Why Shimano Di2 is the perfect complement to a BAC 855 and BBSHD setup

Odogster

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Sep 11, 2020
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I recently purchased a fat bike and started upgrading different components that I thought were lacking immediately, as I always do. It came with a 1500 watt BBSHD motor and an Sram X5 9 speed drivetrain. The brakes are Tektro E740 and actually perform as well as my Magura MT7 so they get to stay. It was a hard decision deciding what derailleur to use. Because my hub is the old fashioned type (HG not XD) I was unable to use any of the 12 speed cassettes with the 10 tooth gear, so that meant if I wanted to go Sram my only option for cassette is the NX. It has an 11 tooth as the smallest cog, which really is fine for me, I don't even use that small of a cog or even the two next larger ones no longer get any use. So I decided to go with the Di2 XT derailleur, XTR shifter, XT 11-42(46) cassette, and I needed two chains (crazy long chainstay) so I used one XT and an XTR. It is a really, really nice system which it had better be for the price. It shifts so smoothly and precisely, by far the best I have ever had the opportunity to use. At this point I am now running a BBSHD at 1500 watts with the stock Bafang controller. I used the Bafang programming cable to edit a few motor settings but found that as usual I still wanted more torque. The high end was around 35 mph which to me is more than I need so I saw no reason to upgrade from a 52 volt battery I just needed more amps. I love amps.

My next upgrade was the controller. Typically I would have wanted a solution that was internal to the motor, like the original Bafang controller but combine the difficulty in obtaining one with the fact that my motor is built into the bike frame and I wound up deciding to go with the BAC 855. I was lucky that the motor was built in and had protection from the bike frame so I didn't even wind up needing to use the 3D printed cover for the Bafang motor. If you want to hear more about this just send me a DM. A 2" piece of double sided sticky mounting tape and two zip ties secured the controller perfectly to an unobtrusive area on my frame. The BAC 855 has a feature that will send a small amount (<100) of wattage to the motor even when the throttle is not engaged and there is no peddling. It does this to keep the ride smoother, so when the throttle is engaged the chain is not moving from 0 - quickly immediately which can cause breakage issues. This way it provides a smoother ramped up feeling to acceleration as opposed to the jerky on and off feeling it has stock.

The Di2 system has barely needed adjustment at all, and has managed the pesky chain line problem for me with no alterations to the drivetrain except for a spacer next to the Lekkie Bling Ring up front. Also, the small amount of wattage being sent to the motor when in "neutral" is just enough for the Di2 system to grab and shift gears if need be even when I shift 2 or 3 at once (which is also made possible by di2). It is seamless and as smooth as it gets. I have had no problems with the chain coming off or breaking and have not needed to rework the cassette at all and am able to make use of the entire 11-42 tooth range. Initially I installed the 46 tooth cassette but realized it was unneeded and when I needed to replace it I did so with its 42 tooth counterpart. I was having all sorts of issues prior to moving to Di2, but since its implementation have had none. I just adjusted the derailleur using the Di2 head unit and moved it 3 clicks to the left and that's it!
 
Thank you OP for an excellent and valuable contribution to the community!
raylo32 said:
This thread is worthless without pictures!
False. You may want them, but the way you phrased that demand shows an extremely entitled attitude.
 
LOL... not at all. It just means we'd love to see the pictures. Many forums I am on even have a built in emoji string .gif just for this purpose since it is needed so often. Like this:

thisthread.jpg



john61ct said:
Thank you OP for an excellent and valuable contribution to the community!
raylo32 said:
This thread is worthless without pictures!
False. You may want them, but the way you phrased that demand shows an extremely entitled attitude.
 
Few are immersed in online "meme culture".

Please could you post some pics?

IMO keeps things welcoming for all
 
while we're at it.. can OP plz type in more paragraph format?? I can't read a long string like that without getting dizzy or losing interest;)..

and needs pics or it didn't happen;)
 
I recently purchased a fat bike and started upgrading different components that I thought were lacking immediately, as I always do. It came with a 1500 watt BBSHD motor and an Sram X5 9 speed drivetrain.

The brakes are Tektro E740 and actually perform as well as my Magura MT7 so they get to stay. It was a hard decision deciding what derailleur to use.

