10. You'll need Freewheels
1. How does the Bionx kit function?
Once the Bionx kit is installed on your bike (a relatively simple task that can be completed by any bicycle mechanic or person with basic bicycle maintenance knowledge), you'll find a new world of riding in front of you. The Bionx kit's main feature is its pedal assistance. Simply put, 'pedal assistance' is an amazing feature in which the motor will offer you assistance as you pedal. Simply pressing down on the pedal with your foot (i.e. normal riding) is what activates the motor, so you don't have to think twice about it. This means that you can pedal lightly and have the motor do the rest of the work, pedal effortlessly on return trips, extend the range of your trips by conserving your energy, and get to work without breaking a sweat. If you so desire, you can also get a control console that includes an additional built-in throttle. By pedaling once or twice and then activating the throttle, you can sit back and let the motor do all of the work.
It doesn't stop there. Not only have you gained pedal assistance, but you can quickly and easily adjust how much pedal assistance you get from your Bionx kit through the control console mounted on the handlebar. By pressing a button on the simple interface, you can adjust your pedal assistance as you ride so that the motor matches 25% of your effort, 50% of your effort, 100% of your effort, or 200% of your effort. At 25%, you'll find that a lot of the edge is taken off of the hills and you're still getting the exercise you want. At 200%, riding will be an absolute breeze.
2. How do I Install the Bionx System?
BionX Installation guide
A step by step guide to installing the Bionx Conversion Kit on your bike.
3. Regenerative braking
The Bionx kit also offers a feature called regenerative braking. When activated through the control console, this feature helps you recharge your battery as you use your brakes. It won't fully recharge the battery, but when used effectively it's a great tool for extending your riding range. Since it doesn't work concurrently with the pedal assistance, this feature is generally used on stretches of downhill riding when you don't need any assistance from the motor.
4. Additional features on the control console
The control console also offers many other features aside from setting the level of pedal assistance, regenerative braking, or variable throttle power. It also has displays which show you your current speed, the distance you've traveled, an odometer, a trip meter, your average speed, and then some. You can turn on back-lighting so you can read the screen in the dark. There's even a programmable anti-theft alarm. The control console also includes a battery charge indicator that reflects how much life you have left on your battery until the next recharge. This is useful in managing your battery charge throughout your trip.
5. Wheel sizes and motor types
With all of that said, it's important to note that the Bionx kit can be installed on almost any bike. People put Bionx kits on standard bikes, recumbents, folding bikes... the whole spectrum. Bionx kits will work with wheel sizes covering 700C, 26" (the most common wheel size), 24", 20", and 18", all with a standard 135mm rear drop-out. You have three different motor options to choose from, including a 250 watt motor (the lightest and most affordable, suitable for most riders), a 350 watt motor (a more powerful motor with more torque, for heavier riders, riders that are carrying a load, and riders that encounter a lot of steep hills), and a 500 watt motor (a motor with less torque but a lot more speed, suitable for quick riding on flat ground.) All Bionx motor wheels are compatible with both disc and rim brakes. The 350W and 500W motor options come standard with a control console with a built-in throttle, but you can opt not to include the throttle if you don't want it.
6. Battery options
The Bionx kit also offers both a Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) and Lithium Ion (Li-ion) battery option. These two different options represent differences in weight and overall battery lifetime. The battery can be mounted on the water bottle mount, on a rear rack, or, depending on the bike, several other locations on the frame. If your bike has unique frame dimensions (i.e. a folding bike, recumbent, or tandem) or if you are opting for a unique method of mounting your battery, we simply need to know the appropriate dimensions so we can give you the correct cable lengths. Once mounted, the battery is locked in place and cannot be removed without a key. That said, you can easily unlock and remove your battery to bring it indoors (the battery can be charged on or off of the bike.)
Battery range is very difficult to calculate as it is affected by a huge number of variables, including the battery's capacity, the rider's weight, the riding style, the number and duration of inclines, headwinds, and temperature. That said, a rider of average weight riding under normal conditions should expect to get about 10 miles per charge if they are using the throttle alone (without pedaling at all) and up to 60 miles per charge if they are consistently riding at the weakest level of pedal assistance (where the motor matches 25% of the effort you put in.)
