Luke, this is a very useful video - thank you for producing and uploading it. The challenges that need to be addressed during any particular installation will never be told by the manufacturer of the kit, it will only be told by those who have actually installed it.
Hi Lorenzo. Thank you for making these videos as they have helped in making my decision on purchasing my 1st Ebike kit. I purchased 750watt bafang with 48volt 13ah battery. I tried to get the HD 1000watt but there was too long of a waiting list. Now that I've had the 750watt for 1 month, I purchased a second 750watt with 52volt 17ah battery. I can honestly say 750watt is more than enough power for a bike. I feel with anything more, you will just end up breaking the bikes drivetrain. Going with the 52 volt was a nice little upgrade which gained an extra 5km/h on top speed and a ton of extra range. I also purchased the programming cable and adjusted all the levels to suit me riding. For me it didn't make sense to have 9 level of assist and I could only used 3 of them reasonably. So I programmed 8 of the 9 levels all at lower range between 5 to 25 km/h. This is the range that I find myself mostly peddling at, anything faster than 25 km/h, your pretty much just on throttle. I find my battery is much more efficient this way. I still don't know what max range is, as I haven't been able to do long enough rides to deplete the battery. With the 48 volt 13ah battery I started at 54volt fully charged and did 154 km over 4 days and it went down to 45.4 volts. I still did not reach my cutoff which I have set at 43 volts. I decided to stop there as readying the reviews on battery maintenance they recommend not going down so low. Once again I say thank you for your videos as I have learned a lot about ebikes this last month.
Hey Frankie! Thanks for your feedback (it's Luke anyway 😅) I'm pretty much sure that reprogramming the motor will be my next step. Surely I would re-assign the ass. levels in a more "exponentially spread" speed selection! How much hard has programming been? Did you use a particular operating system?
@@LukeLorusso Haha. Sorry Luke. I had Lorenzo in my head. I just used my laptop with windows 10. Nothing special just need a usb port and search youtube for bafang programming. You should find several video how to and where to get software. Also you can do google search for ebike forums. Lots of good info there too. Good luck.
Brilliant video of your personal experience on multiple self-build e-bikes - thanks. I'm in the process of selecting the best conversion kit and i'm convinced this is the BBS02B, all things considered.
55 Kmh. Is very fast! I set my 750w on 45 kmh. And it is fast enough for me. :) I also have the programming cable. It is not so difficult as it looks like. I have programmed a more smooth start on the throttle and to drive careful in the crowded city. You are right, it is a nice motor and a lot of fun. Greetings from Norway with many steep hills.
Hey, great video! I had similar problems as you, 2 additional tips. About breaking lever in hydraulic breaks, you can get rid of them, just remember to not pedal while breaking, they have enough force to stop your bike even if motor is running for a moment. Second, if your chainline is not to straight, try to mount chain guide, it really gave me possibility to use all range of my gears. Enjoy ur riding guys! :)
Good video, thanks. I installed a Bafang 500W on my mountainbike. More than enough power for the Dutch roads because we dont have any hills up here. Great fun.
Hydraulic brakes are definitely superior off road on steep descents. Your mild commute style riding doesn’t stress the brakes at all. Thanks for the videos.
Nice video! I just finished using the BBS02B kit to build my bike and you touched on some of the same issues I had. Rather than spacing the chainring I chose to add a bottom bracket spacer to get my clearance. The BBS02B is amazingly powerful and fast! Thanks for the great video!
I would stay away from a large rear battery, I built one for a friend and you can feel the weight in the rear .... my mid drive and mid battery set up handles so much better.
Thanks man! I bought a pre-built one (a cheap one, but seemed to be good): a CMS Bike F16. It was good for the first months, but at the end the components where low quality and the hardest part was get the right spare parts... For me, building one is the path to freedom 😅
I have the bafang bbshd motor and I don't have brake motor cut sensors and I have never felt the need for them. When I let off the throttle or stop pedaling the motor stops instantly. I have never had the motor not stop when I didn't intend for it. I do have gear shift sensor though. I feel that the shift sensor is a must. Even if you have to take the bike to a shop to install it, it is worth paying for it.
the smaller chainrings only work well with a "thinned-out" cassette. I take a 9 speed wide range cassette (11-50t or 11-46t) and leave out the 11t cog. To be able to lock the cassette you need an M35 x 0.5mm washer to cover the 13t cog. Chainline is not 100% perfect, but good enough. 44t chainring is useless for MTB, good for speed. i have a 38t chainring anf a 13-50t 9s (8 cog) cassette, i can climb any hill, yet reach 40km/h on flat ground.
Nice input on the bafang 750. Got mine on an bike in Holland (flat as a pancake). I am very heavy 110kg and got the 48v 17.5 amp battery as well. Programed the bike to only 18 amp of power in the computer ( that's still more than 750w) and can ride 60km with a speed of around 40km/h. This kit is amazing!
Cool! One question, do they have any restrictions in Holland on the maximum engine power you're allowed to put, or they just don't check converted bikes?
@@RaoulBoekhoudt there seems to be no control so far tbh, but maximum power here is 250w and max supported speed is 25kph. to be fair bosh moters give up to 500w on start and hill climb and those are sold as legit while they break the dutch law as well. most e-bikes in holland seem to go around 25 kph but some people have the american mod on there bikes wich makes the bike go 32 kph there is a special kind of registration for e-bikes in holland which alows them to go 45 kph, but you need a license and a helmet to be alowed to use those.
@@wobb_ yes it is still nice, broke the controler of the unit tho, was my own mistake and now i cant see my speed and stuff on the screen anymore. but the bike still works great and range is still good. and its still a fast bike to use here.
Thanks for uploading this video. I chose a 350w hub kit which was fairly easy to install and gives me plenty enough power. I live in Somerset England where we have lots of challenging hills and I have managed to climb them all. 350w means you do need to work a bit on those climbs but it is so much fun and keeps me fit. Personally I would say 750w is too much power.
Hey thanks for sharing mate! I agree with you about 750W being too much, but it also depends on situations. In my hometown certainly is, but here I won't be able to come back from the grocery store otherwise lol Enjoy your build 😉
good build! it's more important to me that the bike is light and good-handled, than that it will have a speed of 50 instead of 45, or will accelerate to 45 not in 8 seconds, but in 7. also light battery of 13 amp-h is also enough, just enough for the city. charged in 2 hours and you are ready again. and a large 20 amp battery - will never be fully discharged and you just always carry extra weight with you.
I didn't even use the brake levers with sensors on my HP Scorpion recumbent tadpole trike. The mechanical disc brakes work fine and if you pedal backwards 1.5 times it stops the assist. Good enough for me. =)
Having E breaks are pretty crucial imo, especially with higher power motors, if your cheap chinese throttle fails you could find yourself locked at full power having to fight with the motor in order to slow down.
Luke.. Video fantastico. Sono 3 anni che cerco di capire che bici comprare per andare in giro in questo paese pieno di salite assurde.. mi sa che mi hai convinto. Inutile che spendo 800/1000 per una bici elettrica pronta economica, mi serve qualcosa di serio che possa gestire le salite. Il bafang credo sia il way to go
daje! sono contento che ti sia piaciuto. occhio a non sottovalutare l'impresa dell'assemblaggio, se sei uno incline al fai da te allora no problem 👍 PS: mitici i tuoi video 😂
Hi Luke, regarding having too much power, you can always buy usb cable fort bafang and reprogram it to use less power and so you can turn your 500W motor to 350W or 250W, this also extend range on your current battery
@@stevenwood433 more power comes at compromises, like more battery drain... I think that's the point: someone may want to lower consumption and you can do that reprogramming the motor to limit it. Actually your motor may also last you longer this way
Hey Peter, thanks for sharing! There are actually many possibilities to record, each one is better for different situation. I've seen that a head mount is great for biking and motorcycling, but not ideal on onewheel for example. We should test lots of mounting to find out what best fits us. I'm still learning, so thanks for your appreciation :)
Interesting. I live in South Wales with very steep hills everywhere. The 250w Bafang and Tongsheng engines are legal but they just do not have the power to get up the hills. I talked to a man last week who had a 350w Bafang and he said it was not really powerful enough for the local hills. The Bosch motors are able to get up the hills but, while they are said to be 250w, apparently they regularly 'burst' to 500w when needed. In other words, Bosche seems to have gone around the legal issue. I found this video very interesting. Will go and look at your built one later.
