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The Voilamart ebike conversion kit represents excellent value for money, in this review I will go over the pros and cons, based on my own experience installing over 50 of these kits in the last 3 years. Voilamart is a global Chinese online retailer that sells everything from domestic appliances to Beauty products. They also happen to sell budget electric bike conversion kits. But just because they’re cheap doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t any good.
What’s included in the Kit?
There are front and rear wheel kits available and an LCD option. These kits contain almost everything you need to convert your bike to electric, apart from a battery.
Voilamart rear wheel 48v 1000w ebike conversion kit (without LCD)
- 48v 1000w Rear wheel direct drive hub motor laced into a 26″ double-walled alloy rim with heavy-duty spokes
- 48v 26A Motor controller
- Controller Bag
- Pedal assist sensor
- Throttle with battery indicator display
- Brake levers with cut-off sensors (for cable brakes only)
- 7-Speed gear freewheel
- 26″ x 1.75″ Mountain bike tire
- Cable ties
- Plastic wiring coil (for tidying up the cables)
- Installation manual
Voilamart rear wheel 48v 1000w ebike conversion kit with LCD
- 48v 1000w Rear wheel direct drive hub motor laced into a 26″ double-walled alloy rim with heavy-duty spokes
- 48v 26A motor controller
- SW900 LCD Display
- Controller Bag
- Pedal assist sensor
- Twist Throttle
- Brake levers with cut-off sensors (for cable brakes only)
- 7-Speed gear freewheel
- 26″ x 1.75″ mountain bike tire
- Cable ties
- Plastic wiring coil (for tidying up the cables)
- Installation manual
Motor Specification
The Voilamart kit uses a simple brushless DC direct drive hub motor. Direct drive motors have been around for years, and the principle is based on tried and tested technology. This kind of ebike motor may have seemed high-tech 20 years ago, but it is now considered old-hat when it comes to electric bike motors.
One benefit of direct-drive hub motors, is they are cheap to manufacture, and fairly reliable. They do not have any internal moving parts (like geared hub motors) and they can generally handle quite a lot of power.
I have successfully run a 1000w Voilamart hub motor on a 45A controller with a 52v battery – producing over 2000w of peak power, with no reliability issues.
Legality
If you are in the UK, EU or Australia then the maximum continuous power output for an electric bicycle is 250w, with a speed limit of 15.5mph (25km/h) anything above that would be classed as a moped and subject to the same rules and regulations. You would only legally be able to ride your bike on private land.
This motor is rated at 1000w and is not speed-limited. There is a plug on the controller, that when connected limits the output to 250w and speed to 15.5mph. I have looked into the law and it states quite clearly that the motor has to be ‘rated’ at 250w continuous.
US federal law is different and allows 750w and 20mph, so technically this motor would still be illegal there.
I’m not one for rules and regulations, but you need to be made aware of the potential legal implications before you purchase and install one of these kits. For more information, read our article on UK e-bike laws.
Reliability
I have installed at least 50 of these kits over the last 3 years, and I have only ever had a couple of long-term issues reported by customers. Hall sensor failure has occurred on maybe 3 or 4 units, and I have had one controller failure, and one LCD pack-up.
Another issue you will encounter is broken spokes. If you hear a ‘clicking’ sound when riding, you will need to check the spokes for tightness. If you need to replace a broken spoke, you will need the correct length and gauge. I would recommend buying a pack of spokes and a wheel truing stand, for ongoing maintenance.
Thankfully, because these kits are so cheap, so are the replacement components. The hall sensors can be replaced if you are good with a soldering iron. The motor controller costs around £30 ($40) and the SW900 LCLCDan be purchased off Aliexpress for about $50.
In my experience, Voilamart is quite helpful when it comes to warranty claims. The only issue is, the replacement part is usually sent from China, so delivery may take a little while.
What types of bikes are best suited?
I would personally go for an older steel or Aluminium-framed mountain bike, hybrid or cruiser. All older mountain bikes and cruisers have 26″ wheels. It would also be advisable to upgrade the brakes if possible, as these kits add a lot of weight to a bike once fitted.
Installation and Compatibility
The Voilamart electric bike kit is primarily available in a 26″ wheel size, although I’ve seen 28″ / 700c available.
