RECOMMENDED USES: Commuting, hills, general riding, and cargo bikes

• Range of 20-40 miles per charge.
• Control the assist level with a twist throttle grip.
• Costs $0.03-$0.05 to charge (that's 3-5 cents per charge).
• Replaces the bike's front or rear wheel, takes only 1-3 hours to install. It comes in 26", 700C, and 20" wheel sizes
• The motor weighs only 8.5 pounds
• High torque and light weight is achieved by a built-in, maintenance free 5:1 planetary gear drive.
• The Lithium ion battery is 10lbs, for a total added weight to convert your bike to electric of under 20lbs.
• It can easily get the bike up to 20 mph with the supplied 36V battery. Upgrade to 48V for even more speed.

What's in the Box?

• Brushless, 400 watt nominal, 800-1000 watt peak, front or rear hub motor
• Built into 20", 26", or 700c alloy double-walled rim.
• Schwalbe Marathon tire with excellent puncture resistance and tube already installed
• Rear motor comes with 7-speed 14-28t freewheel installed (other options available)
• Dual voltage 36V/48V waterproofed controller with direct cycle analyst plug-in
• Right twist throttle (or thumb throttle option)
• LED battery gauge
• 36V 9.6 Amp hour Li-ion battery, in plastic case with on/off switch
• Bag that mounts on side of rear rack to hold battery and controller
• 180mm disc brake rotor
• Wire protectors, zip ties for routing cables
• Installation guide

You won't get any exercise riding an electric bike!

At least, that's what some people try to tell us. But they are wrong. For most people, they will get way more exercise than they are getting right now. The main reason people don't get exercise on their bikes is because they don't ride them! If you ride your bike often, because it is fun to ride, then you will be getting more exercise than driving a car or riding in the bus. That's true, even if you only pedal lightly. Electric bikes are about the most fun to ride of any bike we've tried. And we've been bike enthusiasts for most of our lives.

Here's an example. In 2008, Dr. Morgan, Cycle 9's co-founder, raced with a team of 3 other folks (all men) in a 200 mile bike race in the mountains of North Carolina, the Black and Blue relay. She rode a 50 mile, hilly stretch, and she passed quite a few men on her relay stretches (never being passed once). She maintained an average speed of 18.4 miles per hour, on her road bike in the mountains, without an electric assist (just her legs). And here's the thing... she didn't train for this race. She only did a few rides on her road bike the whole summer (she has no time for long training rides)! Her team placed 3rd, and was within a few minutes of being second place. How could someone who had not spent endless hours training for the race, do so well? She rides her electric bike, every day. If she is feeling sick, she rides (but uses the electric motor more and pedals less). If she is feeling great, she rides (and pedals more to get exercise). And each and every day on that bike, she is getting exercise and having fun. She never struggles up the hills - and she usually passes by most every other biker on the road - even when she has her daughter onboard. Each and every day she gets exercise, while most of the other racers she competed against are driving around in their cars, getting no exercise (then they do long rides to try to make up for it on the weekends).

Why buy from Cycle 9 instead of "saving money" buying from Joe operating out of his garage or apartment?

We are a real bike shop, with real people who work in the shop every day (except Mondays), and we answer our phones (toll free, 1-800-249-8098). We pride ourselves on customer service. If you have a problem, we respond to our emails right away. There's no wondering about whether you're buying from someone selling kits out of their garage, who may or may not answer the phone if you have a question. We have a full-time, professional bike mechanic on staff, and we have over 30 years of combined bike repair experience. We want you to be happy with your electric bike conversion experience - that is our number one priority. We have sold lots of kits, and had very few returns. Most people just can't get enough of electric biking once they discover it. (But if you do decide that the kit isn't for you, we will work with you to make sure you are happy). We will be there to support you. Our success depends on it.