Put on a 28T Bafang chainring for more torque/power at low gear, the stock 46T Bafang BBS02 chainring is good for top end speed but not climbing. I use a 24in frame with a dual suspension MTB and Bafang BBS02 so that is like having a lower gear to start off with. I wouldn't think a 700 frame would work very well for steep hills even with granny gears.
How likely are police to actually check the wattage of your motor? As long as you aren't blasting around obnoxiously at high speed, I can't imagine it'd be a problem. I have no problem climbing very steep hills with my BBS02 in lower gears at 10-15mph, but it does go up to 1300W in bursts on a 52V battery, with the stock 46T chainring.
The 250W and 350W motors are 36v and the same physically, the 500W and 750W are 48v and slightly bigger (more windings) but again the same. The power differences are decided by the controller amperage which can be changed in the firmware. For durability 18Ah (500W) and for power 25Ah (750W) on the 48v ones. The Bafang unit is bigger and can run at a higher current than the Tongsheng so gives more power.
@@superelectic45 bbs02b is prone to over heating, so i restricted mine to 18amps. 48v plus i rarely use the throttle, as that can burn out the moffets some use 52v batterys and use max 25amps, on 750w and burn the motors.
I have built a few bafang bike and have never used the brake sensors without any trouble. I guess if you are a beginner you may need them but even on my Sur Ron I disabled them.
i fitted the gear change sensor, and no longer get the clonk in gear change. smoother gear change now, that lowers stress on the motor and chain , gears.
i do ( me 100kg) 46 km with a 750w, 20amp battery, on PAS 9, very rapid . 30 min going, 34 going back, still left some power in battery, i never finished that battery yet.
80% of my ride i am PAS 1-3 , hills 4-5. low gear. steaper 6-8 rarely go to 9. i get 40 miles on a 13.5 amp hours. i find once you get passed 50% battery the hills can draw the battery right down to 20%
Hi there. I have watched all of the videos about e motor. Now I have changed my mind. Originally bafang 750w was my choice, but I guess I will go for tasheng 750w. Cheaper, saves more battery, lighter, has torque sensor. Only thing is lower speed and worse hill climbing? I have one big hill in one of my routes and few small ones. I think 750w can do it.. How about noise, which motor is louder?
Hey Dilyan, you're not the first asking me about noise. Neither of the two is noisy at all! Even if they do a little bit of noise, the wind bouncing on your ears will cover any sound coming from the motor or the chain. Sometimes I can hear the sound of my pneumatic against the asphalt but that's it! With the Tongsheng you'll have a more "authentic" bicycle feeling (meaning that, whatever the assistance level, you'll always participate with the motor in providing the force). With the Bafang you'll have more like an "e-motorcycle" experience (meaning that with higher assistance level your effort will be reduced and will tend to disappear). At the end is just a matter of preferences. With the Tongsheng I found myself more inclined to push harder! You'll auto-endorse yourself and it's good for fitness. With the Bafang you will convince yourself that you're on a 70cc Piaggio scooter, without the expenses of gasoline!
Thank you so much for your video! Just a quick question: cables from the motor are enough long to connect to the battery if it is mounted in the back rack, instead of the frame? My Top Fuel's frame is incompatible with battery frame installations. Thanks again and greatings from Madrid!
Hey there! Thank you for watching Someone already asked this, btw the motor's cables are enough long: in case of a rack battery it's the battery cable that should be long enough to arrive to the motor's plugs. most likely it is, and worst case scenario you can buy extra cable
My first e bike used the Bafang BBSO2 750 watt kit. Plenty of power for climbing hills, but I was not as pleased with the way the motor would responded. It was not as smooth to pedal as I would have preferred. So, I bought a Tongsheng TSTZ2 750 watt kit and mounted it on another bike. The motor definitely reacts more smoothly to my pedaling, however it does not have the power of the Bafang motor. I have also considered upgrading the Tongsheng motor with the opensource software, but I have just not gotten around to it. That might give and edge to the Tongsheng setup. Are you still using your Tongsheng bike now that you have the Bafang?
Hi Phil! Thanks for your sharing, I feel exactly like you said about the two motors nowadays the Tongsheng bike has been given to my girlfriend, but I still maintain it and planning some improvement maybe I'll check out something about custom firmwares... time has come!
the front derailleur has the specific purpose to keep the chain track "in line". It prevents the chain to jump away from the motor's chainring when you're bouncing on the rocks with your bike, even if it's fixed. I made the mistake to remove it from the previous two builds and from time to times the chain jumps away. With this last build it never happened
@@LukeLorusso But the thing I’m saying is this: If you don’t need the front derailleur, then you also don’t need the front shifter either. I just got the rear derailleur and it’s shifter and the front shifter got replaced with that power/power level button and the throttle switch. I’m guessing that why the front and rear derailleurs do what they do is to ensure that the bike has the right gear ratio when it’s going uphill, downhill and at grade. Since you got an e-bike motor that is replacing the crankset, you don’t need the front derailleur or it’s shifter.🤷🏾♂️
@@geraldshields9035 I surely don't need the shifter. I actually removed the shifter. I would have kept the shifter in case of mid-drive motors with multiple chainring (more than one speed) but that's not the case here: I just kept the front derailleur (stuck in its position) for the reason I explained in the comment before: you don't actually need it, but if you keep it you'll prevent the chain to jump away from the motor's chainring
@@geraldshields9035 I've run my Bafang BBS02 with a single speed rear spocket and stock 46T chainring, no gears to shift whatsoever, I just use throttle with PAS 1-9 to go as fast as I want. Top end speed is reduced, it's still fast enough to hurt you in a crash, you don't want to be travelling faster than you can brake anyway.
@@nathangant7636 I'm not a "throttle" kind of guy! Honestly, if y'all want something with a thottle, get a scooter or a motorcycle!😂 I want a bicycle! The Mid Drive is just to help you with hills!
hey! you should definitely try the stock one by default. then, if you have issues or of you prefer a different size, you can buy another one and have a try. there are also custom chain ring with support for multiple rings, but again try the stock one first. 80% of the times it's the right one
I just mounted a 500w tsdz2 on my bike after watching your videos. It is quite fun and I am really pleased with the result ! Have you tried "upgrading" yours to the open source firmware ? Alongside many added features, It should be possible to set our 500W motors exatcly as a 750W one, which could mitigate the differences with the Bafang one ? It could be a really interesting video
Hello Luka, tell me. I am thinking of getting bbs02 500w 36v. I would really want to use my legs (sport), that is why i think 750w 48v is too much power for my needs. What do you think? I thought of TSDZ2 becausw of torque sensor, but it has problems fitting to Cube bikes and build quality is not quite for stand up ride. I though of Lingbei, but most od sources stopped selling them because of torque sensor problems.
Hi! If you set the BBS02B 750W to have 9 assistance levels, the first 5 will act like the 5 speeds of the 500W version. Of course if you can afford that price for the motor, you can go for the 750W and just be aware of its power (sometimes if you forget do decrease ass. lev. you might start up too fast and crush yourself on a wall, not kidding 😅) but the 500 one I think it's enough for flat areas. Also, I suggest you to spend MORE on the battery and get the max capacity and quality you can! There's nothing wrong with the TSDZ2, it's just that you will always use your legs alongside the assistance. It's a cooperation between the two (or the three). With the Bafang you can contribute as you wish in that moment and the motor will cover the difference in force to maintain the speed associated to the selected ass. lev. The risk is of course that laziness might take some range away from you
Hey! This time I got it simply from Amazon (.fr for me), but usually you can find them on eBay. If you order from china it migth take some weeks in order to reach you... I prefer european stocks (cause I'm in europe) The rear rack was found on a local store
Hi Luke, thanks for all of these videos. I see that you now have both mid-drive motors. In this video you talk about power. Your Tongsheng is 500w but your Bafang is 750w (more power). Here in the U.S. I have the opportunity to buy a 750w Tongsheng. There are lots of hills where I live (including where my house is on -- very steep!) Do you know, how will a 750w TSDZ2 compare to a 750w BBS02B?
