As the average maximum weight a bike can carry is around 250 pounds, it can be pretty challenging to find a conversion kit outside of the more expensive mid drives, that can comfortably support anybody who exceeds this weight.

So this review focuses on the 7 best eBike conversion kits for heavy people who weigh more than 280 pounds.

For a comprehensive overview on eBike conversions please refer to An Introduction to eBike Conversions as it covers topics such as safety considerations that you need to think about particularly regarding hub wheel motor conversions.

In a hurry? If you don’t have much time, the two best eBike conversion kits for heavy eBike riders are the Magic Pie 5 hub motor and the Tongsheng TSDZ2 mid drive motor

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The kits in this article include 5 hub conversion kits and 2 mid drive kits. Most of the hub kits are designed to hold maximum loads of above 280lbs/127kg up to 370lbs /168kg. The hub kits tend to use heavy duty wheels with heavy gauge spokes and the motors provide enough power or torque to move heavy loads at a decent pace. The mid drive kits by their very design are suitable for all shapes and sizes of people. With the exception of two of the kits, the battery is not included as part of any of the kits. So unless you have a battery from a previous project, you will need to buy one or build your own battery pack. Apart from one kit, all rear wheel hub kits in this list come with a 7 speed freewheel for your gears already attached.

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There is a plethora of ebike conversion kits around to convert your old bike to a mean electric machine – hub conversion kits, mid drive kits, even all-in-one kits.

So common are these kits, you don’t even have to go a specialist bike shop anymore. Unless you’re looking for something very specific, you can pick up a kit online, read these how to pages here or watch a bit of YouTube for guidance on how to fit and away you go.

But what about the heavy eBike riders amongst us? The ones whose BMI’s raise worrying eyebrows at the doctor’s office. If we want to feel safe and comfortable on our converted eBikes we need conversion kits that a) will support our weight and b) will still move the bike at a fair pace and obviously an appropriate bike that is strong enough to take both our weight and the kit – see the 7 must do actions before buying any eBike kit

Most ebike conversion kits and indeed retail ebikes guarantee a maximum load of around 250lbs / 113kg. Retailers tend not to honour warranties if the maximum load was exceeded when something goes wrong.

So as obesity becomes “the norm” in the western world, it becomes more important to find kits that can take heavier weights without having to pay through the nose for them.

While mid drive kits can suit most people because of their placement on the bike and the nice weight balance they give to bikes generally, they tend to be significantly more expensive than hub conversion kits and harder to install.

But when hub conversion kits take on more weight than they can bear, spokes tend to break, the motors groan with the effort, or simply just stop working.

This is why heavy eBike riders need to be extra diligent when looking at both the type of secondhand bike they buy and the specs of the eBike conversion kits.

Best Hub Motor Conversion Kits For Heavy eBike Riders

VOILAMART 48V 1000W

* Best Budget Kit

VOILAMART 48v 1000w REAR WHEEL HUB MOTOR

The Voilamart front or rear wheel hub with its 48V 1000W brushless gearless motor and top speed of 28mph (45km/h) can be restricted to a road-legal 750W and 24mph (38km/h) with a single blue switch wire embedded in the controller.

With a maximum load capacity of 330-440lbs (150-200kg / 23.5-31stone) and 12 gauge spokes the Voilamart wheel is the strongest of the wheel hub kits in this list and will comfortably support the heaviest of eBike riders without effort.

The 26″wheel weighs a hefty 22lb /10kg and has an alloy double wall around the rim for extra durability and rigidity. This also helps in preventing the spoke ends from piercing the inner tube.

The power of the Voilamart is enough to take a heavy eBike rider up certain hills at a good 20mph according to several riders. This will depend on lots of mitigating factors such as weight, wind, tire pressure etc. The PAS (pedal assist system) in combination with the throttle will give enough variety for riders who are looking to get fit or strong.

The Voilamart comes with full PAS and e-brakes which will cut off the motor when braking for added safety.

It also comes with a tire which can be easily replaced with something more to your liking.

Like a lot of eBike conversion kits, you will need to buy a battery separately. The battery needs to be 48V with a nominal capacity of not less than 11.6Ah. The throttle has a simple battery indicator which tells you if it is full, half or empty.

Read eBike riders’ impressions of the Voilamart here

Pros

Cons

Heavy eBike riders are able to climb hills with little effort on daily commutes

Controller bag is too small to hold the controller and excess wires

With the largest maximum load capacity of 440lbs this kit can carry the heaviest of eBike riders with ease

Included manual isn’t great

Has both PAS and throttle for different styles of riding

No display unit.