Keep putting it off, until oil prices skyrocket, then you can buy an electric conversion (we're being sarcastic)

When oil prices go back up (and they will), there's going to be a mad scramble for alternatives to operating an expensive car. Some people may start taking the bus - but there's no freedom of movement or exercise in sitting on a crowded bus. And with the poor economy, many communities are cutting back on bus service, at the same time that more people may need it. Do you really want to wait until oil prices skyrocket again, when everyone else is going to be scrambling for solutions? In the summer of 2008, when gas prices shot up to over $4/gallon, we quickly sold out of electric kits, and there were no more to be had for a month. Don't wait until it is too late, when you'll be competing with everyone else for alternatives like this. When products are in high demand, prices go up. It seems unlikely that prices will fall on electric kits in the future, it is likely that they will go up.

We aren't professional marketers

We feel a bit funny doing all this marketing stuff. We are not marketers by training - we are people with a passion for bikes in all their forms. But if we're going to be effective in spreading our passion for bikes, to make the world a cleaner and healthier place for everyone, we have to do some marketing. So please bear with us, for just a bit more about why the eZee kit is one of the best conversion kits available.

What wattage means

Electric bike conversion kits are often listed by wattage (the same kind of watts used to describe lightbulb power). Some electric bikes and kits may be listed as 150w (watts), and others as much as 600w or more. But the important thing to realize is that there is no ratings agency that makes sure these claims are valid. Manufacturers can say anything they want, so the ratings don't really mean much. We've seen many products on the market that claim to be high-watt motors (600 watts or more), that aren't. If you use them for very long at the rated watts, they will burn out. Other motors are rated too low, because in some areas of the world (like Europe) there is a limit on maximum power. So motors are under-rated to appear to comply. The eZee motor kit is rated at 400 watts, but that doesn't tell the whole story.

eZee kits are built and rated for the long haul

For a reputable company like eZee (who has been making some of the best electric bikes on the market for years), they want to make sure their electric motor kits will last for the long haul. So they intentionally under-rate their power. This is a common trick known to engineers - figure out what the maximum load of your bridge/motor/building/stairway is, then rate it at a fraction of that amount so that it is always used well below maximum. It will last a lot longer that way. So for the eZee kit, a rating of 400 watts really means that you could operate the kit constantly at 400 watts, for many years, and get reliable service out of it. And 400 watts is a lot of power. For comparison, a professional bike racer might produce 400 watts in short bursts, but they can't keep doing that for more than a few minutes. So, having a 400 watt motor on your bike is like having a tireless professional bike racer helping you pedal your bike.

But 400 watts isn't the whole story. These motors can actually produce much more than 400 watts, say if you are going up a steep hill, or need to accelerate across an intersection. For the standard eZee kit, the peak poweris around 720 watts. That means you will have almost as much power as two professional athletes, at your fingertips. The power is controlled by a simple throttle, much like a motorcycle or ATV. You replace the standard hand-grip on your bike with the twist (or thumb) throttle, and then can use it when you like. If you need lots of power to get up a hill or across an intersection, you twist it all the way. If you need just a bit of power to maintain a fast cruising speed (while pedaling if you want), then you twist it part way. If you want to just pedal it like a normal bike, then you leave the throttle and just pedal. You choose when or if to have the electric motor helping you, and you choose whether to pedal or not. Any combination works. And unless you're on a steep hill, you can even use the motor without any pedaling at all - though the range of the battery will be reduced.

eZee kits produce high torque in a small package

Now, power isn't the whole story. There is another thing, called "torque," which often makes an even bigger difference in whether the motor can take you up a steep hill. The eZee motor is unique because it uses an internal planetary gear to achieve high torque in a small lightweight motor. This motor, though it is half the weight of motors like the Crystalyte or Forsen, has more torque, which means more hill climbing ability. For most people in most situations, the torque of the standard eZee kit is all you will ever need. We have many customers who are on the fence, wondering if they should get the even higher torque BMC V2-T motor instead. But of those who bought the eZee, very few have come back and said that it didn't have enough torque for them. Most customers are very happy with the torque on this motor.

The lithium ion battery is light weight, reliable, and comes with an automatic charger

And speaking of batteries, the eZee kit comes with a light-weight, highly reliable, rechargeable Lithium ion battery. The battery comes in a solid plastic case with an on/off switch. It can be mounted on a rack using the included battery bag. One customer of ours also figured out that the battery is directly compatible with the Topeak MTX racks - it slides right into their rail mounted system. One battery charge will cost from $0.03 to $0.07 (thats 3 to 7 cents), and will take the bike 20-40 miles, depending on how much you pedal and how hilly it is.

