Torque Arms for Electric Bike Conversions

Are Torque Arms necessary for my electric bike conversion kit?

The short answer is yes.

For those that don’t know what torque arms are, they are usually a small plate of metal that goes over the axle they have flat edges to match the axle then they are bolted (or hose clamped ) onto the frame or forks of your bike. They prevent the axle spinning in the drop outs. In some cases the axle spinning might just cause a little wear in the drop outs or bend open the drop outs a little which could get a little dangerous. Where the main problem lies is if you are using alloy forks with a high power motor as alloy has the tenancy to crack meaning your front wheel could suddenly end up falling off … giving your face a close encounter with the road.

With steel forks and a small to mid sized motor you will probably be fine without torque arms.

With alloy forks and a small motor and the nuts regularly checked you may be OK but you’re still taking a risk.

With alloy Forks and high power motors you are likely to have the forks fail leading to catastrophic consequences.

So unless you have a low powered motor and steel forks it is well worth the $10 or so to get a torque arm and know you are safe. This can also save unnecessary wear on the drop outs of your bike.

Most e-bike kit sellers have torque arms for sale, otherwise I’m sure there will be something on ebay.

 

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