Because my hub is the old fashioned type (HG not XD) I was unable to use any of the 12 speed cassettes with the 10 tooth gear, so that meant if I wanted to go Sram my only option for cassette is the NX. It has an 11 tooth as the smallest cog, which really is fine for me, I don't even use that small of a cog or even the two next larger ones no longer get any use.

So I decided to go with the Di2 XT derailleur, XTR shifter, XT 11-42(46) cassette, and I needed two chains (crazy long chainstay) so I used one XT and an XTR. It is a really, really nice system which it had better be for the price. It shifts so smoothly and precisely, by far the best I have ever had the opportunity to use.

At this point I am now running a BBSHD at 1500 watts with the stock Bafang controller. I used the Bafang programming cable to edit a few motor settings but found that as usual I still wanted more torque. The high end was around 35 mph which to me is more than I need so I saw no reason to upgrade from a 52 volt battery I just needed more amps. I love amps.

My next upgrade was the controller. Typically I would have wanted a solution that was internal to the motor, like the original Bafang controller but combine the difficulty in obtaining one with the fact that my motor is built into the bike frame and I wound up deciding to go with the BAC 855.

I was lucky that the motor was built in and had protection from the bike frame so I didn't even wind up needing to use the 3D printed cover for the Bafang motor. If you want to hear more about this just send me a DM. A 2" piece of double sided sticky mounting tape and two zip ties secured the controller perfectly to an unobtrusive area on my frame.

The BAC 855 has a feature that will send a small amount (<100) of wattage to the motor even when the throttle is not engaged and there is no peddling. It does this to keep the ride smoother, so when the throttle is engaged the chain is not moving from 0 - quickly immediately which can cause breakage issues. This way it provides a smoother ramped up feeling to acceleration as opposed to the jerky on and off feeling it has stock.

The Di2 system has barely needed adjustment at all, and has managed the pesky chain line problem for me with no alterations to the drivetrain except for a spacer next to the Lekkie Bling Ring up front. Also, the small amount of wattage being sent to the motor when in "neutral" is just enough for the Di2 system to grab and shift gears if need be even when I shift 2 or 3 at once (which is also made possible by di2). It is seamless and as smooth as it gets.

I have had no problems with the chain coming off or breaking and have not needed to rework the cassette at all and am able to make use of the entire 11-42 tooth range. Initially I installed the 46 tooth cassette but realized it was unneeded and when I needed to replace it I did so with its 42 tooth counterpart. I was having all sorts of issues prior to moving to Di2, but since its implementation have had none. I just adjusted the derailleur using the Di2 head unit and moved it 3 clicks to the left and that's it!

 
Di2 is a very expensive, very proprietary solution to a problem nobody had. Time will relieve us of it.
 
Chalo=retro grouch. Probably still uses thumb, bar end and down tube shifters. ;) But, yeah, I agree Di2 isn't needed. The mech stuff works amazingly well already.

Chalo said:
Di2 is a very expensive, very proprietary solution to a problem nobody had. Time will relieve us of it.
 
Di2 is amazing for hand cyclists with limited hand movement or strength. Hopefully electric shifting becomes more mainstream and affordable for them.
 
Chalo said:
Di2 is a very expensive, very proprietary solution to a problem nobody had. Time will relieve us of it.

Needed or not, it's still excellent.
 
slm9s said:
Chalo said:
Di2 is a very expensive, very proprietary solution to a problem nobody had. Time will relieve us of it.

Needed or not, it's still excellent.

[youtube]RtrI53k4WZM[/youtube]
 
Electric scissors = hair clippers ?.....not such a crazy/ silly idea then ?
Or ask any sheep shearer if he would go back to manual shears ( they are just industrial scissors)
Or a vinyard owner if he would prune his vines using hand shears !
There are riders of “fixie” bikes who strongly believe gear systems are unneccessary !..
....and likewise most “roadie” cyclists feel the same about Ebikes.
.....and there are Ebikers who have no understanding why most folk are still driving cars. !..
It all depends on personal requirements and viewpoints .
 