Great fun to ride with some riders hitting top speeds in excess of 30mph

iMORTOR 3.0 WIRELESS 36V 350W

Easiest and fastest kit to install

iMORTOR 3.0 WIRELESS 36V 350W FRONT WHEEL HUB MOTOR

The iMortor app wheel is an “All-In-One” and is possibly the most unusual and easiest front wheel hub kit to install and is also great for heavy eBike riders as it has a maximum load of 369lbs (167.4kg /26stone). With no need to worry about various wires, connections and other parts, you simply slip this wheel in place and you’re virtually done. The easiest and fastest install for a complete beginner to eBike conversions.

The iMortor wireless wheel has the controller built into the hub itself which explains the huge weight. The included 36V 7.2Ah lithium battery slides on to the hub within a crescent shaped casing. What could be easier?

Despite it’s relatively low wattage compared to other kits in this review, the combination of the iMortor’s weight and torque from the motor means that you do need to add a couple of torque arms to keep the wheel in place and to ensure that your forks or dropouts do not snap.

It has a top speed of 25mph /40km/h. The battery should give a maximum range of 25 -31 miles (40 – 50km)

The iMortor wireless kit comes with no obvious pedal assist, throttle control or brake switches. Instead it has a built-in internal sensor system which can pick up how hard you’re pedaling, whether you’re climbing hills or braking and adjust its motor accordingly – a very clever piece of kit.

To operate the wheel wirelessly, you need to pair the system with your phone using bluetooth and then set your parameters like speed, level of assist etc. on the phone. You install the iMortor app using the QR code sticker on the hub or download it from your phone’s app store. It works on both android and iphone. Your phone acts as the LCD.

It has five levels of assist with interesting category names and expected top speeds for each level:

Physical exercise 6-25-9.38mph (10-15km/h)
ECO 9.38-12.5mph (15-20km/h)
Economy 12.5-18.75mph (20-30km/h)
Sports 18.75-21.88mph (30-35km/h)
Climbing 21.88-25mph (35-40km/h)

The iMortor comes in several sizes including:

24″x 1.75″ with disc brake
26″ x 1.95″ with disc brake
700 x 23c with V brake

It will fit front forks between 85mm – 110mm in width. Once converted this eBike can be used for carrying kids, towing a small trailer and such like.

Read eBike riders’ impressions of the iMortor here

Pros

Cons

The wheel is strong enough to take a heavy eBike rider comfortably at 15mph

It can be tricky initally to pair your phone with the iMortor.

LCD built into your phone

Some inaccuracies on total distance travelled

Fitting the iMortor is ridiculously easy.

Despite the weight of the wheel the bike is still easy to peddle with the motor turned off.

Overall the iMortor is a good steady fun bike and great for commuting.

LEEDS BIKES 500 Series

** Overall Best Value - includes everything

The 500 series is geared specifically at heavier eBike riders, fat bikes and load bearing tasks. It is the only kit in this review that comes fully complete and is strictly road-legal offering a top speed of 22mph and a maximum range of around 30 miles. It is also the lightest wheel at just 11lbs /5kg. The 500 series is made up of three different front wheel hub kits all of which are 36V 500W.

Each kit comes with a proprietary controller and included Samsung battery offering 36V at 11Ah, 13Ah or 17Ah, a complete pedal assist system, an LCD kit which measures speed, battery power, distance etc, a thumb throttle and even a torque arm.

It is also the only one to offer a geared hub motor. Geared motors are known for their incredible torque and hill-climbing abilities.

The 500 series come in a wide range of wheel sizes including 20″, 24″, 26″, 27.5″ 650b ,700cc 29er. LeedsBikes will even install the hub motor into your existing wheel if possible.

All the kits come with a warranty of 2 years for the motor, 1 year for the battery and controller and 6 months warranty on the LCD.

Read eBike riders’ impressions of the 500 series

Pros

Cons

Everything needed for a conversion is included in the kit including battery and display unit

The manual can be a little confusing and not detailed enough

Uses a geared hub motor which is great for hill-climbing

The motor can be a little noisy emitting a constant hum.

Customer service is second to none.

As its a proprietary controller you may lose some flexibility if you want to upgrade the eBike later on

Great way to exercise using the pedal assist at the lowest level

MAGIC PIE 5

*** Premier Bespoke Hub Kit

The Magic Pie 5 from Golden Motor is a hub motor conversion kit with the motor and controller built into the hub.

Golden Motor is known for its range of high quality eBike conversion kits that can be used on most types and sizes of bicycles including folding bikes, tandems and trikes. The Magic Pie is one of Golden Motor’s flagship eBike kits having certain features not found in other hub motor kits.

