Actually, Velotton from Poland makes attractive bicycle bags and backpacks, but for some time now they have also been offering a compact e-bike conversion kit called Vekkit. The set includes only a few parts: a wheel with hub motor, a bag with battery, a wireless pedal sensor and a wireless handlebar remote control. A smartphone app allows you to specify settings such as maximum speed or power, check the status of the battery and view your riding statistics.

The new version now also has a special GPS and LTE module that can be used to monitor the location of the bike at all times. The module has a sensor that registers even the smallest movements of the bike (e.g. in the event of an attempted theft) and sends a notification of this to the owner’s phone via LTE. The GPS sensor provides the exact location of your bike, even if it is a thousand kilometers away. In addition to tracking the bike, the new module has additional sensors that monitor air quality and provide additional statistics such as acceleration, incline and more. Convenient: all data can be stored without a connection to a smartphone — so you don’t have to start the app before every ride.

Thanks to the small number of components, it should only take 10 to 15 minutes to convert the existing bike into an e-bike. To ensure that all parts fit the bike without any problems, there is an extensive configurator on the Vekkit website, where pretty much everything can be configured, from the wheel size (16″ to 29″) to the color of the battery bag. In addition to the regular front motor with 250 watts of power, a compatible front motor for Brompton and Dahon folding bikes or a rear motor can also be selected.

The fact that the conversion kit is particularly light at 2.8 kg is also due to the fairly small battery with a capacity of 180 Wh. Optionally, a larger model with 360 Wh can also be ordered, then the total weight increases by 800 grams. The battery is preferably mounted on the handlebar, alternatively, it can also be placed in a pannier bag on the rear rack. In addition to the on/off switch, the battery housing also has a USB-A port (for charging a smartphone, for example) and an output for bicycle lighting.

The prices for the Vekkit start at 670 Euros, the GPS module is optional and costs an additional 195 Euros. All configuration options and more information about the kit can be found on the Vekkit website.