If your bike has disc brakes fitted, you could get away with fitting a smaller 26″ rear wheel to say, a 27.5″ wheeled mountain bike. I have done it before, without any negative impact on handling. This wouldn’t work with v-brakes, as the drop on the brake callipers would not reach the braking surface on the rim.
The motor axle can sometimes be a tight squeeze to get into the dropouts. On occasion, you may need to file the dropouts slightly to accommodate the larger axle.
Although the specification states that the kit is suitable for 135mm rear dropouts, you will nearly always have to pull them apart slightly to get the axle to fit in. You will also need to use the spacers provided, otherwise the rear brake calliper will rub on the motor hub casing.
When you are indexing the rear gear shifting, you will need to set the ‘low’ limit screw on the rear derailleur, otherwise it will rub on the motor casing when in 1st gear (largest cog on the rear freewheel).
If you have hydraulic brakes, the brake levers supplied will not be compatible, so you will either need to purchase separate cut-off sensors or not bother at all. On a motor with this kind of power output, it would be wise to purchase the sensors (especially if you are using a throttle).
I would not recommend the front motor if you have disc brakes, I have fitted a few of the front hub motors and the brake calliper nearly always rub on the motor, regardless of adjustment.
This kit does not come with a torque arm. I would highly recommend purchasing one of these, as it will prevent the motor axle from popping out of the dropouts. Something you don’t want happening at speed!
Performance
When installed properly, these kits will turn your humble bicycle into quite a fast electric bike. I have recorded speeds of around 30mph on the flat (without pedalling). At the very least you will need a good 48v or 52v battery with a minimum continuous current rating of 30A – the controller will draw a maximum of 26A.
Another thing to consider is the battery range. A direct drive hub motor is the least energy-efficient electric bike motor, so you will not get a particularly good range out of something like a 48v 10.4Ah battery, unless you are frugal with the power, and pedal a lot.
A good starting point for a battery would be a 48v 17.5Ah battery with a 30A BMS. This is going to be the most expensive part of the conversion. Of course, if you are only planning on using your bike for relatively short journeys then a 10Ah battery should be fine.
What if I run out of battery power?
Good luck pedalling! Direct drive hub motors are not only heavy, but you have the resistance of the motor to overcome. Pedalling one of these with the power off (particularly uphill) can be quite a challenge. I know, I’ve been in that position before! If you want a motor you can pedal comfortably with the electric assist off, then I would recommend a Bafang hub motor.
Conclusion
If you want to build a fast electric bike on a budget, then the Voilamart kit offers excellent value for money. It’s a simple, low-tech solution to building your ebike. The motor is heavy and inefficient, but it will provide you with enough power to put a smile on your face, and it will get you up most hills with ease. Factor in the cost of a medium-sized 48v battery, and you can build your bike for less than the price of the cheapest Chinese e-bike.
These kits are generally reliable, more so than the more expensive Bafang mid-drive motors. If they do go wrong, everything is fairly cheap and easy to replace. You could even buy a second kit so you had a backup of spare parts.
Regarding the legality – please check the local laws in your country. If you’re planning on using a converted bike on the road, keep your speed down in built-up areas, and always ghost pedal. That way you won’t draw any unwanted attention to yourself.
The Voilamart hub motor kit is one of the best e-bike conversion kits available for the price – it’s an old-fashioned, inefficient and heavy option, but it will give you a useful boost to your pedalling.
Buy Now: Voilamart 1500w LCD rear wheel e-bike conversion kit
hi tony, just set up my 1500w integrated wheel kit to an 48v-15ah battery, straight away got error code 8 on ws900 screen (throttle not working) pas is working ok, any help would be appreciated.
Hi Kev,
It could be a sticky throttle (quite common) the throttle needs to be at zero on start up otherwise the display will throw up this error and throttle won’t work. It’s quite possible you’ve got a faulty throttle, I’ve had a few over the years. I would contact the seller to see if they’ll send you out another one.
Cheers,
Tony
Hi Tony, you were right about error code 8 open up the throttle small inspection cover
middle wire was not connected suppler sending out replacement thanks for the advice.
You’re welcome?