As far as being expensive, it definitely is that but totally worth it IMHO. It's only a few hundred bucks and if you like tech its very cool. I actually think that time will produce more similar systems, like SRAM AXS. Shimano missed the ball here only because they should have implemented Bluetooth to replace the wires. That's probably what we'll see next from Shimano. Of course with them getting $26 bucks each cable it may be a while. Also the fact that it integrates so perfectly with the electric part of the bike is awesome. And it's lighter than the non electronic counterpart. It exemplifies the pushing of boundaries with technology in a sport that I love, and thats the reason we see so many great innovations so it's definitely not a solution to a problem that didnt exist it solves a couple issues for me.
 
Nice looking rig. Even though I don't have a Di2 bike I agree it it is very cool tech. I almost went that way when I built up my Lynskey gravel pedal bike a couple years ago but in the end kept it mech. I definitely can see going electronic sometime in the future for some build, if only to satisfy the gearhead in me. I hope Shimano come out with a wireless setup. That might get me.
 
I'd go with a nice integrated hub first before going with Di2.

An interesting read, replace expensive batteries every 3-4yrs, no roadside fixes
https://www.cyclingforums.com/threads/di2-cost.469485/
 
Anybody else seeing all kinds of bikes equipped with Mavic Mektronic and Mavic Zap groups?

KG176_ZAP_0-16.jpg


Yeah, I didn't think so.

Electronic shifting started being a thing in 1993. There wasn't any need for it then, either. So it went away, just as today's nonsense will in due course. First it will linger awhile to part fools from their money.
 
markz said:
I'd go with a nice integrated hub first before going with Di2.

An interesting read, replace expensive batteries every 3-4yrs, no roadside fixes
https://www.cyclingforums.com/threads/di2-cost.469485/



I actually looked into this first as it was my choice also but the high price and lack of stock drove me to di2
 
Odogster said:
Apparently it didnt go away or this thread would not exist.

It actually went away twice. The 1993 version failed and went away, then the 1999 version failed and went away. Shimano introduced pneumatic shifting and the German company Acros introduced hydraulic shifting (which both went away) before there was another ill-fated attempt to get the next generation of rubes to trade all their wampum for electronic shifting.

Step right up!
 
Yes, I remember Mavic Zap... it got pretty mixed reviews and I never tried it. They were as rare as hen's teeth and I believe I may have put eyes on only one example in our club ever. But now that Shimano and SRAM have perfected the technology I have to both agree and disagree with Chalo. First, I agree that the new electronic shifting setups are entirely unnecessary for 99% of the market. But I disagree that it is going to "go away" like Mavic Zap. There are a lot of "fools" that have and are simply willing to spend a lot of $$ to have the latest and most $$ thing. You see it everywhere, not just with bikes. Phones, cars, mattresses, whatever. In my bike club group probably more have Di2 than not now. And more and more are going discs on their road bikes... another entirely unnecessary thing. I mean discs on featherweight road bikes are REALLY unnecessary. But still selling like hotcakes. I am holding on to my vintage Litespeed Tuscany forever. Well, vintage except now running 11-speed.


Chalo said:
Odogster said:
Apparently it didnt go away or this thread would not exist.

It actually went away twice. The 1993 version failed and went away, then the 1999 version failed and went away. Shimano introduced pneumatic shifting and the German company Acros introduced hydraulic shifting (which both went away) before there was another ill-fated attempt to get the next generation of rubes to trade all their wampum for electronic shifting.

Step right up!
 
Chalo said:
Odogster said:
Apparently it didnt go away or this thread would not exist.

It actually went away twice. The 1993 version failed and went away, then the 1999 version failed and went away. Shimano introduced pneumatic shifting and the German company Acros introduced hydraulic shifting (which both went away) before there was another ill-fated attempt to get the next generation of rubes to trade all their wampum for electronic shifting.

Step right up!

Either way, regardless of the tenacity of electronic shifting in the market it seems extremely troll like to hunt down a thread specifically about the merits of di2, then insult the technology, then call the people that use it fools. Extremely unproductive and unneeded posts. One could make the "not needed" statement about a huge percentage of innovations since bikes have been able to be ridden successfully for many years so does that mean that nothing new is needed? I would also bet that you've never tried it and your opinions are like a butthole, everyone has one and they all stink. I guess almost every pro in a race is a fool because they use electronic shifting? I know as a troll your exact goal was to solicit responses like this so this is the last one you'll get from me.
 
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