Hey! I don't own a 750W Tongsheng, but I own both 500W TSDZ2 and 500W BBS02B I can just speak about the lasts, but the key differences are: pedaling system, battery consumption and throttle reactivity. You should check ruclips.net/video/T7ve958hJXE/видео.html The Tongsheng will give you more control on steep climbs, so it won't be less effective. But the experience is simply different. If you need a tow mule, get a BBS02B: it's simply raw power. If you need control, meaning deciding when to go gentle and when to rush, get a TSDZ2 I will try to make more comparison videos
@@LukeLorusso Thanks for the quick response, Luke. I really appreciate it. Thanks for the tip on control during climbing. I do want to go gentle on steep hills because I want my motors to last. I will not very light mountain biking and lost of city riding with hills. I look forward to more of your informative videos!
Hi Luke, thanks for the great videos. You totally convinced me to buy this kit, but i don't understanded one thing, the motor is 160nm torque or 100/120? The torque change based on the programmation or maibe the Ampere of the battery? Thanks in advance!
Hi Jack! In an electric bicycle, torque is simply the ability to rotate the wheel. The max torque depends on the capacity of the motor to apply some force and it's not something you can tweak. The 750W BBS02B is rated for a max torque of 160Nm, while the 500W one is rated 100Nm. If you want to know more: ruclips.net/video/rQVu6N4lGXk/видео.html (ITA sub ENG)
Did you take measurements before ordering your bafang kit or can you tell them what type of frame and they can send you the right kit without any problems?
Initial response: Got this bike for my friend. ruclips.net/user/postUgkxUiL0GnyDjP32RJdd660sP8mZk4CRLTCJ Delivery was fast. And the friend was surprised I would order it when she had never suggested she wanted anything but the pedal bike she had. She has now ridden the bike two times and gives it a 10 and says it is very fun. We have some hills in our town that are very challenging to climb on a typical bike. But tonight she went up with the pedal assist and loved it. I was way behind on my standard bike, huffing and puffing. Now she is no longer lagging behind me. This thing is powerful enough that a person could go around town without any pedaling. She likes to get some exercise so on flat ground she hits the red button to turn off pedal assist and only uses the twist throttle when she's in a tough spot. The bike looks good. It is really a very nice bike for the friend. Now for me, when I get an electric bike, I'm twice her size and will be looking for a bigger watt motor and battery. But this one is just wonderful for my friend. I am happy with this purchase.
The model it's in the description (BBS02B); about the noise check out my answer to Dilyan: ruclips.net/video/CNyqPEdvfVs/видео.html&lc=UgzQc_Erl1FQE9PtL1B4AaABAg.9QAvIIm3QqC9QB00Wxnw1u
Modulation of a hydraulic brake is way better (i guess on a Rockrider Brand the brake is not the best anyway 😅). If you talk about simplicity and noob mainteance you are right off course with the mechanical Brake. But wear and dirt is a disadvantage, since you are not using a mountain bike the proper way and keep it on the street this is not a problem then 😉
Which conversion kit would YOU suggest for someone hoping for RANGE rather than power, and are RANGE/ POWER dependant upon one another? In short, how can I maximise DISTANCE without requiring "TOO Much" power?
you got the full explanation here ruclips.net/video/T7ve958hJXE/видео.html (it's the second bike that has the same motor, 500 instead of 750 but same model) the throttle can be used without or with pedaling :)
Hey Luke great video, I'm also living in Switzerland I was thinking in buying a BBSHD 750W with a 52V 17ah battery to give me good range if I want to. Can you tell me if you had to pay a lot in taxes/post, etc.? I know a ton on how to install the kit my only concern is how expensive is this gonna be after buying the kit.
Hey Juan, BBSHD is 1000W, the BBS02B is the 750W one. I had the opportunity to receive the kit in the EU, so no major taxes were added. I suppose that if you buy with Amazon to Switzerland, taxes are calculated at checkout, but I'm not sure about eBay or other online marketplaces
Be wary of Bafang. Mine worked great for about a month and then the problems started. Started working with Bafang to troubleshoot the issue. By the time they decided it needed to be sent in, it was after the crappy 90 day warranty. Now I'm stuck with $1400 worth of junk.
I guess it might happen, sorry to hear that. considering the price you paid, you might have bought something different, like the bbshd. this one, bbs02b, helps me every day since one year without any issue. the other one since two
undo all your electric connections, and start again reconnecting it all, check you not got a connection worked loose. , ect, then reconnect. it might just be a bad connection.
Nice video! I'm about to order this kit but I'm curious, are you happy with 44T? I myself have two front sprockets today but am totally fine with a single one since that is usually better. At least for me. But the biggest sprocket of the two I have today is 36T. And I also have a smaller one, this setup gives me very low gear driving steep climbs. So changing to a single bigger one will make it much harder. But then again, since I have the motor, this shouldn't be a problem? Also, do you know why someone would like to put a 46/48/52 sprocket on it? To get the maximum speed I assume but for me, it sounds like torque on low speed might lack a bit due to that?
Well this is an interesting topic! On all 3 of my kits (1 TS 500W, 1 BF 500W and now on this BF 750W) I always had 44T. As a general rule, you should go for a big one (44 or 46 T) if you need speed. You want a small one instead (38 or 36 T) if you need efficiency on steep climbs. At the beginning I wanted to have the same number of T as on the highest speed of the original bike's chainring (36T), but actually 44T is quite good anyway, considering how much the motor helps you. If I'd go smaller I'll lose some speed... so I'm fine with it. You could start with the default one and decide yourself if it's the case to order another one later 🙂
@@LukeLorusso Sounds good and that is true, thanks for the response. :) I'm also thinking about ordering the gear shit sensor since I think it is not included, and would be nice to be able to shift gears without thinking about breaking the chain (or something else). Do you think it is worth doing so?
@@SpriCoProductions Absolutely yes, even if I never tried it 😅 I think it's a good idea since the motor supports it. You could add it anytime, during or after the building
Ancora benissimo come il primo giorno, nessun problema finora 👌 Lo stesso vale per il 500W, che è di base lo stesso motore con un controller "meno performante" Io credo che molto dipenda da come tratti il motore... Nel senso che se lo usi correttamente, non lo sovrasforzi, non colleghi batterie con voltaggio sbagliato e non lo sottoponi a situazioni sgradevoli (tipo immergerlo nell'acqua o che so io) non dovresti avere grossi problemi! E' normale che a volte si ricevono unità difettose, capita con qualunque prodotto. Però nel mio caso 2 su 2 sono ancora li che mi fanno fare la spesa ogni giorno, mi accompagnano in foresta o al mare e spingono ancora come all'inizio
@@LukeLorusso ah... sta cosa del 500w che è simile non la sapevo. C'è sempre da imparare🙃. Beh sono passati anni e io ancora qui a capire cosa e dove acquistare.. ed ecco un altra estate è arrivata, prendere la macchina qui è impossibile. Mi toccherà andare a piedi come al solito per colpa della mia eterna indecisione e confusione sugli acquisti. Grazie ler i tuoi video
Ciao! come spiego in questo video ruclips.net/video/wqj-kWgJCqw/видео.html se si è in una zona pianeggiante un 500W è più che sufficiente. Nel caso si viva in una zona con molte salite, allora il 750W è la scelta giusta. Quanto alla batteria, se si devono percorrere poche decine di km, un motore da 36V può andar bene: con 15.6Ah si può usare il 500W per un'ora di fila. Se bisogna percorrere più di 40, 50 Km in modo regolare, un motore da 48V è più indicato (il Bafang 750W è solo da 48V) e li si può installare una batteria da 17Ah o anche 20Ah e avere molta più autonomia senza sforzare troppo il motore
Ciao. Potresti scrivere, per favore, anche le dimensioni del pacco batteria che usi? Lo so, è una domanda inusuale, ma mi servono per valutare eventuali soluzioni per la bici ( custom ) che vorrei elettrificare ( in accoppiata con questo motore Bafang ). Grazie! :-)
@@salcerino eh ma queste variano da batteria a batteria, e anche in funzione di V e Ah. Questa è 9.1 x 36.8 x 11.1 cm ma è la più grande che ho mai maneggiato. Quelle dei miei motori da 36V 15.6Ah sono entrambe più contenute anche se di forma diversa (quindi i cm sono distribuiti diversamente) se il frame non lo permette ci sono anche le batterie posteriori un esempio: images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61LkuTTNNNL._AC_SL1500_.jpg
@@Bobario1 www.decathlon.it/p/mtb-rockrider-st-540-v2-azzurra-27-5/_/R-p-335529 I still don't understand where this idea of "the crown is supposed to be at the front" is coming from, it's simply not true. It might be a way for "beginners" to question it, but still not a rule: on this bike it doesn't, and you should look at the fork to know it, not the crown
This is probably a dumb question, but I will ask it anyway. Is it possible to build an ebike using a fixed hub wheel motor / dynamo that will be able charge your batteries as it zips along. Have been looking into DIY e-bike kits to breath new life into my old mountain bike that's been stuffed in the shed gathering dust. Scenario - motor on one wheel or on frame, hub dynamo on the other wheel charging the batteries as it moves along.
