icecube57
10 MW
After my Magic Pie 2 broke the drop outs on my frame after over a year of 35+mph 5000w service. I decided to go into a different direction. I decided to buy a kit that was as bolt on as it possibly could get. Thee BBS02 48v 750w 25A kit was the answer.
I choose a 29 inch bike cause I'm a big guy and I wanted a larger frame than my last one. I picked up a Walmart Genesis 2900 Max Air. I replaced the fork with a RST Air Suspension fork. The wheels stay stock but I had them professionally gone over by my LBS that tightened and stressed the spokes in the wheel. I slapped some 2.3 Urban Street Tires on it with Kenda Iron Horse Tubes. I found an old school 11-34 tooth Shimano Mega Range Freewheel. I traded in my cycle lumenator for two Cree LED Flashlights up front for night riding. I normally have one solid on high and the other flashing. I have a rear led laser lane light to light up the rear.I have a cycle analyst for more detailed battery monitoring. I have a Turnigy Multistar Lipo Battery. 6s 10AH packs in 2s 4p. 44v 40AH. Im using one of my series parallel harness system to Balance/Bulk Charge my pack. This all fits two wide in a Falcon EV Diamon Triangle Bag.
My estimated range in the flats is 160 miles in optimum conditions. 120 realistic range under ideal assist. I've been consistently been hitting 3 miles per AH on my local level trail system maintaining an average speed of 20mph on assist level 4 @ 200-300w going 18-22mph 20mph Average. Under max assist level 9 @ 5-600w the range drops to 80 miles. Its very wasteful in assist level 9 and doesn't net much increase in speed. 20-27mph was reached with 2-3mph increase in your average speed.
Using the BBS02 is different. Especially after using a hub motor for many years. You basically had to have the mentality that you are driving a car.... A stick shift Geo Metro to be more specific lol. The gears I pedal in and use PAS are different from the gears the motor would actually like to be in. I have a 7 speed. I normally ride in 4 5 6. At any given speed the motor using the throttle only preferred to be in a gear that was usually 1-2 lower/larger than what you normally pedal in. Looking at my CA and listening and feeling how the motor reacted after a few rides you quickly develop a system. Just like in a car you would never stay in granny gear or lug it it around in your last high speed gear. You stay some where in the middle. Down shift when coming to a stop and down shifting before going up a grade. Initial rides you think shifting the gear is simple. No you have to change the way you shift to preserver your chain and freewheel. For me I stop pedaling let the PAS system disengage and shift up or down. Slowly crank the pedals 1/8 to 1/4 of a turn. This should change the gear right before PAS kicks in or before you apply the throttle. Changing under load while on the throttle or while PAS is engaged... you are gonna have a bad time. The bike will still shift but it makes that horrible gear shifting clank which is the equivalent of grind gears in a car.
This also isnt a motor system that you arent just going to dog out. The key to making this drive work and last is first telling your self this isnt a hub motor. Hub motor are gearless and pretty much fixed speed. This system you have to use the gears to keep the motor in an efficent range for the terrain you are in. Hubmotor riding relies on brute force power and inertia to get you through you terrain. This mid drive system applies much less power and uses the gears to either multiply the torque at a trade off for speed or more speed at the trade off of less torque and acceleration. Upgrading the controller will get you no where with this system. The stock controller has enough power to drive the motor into saturation easy! You just have to change your riding style to apply the power in a smart way.
The system should have a max power of about 1400-1500w or 30A at 48v. This is alot of power but again if its not applied appropriately you can lug the motor in the wrong gear and drive it at an inefficient speed/power band and it will create tons of heat. Neptronix has gotten his up to 140F after a long climb and goofing off. From My riding and personal opinion is it can do 200-300w all day and again to a hub motor this isnt alot of power but for a mid drive its a significant amount of assist in PAS or for just cruising. Under max assist I did 10 miles and stop to check everything the motor was hot to the touch. You couldnt leave your hand on it. This was under 500-600w. I believe the rating system should be configured 250w continuous 500-700w peak continuous for 30 min and 750w+ only for short periods or to get you out of a jam or a significant obstacle.
