Electric Bike Motor Conversion – 3 Key Tips for the 2024/2025 Season

An electric bike drive system can be installed either by yourself or by a specialized service. But what should you pay attention to before buying an electric motor for your bike? Here are a few important things to consider.

Types of E-bike Drive Systems

Electric assist systems can be divided into two main categories based on the motor’s location:

• Hub motor assist (front or rear wheel)
• Mid-drive assist (installed in the bottom bracket area or simply “in the cranks”)

Hub motors can be placed in the front or rear wheel, with rear wheel hub motors being more common. Each has its pros and cons, and while many riders start with hub motors due to the lower cost, most eventually switch to mid-drive systems. Based on our years of experience with mid-drive motors, we can confidently say that we’ve seen many customers upgrade from hub to mid-drive, but never the other way around.

Why? Hub motors are tempting because of their low price, making them a popular entry point. But their limitations — weight distribution, performance, overheating — often push users to invest in a more advanced solution later on. These days, the vast majority of premium e-bikes come with mid-drive motors. And for good reason. They offer several key advantages:

• The motor’s mass is centralized and positioned low in the bike frame, which improves handling and suspension performance. Since the motor is not part of the suspended mass, it allows the suspension to work more effectively.
• The motor works in harmony with the bike’s drivetrain. Just like a car engine, it uses gears to maintain optimal efficiency. This helps prevent overheating and significantly increases the motor’s performance, even at lower speeds — something hub motors struggle with.

Tip #1: Tip #1: When considering the type of electric assist for your bike, take into account the motor placement. We recommend choosing a mid-drive system. In 2024, the industry trend clearly favors mid-drives — and we expect that to continue in 2025 and beyond.

CYC Motor Photon (left) and other mid-drives in branded e-bikes

Choosing the Right Mid-Drive Motor for Your Use Case

Once you’ve decided on a mid-drive motor, it’s time to consider what kind of riding you’ll be doing and what type of bike you have. We covered this topic in more detail in a previous blog post — click here to read.

Many people lean toward buying the most powerful motor, such as the CYC Motor X1 Pro, just “in case.” But ask yourself — do you really need that much power?

More powerful motors are heavier, bulkier, louder, and require stronger batteries and components to function safely. If your bike isn’t designed for high loads, you could risk breaking the chain, damaging gears, or draining the battery too quickly. In short, all that power may not be usable unless your entire setup is built to handle it. The only valid reason to buy an overpowered motor without using its full potential is to extend its lifespan by underutilizing it.

CYC Motor X1 Pro in a full-suspension mountain bike

Tip #2: When choosing a motor, start by considering the X1 Stealth Gen.3 and Photon models. One of them will likely suit your needs. If you’re unsure, these two are safer choices. Leave the X1 Pro to experienced riders who know exactly why they need it.

When Is CYC Motor Photon the Better Choice Over X1 Series?

The X1 Pro is the oldest motor in the CYC Motor lineup and is now in its fourth generation (Gen.4, as of 2024). The X1 Stealth is slightly newer and currently in its third generation (Gen.3), having inherited many design features from the Pro model.

The Photon, on the other hand, is a completely new design that launched in 2023. While it has some shared components with the X1 models — such as the app, speed sensor with Bluetooth, similar X6 controller (called X6P for Photon), displays, and throttle — its structure is fundamentally different.

Photon features an enclosed, gearless design without external chain reduction like the X1 Pro or Stealth. It is nearly silent — significantly quieter than both X1 motors — and due to its compact design and lower power output (750 W max), it’s ideal for lightweight bikes and casual riding. Perfect for hardtails, gravel bikes, trekking bikes, city bikes, or even light full-suspension frames.

One consideration: many modern full-suspension bikes have low-slung downtubes near the bottom bracket. This makes the Photon hang quite low, which can be a problem in off-road riding. For such bikes, we recommend the X1 Stealth or X1 Pro. But in frames with higher or curved downtubes, the Photon can be just as good — or even better — thanks to its quiet operation, lightweight build, and broad chainring compatibility (34T, 38T, 42T, 50T). Larger chainrings allow higher speeds with efficient pedaling, something not possible with the 38T max on the X1 Stealth or 40T on the X1 Pro.

CYC Motor Photon in a bamboo gravel bike

Rumor has it that CYC Motor is working on a Photon-style motor with more power. If it launches in 2025, we may see a fourth option — silent like Photon, compact in size, but with power closer to the X1 series, likely more comparable to the Stealth (1500 W) than the X1 Pro (5000 W).

Tip #3: Choose your motor based on your riding style and the bike you already own. The most powerful motor isn’t always the best motor for you.