I think it's possible... the thing is that the amount of energy necessary to move your bike is way more than the energy that you could recharge via a dynamo. There are people showing that the gain is less than 5% compared to not recharging it... So as of today's technology I would say it's not worth it, but if you try that lemme know 😊
thanks for the video. One question, if you know the answer: As I am very big (120kg), plus the bike weight, kit weight, and load weight with the saddlebags, do you recommend more torque? will it be enough? I live in lisbon-portugal, a city known for its 7 hills, but there are more hills than the 7 main ones. I'm thinking of buying one with more torque than speed.
Hey Luis, there's not an easy answer. First of all, torque does not necessarly sacrifice speed. In fact speed might be (among variour things) positively affected by torque. That said, for your case I would consider either the BBS02B 750W or the BBSHD. You can maximize the resulting torque by using a smaller chainring on the pedals and/or a bigger cog on the rear wheel. Just pay attention cause when I load up my bike coming back from the groceries store, there's a VERY steep climb and when I select the "lighter speed" the risk of wheely is pretty high! It's on you to find the right balance for your build
every 3 months someone pops out claming the fork is backwards... it's not www.decathlon.it/p/bici-mtb-rockrider-st-540-v2-azzurra-27-5/_/R-p-335529 if you believe this, it means you're looking at the wrong thing to understand its verse, like the white piece. that one is not universally indication of the fork's verse. if you mount the fork reversed as you think it should, on this model you'll have the fork tubes and the wheel mount pointing backwards. plus, the brake mount for the disk would be on the frontal part of the fork, all of which is wrong... this is because on this specific model, the white piece goes like this, and it doesn't mean the fork is backwards
Quite expensive actually, but still way less than the equivalent new ebike with same specifications! An ebike like this would cost between 3000 and 6000 EUR, while this bike itself is 300, the kit plus battery is 850 (it may vary depending on the retailer). Add like 15 for the rear rack and that's it. Of course, if you go for a more quite 500W you can lower the price
Please do not add music to your videos. It is super irritating to the ears and it drowns out your voice esp with a heavy accent. Why does anyone think music is useful? It drives people insane. This is a useful and great video with lots of tips and information. Don't ruin a demo video with extra background noise please.
...and mine is the least heavy accent in my workplace, imagine that 😂 trying to answer seriously, this topic is really debatable. It is known that the music in a video, even if it is only playing in the background, creates a good mood and gives the interested viewer a positive feeling. It also makes the fruition of the content less boring, considering that it's a long monologue. The real question might be about the actual volume, and here you might be right as it may be too loud, and about the lack of specific audio equalization. I will investigate this issue for future videos. Thanks for your feedback!
😅 I explained that on the live before: the front derailleur has the specific purpose to keep the chain track "in line". It prevents the chain to jump away from the motor's chainring when you're bouncing on the rocks with your bike, even if it's fixed I made the mistake to remove it from the previous two builds and from time to times the chain jumps away (just happened 3 hours ago on my other Bafang build). With this last build it never happened! I invite you to try it 😉
Everybody's diy mechanical skills are on different levels. There's nothing wrong with that. People are good at different things. Did you say this took you weeks to complete lol It's a kit shouldn't really be any problems. There was no fabrication no custom work. Some bikes you have to grind frame & more You were lucky didn't have to do any of that. It was like plug and play How did it take that long. To be honest wires are messy doesn't look tidy. Battery pack is upside down and looks bit stupid. Sorry if I sound a bit harsh just been honest. You said something about the front sprocket not lining up with rear sprocket it's NOT supposed to LOL As you change gear it will never be lined up.
it took me 2 weeks but just because I had deliveries to wait, a vacation to plan and the video to mount. I was just saying to my viewers "sorry that it took all this time from the live to the actual video". It's not a matter of skills. The total building time might be 5 or 6 hours, but still the message I want to pass is "Don't rush to complete your build, take your time". It's better to be careful than sorry The battery pack is upside-down and in another video I explained that on some frames you are "forced" to do so because the bottle mount is too low on the bottom bar... unless you want modify the battery's holder... I won't enter into the specifity of bike mechanics, I'll leave those considerations to those who knows the subject. Thanks for the feedback anyway!
Luke, this is a very useful video - thank you for producing and uploading it. The challenges that need to be addressed during any particular installation will never be told by the manufacturer of the kit, it will only be told by those who have actually installed it.
Hi Lorenzo. Thank you for making these videos as they have helped in making my decision on purchasing my 1st Ebike kit. I purchased 750watt bafang with 48volt 13ah battery. I tried to get the HD 1000watt but there was too long of a waiting list.
Now that I've had the 750watt for 1 month, I purchased a second 750watt with 52volt 17ah battery. I can honestly say 750watt is more than enough power for a bike. I feel with anything more, you will just end up breaking the bikes drivetrain. Going with the 52 volt was a nice little upgrade which gained an extra 5km/h on top speed and a ton of extra range.
I also purchased the programming cable and adjusted all the levels to suit me riding. For me it didn't make sense to have 9 level of assist and I could only used 3 of them reasonably. So I programmed 8 of the 9 levels all at lower range between 5 to 25 km/h. This is the range that I find myself mostly peddling at, anything faster than 25 km/h, your pretty much just on throttle. I find my battery is much more efficient this way.
I still don't know what max range is, as I haven't been able to do long enough rides to deplete the battery. With the 48 volt 13ah battery I started at 54volt fully charged and did 154 km over 4 days and it went down to 45.4 volts. I still did not reach my cutoff which I have set at 43 volts. I decided to stop there as readying the reviews on battery maintenance they recommend not going down so low. Once again I say thank you for your videos as I have learned a lot about ebikes this last month.
Hey Frankie! Thanks for your feedback (it's Luke anyway 😅)
I'm pretty much sure that reprogramming the motor will be my next step.
Surely I would re-assign the ass. levels in a more "exponentially spread" speed selection!
How much hard has programming been? Did you use a particular operating system?
@@LukeLorusso Haha. Sorry Luke. I had Lorenzo in my head. I just used my laptop with windows 10. Nothing special just need a usb port and search youtube for bafang programming. You should find several video how to and where to get software. Also you can do google search for ebike forums. Lots of good info there too. Good luck.
Brilliant video of your personal experience on multiple self-build e-bikes - thanks. I'm in the process of selecting the best conversion kit and i'm convinced this is the BBS02B, all things considered.
55 Kmh. Is very fast! I set my 750w on 45 kmh. And it is fast enough for me. :) I also have the programming cable. It is not so difficult as it looks like. I have programmed a more smooth start on the throttle and to drive careful in the crowded city. You are right, it is a nice motor and a lot of fun. Greetings from Norway with many steep hills.
Hey, great video! I had similar problems as you, 2 additional tips. About breaking lever in hydraulic breaks, you can get rid of them, just remember to not pedal while breaking, they have enough force to stop your bike even if motor is running for a moment.
Second, if your chainline is not to straight, try to mount chain guide, it really gave me possibility to use all range of my gears.
Enjoy ur riding guys! :)
Good video, thanks.
I installed a Bafang 500W on my mountainbike. More than enough power for the Dutch roads because we dont have any hills up here.
Great fun.
Hydraulic brakes are definitely superior off road on steep descents. Your mild commute style riding doesn’t stress the brakes at all. Thanks for the videos.
Nice video! I just finished using the BBS02B kit to build my bike and you touched on some of the same issues I had. Rather than spacing the chainring I chose to add a bottom bracket spacer to get my clearance. The BBS02B is amazingly powerful and fast! Thanks for the great video!
The way of your explanation is super. U got a new sub. Keep it up bro.
