Bewo, New Crank-drive Motor

[tomjasz]

The BEWO kit looks to be a fine motor. It certainly is priced well in the market. I'd love to install one but am deep into the BBS0x models. The BEWO factory is VERY responsive. Definitely far more interested in it's end users than Bafang. Bafang has a poor reputation, even with it's dealers, for support. BUT they do stand behind the product. It's those miserable lag times that hurt them most. That and the continued problems with 48V controllers. That said, the BBS01's I have are great performers. As with ANY motor I keep spare parts. I would do the same with BEWO to avoid any interruption in use. I wish there was more available on the BEWO than my Greek friends single voice!

 

[Adried]

Hello kiriakos, I also have a bewo e bike kit. I use this for a few months now,with good resuts. I have a problem with the speed senor output. The display shows 0V when I cycle. After examining the 3-pole speed sensor plug, the voltage was 4.3V with disconnected sensor cable, it must be 4,7-4,9v. Bewo says that the sensor cable is broken, I think the controller is broken . The contoller works normal, just a pity that the speed meter is broken .What is wrong according to you?

 

[tomjasz]

It would be nice if the post were here. We'd like to learn about the BEWO and not hide any of it's problems in the PM system.

 

[tahustvedt]

It would be nice if the post were here. We'd like to learn about the BEWO and not hide any of it's problems in the PM system.

If you are asking an professional electrician, to teach you electrical troubleshooting for free? This does not happen even in the movies. :lol:
The speed sensor is a generic part.

BEWO is obligated to offer technical assistance, and they did.

This is a forum for technical discussions and for helping each other with things like this.

 

[tomjasz]

Thanks Sam! There seems to be an overwhelming opinion, primarily from younger Americans, that power is everything and anything under 35MPH and 48V is anemic. That's peculiar to this forum, not the world, or American eBike riders at large. Almost without exception, every 60+ potential converter I've worked with is very concerned about having a bike to fast for the brake system, or to fast for the perceptions of cage drivers. I immediately noticed, whenever I rode above 15MPH, that traffic completely misjudges my speed and constantly pulls out in front of me. I believe drivers see bike, and think 8-12 MPH max. I've now seen a couple of powerful front drives that run around in the mid 20's and have been doing so for a couple of years. But most retirement age adults here have little interest in that speed. I've been conversing with the BEWO folks and have some price quotes. I'm actually pretty impressed in the improved communication with this company. Something Bafang doesn't seem to get. That gives an advantage to a fellow like Paul, minutes from the factory, but does little to grow the market. Add the apparently poor pre shipment inspections and dry units popping up and Bafang is not doing themselves any favors. Perhaps that's why Lectric Cycles has reinvented the name of their product dumping the links to Bafang. The Greek, sorry poor spelling retention, keeps harping on plastic gears. When that's probably anything but a problem, rather the problems are more related to consistent preshipment inspection. Hopefully electricians will stick to electrical engineering and we'll keep the plastic gearing. I'd rather sacrifice a replaceable gear than destroy an entire unit in a catastrophic mechanical failure. I do find the installation of the BEWO and it's use of hose clamps a little disappointing but the pricing is fair, and again, the support is aces! I wish there were more users to get a better overview. So far we only get a 300km report. My BBS01 saw that in the first few days...

I would not even consider a 180- 250 watt rated system...no matter how inexpensive it is. I think it makes sense for a ebike to have a bit more power then you think you need, then to try and save money and purchase a motor system that barely will meet ones needs/ expectations.

I would imagine these weak kits are fine for your average chinese person that weighs 155 lbs or less , but for the american markets, where obesity is a epidemic, these underpowered kits arent meant for mainstream .

Mmmm - I have a different p.o.v. I weigh 100kg (that's 220lb to the metrically challenged). I have two 36volt BBS01 mid-drives. The 350W is more fun but, to be perfectly honest, the 250W is quite adequate for my commuting needs. Makes my 12km (7.5 mile) each-way commute dead easy and I don't even notice the head winds. The bikes are almost always used on PAS and my battery often lasts several days. I'm often cycling well above 20km/h. I think the 'weak' BBS01 is a fine investment for the commuter who is just seeking assistance to ride more often and in a variety of conditions. That's why I bought mine and I believe that's exactly what the designers had in mind too.

Savvas.