The kit comes with a fully automatic, 2 amp, UL rated charger. You just plug the battery into the charger, plug the charger into the wall, and turn the charger on. It will automatically charge the pack, with an amber light indicating charging, and a green light indicating charged. Don't worry, if you forget and leave the battery plugged in, it will be fine. When it is done charging, the charger will turn off the power to the battery automatically. Inside the battery case, there is a special charge monitoring circuit called a battery management system (BMS for short) that is always monitoring the battery, to prolong its lifespan. When you are charging, the BMS makes sure that the battery is perfectly charged, and no more. In typical use, these batteries will give years of maintenance free, no hassle service.

Why go electric?

We see more and more gas-powered motor kits being advertised around the internet for converting a regular bicycle to a motorized bicycle. There are a couple things to consider before making a gas conversion. The first thing is the pollution. Small, 2-cycle motors are very polluting (think of a lawnmower or chainsaw). The second thing is noise (again, think of a lawnmower or chainsaw). And the third thing is that they regularly require gas, oil, and maintenance to the spark plugs, air filter, etc (lawnmower? chainsaw?). The difference with an electric kit is that it is quiet and clean. There is no gasoline or oil to handle. You just charge it up overnight, and go. It charges in as little as 2-4 hours. And you can charge it up using renewable power like solar (that's what Dr. Morgan does).

Can I install it?

Installation of a kit can be done by anyone with some basic bike mechanical skills. To install it, you just take off your existing bike wheel, replace it with the eZee wheel, use the enclosed zip ties to route the wires, and mount the battery bag on your rack (rack not included, but we have racks available). You replace your current hand grip (usually right side) with the throttle, and then off you go (it even comes with a Schwalbe Marathon tire, so no tire change is required!)

The eZee kit is one of the few electric bike kits where using a disc brake is a painless experience. If you request one, we will throw in a 180 mm disc rotor with your kit. It uses an industry-standard 6-hole disc mount, so you can use any type of disc you like (though discs smaller than 180 mm may create interference with the motor housing, but we have an adapter available to change 160mm to 180mm).

Front wheel or rear wheel?

People often ask about whether to get the front wheel or rear wheel version. That depends on the bike. We slightly prefer the front wheel version, because then you have an all wheel drive bicycle. The weight is nicely balanced between front and back, and the motor pulls, which especially helps in slippery/wet conditions. However, we don't recommend using a high-torque motor like the eZee on suspension forks. It can be made to work in some cases, but most suspension forks are made from aluminum. So if it doesn't work, aluminum is prone to failing rapidly and without warning. Ouch. So if you're going to put it on the front of your bike, we recommend that you put it on a bike that has a steel fork (steel is more resilient, and less likely to fail without warning).

Or, if you really like your suspension fork, then that is a good reason to just get a rear motor kit. The rear motor kits are compatible with up to 8 speeds, and come with a freewheel already installed. If your bike is set up for more speeds, it is usually very easy to adjust it for compatibility with 8 speeds. And don't worry, you won't need all those extra gears once you have the motor installed!

How fast will it go?

The standard eZee kit is designed to give an assist up to 20 miles per hour. That is the average speed that many pro bike racers ride at. So with just the standard kit, you can go out and ride like a pro racer (even if you aren't on one of those fancy carbon fiber road bikes!) But even better, this kit is designed so that if you want more speed, you can upgrade to a 48 volt battery, and get even a faster speed.

Voltage is a measure of the amount of force that electricity can produce. The top speed of any electric motor is determined by the voltage (force), due to a technical thing called back-EMF (we won't bore you with the details here). Anyway, early electric bikes started at 12 or 24volts. But it turns out that most motors won't turn very fast at those low voltages. So, now, most electric bike motors run at 36 volts or higher. The standard eZee kit comes with a 36 volt battery (it is really more like 41.5 volts when charged). This is great for people who are happy riding as fast as the pros. But if you just have to have more speed (and more acceleration), then this kit is ready for an upgrade to 48 volts, such as with our 48 volt (55V when charged) lithium iron phosphate battery. In the menu below, you can choose the option to upgrade immediately to 48 volts, and get the upgrade at a significant discount to what it will cost if you buy it separately.

