[ezrider2010]

First off let me just say I own another 250w Ebike which I paid a lot more money for and it's still a good bike, but the hilltoper conversion kit was the far better choice.
I was looking for a high preformance super lightweight hybrid bike but I also wanted a hub motor that was not only easy to install but lightweight and offered very little resistance when freewheeling. clean republic came through for me.

the forks are carbon/aluminum mix and the dropouts were not wide enough to accomodate the hilltopper motor.I was a little skeptical on whether I could do the installation at all, but after talking to mechanics at a local bike shop they agreed that fileling away .5mm of the dropouts would not adversly affect the strenth of the forks.
also a 250w hub motor will not generate enough torqe to rip the forks. (keep in mind that this was assesed on my bike only. where there is enough material on the back end of the dropouts to file away, other aluminum forks may be different!)


it took only 6 min to file my forks, I just used a regular flat med hand file, once done the hilltopper went in without a hitch. after several hours of charging the battery I was off riding. the extra weight and very sleight resistance of the motor are hardly noticable. the bike still peddles easily and performs much like before.


the best part is that if I want my regular bike again, I just remove the battery, remove the motor wheel, and reinstall the old one all in a matter of 5 min.
preformance wise, the kit seems to be holding up just fine. I've got over 80 miles logged so far which is not a whole lot but, much has been on very rough and hilly terrain. have not done a wet weather test yet but I'm sure the kit will hold up. I'll try to keep performance issues posted as the days go by.

My only gripe and suggestion is that I think the motor should top out at 20mph rather than 15. just a little more speed would be nice.

[Speeder]

Hi Ezrider2010,

How is the modification working out for you? Do you use the motor on hills or starting from a complete stop?
I want to add a Lithium HT kit to my all carbon bike but have concerns about ripping off the forks. My plan is to only engage the motor upon achieving a speed of 15 mph. Thus the motor will only be maintaining a speed of 15 mph. Also I will not have to modify the forks as they are standard 100mm with 10mm slots, but the forks have "zerg" rubber-like inserts to dampen vibration.

I figure adding 11lbs to a 24lb bike is worth it, if I don't have to sweat to much and freeze in the winter. In the spring as you said, I can simply remove the kit.

Cheers and thanks in advance for your input,

Speeder

[uce]

CannondaleHillTopper.jpg

Total weight 19.5 lbs. Carbon fiber forks. Top speed 25 mph no peddling. I have ridden it over 200 miles with no torque issues. It does need a front brake installed because it is so fast.