Nice video and excellent explanation about having a bafang 750w, thanks man
Great Job man. I'm getting my 1000 w BBSHD MD Motor & 48v, 24.5 ah battery this week. Your video gave me confidence over and above. Thank.
bafang 1kw mid drive kit sounds amazing
I would stay away from a large rear battery, I built one for a friend and you can feel the weight in the rear .... my mid drive and mid battery set up handles so much better.
That battery is a beast!
@@lambdanu2666 weights like a motorcycle
Thanks for the info! I almost bought a prebuilt bike, but I’m leaning towards building one. Your excitement is convincing me!
Thanks man! I bought a pre-built one (a cheap one, but seemed to be good): a CMS Bike F16. It was good for the first months, but at the end the components where low quality and the hardest part was get the right spare parts...
For me, building one is the path to freedom 😅
Ho ordinato il motore ieri, e oggi hai caricato la recensione. Fantastico!
I have the bafang bbshd motor and I don't have brake motor cut sensors and I have never felt the need for them. When I let off the throttle or stop pedaling the motor stops instantly. I have never had the motor not stop when I didn't intend for it. I do have gear shift sensor though. I feel that the shift sensor is a must. Even if you have to take the bike to a shop to install it, it is worth paying for it.
the smaller chainrings only work well with a "thinned-out" cassette. I take a 9 speed wide range cassette (11-50t or 11-46t) and leave out the 11t cog. To be able to lock the cassette you need an M35 x 0.5mm washer to cover the 13t cog. Chainline is not 100% perfect, but good enough. 44t chainring is useless for MTB, good for speed. i have a 38t chainring anf a 13-50t 9s (8 cog) cassette, i can climb any hill, yet reach 40km/h on flat ground.
The greatest product!
Nice input on the bafang 750. Got mine on an bike in Holland (flat as a pancake). I am very heavy 110kg and got the 48v 17.5 amp battery as well. Programed the bike to only 18 amp of power in the computer ( that's still more than 750w) and can ride 60km with a speed of around 40km/h. This kit is amazing!
Cool! One question, do they have any restrictions in Holland on the maximum engine power you're allowed to put, or they just don't check converted bikes?
@@RaoulBoekhoudt there seems to be no control so far tbh, but maximum power here is 250w and max supported speed is 25kph. to be fair bosh moters give up to 500w on start and hill climb and those are sold as legit while they break the dutch law as well.
most e-bikes in holland seem to go around 25 kph but some people have the american mod on there bikes wich makes the bike go 32 kph
there is a special kind of registration for e-bikes in holland which alows them to go 45 kph, but you need a license and a helmet to be alowed to use those.
@@sebastiaanmartens9280 Thanks for the answer man!
Is it still good
@@wobb_ yes it is still nice, broke the controler of the unit tho, was my own mistake and now i cant see my speed and stuff on the screen anymore.
but the bike still works great and range is still good. and its still a fast bike to use here.
Thanks for uploading this video. I chose a 350w hub kit which was fairly easy to install and gives me plenty enough power. I live in Somerset England where we have lots of challenging hills and I have managed to climb them all. 350w means you do need to work a bit on those climbs but it is so much fun and keeps me fit. Personally I would say 750w is too much power.
Hey thanks for sharing mate!
I agree with you about 750W being too much, but it also depends on situations.
In my hometown certainly is, but here I won't be able to come back from the grocery store otherwise lol
Enjoy your build 😉
good build! it's more important to me that the bike is light and good-handled, than that it will have a speed of 50 instead of 45, or will accelerate to 45 not in 8 seconds, but in 7.
also light battery of 13 amp-h is also enough, just enough for the city. charged in 2 hours and you are ready again.
and a large 20 amp battery - will never be fully discharged and you just always carry extra weight with you.
Really good video great build really good job thinking of getting the exact same kit i live in a hilly area many thanks .
Salute my friend. Thnx for all the effort 👊🏿👊🏿👊🏿
great video, really usefull, thanks for taking the time to share your experience.
For more breaking power ..if you must use mechanical levers to disengage. They make hydraulic caliper that use the cable to engage brakes
I didn't even use the brake levers with sensors on my HP Scorpion recumbent tadpole trike. The mechanical disc brakes work fine and if you pedal backwards 1.5 times it stops the assist. Good enough for me. =)
Having E breaks are pretty crucial imo, especially with higher power motors, if your cheap chinese throttle fails you could find yourself locked at full power having to fight with the motor in order to slow down.
Thanks bro, very informative.
With out die trying to face the hill of the city...lol....mood video
Good*
Very helpful info! Thanks...
Yes I was going to say add a spacer . Good on you.
Luke.. Video fantastico. Sono 3 anni che cerco di capire che bici comprare per andare in giro in questo paese pieno di salite assurde.. mi sa che mi hai convinto. Inutile che spendo 800/1000 per una bici elettrica pronta economica, mi serve qualcosa di serio che possa gestire le salite. Il bafang credo sia il way to go
daje! sono contento che ti sia piaciuto. occhio a non sottovalutare l'impresa dell'assemblaggio, se sei uno incline al fai da te allora no problem 👍
PS: mitici i tuoi video 😂
Very helpful information. Thank you.
8:25 - uphill speed (22mph/35kph) - flat speed (35mph/55kph)
Hi Luke, regarding having too much power, you can always buy usb cable fort bafang and reprogram it to use less power and so you can turn your 500W motor to 350W or 250W, this also extend range on your current battery
there's exactly what I'll show in the next video 😉
Why? Isn't more power better? I would rather go quicker than most limited bikes selling at 4 grand 😆
@@stevenwood433 more power comes at compromises, like more battery drain... I think that's the point: someone may want to lower consumption and you can do that reprogramming the motor to limit it.
Actually your motor may also last you longer this way
@@LukeLorusso interesting you got any video on reprogramming?
@@stevenwood433 yep! check the last one ruclips.net/video/Cy2RFpWLeZ4/видео.html
good video. I dont understand why more people use head gear for there video recording. makes it so much better.
Hey Peter, thanks for sharing! There are actually many possibilities to record, each one is better for different situation. I've seen that a head mount is great for biking and motorcycling, but not ideal on onewheel for example. We should test lots of mounting to find out what best fits us. I'm still learning, so thanks for your appreciation :)
One thing have to compare the cost of a conversion to buying ready to go ebike. My research cost is close to $1000 USD to convert a bike.
Interesting. I live in South Wales with very steep hills everywhere. The 250w Bafang and Tongsheng engines are legal but they just do not have the power to get up the hills. I talked to a man last week who had a 350w Bafang and he said it was not really powerful enough for the local hills. The Bosch motors are able to get up the hills but, while they are said to be 250w, apparently they regularly 'burst' to 500w when needed. In other words, Bosche seems to have gone around the legal issue. I found this video very interesting. Will go and look at your built one later.
thanks for your interest man! consider also 500W mid-drive kits! I will soon do a more detailed video about the 500W Bafang variant
Put on a 28T Bafang chainring for more torque/power at low gear, the stock 46T Bafang BBS02 chainring is good for top end speed but not climbing. I use a 24in frame with a dual suspension MTB and Bafang BBS02 so that is like having a lower gear to start off with. I wouldn't think a 700 frame would work very well for steep hills even with granny gears.
How likely are police to actually check the wattage of your motor? As long as you aren't blasting around obnoxiously at high speed, I can't imagine it'd be a problem. I have no problem climbing very steep hills with my BBS02 in lower gears at 10-15mph, but it does go up to 1300W in bursts on a 52V battery, with the stock 46T chainring.
The 250W and 350W motors are 36v and the same physically, the 500W and 750W are 48v and slightly bigger (more windings) but again the same. The power differences are decided by the controller amperage which can be changed in the firmware. For durability 18Ah (500W) and for power 25Ah (750W) on the 48v ones. The Bafang unit is bigger and can run at a higher current than the Tongsheng so gives more power.
@@superelectic45 bbs02b is prone to over heating, so i restricted mine to 18amps. 48v plus i rarely use the throttle, as that can burn out the moffets some use 52v batterys and use max 25amps, on 750w and burn the motors.
How about a vid on disassembly. Motor and gearing. Thanks.