How much capacity does the battery have?

There is a lot of technical jargon in the electric bike world, and we think that scares many people off. But some of the jargon has important ramifications, like the term "amp hours" (often written as Ah or AH). Amp hours is a measure of the capacity of a battery, expressed as current (amps) times time (hours). A battery with 10 Ah can run twice as long as a battery with 5 Ah. The most common size for e-bike batteries is 10 Ah, because these are compact and light, but give enough range for most uses in and around towns. The standard eZee battery is rated as 10 Ah (9.6 to be exact), and weighs in at just under 10 pounds. That's a lot of power in such a small package. A lead acid pack that has similar range would weigh in at around 34 pounds.

We like our electric bikes to still feel nimble and lightweight, like a bike should. The eZee kit accomplishes this with its light weight and small form factor. Your bike still feels like a bike, not like a big heavy scooter. It is a pleasure to use, and to ride.

What about when gas prices go up again?

But, don't wait until gas prices skyrocket again. When that happens, there is likely to be a mad rush to alternatives like electric bikes. This is your chance to get ahead of that curve, and just not worry about it. Once you have your bike electrified, you probably won't care whether gas prices go up (or even if there are gas shortages due to unexpected events). The electric bike requires so little power, it can be easily charged by solar. So you don't have to rely on grid to charge the bike (unlike electric cars, which require a large solar array for charging).

Getting more exercise riding an electric bike, and have fun doing it!

Would you like to get more exercise, but find it hard to get motivated? Exercise means doing work of some kind. Lots of people find it hard to get motivated, and so they just put it off until tomorrow... and then the next day... and the next day... And the result are epidemics of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease in places like the US. Electric bikes are so fun to ride, that exercise naturally happens. You get on the bike, and most people just naturally pedal, even when the electric motor is doing most of the work. And even that little bit of pedaling adds up. If you ride 45 minutes a day, 5 days a week, that is almost 4 hours of exercise, every week. Four hours of light pedaling is a lot better than no pedaling at all. And that is four hours spent outdoors, doing a non-polluting, fun, and healthy activity.

We aren't just saying all of this as some marketing schtick. We ride our own electric bikes, every day. Dr. Morgan's bike has an eZee electric motor on it. And our customers love it too. They have things like this to say:

I just wanted to let you know that I am now in love with my motor! I rode 19.6 miles today and wasn’t sore and barely tired. Prior to the installing e-assist, I think I had maxed at 12 and was dead when I got home! I now LOOK for reasons to ride instead of dreading the hills. One hill is really steep and I have always had to walk it (and could barely do that pushing the bike!) I actually RODE up that hill the other day. It was a little bit of a struggle and I had to get out of the saddle, but I conquered it! In the future, I’ll probably take slightly longer routes around that hill, but I wanted to see if I could actually do it!

Is it waterproof

And one more thing to mention.. the eZee company has paid special attention to waterproofing this kit. They have sealed the controller (the little box that is the "brains" of the bike) and the motor itself for moisture. The battery is water resistant, and in a water resistant bag. There's no need to worry about whether the motor kit can handle the rain. This is the most waterproof of the electric motor kits we sell, because the designers actually thought about it.

Any questions? Just contact us, it is easy

We're here to promote bikes as transportation. We're in it for the long haul. We realize that it is critical for customers to be happy with their experience, from start to finish. We are here to support people and help people in getting on their bikes more often, getting more exercise, and reducing fossil fuel dependency. We won't leave you out to dry if there is a problem. We will be here to cheerfully help with any questions, concerns, or problems you may have. Just call us at our toll free number, 1-800-249-8098, or email us if you have any questions, before or after purchasing a kit.

If you want the most trouble-free, reliable, and lightweight kit around, the eZee kit fits the bill. The listed price includes free shipping to your door.

The eZee kit is also available without the battery, battery bag, or charger. Just select "no battery" from the drop-down menu below, it will automatically deduct the battery price.