Mid drive ebike retrofit kits

Haakon

Haakon

has an accommodating arse
So Kirsty has taken one look at Hobart’s hills and requested an electric assist conversion on her Soma Mixte frame. Fair enough! There are no real bike paths here either (only downer coming from Canberra) so she will be mixing it with cars and some speed will give her some confidence.


Does anyone have any experience with them? The Bafang kit comes up a lot and seems straightforward enough…


https://melbournepowered.com.au/col...-e-bike-conversion-kit-68-73mm-bottom-bracket
 
Scotty T

Scotty T

Walks the walk
That's the motor I have in my commuter. I got it from these guys:

caprouge.com.au

EBIKE CONVERSION KIT WITH BATTERY OPTIONS

Cap Rouge is Australia's leading supplier of conversion kits combo. ✔ eBike Kits ✔ 100% Tested Batteries ✔ Express Delivery
caprouge.com.au caprouge.com.au

I put a 250w version in Tina's bike, but for the big hills I'd reckon the 500w is a better bet. The main issues are bottom bracket and chainstay width, it looks like a standard 68mm BB and chainstays not very wide so it should fit up without any spacers. Mine had to have 4mm of spacing because the chainstays are wide. The frame will take any of the bottle cage mount batteries, this is the kit I have, cheaper to buy a package with battery and I think these guys are a little cheaper than Melb Powered. I have bought from both, reputable sellers.

caprouge.com.au

Bafang 36V 500W BBS02B Conversion Kit 68-73MMM & 15.6Ah Battery

36V 500W BBS02B eBike Conversion Kit & Battery Combo 36V 500W Mid-Motor 100Nm Torque BBSO2B Conversion Kit Fits 68-73MM Bottom Bracket Choice of 7 Different Display Options Choose Cable Brake Sensors or Hydraulic Brake Sensors (Please let us know on checkout which type you need) Includes Free...
caprouge.com.au caprouge.com.au

I've just bought some CNC cranks for mine, you need to really tighten the factory ones as they are made of cheese and can come loose if you don;t crank down hard enough first time.
 
Haakon

Haakon

has an accommodating arse
Cool, thanks for that. What cranks did you get? It has polished alloy cranks on it at present and I jsut know I’ll get a look of disapproval putting black ones on it ;)

What’s the go with all the wiring? Does it really need brake lever sensors…? Does it need the thumb throttle?
 
Scotty T

Scotty T

Walks the walk
I got Buzz Bars which are specifically for the Bafang, you can't put normal cranks on them. They come in polished alloy, and they also correct the q-factor, mine got delivered this week from Melb Powered: https://melbournepowered.com.au/collections/lekkie-buzz-bars

Yes, brake sensors are worth having, you can live without them but changing gears, and riding super slow like when you only need to ride a few metres it lets you touch the lever and prevent the motor cutting in, very useful for crossings or riding up to where you are parking.

I also run a gear sensor, which allows you to just keep pedalling when you change gears. Without either, the motor can engage and it's like changing gear without backing off which can cause some nice crunching in the gears.

You don't really need the thumb throttle with a 500w kit, on the 250w it comes in handy for steeper hills but I am looking at adjusting the profile on Tina's controller so she doesn't need to use it, you can program the Bafang system pedal assist levels and modify the max power on each setting.
 
Scotty T

Scotty T

Walks the walk
CHEWY said:
Yea I didn't actually read the OP properly, if its on the road the bafang will probably be better, riding single track go the tongshen.
Click to expand...
Yep I would never venture off road proper on anything but a torque sensor setup, I haven't taken a Bafang off road but heard they aren't a lot of fun if it gets techy.
 
Haakon

Haakon

has an accommodating arse
Scotty T said:
Yep I would never venture off road proper on anything but a torque sensor setup, I haven't taken a Bafang off road but heard they aren't a lot of fun if it gets techy.
Click to expand...
She isn’t averse to actually riding, so I think I’d prefer to put her on the better torque sensing motor. She rides to get the exercise, but Hobart hills are just taking the piss in her view…
 
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