I have built a few bafang bike and have never used the brake sensors without any trouble. I guess if you are a beginner you may need them but even on my Sur Ron I disabled them.
i fitted the gear change sensor, and no longer get the clonk in gear change. smoother gear change now, that lowers stress on the motor and chain , gears.
My 3kw Bafang is a lot of fun to ride.
Bafang 750w offers 120 nM torque, not 160 as stated at 9:34
i do ( me 100kg) 46 km with a 750w, 20amp battery, on PAS 9, very rapid .
30 min going, 34 going back, still left some power in battery, i never finished that battery yet.
80% of my ride i am PAS 1-3 , hills 4-5. low gear. steaper 6-8 rarely go to 9. i get 40 miles on a 13.5 amp hours. i find once you get passed 50% battery the hills can draw the battery right down to 20%
Hi there. I have watched all of the videos about e motor. Now I have changed my mind. Originally bafang 750w was my choice, but I guess I will go for tasheng 750w. Cheaper, saves more battery, lighter, has torque sensor. Only thing is lower speed and worse hill climbing? I have one big hill in one of my routes and few small ones. I think 750w can do it.. How about noise, which motor is louder?
Hey Dilyan, you're not the first asking me about noise. Neither of the two is noisy at all! Even if they do a little bit of noise, the wind bouncing on your ears will cover any sound coming from the motor or the chain. Sometimes I can hear the sound of my pneumatic against the asphalt but that's it!
With the Tongsheng you'll have a more "authentic" bicycle feeling (meaning that, whatever the assistance level, you'll always participate with the motor in providing the force). With the Bafang you'll have more like an "e-motorcycle" experience (meaning that with higher assistance level your effort will be reduced and will tend to disappear).
At the end is just a matter of preferences. With the Tongsheng I found myself more inclined to push harder! You'll auto-endorse yourself and it's good for fitness.
With the Bafang you will convince yourself that you're on a 70cc Piaggio scooter, without the expenses of gasoline!
Thank you so much for your video! Just a quick question: cables from the motor are enough long to connect to the battery if it is mounted in the back rack, instead of the frame? My Top Fuel's frame is incompatible with battery frame installations. Thanks again and greatings from Madrid!
Hey there! Thank you for watching
Someone already asked this, btw the motor's cables are enough long: in case of a rack battery it's the battery cable that should be long enough to arrive to the motor's plugs. most likely it is, and worst case scenario you can buy extra cable
Your rear arm hanger for rear brake look solid, can put the on the hanger? what the name?
My first e bike used the Bafang BBSO2 750 watt kit. Plenty of power for climbing hills, but I was not as pleased with the way the motor would responded. It was not as smooth to pedal as I would have preferred. So, I bought a Tongsheng TSTZ2 750 watt kit and mounted it on another bike. The motor definitely reacts more smoothly to my pedaling, however it does not have the power of the Bafang motor. I have also considered upgrading the Tongsheng motor with the opensource software, but I have just not gotten around to it. That might give and edge to the Tongsheng setup. Are you still using your Tongsheng bike now that you have the Bafang?
Hi Phil! Thanks for your sharing, I feel exactly like you said about the two motors
nowadays the Tongsheng bike has been given to my girlfriend, but I still maintain it and planning some improvement
maybe I'll check out something about custom firmwares... time has come!
@Luke Lorusso Why not remove the front derailleur? When I had my bike converted, the derailleur was removed.
the front derailleur has the specific purpose to keep the chain track "in line". It prevents the chain to jump away from the motor's chainring when you're bouncing on the rocks with your bike, even if it's fixed.
I made the mistake to remove it from the previous two builds and from time to times the chain jumps away. With this last build it never happened
@@LukeLorusso But the thing I’m saying is this: If you don’t need the front derailleur, then you also don’t need the front shifter either. I just got the rear derailleur and it’s shifter and the front shifter got replaced with that power/power level button and the throttle switch. I’m guessing that why the front and rear derailleurs do what they do is to ensure that the bike has the right gear ratio when it’s going uphill, downhill and at grade. Since you got an e-bike motor that is replacing the crankset, you don’t need the front derailleur or it’s shifter.🤷🏾♂️
@@geraldshields9035 I surely don't need the shifter. I actually removed the shifter.
I would have kept the shifter in case of mid-drive motors with multiple chainring (more than one speed) but that's not the case here:
I just kept the front derailleur (stuck in its position) for the reason I explained in the comment before: you don't actually need it, but if you keep it you'll prevent the chain to jump away from the motor's chainring
@@geraldshields9035 I've run my Bafang BBS02 with a single speed rear spocket and stock 46T chainring, no gears to shift whatsoever, I just use throttle with PAS 1-9 to go as fast as I want. Top end speed is reduced, it's still fast enough to hurt you in a crash, you don't want to be travelling faster than you can brake anyway.
@@nathangant7636 I'm not a "throttle" kind of guy! Honestly, if y'all want something with a thottle, get a scooter or a motorcycle!😂 I want a bicycle! The Mid Drive is just to help you with hills!
Was so good till i couldnt understand italian :'( im still going to buy one it lasted 2 years strong?
it's still solid and working great!
If my calculations are correct, the total range for 1 battery is 75 km, or 46.5 miles
What brand of 36 tooth chain ring did you order?
Good vid, one question, what's the red and green buttons for bud?
You should look at this one man ruclips.net/video/bwtDSUMheuA/видео.html
cheers! 🍻
For pedal assist, which one do you recommend?
Love my Bafang!
Just built mine need to program throttle only
I use epoxy putty to attach the brake cut off sensor, once the epoxy sets it becomes rock hard, the sensor is going nowhere
I use black hot glue.
how many hours/km or miles does the battery used up?
do you have to spin the pedals for the motor to kick in or can you use the motor alone
there's an acceleration throttle that you can optionally connect on almost any kit
Oh dear god the jumpcuts
Is this universal? I'm worried it might not fit my trek dual sport
Do i have to use a new front chain ring on my bike or can i use the original one. Does it work with 2 rings at the front? Cheers
hey! you should definitely try the stock one by default. then, if you have issues or of you prefer a different size, you can buy another one and have a try.
there are also custom chain ring with support for multiple rings, but again try the stock one first. 80% of the times it's the right one
I just mounted a 500w tsdz2 on my bike after watching your videos. It is quite fun and I am really pleased with the result ! Have you tried "upgrading" yours to the open source firmware ? Alongside many added features, It should be possible to set our 500W motors exatcly as a 750W one, which could mitigate the differences with the Bafang one ? It could be a really interesting video
thanks for your input! I'll check that up 👌
Tsdz2 is a weaker Motor, Bafang with 14s outputs 1100 watt+
What happens to the spacers that you got with the kit there is about 4/5 of them. Overall good video 💯💯
Hello Luka, tell me.
I am thinking of getting bbs02 500w 36v. I would really want to use my legs (sport), that is why i think 750w 48v is too much power for my needs. What do you think?
I thought of TSDZ2 becausw of torque sensor, but it has problems fitting to Cube bikes and build quality is not quite for stand up ride.
I though of Lingbei, but most od sources stopped selling them because of torque sensor problems.
Hi! If you set the BBS02B 750W to have 9 assistance levels, the first 5 will act like the 5 speeds of the 500W version.
Of course if you can afford that price for the motor, you can go for the 750W and just be aware of its power (sometimes if you forget do decrease ass. lev. you might start up too fast and crush yourself on a wall, not kidding 😅)
but the 500 one I think it's enough for flat areas. Also, I suggest you to spend MORE on the battery and get the max capacity and quality you can!
There's nothing wrong with the TSDZ2, it's just that you will always use your legs alongside the assistance. It's a cooperation between the two (or the three). With the Bafang you can contribute as you wish in that moment and the motor will cover the difference in force to maintain the speed associated to the selected ass. lev. The risk is of course that laziness might take some range away from you
That’s cool to spend more money on the kit then the bike is worth
BRake levers or brake sensors for mechanical disk brakes?? what to order? plz help
for mechanical brakes, brake levers. it doesn't matter if V or disks 😉
@@LukeLorusso As i thought. Tnx
Great video, do you have a link to where you got your kit? I like the rear rack you have a link to that also.
