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Is this thread the right place to talk about conversion kits? I've had a BBS02 on my commuter for a few years now but I'm starting to plan for whenever it dies. Current setup:  I read recently that Bafang is getting out of the kit business so I'll need to get one elsewhere. The most promising option I've come across is CYC who make a range of middrive kits. I've also noticed that all of the online vendors that I know of have terrible battery selection these days. Lunacycle barely sells them anymore, EM3EV has terrible stock, same with Electrify. Any battery sources I'm missing?
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Nov 15, 2022 05:13
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| # ¿ May 21, 2024 02:25 |
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CopperHound posted:No protocol in DIY ebike world. Just power. Yeah, no firmware bullshit to worry about. The battery has two wires coming off of it and the controller has a matching pair. As long as the battery voltage is within the range the controller can handle you're good to go. It's on you to tune the various parameters and the "fuel gauge" is just a voltage meter so it requires a little more attention. I set my current one up years ago and barely think about it. Grin's prices are awfully high but they do have some of the best selection at the moment. If it were just a little simpler I'd build my own but I don't want to deal with spot welding and all that.
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Nov 16, 2022 01:06
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kimbo305 posted:Solely from oXDemosthenesXo's discussion that some vendor was the best remaining option, over say Bosch OEM. But maybe it was only in the context of kit solutions. Yeah that was only talking about kit options. If you have a Bosch or other OEM motor/ controller then you have to use their batteries. I'll bet there's some shady firmware hack out there but that's another level of DIY.
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Nov 21, 2022 18:26
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webcams for christ posted:that conversion is sick. the platonic ideal. where did you hear that Bafang is exiting conversions? they just updated their lineup and now their middrive conversion motors are called M615/M315/M215. They even released a shaft drive (!!) conversion motor called the M445, though it's targeted towards bike-sharing operators according to their website. Not sure where I read that. I might have read they were discontinuing the BBSXX line and extrapolated too much. Are their M615/M315/M215 options for sale yet anywhere?
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Nov 24, 2022 19:28
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Huh, apparently someone lied to me on the internet. Its good to know they're not dropping that line entirely, I might need spare parts at some point. I still might go with a CYC kit for the torque sensing unless I also misread that Bafang's conversion kits still don't have that feature. I've been riding throttle only since I installed it because their pedal sensor system is so dangerous.
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Nov 24, 2022 20:07
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If its anything like the older BBS02 I have, its just an encoder that sense pedaling yes/no. If yes it applies power until it reaches some preset motor RPM. I found this to be terrifying and dangerous to ride and disabled it immediately in favor of throttle+not riding like a jackass. Seems pretty much like the kits that have been on the market for a decade, but without having to deal with shady internet vendors and less troubleshooting? I'm always suspicious of e-bike startups cause it seems like most of them are just white labeling some anonymous chinese manufacturer's stuff.
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Dec 28, 2022 21:00
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evil_bunnY posted:I don't know about bafang hubs but I've literally never seen a bafang middrive that's not needed heavy maintenance/replacement. I've got close to 10k miles on my BBS02 and I've done zero maintenance on the motor/controller unit. I don't think I'm being particularly easy on my gear but then again I do things like 'gentlely roll onto the power' and 'don't shift under load'. I did tear apart the IGH it's attached to last summer and it was in decent condition aside from the grease that smelled like burned hair.
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Feb 14, 2023 19:08
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webcams for christ posted:some interesting design choices here No mention of energy density, max power, or range comparison to an equivalent lithum battery bike. The fuel cell/motor unit appears to be massive as well. I'm also open to it but anything hydrogen powered has alot to prove compared to the fairly mature chemical battery options.
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Feb 23, 2023 22:40
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CopperHound posted:DIYing the cutoff sensors is okay. It isn't exactly a disaster when they fail. I've had a patch of super strong double-sided foam tape with more regular tape over top holding a magnet onto my brakes for like 5 years. Works great.