The Magic Pie’s unique features include an internal controller that is completely programmable. In other words simply using your cellphone or laptop you can control the maximum speeds your bike will go, fine-tune how much pedal assist you should receive, determine how much power should be pulled from the battery and a host of other parameters. And the best thing about this is you can do this on the fly. For example you may want to lower the maximum speed when riding on a cycle path and change it when riding off road, all from your cellphone while sitting on your bike.

It is also the only hub kit to offer cruise control as standard meaning that once you reach the speed you want, simply pressing a button will maintain that speed until you stop it. And along with the ebrakes it provides regenerative braking.

The Magic Pie can be fitted either on the front or rear and is sturdy and powerful enough with its double-walled rims, to carry heavy eBike riders at around 300lbs+ very comfortably.

The kits range in size from 16″ to 29er and all come with cooling fins to prevent the motor from over-heating.

It comes with a choice of twist or thumb throttle with battery status indicator, optional pedal assist with 6 levels of assist, optional freewheel for a rear wheel installation offering choices of 6, 7 or 8 speeds with a range of tooth configurations eg 13-28t, 11-32t etc offering you a truly bespoke build for your eBike build plus optional battery and charger.

The Magic Pie at first glance seems more expensive than other hub motors here, but with its quality build, adjustable parameters and cruise control plus a choice of the right freewheel for your specific riding style, you definitely get what you pay for. And as a heavy eBike rider, can’t ask for better than that.

Read eBike riders’ impressions of the Magic Pie 5 here

Able to fine-tune every setting for the perfect ride with ease

Freewheel not included for rear install

6 levels of adjustable pedal assist

Can be a little expensive

Cruise control

Regenerative braking

Comes in a range of sizes from 16″ to 29er

Can use your cellphone to change settings on the fly

Great pre and post-sales support

REASEJOY

* UK best selling budget kit

REASEJOY 48V 1000W REAR WHEEL HUB MOTOR

The ReaseJoy 26″ front and rear wheel hub motor kits are one of the popular sellers on Amazon UK and comes with a 1000W 48V brushless motor, thumb throttle with battery indicator, e-brake, disc brake mounts and fitted tire. The rear wheel comes with a 7 speed freewheel. With these specs you’ll end up with a speed pedelec capable of reaching 28mph without much effort.

Its two unique selling points are i) its maximum load capacity of 330lbs (150kg / 23.5stone) can carry heavy eBike riders with ease for a fraction of the cost of any retail eBike. ii) its dual mode controller has in effect a backup, meaning that if the Hall effect breaks down for any reason the controller can switch over to a non-Hall effect enabling you to continue riding your eBike with the motor.

At 21.7/bs /9.9kg the ReaseJoy wheel is almost the heaviest hub motor kit in the list so probably unsurprising that it can carry a lot of weight.

To keep things simple for eBike conversion beginners there is no pedal assist system included. This means no faffing about with the crank arms and less time needed to convert your bike therefore more time to ride it. This is probably a key reason for it’s popularity. There’s also no LCD and of course no battery.

The battery needs to be 48V with a nominal capacity of not less than 17Ah to be compatible with the motor.

The ReaseJoy focuses on one thing only and that is converting your bike to a fast eBike without any frills.

Read eBike riders’ impressions of the ReaseJoy here

Easy to install as it is throttle only

No display unit – LCD

Ideal for heavy eBike riders with its maximum load capacity of 330lbs

Enclosed manual needs a lot of work

Comfortably hits speeds of 20mph on the flat with maximum load

Makes for a great commuting bike

Gives great value for money

Learn the 7 Must Do Actions Before Buying ANY eBike Conversion Kit

Best Mid Drive Kits For Heavy eBike Riders

TONGSHENG TSDZ2

*** Premier all-rounder mid drive

While mid drives are generally more expensive than hub conversion kits, the beauty of the Tongsheng TSDZ2 is that this kit is the only one to come with a torque sensor giving a much more natural biking experience. The torque sensor works by giving assistance based on how hard you are actually pedaling as compared to some cadence based systems that give assistance just because you’re pedaling. The TSDZ2 is a great way to build up stamina and fitness levels depending on how you use the 4 levels of pedal assist. And as heavy eBike riders, isn’t that what we’re looking for? If pedal power becomes too much there is always the throttle to fall back on.

There are three choices of wattage for the motor ranging from 250W to 500W, so depending on where you ride you can meet the street legal requirements of the country you are in.

The physical motor itself has a slim profile, comes with a 42 tooth chainring and is solidly built.

The kit comes with a display unit showing a huge amount of information including speed, amps and wattage indicator, PAS indicator trip range estimate etc. It also comes with walk assist which is very helpful when pushing your bike along.

Like all the kits featured here, the Tongsheng TSDZ2 also comes with an ebraking system that will stop the motor running as you brake.