7. Is the Bionx kit compatible with my style of shifter?
The Bionx system can be installed on any bicycle with a standard derailleur shifting system, but will not work with a hub shifter, as the hub space of the rear wheel will be occupied by the motor. The Bionx kit will work with 7, 8, or 9-speed freewheels. (Note: This does not reflect the total number of speeds your bike has, but simply the number of cogs on your rear wheel. If you count seven, eight, or nine cogs on the rear wheel and you have a freewheel then you're good to go. For example, you might have a 21-speed bike that has 3 cogs up front and 7 cogs in the rear, making for a total of 21 speeds.) Due to the way that they mount, the Bionx motor is only capable of working with a freewheel's mounting and not a cassette's mounting. If you're not sure what the difference is between a freewheel and a cassette, for the purpose of the Bionx kit it is only important to understand that they just represent two different styles of mounting, where a freewheel screws into place and a cassette slides into place along guides and is then locked by a nut. The side of the Bionx motor has threads for a freewheel to screw onto, but not guides for a cassette to slide onto. If your bike already uses a 7, 8, or 9-speed freewheel, you can use your existing one. If your bike uses a cassette, you need to purchase a freewheel. There is an option to purchase a freewheel when you are buying the Bionx kit, and if you select it we will include it with your kit. If you have any questions in regards to this, please don't hesitate to give us a call or send us an email.
As for using your bike's mechanical shifting when riding, use it just like you normally would if your bike didn't have any electric assistance! Since you're still pedaling, if you're in the appropriate gear your pedal assistance will be that much more effective and you'll help to conserve your battery life even more.
Additional specifications
And, to further assist you in selecting the best kit for your needs, we've provided more detailed specifications on the different motor and battery options below:
8. More about the three different motor options:
The 250 watt Bionx motor weighs just under 8 lbs.
This motor offers 250W of nominal power (during regular use) and 450W of peak power (for short durations, when you need it to.)
Further motor specifications for those curious:
Torque: 7 Newton-meters25 peak
The 350 watt Bionx motor weighs just under 9 lbs.
This motor offers 350W of nominal power (during regular use) and 700W of peak power (for short durations, when you need it to.)
Further motor specifications for those curious:
Torque: 10 Newton-meters/32 peak
The 500 watt Bionx motor weighs just under 9 lbs.
This motor offers 500W of nominal power (during regular use) and 1200W of peak power (for short durations, when you need it to.)
Further motor specifications for those curious:
Torque: 8.2 Newton-meters/28 peak
9. More about the four different battery options:
The 24 Volt NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) Bionx battery, used in the Bionx P250 kit, has a capacity of 8 Amp-hours and weighs approximately 9 lbs. This battery comes in a hard case or a soft trunk bag and is used with the 250W motor. When properly maintained, NiMH batteries last roughly 500 charge cycles before the cells need to be replaced.
The 24 Volt Li-Ion (Lithium ion) Bionx battery, used in the Bionx PL250, has a capacity of 9.6 Amp-hours and weighs just over 6 lbs. This battery comes in a hard case or a soft trunk bag and is used with the 250W motor. When properly maintained, Li-Ion batteries last roughly 800 charge cycles before the cells need to be replaced.
The 36 Volt NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) Bionx battery, used in the Bionx P350, has a capacity of 8 Amp-hours and weighs approximately 14 lbs. This battery comes in a soft, durable trunk bag and is used with the 350W motor. When properly maintained, NiMH batteries last roughly 500 charge cycles before the cells need to be replaced.
The 36 Volt Li-Ion (Lithium ion) Bionx battery, used in the Bionx PL350 and the P500, has a capacity of 9.6 Amp-hours and weighs just under 7 lbs. This battery comes in a hard case or a soft trunk bag and is used with the 350W and 500W motor. When properly maintained, Li-Ion batteries last roughly 800 charge cycles before the cells need to be replaced.
10. Freewheels
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