Bafang BBS02 - What else do I need?

[fujio001]

I am looking for a complete kit to add to my Yuba Mundo cargo bike and it looks like the Bafang bbs02 500w fits the bill. It looks like EM3EV has a pretty good reputation.

Other than the Bafang bbs02 kit , 48v battery and charger, is there anything else I need to make it work? I am thinking about things like extra connectors/wires and such. A bag for the battery to protect it from the rain sounds like a good idea as well.

Thanks in advance.

 

[dogman dan]

You will come to really appreciate a cycleanalyst. The stand alone kind, for monitoring that kit. Or, a much cheaper wattmeter from ebay can be used. But the CA is the gold standard for wattmeters. Nice features like total miles, total cycles, total ah discharged, and wh/mi.

At the very very least, I will never regularly ride an ebike that has no voltmeter. It's just good to know before you leave, that the battery really did get fully charged.

The EM3ev battery bag is also the gold standard for battery bags. I realllllllllly love mine.

 

[wineboyrider]

Volt meter, ah reader or something that gives you a good idea of how much battery you have in your tank. I think the bafang kit meter only has a voltage guage. Tools to remove the crank and install the kit. A good battery, cellman has those too.

 

[spinningmagnets]

After you've gotten everything running (your list is a significant expense), and some time passes...you might consider a suspension seat-post, they make hardtail frames much more pleasant to ride.

http://www.electricbike.com/suspension-seat-posts/

 

[melodious]

Extra or better brakes since you will be traveling faster (with plus weight) more often! Upgrade the fronts first. Or both if you live in a wet environment.

Caliper brake pads Kool-stop brand are awesome stopping power.
Mechanical rotor brakes increase the diameter size (i.e. 160mm to 180mm/200mm).

If you travel far between two places, 2x chargers would be a nice investment. Chargers aren't really built for the rigors of on road usage, unless padded from vibrations (i.e. backpack).

 

[fujio001]

Does the cycle analyst computer just plug into the mid-drive?

 

[sculptingman]

Does the cycle analyst computer just plug into the mid-drive?

The Bafang kit I bought has no separate controller. I bought it with a 48v 11ah battery that is in a rigid plastic lockable mount.
The motor has several cables coming out of it. One plugs into the battery mount. One runs to the wheel sensor, and the other runs up the downtube to split I to the connectors for brakes, throttle and computer/dash.

You just mount the dash and power/setting control on your handlebars... Put on the throttle and brake levers.
And plug it all in. The plugs are incapable of plugging into the wrong sockets...

It's really an easy mount. No fuss, no fiddling.

 

[Ypedal]

- Crank arm puller
- Bottom Bracket tool
- Lock Ring tool to mount the motor to your frame...

some zip ties..

 

[teslanv]

I just added a watt meter.
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/..._and_Power_Analyzer.html?strSearch=watt meter

 

[dogman dan]

I understand the kit has a battery meter of some kind. But I have found if it doesn't read out in volts, it's not good enough for me.

I want a wattmeter. Again, the CA you want if you do get a CA, is the stand alone one. It will have a shunt that is put on the wire leading from battery to controller/motor. Then it will do the basic functions, read out voltage, speed, distance, watts, amps, wh, cycle count, total miles, but it won't do the amps limiting or speed limiting.

But the bafang dashboard does have assist levels you can select, so you can choose an economy mode to stretch range.

And again, a cheaper wattmeter, or even just a 3 buck voltmeter may be all you really need. It just depends on how far you go, and how unfamiliar the route is. On long rides, I really need to know at all times what my wh/mi is. I ride long enough distances to die before you could walk to water. In town, no worries a phone call won't fix.

 

[fujio001]

Thanks guys, I ordered the 500W Bafang BBS02 with a16.4ah battery, cycle anaylist and charger. I am a little worried about the lenght of the wheel sensor wire. The Yuba Mundo is longer than the typical chainstay. I have all the tools to remove the crankset and install a BB. I will keep you updated.

 

[tomjasz]

The CA is plug and play with the BBS01-2?

 

[dogman dan]

Stand alone CA is plug and play with anything, once you match up connectors with the CA and the kit. Stand alone is a simple wattmeter, but with a speed sensor included that goes on the wheel, making wh/mi, speed, and distance display possible.

Direct Plug in CA, NO. So you won't get Amp limiting and speed limiting, some of the CA's nicest features with a stand alone CA.

Since the photo of the BBS02 controller I saw in Ypedals thread is potted, I think it would be pretty difficult to hack the controller to use a DP CA.

The kit does have some speed limiting features in the dashboard though, right? If it's a dilemma deciding on the cost of a CA, just try a 16 buck blue wattmeter from ebay. It will still give you amps, watts, ah, etc display. Then you get distance from another source, and can do the math for wh/mi.