Hi Tony,
I recently purchased a 52 volt, 14s 10p, battery for my 1000 Watt Voilamart front wheel. The BMS is rated at 50A. The battery works fine from a full charge of 58.8 Volts to around 49 Volts and then continually cuts out below this, meaning that I have to constantly disconnect and re-connect the battery cable to get it working again. When this happens, the LCD shows that the battery is around 60 to 75% full, but goes to zero when pedalling, particularly up hills, and then switches off completely and won’t then switch on again until I have actually disconnected and reconnected the actual battery cable, as I just described above. I understand that this might be due to each and every one of the 140 cells needing to be balanced, but I have tried this and the problem still seems to be persisting at the moment, though it was marginally better. Could it be the case that when the battery’s charge drops to 49 Volts, the BMS requires a higher flow of current than the controller will allow? Would it be a good idea to go to the P14 setting on the LCD and change it from the factory set current of 26 Amps to a higher current of, say, 30 Amps?
Very much looking forward to your response.
Kind regards.
Stephen
Hi Stephen,
I had a similar problem on a 52v 13.6Ah battery where it would be fine until around 50/51v and then would cut out (when under load) – it would always start again if I removed the battery and re-inserted it. I sent it off to be tested and it turned out there were 2 cells down. The controller only drawing max 26A shouldn’t be a problem as I’ve run Voilamart motors on 52v20Ah triangle packs before (with 40A BMS) without any problems. It may be worth changing the current on the display – if it does the job please let me know.
Cheers,
Tony
Thanks for that, Tony.
I shall try changing the current up to 30 Amps on the P14 setting, but I wonder if the controller will be okay with this, as I don’t want to fry it?
Many thanks.
Stephen
I’ve not personally experienced any problems changing the P14 current setting in the past, but I would still exercise caution particularly if you’re going to be climbing steep hills. I’m not sure if this setting even effects the current draw from the controller as you would expect to feel a slight increase in performance when raising this to 30A, but I haven’t noticed any in the past. Let me know how things go.
Cheers,
Tony
Thanks for that, Tony.
I increased the current on the SW900 LCD to 30A, last night, and I have indeed already noticed a slight improvement in my bike’s performance. I am not aiming to increase the current beyond this level though, unless anyone can convince me that doing so wouldn’t harm my controller. I shall let you know if my increasing the current to 30A helps to solve the problem of the battery switching off at 49 Volts. I am also still attempting to evenly balance out my battery cells, as I suspect that there are a few of them that weren’t charging to the same levels as the others, so it will be interesting to see how things pan out. Originally, I could only do 35 miles on my 30Ah battery, before it cut off at 49 Volts, but the last time I went out, I managed 38 miles, so that was a slight improvement on that one occasion.
Regards,
Stephen
Hi Tony. We have just had our 2 bikes converted with the Voilamart 250 front wheel kit. One of the bikes is performing well/brilliant, but the other seems to be struggling to get up hills and feels like the battery/power keeps cutting in and out, hardly working and giving barely any assistance. Any thoughts really appreciated. Battery and kit are brand new.
Cheers,
Steve
Hi Steve,
It sounds like a possible fault with the pedal assist sensor. Check the magnet alignment with the sensor – there should be a 3-4mm gap.
If the sensor is working okay and the magnetic disc isn’t moving on the BB axle, then there may be a fault elsewhere. If this doesn’t sort the problem out I would contact the seller as it may be a problem with the controller (silver box).
Let me know how it goes.
Cheers,
Tony
Thanks Tony. I have not got the pedal assist connected as i only wanted to use the throttle for power. So maybe it is a problem with the controller. We have 2 bikes and they have been connected up the same ie no pedal assist connected. One works fine/excellent and the other as i said is struggling to get up a small gradient. Maybe i will, as you suggest, contact the supplier. Cheers.
Steve
Hi Steve,
It’s quite possible the throttle is faulty – they’re quite cheap, it may be worth buying one off eBay or Amazon to rule it out. Also it’s worth checking the 3-pin connectors, the pins can easily get bent or sometimes there is a bad solder on one of the wires. Let me know how you get on.