The assist levels on my stock system are quirky but right on time after I experienced the system after the learning curve. Each assist level is good for about 80w a piece up to 750w in PAS mode in assist levels 1-9. The throttle in the first half of the assist mode is roughly double or 100% more of what PAS only gives you. So in assist level 4 which gives 320w would give me 740w if I applied the throttle in that assist mode. Again its a significant amount of power boost when used correctly in the right gear. The higher levels seem to give 200% power or 1400w when you apply throttle. This is my rough observation.
This system on my bike has a minor pitfall. The 29er gives no mechanical advantage to the BBS02 system so it struggles to max out at top speed. I purposely sought out the largest granny gear freewheel I could find. Its usable when you truly needed otherwise it doesn't get used. The same goes with the other end of the freewheel the elusive 11T. It gets used when Im actually pedaling my bike but the motor could give a F#(% less about the 11T. Its just hard to drive. Dont even try to attempt to start the bike in that gear it will tremble and choke and give you the middle finger. This system definitely likes smaller wheels. So 20-26 would be its prefered setups. If anything with this system I want to upgrade/down grade to a 42T to give the motor the best mechanical advantage at driving these 29 inch wheels. Im currently using a 46T which came stock.
Overall the drive system is lighter so i shaved 6-8 lbs off due to the motor and I upgraded the batteries to these new multistar packs which drop the bike another 5-6lbs. I gained roughly 20% more capacity and range in less space. When rode optimally it has insane range and does have the balls to get you out of a jam. This isnt a system that's going to give you that peak raw performance for an extended period of time but it will be there for you when you need it the most. Riding this makes me feel super human. Its so quiet that no one knows you are on an electric bike. I dont get the dirty looks when I ride by lycras like I did with my magic pie.
I hope with this information you can make an informed decision if this is right for you if you have any questions or comments leave them below.
I choose a 29 inch bike cause I'm a big guy and I wanted a larger frame than my last one. I picked up a Walmart Genesis 2900 Max Air. I replaced the fork with a RST Air Suspension fork. The wheels stay stock but I had them professionally gone over by my LBS that tightened and stressed the spokes in the wheel. I slapped some 2.3 Urban Street Tires on it with Kenda Iron Horse Tubes. I found an old school 11-34 tooth Shimano Mega Range Freewheel. I traded in my cycle lumenator for two Cree LED Flashlights up front for night riding. I normally have one solid on high and the other flashing. I have a rear led laser lane light to light up the rear.I have a cycle analyst for more detailed battery monitoring. I have a Turnigy Multistar Lipo Battery. 6s 10AH packs in 2s 4p. 44v 40AH. Im using one of my series parallel harness system to Balance/Bulk Charge my pack. This all fits two wide in a Falcon EV Diamon Triangle Bag.
My estimated range in the flats is 160 miles in optimum conditions. 120 realistic range under ideal assist. I've been consistently been hitting 3 miles per AH on my local level trail system maintaining an average speed of 20mph on assist level 4 @ 200-300w going 18-22mph 20mph Average. Under max assist level 9 @ 5-600w the range drops to 80 miles. Its very wasteful in assist level 9 and doesn't net much increase in speed. 20-27mph was reached with 2-3mph increase in your average speed.
