Ebike conversion - Bafang BBSHD 1000+ watt

[Diggs]

I ride my old vintage 10-speed road bike 5-10 miles almost every day. I started riding mostly for the cardio benefits but enjoy the silence of it while hearing/seeing/smelling everything. The smooth and quiet is something I really appreciate as I pass by so much wildlife without them even realizing I'm there. Where I live in Wisconsin is very rural and it's not unusual to see deer, fox, turkey, cranes, herons, egrets, eagles, hawks, etc. all on one ride. (I have several enduro style motorcycles but I reserve them for trail riding in the dirt.)

Anyway - I've ridden almost every where within a small radius of where I live many times and in an effort to widen my ride area I ordered a Bafang BBSHD 1000 watt mid-drive kit (with 52v 13 ah Samsung celled battery) for my bicycle. Now 750 watts is the most legally allowed in the states for a road bike but off-road kits such as this are available that offer more and can be easily installed on road bikes. A 1,000 watt drive will basically allow you to do wheelies from a standing start and easily hit 40 mph not even pedaling. None of these are my goals as I prefer not to stretch chains and break spokes. The kit comes with trip computer/controller that has 5 levels of pedal assist (PAS) as well as a thumb throttle. It is one of the premier kits on the market right now. I'm stoked to get it installed and get out there. I'm also hoping it doesn't negate my cardio benefits as I plan to do more and longer PAS rides.

Here's a quick video about the unit I bought and there is a huge amount of info and videos out there about the Bafang BBSHD.

 

[Sky-Knight]

Looks like fun but dang man... $700 and then you have the bike to put under it. I've never toyed with all this much because to get what I'd like, I'd have to spend more than what it takes to get a cheap car! And that relative value gap just turns me right off.

 

[Diggs]

Looks like fun but dang man... $700 and then you have the bike to put under it.

I'm getting to that age (old+) that every now and then I like to treat myself. (Already did the car thing a few years ago.) I didn't work my whole life just to die and pass it ($) on to my daughter - heh. (The difference between a man and a boy is the price of his toys....) Actually, the motor is ~$700. The battery pack is another $500. No more than a nice computer......

 

[Sky-Knight]

@Diggs, yeah but I guess I'm poor enough that while I can justify a couple grand for a tool that lets me work, doing the same on a bike just isn't in the cards. Of course, I'm not quite 40 yet and I've got four kids to feed first. So perhaps the toys just come later.

Which is fine with me, because all this electric stuff looks like a complete blast to play with, and the prices are in free fall. So I'll just wait another year or two. I'm not above getting China junk and building myself. But for the moment all of my spare time is going into engineering a solar array for my house.

That's going to cost me far more... but I'm going to run this blasted A/C off the heat of the AZ sun darn it!

 

[kwest]

Oh man you are going to have fun. You will get the same cardio but be able to go 20 30 miles.

I bought mine from Luna cycle which “hot rods” the motor. They just reprogram it which you can do with some googling and the $20 programming cable.

I have had one on my full suspension specialized for 3 years. I feel like I get the same exercise doing single track but I get to see so much more. We live on a large mountain so i setup my son with the same type of bike to be able to get to the beach and back. He wanted a lighter bike for single track so he has a separate fs mountain bike for jumping.

Anyways if you have any issues installing or setting up let me know. Programming cable will unlock lots of features of the bafang.

 

[Diggs]

You will get the same cardio but be able to go 20 30 miles.

Exactly my hope. I did buy from Luna and I got the programming cable also. For starters I went with the stock chain ring but I guess the Lekkie rings are preferred.

I see the Brits putting the throttle on the left hand like the video. What's that all about??? Are motorcycles that way also across the pond? Something to do with driving on the wrong side of the road?

 

[timeshifter]

I like the part of the video where he takes it for a ride. Looks like fun. Love the sound of the electric motor then I guess he's manually shifting the gears. Odd but cool.

 

[kwest]

Exactly my hope. I did buy from Luna and I got the programming cable also. For starters I went with the stock chain ring but I guess the Lekkie rings are preferred.

I see the Brits putting the throttle on the left hand like the video. What's that all about??? Are motorcycles that way also across the pond? Something to do with driving on the wrong side of the road?

Stock ones are junk. I started out with Lekkie really small one for more speed. A year later I went with I think it was 38 or 40 tooth because it had a greater offset. That is what you will be battling is the chain offset. lekkie is so much better than stock. I also got lekkie Cranks that are shorter and a lot lighter than stock bafang.

Regarding throttle place it where you feel comfortable with it. I bought the grip throttle from Luna and I feel like that is better. My son has the thumb throttle and he is ok with it.

 

[Diggs]

Regarding throttle place it where you feel comfortable with it. I bought the grip throttle from Luna and I feel like that is better.

I snomobile (thumb throttle) and ride motorcycles (twist throttle) but it is always on the right hand. A twist is more steady long haul feel where a thumb to me is for more sporadic riding or for "blipping" (sharp stabs of power). The control may be something I change over time along with the chain ring.

 

[backwoodsman]

I see the Brits putting the throttle on the left hand like the video. What's that all about???

I'd guess it's so your right thumb is available for shifting gears.

 

[Diggs]

Bumpity - bump....

1,200 miles later and I still look forward to every ride. I added a large 52-tooth front Leckie sprocket ring for higher speeds and less cadence. I've worn out a few rear tires, chain, a "freewheel" in the back (set of gears) and a few sets of brake pads which are all inexpensive items. I picked up a handlebar bag for the front and a bag (not panniers) for the rack in the rear in preparation for the Bike4trails multi-day ride that I want to do later this/next summer but am waiting for COVID to settle down so I can enjoy the eats and lodging more.

I should add that I "hacked" the controller programming and made it into more of a cruise control. I do long country cruises and my preferred long-haul pedal speed is right about 14 mph. If I drop below that the pedal assist starts coming on stronger and stronger to get me back to 14 mph. If I exceed that speed the pedal assist slowly cuts out. I do have different speeds and assist levels also programmed from in-town lazy assist to haul'n ass!

 

[Diggs]

Bumpity - bump.....

A year later and I about 3,500 miles on the bike now. Still love every ride and the more I ride the longer I ride. I started to out-ride my 12.5ah battery pack so I built another pack mounted in a trunk bag on the rear rack. It's about a ~15ah pack made from the LiIo cells from medical equipment (portable oxygen enrichment units) that have been changed out. I built it with a 40 amp BMS and it runs in parallel with my original battery giving me about 27ah or just about 100 miles in range with moderate pedaling. My furthest rides are in the 65-70 mile range so I'm finally riding again without the range anxiety I used to have. (When you are exhausted and need the battery the most it dies on me.) I also switched to Schwalbe Marathon tires and have over 2,000 miles with a long way to go before wearing them out. Also - No flats (knock-on-wood). Summers are my slow time for work but are absolutely beautiful in rural Wisconsin so I'm getting in as much riding as I can before the weather starts to change.

 

[Diggs]

Bumpity - bump - bump - bump!

Several years later and my e-bike has ~7,500 miles on it. I continue to enjoy but I find what I enjoy the most when I am riding is someplace new that I haven't been before. Wonderment really adds to a ride. This summer I've enjoyed riding the Bike4Trails in Wisconsin, the Hennepin Canal Trail in Illinois, the river front trails in the quad cities along the Mississippi River including the Oculus on the I74 bridge, Military Ridge Trail out of Madison going by Epic Systems campus, and many miles and trails more...... Hopefully I remember to stop back here in another couple of years - heh!