All the best,
Tony
Hello please help,
I have a voilamart 250/1000 watt e bike kit, I have the kit on my bike and I’m running with a 48 volt 17.5 amp battery. I have the blue wire connected and I can’t get the legal speed limit it goes up to 22 mph. The lcd display is a standard sw900 the settings 1 – 16 I have tried all different combinations still no success, can you tell me please if this is a simple fix and what the settings should be on to achieve the legal. Do I need to buy a 250watt controller to solve this or is it a simple fix. I’m lost I’ve never had to ask anyone before for help could you please help me.?
Hi,
You need to set the speed limit in the advanced settings menu – P08 is the setting that restricts the speed – if your display is in km/h you will need to set it to25km/h (or 15mph). To get to the advanced settings you need to hold down the up and down arrow keys for a few seconds.
Hopefully this will do the job, if you have any more questions let me know.
Cheers,
Tony
Hi Tony,
I have a voilamart 1000w kit with a 26A controller, but i find the pedal assist very poor. Level one has too little power, then level 2 onwards is too much. Is there some better controller I could purchase to use with this motor that has better pedal assist control? Or is there some settings that i need to change in my sw900.
Thanks, Jim
Hi Jim,
I’ve experimented with the settings on the SW900 and it doesn’t make a lot of difference apart from changing the initial boost of the e-assist and speed at which the power ramps up. I usually use a KT controller, PAS and display combo link here although I try and use a 25A or 30A controller if the battery BMS is compatible. The KT display has the PAS levels set at steady increments, but you will need to configure the advanced P & C settings on the display – there’s more detailed information on how to do that over at endless-sphere.com.
I hope this helps.
All the best,
Tony
Hi Tony, I’ve just purchased this Kit and it’s still in It’s box, waiting for the battery, I’m very new and very Inexperienced In fixing up bikes but I’m going to have a go at it, I have a road/hybrid bike to fit the kit to. However my brakes are Cantilever and I see that In the Diagram above that it has 2 leads, 8 and 11, from the controller for the brakes, I’ve read that when the brakes are applied that it will cut out the motor.. can I use my existing brakes for this or do I need to upgrade my brakes to Disc Brakes?
Can you help and advise? Many Thanks, Jeff
Hi Jeff,
Cantilever brakes are just fine – you will just need to use the supplied brake levers. If you need any more advice, let me know.
Regards,
Tony
Curious if anyone has tried their newer 1500 watt rear motor kit with the integrated motor controller? I like the idea of one less box to mount, but…they are new…and probably not replaceable by us mere mortals!!
Hi Manny,
They have been around for a few years, I installed one on a hardtail MTB back in 2018. The controller was integrated into the wheel – I weighed the wheel and it was very heavy at 8kg. Performance-wise using a 52v battery it was very quick. It flew up to about 35mph and was very smooth and quiet. I can’t vouch for the long-term reliability as the guy I sold it to was very pleased with it and I never heard from him again so I assume it was all okay.
Cheers,
Tony
Hi Toni
I’ve installed a 1500w rear hub on an old Schwinn tandem and it goes pretty well. Recently however, the controller and hub seem to be getting pretty hot over a very short distance.
Can these motors & controllers handle some heat, or should I be concerned?
Thanks in advance
Darryll (Perth, Australia)
Hi Darryll,
Yes it’s quite common for the controller to get hot especially when the motor is under load. You can mitigate this by making sure the controller has airflow and is fixed to a heatsink (like an alloy mounting plate fixed to the bike frame or pannier rack). Another problem is the phase connectors (yellow, green and blue wires) – I find if you buy a ceramic 50 Amp block connector to connect the phase wires from controller to motor this can sometimes help.
I hope this helps. If you have any more questions, let me know.
Cheers,
Tony
Does this mean that mounting the controller inside a black plastic box is a bad idea ?
In my experience these controllers produce a lot of heat especially when under load / hill climbing in full power. Mounting the controller to something that acts as a heat sink is a good idea if possible.
I have a 500W front wheel hub motor. Worked fine yesteday, today the wheel is seized up, hardly turn with power off or on. Any suggestion of what to look at first? Thanks in advance, Joe
Hi Joe,
If the motor is turning when the power is off, it could be the bearings inside the motor. It may be worth loosening the axle nuts slightly to see if that makes a difference. If the motor makes a grumbling sound when you apply power it could point to a possible issue with the hall sensors inside the motor or possibly a dodgy connection on the main wiring loom coming from the motor to the controller. I would check the loom first for any obvious signs of damage.