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Mar 2, 2023 07:16
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Terminus Est posted:Tongsheng vs bafang mid drive kit. I'm leaning toward tongsheng for the torque sensing as I'm not interested in a throttle and am not convinced on cadence sensors. Planning to throw it on State single speed and use it to tow a ride-behind for my daughter. Another data point - I've had a BBS02 on a fairly standard street bike for a few years. I've only ever had ~300 Wh (52V * 6Ah) batteries because I ride relatively short distances and don't mind pedaling extra if I need to extend a bit. In my experience that capacity is enough to comfortably ride 10 miles, at least when the batteries are new. I live in a very hilly place and those 10 miles always include significant climbing, but I'm not towing anything and rarely carry more than a light pack. I typically ride throttle control only, but that's because cadence sensor control is hot garbage and was going to get me killed riding in traffic. For all intents and purposes I'm using it like it's torque sensing (never power on without pedaling, generally proportional motor and pedal power). A Bag of Milk posted:I've ridden my bike less than 200 miles after getting my brakes replaced and the new ones are already squeaking up a storm. The mechanic assured me that these were much higher quality than the old brakes, and would last much longer. And I've been deliberately as gentle as I can with braking. Now I receive a marketing email "What do you think of your new semi-metallic brakes?" Well, they stink! Lol. Don't buy Radpower. In my experience disc brakes squeal the least when I use them as hard as possible. In my case the aforementioned hills don't give me much choice but to brake hard pretty regularly, but its easy enough to really jam on them as you approach each stop even on the flat. It's also good practice so you know your braking threshold if you ever have to do a panic stop. If that fails then the cleaning already mentioned works, at least for awhile.
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Mar 10, 2023 04:45
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oXDemosthenesXo posted:I've had a patch of super strong double-sided foam tape with more regular tape over top holding a magnet onto my brakes for like 5 years. Works great. I think my bike saw me type this because the magnet fell off today lol. It held on by a scrap of duct tape I'd wrapped it in thankfully so it was an easy fix after a short but difficult ride home with no motor.
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Mar 14, 2023 04:23
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Hdip posted:Will the fact that you're on an ebike mean the authorities will be stricter on you stopping at stop signs and lights? This will vary widely depending on where you live. I've been riding my ebike regularly for years without ever being asked about it let alone hassled by cops. Probably helps that I don't ride like an rear end and the average cyclist here is a dickbag. If anything I ride much more by-the-book on the ebike because the incentive to maintain speed is so much lower. When its nearly effortless to get back up to speed why blow stop lights/signs?
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Jul 23, 2023 20:39
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Helter Skelter posted:Fellow Seattle resident here. I don't think light rain is a big deal most of the time (fenders are a must, however), but in the winter months I'll often just take the bus rather than get soaked. I rode home (~5 miles) in sleet a couple times last winter because I misjudged the forecast, and that was goddamn miserable. I ride here year round and it's only possible with the ebike. If it's raining I'm covered head to toe in waterproof gear except for my eyes. When I get to home/work I strip off the outer waterproof layer, change shoes, and I'm good to go. If it were a regular bike I'd be drenched in sweat. I'll look like a crazy person if I have to stop for groceries or something though since I just leave the gear on. In some ways I prefer to ride in the rain since there are almost no other cyclists and way less pedestrians.
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Jul 27, 2023 00:29
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FireTora posted:Does anyone here have or have experience with the CYC Photon motor yet? Looking to convert my Bullitt in the next couple months if a new job pans out and this one is at the top of my list. I'm also very interested in the answer to this. My current BBS02 setup is starting to show its age and I'm eyeing the Photon as a replacement. If you're willing to wade through all the old man complaining and slap fights, there's a big thread on endless sphere about it: https://endless-sphere.com/sphere/threads/cyc-photon.117290/ I skimmed through it the consensus seems to be: - Solid hardware, good torque sensing system, no louder than a BBSHD. Noise is a major issue with the other CYC kits - Straightforward install process for this type of DIY kit - Has issues with continuous high load operation. In this case high load means people running it 100% throttle uphill for long stretches. If you're using it as intended at partial power in torque sensing mode, it seems to do just fine - Its a gen 1 product, so... - Mediocre controller and app which mostly seems to be teething issues. Some people have no issues and some are fighting it constantly. Its ES so alot of the controller "issues" are from people who are mad they don't get to look at the source code and can't reflash the firmware on a whim - CYC is actively working to address the issues as users find them and is being pretty responsive None of the gen 1 issues surprise me at all, this seems pretty normal for a high performance product from a small company. That combined with the long lead times for delivery (CYC official page says 4-7 weeks to receive it) makes me want to wait a couple more months.
