Top 7 Modifications to Your Ebike

When it comes to e-bikes, and the growing trend of doing electric bike upgrades for a better riding experience, it appears that e-bike riders are just getting started. Most bike mods are done to serve a real and useful purpose, whether that’s improving brakes, making the suspension better, increasing battery range, improving power and speed, or something else entirely. When it comes to doing electric bike modifications, remember that safety always comes first.

Before You Try These Bike Mods

Considering that most electric bike riders choose to custom build their e-bike from conversion kits, or even from scratch, there are some great DIY e-bike mods you can make to your own bike. But before you go ahead and make modifications, be aware of your local e-bike laws such as the legal limits to how fast an e-bike can travel on the road and the maximum voltage you can have on your e-bike battery.

Here are our top seven modifications to try on your e-bike:

Add Lights

If you’re serious about switching to electric bikes, you might sometimes find yourself biking at night. Having reliable lights is one of the must-have e-bike add-ons for safe riding at night. Consider getting a new front headlamp and a rear tail light for your e-bike. There is a wide range of USB-rechargeable lights available in both local and online e-bike shops that are incredibly easy to install on your e-bike. In addition to lights, you should also get reflectors in case of unexpected electrical or battery issues.

Consider Fat Tires

One of the most popular bike mods for riders is changing those old tires to new ones that can handle pretty much any terrain. With greater range, e-bike riders tend to cover more distance and are likely to go off-road for a more adventurous biking experience. If you want to gain the traction you need to ride safely on snow, in the rain and even off-road, consider upgrading to fat tires. While wider tires will mean upgrading other parts of your e-bike frame, this electric bike modification gives you more confidence and control over your ride on any terrain.

Change Your Bike Frame

For traditional bike riders who want more speed, changing into a lighter bike frame is often a popular bike mod. But for e-bike riders, you’re going to need a sturdy frame that can hold together all the extra weight and mechanics. Upgrading to a stronger bike frame is not only safer, but also makes sure that your bike lasts longer. Make sure you’re upgrading to a steel frame with beefy dropouts. An aluminum frame is okay, but it will eventually wear down or need an additional torque arm to make the dropouts stronger.

Gear Selection for Performance Boost

Buying a complete e-bike conversion kit for your bike doesn’t mean that you have a ready-to-go bike. You need to check your other bike parts like pedals, chain, and gears to ensure a good riding experience after the conversion. Ask yourself what kind of drivetrain you want, especially if you want to maximize the performance of your e-bike in combination with the mechanical parts. Keep in mind that the larger the front gear, and the smaller the back gear, the harder it becomes to pedal. But you’ll end up going much faster.

You have two options when it comes to electric bike gear modification. You either go for a traditional multi-speed shifter if you want to be doing most of the pedaling and only want assistance occasionally, or go for the more extreme fixed-speed gear setup that’s tweaked to deliver more speed but will need far more battery assistance. Either of the bike mods depends on how you plan to ride your e-bike.

Move Your Motor

For most people building an e-bike from scratch, you’ll probably have a front or rear hub motor. If you opted to install your motor in the front wheel to avoid messing around with all the mechanics in the rear wheel, you might want to reconsider that option. A front-mounted hub motor may be easier to install, but because most regular bikes don’t come with a reinforced dropout on the front fork like they do on the back, your hub motor is less secure on the front. If you want your motor to stay up front, getting a fork with reinforced dropouts is a must.

Buy a New Battery or Remount It

If you started with the beginner lead-acid battery for your e-bike, which is usually the heaviest and the least durable, then it’s time you consider getting a new lithium-ion battery for your e-bike. These batteries are not only lighter, but are today’s industry standard in e-biking due to their power-to-weight ratio. If you use your e-bike to commute, you can get an extra battery for work so you can easily swap it out rather than getting the double size of your battery.

Rigging a new e-bike battery mount is also one of the best beginner bike mods you can try. Although most e-bikes come with a rack-mounted over the rear tire to secure the battery, you can consider re-mounting your e-bike to the bike’s frame to shift weight toward the center of the bike. A rear rack battery mount is only ideal if you have a large heavy battery.

Add a Carry-on Basket or Bag

Most electric bike modifications are all about maximizing performance and minimizing the weight from the extra components. On the other hand, riders also have to build their e-bikes to fit their day-to-day life. If you’ll be carrying stuff around to and from work, then a carry-on bag or rear or front basket for your e-bike is a must. Choose the right option based on factors like whether you have a rear or front-mounted hub motor or battery to ensure stability and a smooth ride.

Buy Ebike Add-Ons at Leeds Bikes

If you’re looking to upgrade your ride with quality bike mods, such as a taillight, handlebar battery bag, weatherproof battery frame bag, rear rack, front battery basket, or seat post mount, shop electric bike accessories at Leeds Bikes.