Regards,
Tony
It may be a shorted cable. It causes the wheel to act as a generator. It makes it stiff to rotate the wheel.
Thanks for the very informative Review and comments.
I just built a 1000/250W Voilamart kit conversion. It seems to go! My question is about the 250W regulatory compliance mode. Voilamart say that it is for legality compliance but they say that it only works when using throttle control – PAS gives full power:
“-Upgraded Intelligent Motor Controller:
* Allow you to swap two power modes between the full 1000W power or 250W power by a single blue switch wire is embedded in controller. (Only for Twist Throttle)
* Still remain the full 1000W power with no speed control.(Only for Pedal Assist System,”PAS”)”
This seems backwards! EU and Australia require PAS and the power and speed limit. I have currently set it up with only throttle control and with the blue wire connected and it happily goes over the speed and power limits. It goes over them “more” with the blue wire disconnected! 🙂
Anyone else notice this idiosycratic behaviour?
Hugh.
Hi Hugh,
I’ve fitted quite a lot of these kits over the years, and found similar problems with the blue wire not functioning as intended. If you only have a throttle fitted (without display) you may need to get the display to limit the speed. The SW900 display has an advanced settings menu that allows for speed limiting (P08 setting) and limiting the motor current (P14 setting), you can also enable or disable the throttle through the P10 function. You can also alter the PAS characteristics through the display. Here is a link to the manual for the SW900 display.
Regards,
Tony
Thanks, Tony! Its not just me then! I have a SW900A on the bike, I’ll play with the settings there. I havent fitted the PAS sensor and may not. Seems to work ok. 🙂
Cheers, Hugh.
Hi Tony, I wish I found this website before I started installing my kit. The instructions were like a
“Where’s Waldo” puzzle. I tried to go to your link for the Display but it isn’t there. How do I input the controller screen for PAS settings. I can’t find anything, anywhere to do this. Your help would be greatly appreciated. I finally got mine running today, lots of power but I wouldn’t want to have to go too far just under
petal power. Seems decent value for the money. Thanks again, Joe
Hi Joe,
Here is a link to another SW900 manual. The advanced function ‘P13’ is for determining how many magnets your PAS sensor has and ‘P11’ is PAS sensitivity (how quickly the pedal assist starts to function when pedalling starts), and ‘P12’ relates to the start up strength of PAS (how much power is initially provided once pedalling starts).
I hope this helps, if you need any more advice, let me know.
Cheers,
Tony
Hi
I purchased the 250 Watt front Wheel Voilmart kit and fitted it to my 30 year old Raleigh Outland Mountain Bike prior to Christmas 2020. With the “PAS” installed and connected properly with the blue wires, the red button next to the throttle control enables the front wheel 250 Watt Voilmart Motor to pull my heavy bike along, even with two panier bags full of shopping food over the rear wheel. Widening the front forks as I fitted the Voilmart front wheel motor to the bike took some ingenuity, but persevered to complete it. The fitting instructions that were provided with the kit were not easy to understand, so I overlooked them in general terms. Just followed the basics.
Hi John,
Thanks for sharing. I agree the instructions aren’t particularly helpful, if anything they’re a little confusing.
Please feel free to share your thoughts here after a few months of use. Happy riding!
Cheers,
Tony
Your website is exceptionally informative, and your timely response to comments is beyond expectation! Thanks!
A quick noob question. You did mention the difference between a gearless motor (like the Voilamart in this review) and a geared motor (like the Bafang hub motor you also mentioned). But they look largely the same in the picture. How can a newbie know whether a kit (or even a fully-built e-bike) from Amazon/Ebay/AliExpress etc. is gearless or geared?
And, to double check, if a rider intends to pedal most of the time, and only use assistant during uphill, is a geared motor a better choice, even if it is rated with lower Watts? Is PAS better than throttle for this person?
Hi Ray,
Thanks for the compliments, much appreciated.
In answer to you question, geared hub motors are much smaller in diameter and lighter in weight than direct drive units. Bafang for example only make geared hub motors, and the Yosepower kits on eBay are nearly all geared (apart from the 1000w model).