Using the BBS02 is different. Especially after using a hub motor for many years. You basically had to have the mentality that you are driving a car.... A stick shift Geo Metro to be more specific lol. The gears I pedal in and use PAS are different from the gears the motor would actually like to be in. I have a 7 speed. I normally ride in 4 5 6. At any given speed the motor using the throttle only preferred to be in a gear that was usually 1-2 lower/larger than what you normally pedal in. Looking at my CA and listening and feeling how the motor reacted after a few rides you quickly develop a system. Just like in a car you would never stay in granny gear or lug it it around in your last high speed gear. You stay some where in the middle. Down shift when coming to a stop and down shifting before going up a grade. Initial rides you think shifting the gear is simple. No you have to change the way you shift to preserver your chain and freewheel. For me I stop pedaling let the PAS system disengage and shift up or down. Slowly crank the pedals 1/8 to 1/4 of a turn. This should change the gear right before PAS kicks in or before you apply the throttle. Changing under load while on the throttle or while PAS is engaged... you are gonna have a bad time. The bike will still shift but it makes that horrible gear shifting clank which is the equivalent of grind gears in a car.
This also isnt a motor system that you arent just going to dog out. The key to making this drive work and last is first telling your self this isnt a hub motor. Hub motor are gearless and pretty much fixed speed. This system you have to use the gears to keep the motor in an efficent range for the terrain you are in. Hubmotor riding relies on brute force power and inertia to get you through you terrain. This mid drive system applies much less power and uses the gears to either multiply the torque at a trade off for speed or more speed at the trade off of less torque and acceleration. Upgrading the controller will get you no where with this system. The stock controller has enough power to drive the motor into saturation easy! You just have to change your riding style to apply the power in a smart way.
The system should have a max power of about 1400-1500w or 30A at 48v. This is alot of power but again if its not applied appropriately you can lug the motor in the wrong gear and drive it at an inefficient speed/power band and it will create tons of heat. Neptronix has gotten his up to 140F after a long climb and goofing off. From My riding and personal opinion is it can do 200-300w all day and again to a hub motor this isnt alot of power but for a mid drive its a significant amount of assist in PAS or for just cruising. Under max assist I did 10 miles and stop to check everything the motor was hot to the touch. You couldnt leave your hand on it. This was under 500-600w. I believe the rating system should be configured 250w continuous 500-700w peak continuous for 30 min and 750w+ only for short periods or to get you out of a jam or a significant obstacle.
The assist levels on my stock system are quirky but right on time after I experienced the system after the learning curve. Each assist level is good for about 80w a piece up to 750w in PAS mode in assist levels 1-9. The throttle in the first half of the assist mode is roughly double or 100% more of what PAS only gives you. So in assist level 4 which gives 320w would give me 740w if I applied the throttle in that assist mode. Again its a significant amount of power boost when used correctly in the right gear. The higher levels seem to give 200% power or 1400w when you apply throttle. This is my rough observation.
This system on my bike has a minor pitfall. The 29er gives no mechanical advantage to the BBS02 system so it struggles to max out at top speed. I purposely sought out the largest granny gear freewheel I could find. Its usable when you truly needed otherwise it doesn't get used. The same goes with the other end of the freewheel the elusive 11T. It gets used when Im actually pedaling my bike but the motor could give a F#(% less about the 11T. Its just hard to drive. Dont even try to attempt to start the bike in that gear it will tremble and choke and give you the middle finger. This system definitely likes smaller wheels. So 20-26 would be its prefered setups. If anything with this system I want to upgrade/down grade to a 42T to give the motor the best mechanical advantage at driving these 29 inch wheels. Im currently using a 46T which came stock.
Overall the drive system is lighter so i shaved 6-8 lbs off due to the motor and I upgraded the batteries to these new multistar packs which drop the bike another 5-6lbs. I gained roughly 20% more capacity and range in less space. When rode optimally it has insane range and does have the balls to get you out of a jam. This isnt a system that's going to give you that peak raw performance for an extended period of time but it will be there for you when you need it the most. Riding this makes me feel super human. Its so quiet that no one knows you are on an electric bike. I dont get the dirty looks when I ride by lycras like I did with my magic pie.
I hope with this information you can make an informed decision if this is right for you if you have any questions or comments leave them below.
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.lots of info.