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Jul 29, 2023 18:27
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Twerk from Home posted:My kids are big now and we're still wanting to move around the 61 pound 6 year old as a passenger. Our 36 lb 3 year old is about to out-grow the Yepp Maxis that we have. Those Yepp Maxis are about 9.5 lbs anyway, those things are hefty, and rated to carry a 40lb kid. Which hsd are you looking at? None of the ones I can find use a 5 speed. Which 5 speed hub are they specing on the one you're looking at? I've been running a Sturmey Archer 5 speed hub with a BBS02 for 6-7 years and it's worked great. The low gear count is meaningless when the motor can fill in any power gaps, and the range goes from granny gear to 30mph gear. I'm not carrying anywhere near the weight you're taking about but with appropriate gearing I don't see why a 5 speed is a problem. If anything I like it better with fewer gears, I'd be shifting every two seconds or skipping gears constantly if there were 11 of them.
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Aug 14, 2023 18:01
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Twerk from Home posted:The HSD P5i here: https://www.ternbicycles.com/us/bikes/472/hsd-p5i I'd be very surprised if the IGH versions don't come with a shifting cutoff sensor so you don't run power through the gears while shifting. Even my cheap conversion kit came with one. I removed it after awhile since it was more effective to just roll off the power (throttle and pedaling), shift, then roll back on. It feels alot like riding a motorcycle so it was pretty easy to figure out.
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Aug 15, 2023 01:57
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raggedphoto posted:My HSD P9 performance has a 9 speed hub and I hardly ever use the top 3 gears, I would gladly trade those for a belt drive that didn't need lube every other day and replacement every 5ish months. You must ride way more miles, under more load, or go harder on the power than me because I only oil my chain once every couple months and replace the it every couple years. I'm averaging 5-10 miles per day year round. I hear you about the belt drive though, I'm eyeing one for my next commute build.
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Aug 19, 2023 00:08
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raggedphoto posted:Odd. I’m at 14 miles per day, ride in tour mode 90% of the time and mostly carry light loads. Granted I ride a lot in the rain and and my route has mild hills, I lube the chain closer to 1-2 times per week not “every other day.” I ride in the rain all winter too. Are you running an 1/8" chain or 3/32"? Part of why I went hub gear was to use the larger chain for all that power going through it.
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Aug 19, 2023 21:12
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Jabarto posted:The rear rim on my fiance's Aventon Abound is bent and keeps breaking spokes. We're having a really hard time finding a compatible replacement, can anyone recommend one? Is it bent in a way that can't be fixed with a good truing and tensioning? If so, are you trying to replace the rim yourself? I did a quick check and it looks a 36h 20" rim but don't see anything on the width. If all else fails any decent shop should be able to source an appropriate rim and rebuild the wheel for you including cutting new spokes to length.
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Sep 6, 2023 06:08
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Zapf Dingbat posted:
Yes, absolutely. That's a major reason why I added the motor kit in the first place and why I control it via throttle even though that's technically illegal. When I'm on bike paths or similar I go a reasonable bike speed and barely use the throttle, but if I'm on the road riding in car lanes I use way more power so I can keep up with traffic. I also carefully plan my routes so I don't end up on major roads cause yeah, those are no fun.
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Oct 5, 2023 16:43
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mystes posted:
After 15+ years of bike commuting on city streets both with and without an ebike, I'm very convinced. I trust my own riding skills much more than random drivers blowing by me at twice my speed. I'm not doing this constantly or anything, on my 25 minute commute I'm going hard for maybe 4-5 min total split between a few short segments. It's super situational but sometimes it makes sense to go fast for a bit, and if the posted speed limit is more than 25-30 mph I just don't ride there.
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Oct 5, 2023 17:12
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hark posted:I know this looks like poo poo lol Did you follow a guide to build this? Any tips, things you'd do differently? Did you use a spot welder? I've been thinking of doing something similar since it's getting hard to find batteries in the specific size I want.
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Dec 25, 2023 00:42
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hark posted:
Thanks for all the info, that'll be super helpful if I do get around to it.
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Dec 25, 2023 20:22
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| # ¿ May 21, 2024 02:25 |
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For my stop and go city riding the cadence sensor control on my BBS02 was going to get me killed. I disabled it almost immediately.
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Apr 27, 2024 19:44
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