 

[leelorr]

For commuting and bike paths the needs could probably be met with a 250w kit.
I think a lot of us are using the mid drive kits for off road trail riding so that we can keep the motor in it's "efficient" zone, which I imagine requires more power. I also think that there are lot fewer bike commuters in the USA, so the models that sell here are different for that reason too.

 

[gibbo111]

The kit is what is legally we are allowed here in Australia ie max 250w, so I will work with it. There are bigger powered bikes on roads here, but in the case of any sort of incident liability comes into play.

 

[cwah]

Do they have a 1000w model? If I get this kit I can put a 48v35A controller but not sure its a good idea.

Bbs02 is better adapter to my needs finally

 

[tomjasz]

Mr Chen at BEWO is most communicative. The pricing of his motor is really extremely competitive, Over $100 less than a BBS01 250W!!


Here's some info.

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNzkwMTA5NzY4.html

 

[eMax]

Mr Chen at BEWO is most communicative. The pricing of his motor is really extremely competitive, Over $100 less than a BBS01 250W!!


Here's some info.

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNzkwMTA5NzY4.html

Yes I also received good communication. But I paid on the 2nd of march for 2 samples which were apparently in-stock and still has not shipped.

 

[tomjasz]

I wrote today and asked Shawn Chen to respond here. We'll see...
I'd like a sample to trial as well but need some better consideration. You post really disappoints me. Kiriakos goes on about university testing but it appears they are a self declared "institute". Hopefully Shawn will clarify.

 

[cwah]

Got an answer... 350W max....

for that power the bbs01 is doing very well even with plastic gears...

And i'm using 750W bbs02 without problems...

I'll stick with bbs

 

[tomjasz]

I have no problem with plastic gears. I rather sacrifice a gear than an entire unit. I do keep a spare but as many as we read about here that plastic gear has few if any reports of direct failure. Just a few nay sayers whining about plastic somehow being substandard. Mac motors upgraded theirs and they're pretty much bullet proof. I will say Bafang does have it's share of problems but that's with thousands of units. So far we have little feedback from BEWO.

 

[jk1]

How wide are the cranks ? it looks to have a large bulb on Non crank side due to the spacer and on the drive side due to the gear reduction .

i wounder if it has the sample problems as the BBS02 with very wide BB cranks people haveing knee problems ? and also a bad chainline on the crank side due to the gear reduction being in the way ?

 

[tomjasz]

Where is this knee problem thing coming from. I'm a disabled guy who has trashed legs and walks with canes. No problem with the width. It not significantly, if at all, wider than the crank it replaced!,

 

[bgt]

The Bewo looks nice but torque is a letdown so no option. Once u are used to a high torque engine you don't want to go back.
I have the BBS-01/250W.

 

[tahustvedt]

How wide are the cranks ? it looks to have a large bulb on Non crank side due to the spacer and on the drive side due to the gear reduction .

i wounder if it has the sample problems as the BBS02 with very wide BB cranks people haveing knee problems ? and also a bad chainline on the crank side due to the gear reduction being in the way ?

The BEWO axle is 175 mm according to the technical drawing. The BBS01/2 axle is 159 mm, so the BEWO is 16 mm wider. A typical regular bottom bracket axle is 110-118 mm.

 

[tomjasz]

Who, or where are these complaints about knee problems and the bbs0x? I am severely disabled needing canes to ambulated with days where walking is just to painful. I ride 8k out and 8k back regularly with no problem. I need to measure my removed cranks from my Trek Pure and two KHS Smoothies but I never noticed a difference. Nothing back from Shawn Chen at BEWO yet...

 

[tahustvedt]

According to my measurements BEWO KIT has an asymmetry of only 4mm (left/right crank), right crank is closer to the frame (as it looks in riding position) .
If BBS has 10mm then this is an issue.

Additionally another detail that some people ignore is their own legs distance when standing in a normal upright condition.
With my shoes on, I measured about 150mm - 160mm inner distance/shoe to shoe clearance/opening, and this translates to a higher compatibility of a fully developed man with such a Mid-drive axle.