Like a lot of eBike conversion kits, you will need to buy a battery separately. The battery needs to be 48V with a nominal capacity of not less than 11.6Ah.

Read eBike riders’ impressions of the Tongsheng TSDZ2 here

Torque sensor for more natural cycling experience

Nylon gear inside the motor can fail over time

4 levels of pedal assist

Expensive

Street legal

LCD with large amounts of data

BAFANG BBSHD

Great for off-road and speed

Like most mid-drive motors, the Bafang BBSHD can handle heavy eBike riders better than most hub conversion kits.

In fact with 160 newton meters of torque, the BBSHD is probably the most powerful motor in this list capable of speeding up steep hills on full throttle with barely a hiccup. As it is so powerful, the BBSHD is built with external cooling fins to keep the motor from overheating.

The kit is available from 500W up to 1000W and is very popular with off-roading eBikers.

It comes with 9 levels of power assist which will kick in once you start pedaling. A common complaint from riders who use the PAS is that they have to pedal really fast to try and keep up with the speed of the motor as it tends to go at full speed very quickly. One way of reducing this problem is by using careful gear selection with the right level of assist for you. Another way is to tweak the settings of the kit using flexible open source software on a PC using a USB programming lead. With this software you can change how much power you get on each level of assist. However as the software is open source as opposed to a Bafang owned application that comes with the kit as standard, you do need to know what you are doing as you can risk damaging your controller.

For many riders, PAS isn’t an issue as it’s all about the throttle and riding at maximum speed.

The BBSHD comes with ebrakes which will stop the motor as you brake and a wide choice of LCD screens

Like a lot of eBike conversion kits, you will need to buy a battery separately. The battery needs to be 48V with a nominal capacity of not less than 11.6Ah.

Read eBike riders’ impressions of the BBSHD here

Very powerful and very fast

Expensive

Hills present no problems

9 potentially adjustable levels of assist

Can be used on a wide variety of terrains

Quick Tips For Rear Wheel Hub Motors

Due to the added weight of a rear wheel hub motor it’s a good idea especially as a heavy ebike rider to squeeze some super sealant into the inner tube to prevent or slow down punctures.
Also fitting a rim liner round the wheel, a stronger inner tube and tougher tire will all help in extending the life of the wheel.
To distribute the weight it’s a good idea to place your battery (not provided) somewhere on the frame like the downtube, rather than on a rear rack.
Make sure you check and tighten the spokes before your first ride.

[Read Best Personal Electric Vehicle For First/Last Mile of Your Daily commute]

SUMMARY

All these kits are great for heavy eBike riders but the four kits that stand out are:

The Magic Pie 5 hub conversion for providing a completely bespoke build
The Tongsheng TSDZ2 mid drive conversion for providing the best of all riding styles with it’s torque sensor, pedal assist and throttle.
The 500 Series from LeedsBikes provides the best overall value as it is a fully kitted out hub kit.
The Voilamart front/rear hub kit is the best budget buy

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Learn the 7 Must Do Actions Before Buying ANY eBike Conversion Kit

For step by step instructions on how to install a front or rear wheel conversion kit please refer to the eBike Conversions for Beginners series in the yellow box below.

Get tips on how to choose and inspect a secondhand bike for your eBike conversion project .

eBike Conversions for Beginners series

Part 1 is an introduction to eBike conversions and covers reasons to convert a regular bicycle to an eBike, types of conversion kits with their pros and cons, safety and legal considerations, planning where to place components and much more
Part 2 is a step by step guide on converting your bike with a front wheel hub motor kit
Part 3 is a step by step guide on converting your bike with a rear wheel hub motor kit
Part 4 is a step by step guide on converting your bike with a mid drive motor kit

You might also be interested in reading Bike Accessories You Didn’t Know You Wanted which covers tips and tools to keep your eBike and yourself safe on the roads or learning about the best eBike helmets for fast eBikes.

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7 Best eBike Conversion Kits for Heavy or Overweight People

Part 5 of eBike Conversions For Beginners series

Best Hub Motor Conversion Kits For Heavy eBike Riders

VOILAMART 48V 1000W

* Best Budget Kit

iMORTOR 3.0 WIRELESS 36V 350W

Easiest and fastest kit to install

LEEDS BIKES 500 Series

** Overall Best Value - includes everything

MAGIC PIE 5

*** Premier Bespoke Hub Kit

REASEJOY

* UK best selling budget kit

Best Mid Drive Kits For Heavy eBike Riders

TONGSHENG TSDZ2

*** Premier all-rounder mid drive

BAFANG BBSHD

Great for off-road and speed

Quick Tips For Rear Wheel Hub Motors

SUMMARY

eBike Conversions for Beginners series

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