Hey! This time I got it simply from Amazon (.fr for me), but usually you can find them on eBay. If you order from china it migth take some weeks in order to reach you... I prefer european stocks (cause I'm in europe)
The rear rack was found on a local store
Where do you buy these
Hi Luke, thanks for all of these videos. I see that you now have both mid-drive motors. In this video you talk about power. Your Tongsheng is 500w but your Bafang is 750w (more power). Here in the U.S. I have the opportunity to buy a 750w Tongsheng. There are lots of hills where I live (including where my house is on -- very steep!) Do you know, how will a 750w TSDZ2 compare to a 750w BBS02B?
Hey! I don't own a 750W Tongsheng, but I own both 500W TSDZ2 and 500W BBS02B
I can just speak about the lasts, but the key differences are: pedaling system, battery consumption and throttle reactivity. You should check ruclips.net/video/T7ve958hJXE/видео.html
The Tongsheng will give you more control on steep climbs, so it won't be less effective. But the experience is simply different.
If you need a tow mule, get a BBS02B: it's simply raw power.
If you need control, meaning deciding when to go gentle and when to rush, get a TSDZ2
I will try to make more comparison videos
@@LukeLorusso Thanks for the quick response, Luke. I really appreciate it. Thanks for the tip on control during climbing. I do want to go gentle on steep hills because I want my motors to last. I will not very light mountain biking and lost of city riding with hills. I look forward to more of your informative videos!
Hi Luke, thanks for the great videos. You totally convinced me to buy this kit, but i don't understanded one thing, the motor is 160nm torque or 100/120? The torque change based on the programmation or maibe the Ampere of the battery? Thanks in advance!
Hi Jack! In an electric bicycle, torque is simply the ability to rotate the wheel.
The max torque depends on the capacity of the motor to apply some force and it's not something you can tweak.
The 750W BBS02B is rated for a max torque of 160Nm, while the 500W one is rated 100Nm.
If you want to know more: ruclips.net/video/rQVu6N4lGXk/видео.html (ITA sub ENG)
@@LukeLorusso Thanks for the advice Luke! (sono italiano pure io ma volevo rimanere nel mood :D)
@@Jackevolution88 🤣 mi sembra giusto
Thanks for the video. From where did u buy the kit.. You got a link to it?
It's just amazon.fr 😊
Use a BB spacer ring.😄
Did you take measurements before ordering your bafang kit or can you tell them what type of frame and they can send you the right kit without any problems?
I ordered the bike after I checked the bottom bracket was within the measurements. The mid drive kit has only that measure, either it fits or not
Initial response: Got this bike for my friend. ruclips.net/user/postUgkxUiL0GnyDjP32RJdd660sP8mZk4CRLTCJ Delivery was fast. And the friend was surprised I would order it when she had never suggested she wanted anything but the pedal bike she had. She has now ridden the bike two times and gives it a 10 and says it is very fun. We have some hills in our town that are very challenging to climb on a typical bike. But tonight she went up with the pedal assist and loved it. I was way behind on my standard bike, huffing and puffing. Now she is no longer lagging behind me. This thing is powerful enough that a person could go around town without any pedaling. She likes to get some exercise so on flat ground she hits the red button to turn off pedal assist and only uses the twist throttle when she's in a tough spot. The bike looks good. It is really a very nice bike for the friend. Now for me, when I get an electric bike, I'm twice her size and will be looking for a bigger watt motor and battery. But this one is just wonderful for my friend. I am happy with this purchase.
What model of motor is this? Does the motor make loud sound?
The model it's in the description (BBS02B); about the noise check out my answer to Dilyan: ruclips.net/video/CNyqPEdvfVs/видео.html&lc=UgzQc_Erl1FQE9PtL1B4AaABAg.9QAvIIm3QqC9QB00Wxnw1u
Modulation of a hydraulic brake is way better (i guess on a Rockrider Brand the brake is not the best anyway 😅). If you talk about simplicity and noob mainteance you are right off course with the mechanical Brake. But wear and dirt is a disadvantage, since you are not using a mountain bike the proper way and keep it on the street this is not a problem then 😉
Which conversion kit would YOU suggest for someone hoping for RANGE rather than power, and are RANGE/ POWER dependant upon one another? In short, how can I maximise DISTANCE without requiring "TOO Much" power?
ruclips.net/video/z5kKbTevIZ8/видео.html here's your answer
Did you install the thumb throttle too ?
it's hidden, but it's there ;)
Is it peddle assist only or can you add throttle so no pedaling?
you got the full explanation here ruclips.net/video/T7ve958hJXE/видео.html (it's the second bike that has the same motor, 500 instead of 750 but same model)
the throttle can be used without or with pedaling :)
I love how you mounted the Fork Opposite and have no clue you did it.
does it seems opposite to you?
www.decathlon.ch/fr/p/velo-vtt-st-540-27-5/_/R-p-301097
cause I didn't mount it: on this bike that is the right way
Hey Luke great video, I'm also living in Switzerland I was thinking in buying a BBSHD 750W with a 52V 17ah battery to give me good range if I want to. Can you tell me if you had to pay a lot in taxes/post, etc.? I know a ton on how to install the kit my only concern is how expensive is this gonna be after buying the kit.
Hey Juan, BBSHD is 1000W, the BBS02B is the 750W one.
I had the opportunity to receive the kit in the EU, so no major taxes were added.
I suppose that if you buy with Amazon to Switzerland, taxes are calculated at checkout, but I'm not sure about eBay or other online marketplaces
Be wary of Bafang. Mine worked great for about a month and then the problems started. Started working with Bafang to troubleshoot the issue. By the time they decided it needed to be sent in, it was after the crappy 90 day warranty. Now I'm stuck with $1400 worth of junk.
I guess it might happen, sorry to hear that.
considering the price you paid, you might have bought something different, like the bbshd. this one, bbs02b, helps me every day since one year without any issue. the other one since two
what motor?
undo all your electric connections, and start again reconnecting it all, check you not got a connection worked loose. , ect, then reconnect. it might just be a bad connection.
would this be possible on a roadbike frame?
I guess yes, why not
difference in 1000watt?
Nice video! I'm about to order this kit but I'm curious, are you happy with 44T? I myself have two front sprockets today but am totally fine with a single one since that is usually better. At least for me. But the biggest sprocket of the two I have today is 36T. And I also have a smaller one, this setup gives me very low gear driving steep climbs. So changing to a single bigger one will make it much harder. But then again, since I have the motor, this shouldn't be a problem?
Also, do you know why someone would like to put a 46/48/52 sprocket on it? To get the maximum speed I assume but for me, it sounds like torque on low speed might lack a bit due to that?
Well this is an interesting topic!
On all 3 of my kits (1 TS 500W, 1 BF 500W and now on this BF 750W) I always had 44T.
As a general rule, you should go for a big one (44 or 46 T) if you need speed. You want a small one instead (38 or 36 T) if you need efficiency on steep climbs.
At the beginning I wanted to have the same number of T as on the highest speed of the original bike's chainring (36T), but actually 44T is quite good anyway, considering how much the motor helps you. If I'd go smaller I'll lose some speed... so I'm fine with it.
You could start with the default one and decide yourself if it's the case to order another one later 🙂
@@LukeLorusso Sounds good and that is true, thanks for the response. :)
I'm also thinking about ordering the gear shit sensor since I think it is not included, and would be nice to be able to shift gears without thinking about breaking the chain (or something else). Do you think it is worth doing so?
@@SpriCoProductions Absolutely yes, even if I never tried it 😅 I think it's a good idea since the motor supports it.
You could add it anytime, during or after the building
a distanza di mesi come ti ci stai trovando? sono anni che voglio fare sto setup e non mi riesco a decidere mai..
Ancora benissimo come il primo giorno, nessun problema finora 👌
Lo stesso vale per il 500W, che è di base lo stesso motore con un controller "meno performante"
Io credo che molto dipenda da come tratti il motore...
Nel senso che se lo usi correttamente, non lo sovrasforzi, non colleghi batterie con voltaggio sbagliato e non lo sottoponi a situazioni sgradevoli (tipo immergerlo nell'acqua o che so io) non dovresti avere grossi problemi!
E' normale che a volte si ricevono unità difettose, capita con qualunque prodotto. Però nel mio caso 2 su 2 sono ancora li che mi fanno fare la spesa ogni giorno, mi accompagnano in foresta o al mare e spingono ancora come all'inizio
@@LukeLorusso ah... sta cosa del 500w che è simile non la sapevo. C'è sempre da imparare🙃.