The longest distance which I did continually with BEWO KIT is 10Km up to date, my right knee was injured in a motorcycle accident, and it took me 12 years so the muscles to recover at 95%.
What I did forgot to do prior this KIT assembly over my bicycle, was to measure this distance of the old cranks, so to have today an clue if this have changed any.
In my case I did not feel any pain with my knee, and the plan is now a good bicycle seat to help me staying even longer over it, most nice destinations at my location are 15Km away, and this makes a sum of 30Km so to return back to base.

Even by respecting other people health issues, my advice to such people is to use an hub wheel KIT instead.
And even better to aim for an 1000-2000W electric scooter which has much better suspension and saddle.
An Mid-drive is more suitable to people who has no serious problems with their legs, and they have strength even to use a regular MTB bicycle for their commuting.

According to the technical drawings the BEWO is 2,5 mm offset to the right (85/90), and the BBS is 8 mm offset (71,5/87,5). The chainline on the BEWO is 52 mm, and on the BBS it's 50 mm. This could explain any premature chain wear with the BEWO.

 

[tomjasz]

Well you never listen to the hundreds of successes, just the handful of problems. I find that unprofessional. No one is bashing BEWO. Quite to the contrary. I am conferring with Shawn Chen and trying to get some satisfaction BEFORE ordering. I have asked him to address issues. However representing this unit as university tested is just plain inaccurate on your part. Tianjin Bewo Science & Technology Co., Ltd. and Tianjin University are separate entities. I have written the University and they do not endorse or support specific products. It is one of the oldest technical universities. Please stop twisting the tale and reporting this is a university developed product. Bafang, MXUS, and many others have former students from universities who also have degrees that design and build motors.

I believe BEWO has a good product, I believe Bafang has some problems, but I also believe BEWO may well have some problems if we had hundreds of user reports as well. Your continuous ranting about university development is absolutely laughable. Many of us here are also well established and well educated professionals. Being and electrical engineer has little if anything to do with building and installing a mid drive. Reading your thread you made many mistakes and missteps in doing your build. Just like the rest of us professionals building our first eBike. I have read nothing about your experience in building using a BBS0x. You've not had one or even seen one from what you have revealed. Why not just enjoy your ride and not put a stain on BEWO with your prejudicial views?

 

[tomjasz]

I do like the idea of a separate controller.

I just checked the measurements and due to the design it will not fit on ANY of my crank forward bicycles. It interferes with the kickstand placement. Too bad. End thread and interest for me.

$385 was a very attractive price!

 

[tahustvedt]

Is the Pedalease BEWO mid drive different from the other BEWO? The specs are better than the spec sheet I got in this thread.

http://pedalease.co.uk/index.php?rt=product/product&path=67_71&product_id=13172293

 

[Gab]

The BEWO axle is 175 mm according to the technical drawing. The BBS01/2 axle is 159 mm, so the BEWO is 16 mm wider. A typical regular bottom bracket axle is 110-118 mm.

woww 175mm for the BEWO must be the worst q factor mid drive out their ! the bafang BBS02 is also bad at 159mm and people used to think the cyclone kit ISIS BB was wide at 148mm !! the widest mountain bike bike BB is up to ~127mm wide so these are way above that.

From wikipedia they mention injuries of haveing wide q factor " Scientific research has emerged from The University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom that shows narrower Q Factors are more efficient, likely due to improved application of force during the pedal stroke, as well the potential for reduced knee variability and risk of injury"

With the BEWO you will be surely rideing like a cowboy

 

[eMax]

I think this tread needs a bit more factual information and less personal slagging. Respect others opinions. This is an electric bike motor, you are not comparing the length of your genitalia

Q-factor can be improved by offset cranks. Whilst I haven't received my BEWO yet the displacement cant be much worse than a Bafang BBS on a 173mm bottom bracket. Terrible chainline also.

 

[jk1]

by tomjasz » Tue Mar 24, 2015 3:10 am

I do like the idea of a separate controller.

Their is nothing good about an external controller, it adds weight and volume and extra messy wireing to and from controller. Its a lot easier to make it external then it is to make internal.. hence why BEWO has gone this way. All the high quality mid drives, like BOSCH, CYCLONE/AFT and BBs02 are intenal controller and hence give a clean factory look.

As long as they are reasonably reliable internal controllers and easy to change, it will give a cleaner finish and a significant weight saveing over external, who on earth wants to find a spot on a bike to mount a controller when you dont have to as its built in already ???

External is good only for very high power builds if you want to push the limits, 250w is not pushing anything...