Dear conversion kits,

As a group of people that live and breathe e-bikes, it was only natural that we’d meet. We had some good times, no doubt about it. And yet, even after hundreds of conversions, it’s time we part ways. While you may not forgive us, we hope you’ll at least understand why we have moved on.

• Conversions used to be more affordable than purpose-built bikes, and were at least in the same ballpark in terms of quality. That’s no longer true – e-bike technology continues to advance and prices have come down. Our customers can now purchase an e-bike that’s far higher quality than a conversion for only slightly more.
• In part, this is because traditional bikes are not built to sustain the additional stress from a motor. The brakes are usually insufficient to accommodate additional speed. The motor quality and reliability are always inferior to purpose-built systems. As a result conversions require more frequent service, and the service itself is far more complicated. When purpose-built motor systems like Bosch have global service networks in place, it’s virtually impossible to offer a comparable level of support for conversions.
• For a while, even after e-bikes had generally surpassed conversions, there were still exceptions. If you were looking for a high-quality mountain or road e-bike, for example, a conversion was still your best option. Now virtually every bike category has high-quality electric options.

So, conversion kits, we need to set some boundaries. If we converted a bike, we’ll continue to service it because we’re committed to our customers. But that’s the only time we’ll work with you – we won’t be making any new memories together. Goodbye conversion kits. We wish you the best.