Been meaning to post about the e-bike conversion kit I wound up using after a near-total failure with a Bafang kit purchased off Amazon. For almost the same price (~$650) I went for the 100g Geeko-front kit (https://www.100g.tech/product/geeko-front/) and my god, the experience was so much better.
Note: my review is totally independent; I'm not at all a "bike influencer" and 100g has given me nothing at all.
(1/n)
Here's the final build. By contrast with the Bafang setup, the battery and controller are in a single unit that looks like a water bottle and comes with a mount that fits perfectly where a water bottle would go. Having these components combined together means fewer wires and a much subtler appearance that doesn't scream "hey everyone! this bike has a bunch of electronics strapped on it that you could steal" nearly as loudly.
(2/n)
The battery/controller is connected via a single wire to the front hub motor. The enclosure of the motor was a little too wide for the fork on the well-used lightweight 90's hybrid commuter bicycle I had originally planned to use, so I had to switch to this beat-up hand-me-down mountain bike instead. As it turns out, I've appreciated the schock absorbers on the fork, given the poor condition of less-trafficked roads where I live.
(3/n)
The mountain bike had some real issues with its front derailleur which my bike shop had addressed very superficially if at all on the last tune-up. These were minor annoyances before the conversion but became serious problems afterwards due to the location of the cadence sensor so close to the front derailleur clamp. I'd say this design is another Achilles' heel of the system overall. I have to check the sensor before each ride to make sure it won't crap out on me.
(4/n)
The other thing that might be a drawback for some is that the Geeko-front kit has no throttle, only pedal assist. That's perfect for me, though; in fact the reason I returned the Bafang kit was that I realized 90% through the build that even though it shipped with a cadence sensor, there was no way to connect it to the controller, making it throttle-only. I work from home and my kids ride a bus to school so my e-bike is for recreation and short errands, like yesterday's trip to the ATM.
(5/n)
Quick follow-up to this thread; one of the things that made me hesitate to buy the Geeko-front e-bike kit in the first place was that I wasn't sure what kind of range I would be able to get before the battery ran out. Based upon my experience thus far, I'd estimate that it's around 50-ish miles on the moderate pedal assist level. And very importantly, after it runs out, it's still a totally usable bike; not saddled by an insanely heavy load. Kinda like the Mitch Hedberg joke about escalators.
In general, now I understand much better why I was cautioned away from going the e-bike conversion route in the first place, and I'm glad MA will be offering subsidies next year so others operating within the sub-$1k budget I set for myself won't have to put up with the same fuss. BUT, if you want a Class I e-bike conversion kit, the 100g Geeko-front is a much better option than a Bafang kit. Most of the hassles I encountered were related to my ancient bike, not the design of the product.
(6/6)