If you want to pedal most of the time, then you will definitely want a geared motor. These offer very little in the way of resistance (and extra weight) when compared with a DD motor (which is like pedalling a tractor!) PAS is definitely the way to go if you just want assist for the hills / headwinds. Geared hub motors are also much more energy efficient, so you will get a greater battery range when compared with a DD motor. I have installed over 50 of the Yosepower kits mentioned above, and have never had a single failure reported by a customer.
I hope this info helps, and if you need any more advice, let me know.
Cheers,
Tony
I have had one of the 1500w kits on a bike for around 10 months now, but yesterday it lost all power to the motor. The power to the twist grip is working but nothing to the motor. On closer inspection the black hall wire to the controller box has burnt out almost the whole length back to the circuit board. I was going to try and replace the wire, however I found this and thought Tony may be able to suggest why this has happened and if it’s fixable. Any suggestions please
Hi David,
It sounds to me like either a faulty hall sensor inside the motor or a fault at the controller. I’ve not had too many controllers pack up, but the motor hall sensors seem to be a more common problem. There’s usually 3 hall sensors inside the motor. If you’re okay with soldering, I would replace all 3 just to be sure. RS Components are a good place to get the hall sensors from.
Regards,
Tony
Thanks Tony, I’ll have a look in the Motor ?
I bought the “waterproof” version of this kit off eBay and have a question.
Whilst I can see the controller has definitely been waterproofed, is the twist throttle waterproof? because I have read on a few forums that this component is vulnerable to water ingress, I’m talking about the fine mist wind driven type, not just a few drops!
I’ve never personally used a throttle on my own conversions but I have done quite a few for customers and there is quite a high failure rate. The connector may be a Higo waterproof type but the throttle itself isn’t particularly water resistant especially when used in heavy rain.
Hi, I have just purchased the Voilamart 1000W, 48V, FRONT ebike wheel (which is due to arrive next week), but I understand that it does NOT come with the SW-900 LCD screen or any other type of similar display. I have therefore sent off for an SW-900 and am now told by the seller that I need to change both the throttle and the controller, as especially the current controller does not have an LCD connector. The seller has recommended the required controller, but they have sold out of it, and I simply cannot find it anywhere else. Can anyone help in this matter, and let me know where I may purchase the correct LCD Controller for a Voilamart 1000W, 48V, FRONT ebike wheel with an SW-900 LCD device? Many thanks in advance. Cheers. Stephen
Hi Stephen,
I’ve got a box of controllers in my workshop (mainly KT series which aren’t compatible with the SW900). I’ll have a look tomorrow to see if I have a spare Voilamart controller knocking about and let you know.
Cheers,
Tony
Hi Tony,
Thank you so much for you advice. Your offer is appreciated. I too have four separate controllers, one of which is also a KT controller, but I am aware that none of them are really suitable for the SW-900 LCD. If you do find an appropriate controller in your stock, I would certainly be interested, so please do keep me informed about this.
Kind regards,
Stephen
Hi Stephen,
I had a look this morning and only have KT series controllers left. The only other place I can suggest trying is Aliexpress – I find most things turn up within a couple of weeks when ordered direct from China.
All the best,
Tony
Hi Tony,
That’s no problem, but thank you for having a look anyway. You will be glad to learn that I have just ordered the necessary controller and throttle direct from Voilamart, and I should receive my parcel from China in around 14 days time from the date of this message. Unfortunately, I ordered my SW-900 LCD from the same seller of the whole e-bike wheel on Ebay, and that is not due to turn up until two or three weeks into November of this year, so I shall have to wait for that. However, I should be able to build up my existing bike at a little slower, but more pleasant, pace than it would normally take, so it might not be too bad.
Anyway, thanks again, and best regards.
Stephen
You’re welcome, glad you’ve managed to get a controller sorted.
Cheers,
Tony
Hi Tony i buy the 1000w front hub for a cargo tricycle i wonder if i can install a 26″× 2.125 tire inset the 26″1.195 tire who comes with the kit ?
Hi Jorge,
Yes, the rim will take a 2.125 tyre. I have fitted up to a 2.25 before without any issues.