I have a 5 year old Progear RS-30 (Specs below) Flat Bar Hybrid which I am going to convert to a e-Bike using a 250W Bafang BBS01 Kit
My reasons are that (a) I live in Potts Point and regularly cycle down to Rushcutters Bay to go sailing (carry a lot of gear) and I'm finding the hill really hard work on the way home. (b) I've put my back out (herniated disk I think) sailing a couple of weeks ago. So I'm trying to reduce the stress on my spine where possible.
Probably because of all the weight, I've had problems with the rear wheel which has buckled and now has a broken spoke and I keep getting flat tyres.
Can someone recommend a replacement wheel which is suitable for an e-Bike conversion and able to take the weight (I weigh 86Kg and the gear is about 20Kg) but doesn't weigh a ton either.
Progear RS-30 Frame Aluminium Hybrid 700C Frame Size 23' Fork Carbon Intergrated V-Brake Handle Bar 6061 Alloy Head Stem integrated Alloy Bottom Bracket Sealed Cartridge Truvativ Seat Pillar 3D Forged Alloy Gear Shifter Shimano Rapidfire 27 Speed F. Derailuer Shimano Sora R. Derailuer Shimano Tiagra Crank Set Truvativ 30/42/52T Free Wheel Shimano HG-50-9 Speed 12-23T Chain Shimano HG-53 Brake Tektro Alloy “v” Hub Alloy Black, QR, Cassette RIM Weinmann DA16 Alloy Black Machined Double Wall Spoke Stainless Steel Types Kenda 700Cx28C Colours Dark Silver/Silver Weight 16kg
That looks like a mid drive unit. So choice of wheels has very little to do with your e-bike conversion. But given the spec of your bike, I can't tell if your real wheel spacing is 130 or 135 mm. Kinda important to be able to recommend a wheel. Also, it sounds like that conversion would lose you your triple crank. Can't tell if the overall influence of the conversion would improve or reduce the usefulness of your bike. But it will change the character of the bike considerably. And no way to tell from here if your current bottom bracket will work with that conversion kit. Getting flats has very little to do with the overall spec of the wheel. First you need to determine WHY you are getting flats. Snakebite AKA pinch flats - too low pressure. Ground contact pinch the tube between tire and rim. Use a floor pump with a pressure gauge. Make sure you ride at at good pressure. A 28 mm tire will need topping up frequently. Just not good enough - switch to a wider tire. Make sure your frame/fork has enough clearance. Hit a pothole or similar hard enough and any pneumatic tire can be flatted though. Rider skill is important. Learn to "go light" when you hit bumps. Penetration flats - use tire liners or puncture protected tires. Holes on the rim side face of the tube - poor rim strip. Remove tire & tube, replace and reinstall. Once you've figured out your rear dropout width you can start looking for a stronger rear wheel. Butted spokes, double wall, double-eyeletted, 36 spokes. Build quality will be hugely important. Suitable units may be labeled as "touring" wheels. Don't forget type of brakes and cassette compatibility.