Beh sono passati anni e io ancora qui a capire cosa e dove acquistare.. ed ecco un altra estate è arrivata, prendere la macchina qui è impossibile. Mi toccherà andare a piedi come al solito per colpa della mia eterna indecisione e confusione sugli acquisti. Grazie ler i tuoi video
Che motore sceglieresti tra il 750w ed il 500w bafang?
Ciao! come spiego in questo video ruclips.net/video/wqj-kWgJCqw/видео.html se si è in una zona pianeggiante un 500W è più che sufficiente.
Nel caso si viva in una zona con molte salite, allora il 750W è la scelta giusta.
Quanto alla batteria, se si devono percorrere poche decine di km, un motore da 36V può andar bene: con 15.6Ah si può usare il 500W per un'ora di fila.
Se bisogna percorrere più di 40, 50 Km in modo regolare, un motore da 48V è più indicato (il Bafang 750W è solo da 48V) e li si può installare una batteria da 17Ah o anche 20Ah e avere molta più autonomia senza sforzare troppo il motore
Can you still ride the bike if the battery runs out ?
yes, also you can leave the battery at home:
ruclips.net/video/T7ve958hJXE/видео.html
I explain more about it here!
Ciao. Potresti scrivere, per favore, anche le dimensioni del pacco batteria che usi? Lo so, è una domanda inusuale, ma mi servono per valutare eventuali soluzioni per la bici ( custom ) che vorrei elettrificare ( in accoppiata con questo motore Bafang ). Grazie! :-)
ciao! in che senso? cioè che misure vuoi sapere?
è una downtube battery
48V 17.5Ah
ti servono lunghezza/larghezza/profondità?
@@LukeLorusso sì. Mi servono precisamente quelle misure. Grazie
@@salcerino eh ma queste variano da batteria a batteria, e anche in funzione di V e Ah. Questa è 9.1 x 36.8 x 11.1 cm ma è la più grande che ho mai maneggiato.
Quelle dei miei motori da 36V 15.6Ah sono entrambe più contenute anche se di forma diversa (quindi i cm sono distribuiti diversamente)
se il frame non lo permette ci sono anche le batterie posteriori
un esempio: images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61LkuTTNNNL._AC_SL1500_.jpg
Is there a reason your forks are the wrong way round?
it is not, check the picture of the bike at retailer
@@LukeLorusso Sorry but the retailer must have them the wrong way round too, the crown is supposed to be at the front.
@@Bobario1 www.decathlon.it/p/mtb-rockrider-st-540-v2-azzurra-27-5/_/R-p-335529
I still don't understand where this idea of "the crown is supposed to be at the front" is coming from, it's simply not true.
It might be a way for "beginners" to question it, but still not a rule: on this bike it doesn't, and you should look at the fork to know it, not the crown
Good call out they need to be reversed
This is probably a dumb question, but I will ask it anyway. Is it possible to build an ebike using a fixed hub wheel motor / dynamo that will be able charge your batteries as it zips along. Have been looking into DIY e-bike kits to breath new life into my old mountain bike that's been stuffed in the shed gathering dust. Scenario - motor on one wheel or on frame, hub dynamo on the other wheel charging the batteries as it moves along.
I think it's possible... the thing is that the amount of energy necessary to move your bike is way more than the energy that you could recharge via a dynamo. There are people showing that the gain is less than 5% compared to not recharging it...
So as of today's technology I would say it's not worth it, but if you try that lemme know 😊
thanks for the video. One question, if you know the answer:
As I am very big (120kg), plus the bike weight, kit weight, and load weight with the saddlebags, do you recommend more torque? will it be enough? I live in lisbon-portugal, a city known for its 7 hills, but there are more hills than the 7 main ones. I'm thinking of buying one with more torque than speed.
Hey Luis, there's not an easy answer. First of all, torque does not necessarly sacrifice speed. In fact speed might be (among variour things) positively affected by torque.
That said, for your case I would consider either the BBS02B 750W or the BBSHD. You can maximize the resulting torque by using a smaller chainring on the pedals and/or a bigger cog on the rear wheel.
Just pay attention cause when I load up my bike coming back from the groceries store, there's a VERY steep climb and when I select the "lighter speed" the risk of wheely is pretty high! It's on you to find the right balance for your build
Can you link me to your battery please
it was a complete kit, just search for "haoling 48v 17.5ah"
Holy Shit! The shocks are backwards!!!!!
every 3 months someone pops out claming the fork is backwards... it's not
www.decathlon.it/p/bici-mtb-rockrider-st-540-v2-azzurra-27-5/_/R-p-335529
if you believe this, it means you're looking at the wrong thing to understand its verse, like the white piece. that one is not universally indication of the fork's verse.
if you mount the fork reversed as you think it should, on this model you'll have the fork tubes and the wheel mount pointing backwards. plus, the brake mount for the disk would be on the frontal part of the fork, all of which is wrong...
this is because on this specific model, the white piece goes like this, and it doesn't mean the fork is backwards
I hit the like button the moment you stared at the camera with that gopro porn headmount.
Ma e possibile montarlo su una bmx?
non saprei, dipende se c'è spazio sul telaio per la batteria e se il movimento centrale rispetta le specifiche di diametro e profondità
How much that build cost you?
Quite expensive actually, but still way less than the equivalent new ebike with same specifications!
An ebike like this would cost between 3000 and 6000 EUR, while this bike itself is 300, the kit plus battery is 850 (it may vary depending on the retailer). Add like 15 for the rear rack and that's it.
Of course, if you go for a more quite 500W you can lower the price
Please do not add music to your videos. It is super irritating to the ears and it drowns out your voice esp with a heavy accent. Why does anyone think music is useful? It drives people insane.
This is a useful and great video with lots of tips and information. Don't ruin a demo video with extra background noise please.
...and mine is the least heavy accent in my workplace, imagine that 😂
trying to answer seriously, this topic is really debatable. It is known that the music in a video, even if it is only playing in the background, creates a good mood and gives the interested viewer a positive feeling. It also makes the fruition of the content less boring, considering that it's a long monologue.
The real question might be about the actual volume, and here you might be right as it may be too loud, and about the lack of specific audio equalization.
I will investigate this issue for future videos.
Thanks for your feedback!
The music caused me to bail on the video at the 3 minute mark.
That's nice but there is something that has no purpose on this bike: the front derailleur.
😅 I explained that on the live before: the front derailleur has the specific purpose to keep the chain track "in line". It prevents the chain to jump away from the motor's chainring when you're bouncing on the rocks with your bike, even if it's fixed
I made the mistake to remove it from the previous two builds and from time to times the chain jumps away (just happened 3 hours ago on my other Bafang build). With this last build it never happened! I invite you to try it 😉
@@LukeLorusso I didn't know that!
So you removed the cable and the handle bar controller but left the guard. First time someone recommended that. Thanks.
mechanical brakes are cheap and easy to maintain setup and fix...
Everybody's diy mechanical skills are on different levels.
There's nothing wrong with that.
People are good at different things.
Did you say this took you weeks to complete lol
It's a kit shouldn't really be any problems.
There was no fabrication no custom work.
Some bikes you have to grind frame & more
You were lucky didn't have to do any of that.
It was like plug and play
How did it take that long.
To be honest wires are messy doesn't look tidy.
Battery pack is upside down and looks bit stupid.
Sorry if I sound a bit harsh just been honest.
You said something about the front sprocket not lining up with rear sprocket it's NOT supposed to LOL
As you change gear it will never be lined up.
it took me 2 weeks but just because I had deliveries to wait, a vacation to plan and the video to mount. I was just saying to my viewers "sorry that it took all this time from the live to the actual video".
It's not a matter of skills.
The total building time might be 5 or 6 hours, but still the message I want to pass is "Don't rush to complete your build, take your time".
It's better to be careful than sorry
The battery pack is upside-down and in another video I explained that on some frames you are "forced" to do so because the bottle mount is too low on the bottom bar... unless you want modify the battery's holder...
I won't enter into the specifity of bike mechanics, I'll leave those considerations to those who knows the subject.
Thanks for the feedback anyway!
Post a video of you e bike build where you do a better job of resolving these issues
I can go 50 km with my 10ah battery ;)
You look like basel The hungry syrian wanderer.
😅 didn't know about him... effectively there are similarities!