New Bafang Crank-Drives

[maxwell92036]

The exchange rate is 6 to1 and I just saw a bafang BBSO2 selling for $500 dollars direct from china Wow thats $3000 yuan these people are going to the bank ! all for a mediocre electric motor and some sub par electronics and then you still need to find a bike, buy batteries and assemble it all ? no wonder china now has more millionaires than the US or canada

And most decent mid drive factory bikes are going from $3000 on up, so to spend less than $1200 on a mid drive motor, at least a 15 amp hour battery and charger to put on an existing bike seems like a decent deal to me. Plus it will have more performance to boot. 350 watt Bosh drive bikes are not cheap.
Exchange rates don't mean anything, what means something is the bottom line. Don't know how much it costs to make one of these motor kits but there is markup along the way.

 

[tomjasz]

The exchange rate is 6 to1

6 to 1? That’s nothing! How about the Indonesian Rupiah - 11701 to 1! or the Iranian Rial - 26540 to 1! Those are the people really sticking it to the North Americans!

$3000 yuan

I bet you say “kW per hour” on a regular basis.

you still need to find a bike, buy batteries and assemble it all

If you poke around this forum a bit you may encounter a few people who like the DIY and customization aspects of the whole thing.

Um, guys, you are more than a little confused about exchange rates.
A bottom of the line 1.4L VW is 155,000 yuan or $25,000. USD. Check out prices and then lifestyles. It's not quite what it seems on face.

$104 USD for a pair of Levi's
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/country_result.jsp?country=China

 

[amigafan2003]

The exchange rate is 6 to1 and I just saw a bafang BBSO2 selling for $500 dollars direct from china Wow thats $3000 yuan these people are going to the bank ! all for a mediocre electric motor and some sub par electronics and then you still need to find a bike, buy batteries and assemble it all ? no wonder china now has more millionaires than the US or canada

Wow - that's not just a chip, that's a whole sack of spuds on your shoulder!

So what if there are lots of Chinese millionaires, good on them I say. Maybe if you invested some of your capital and designed and marketed a product for which there was a demand, then maybe you could be one too!

 

[tomjasz]

So what if there are lots of Chinese millionaires, good on them I say. Maybe if you invested some of your capital and designed and marketed a product for which there was a demand, then maybe you could be one too!

Sadly many are on the edge of their real estate bubble. When it goes, it's gonna hurt a lot of families. It'll make the USA bubble look like a micro bubble. Sad!

 

[von]

Send him 3k and up for one of those all electric department store quailty bikes so he can turn around and go buy himself one of those 1.4L volkswagens, such a sweety you. you can buy an entire electric bike with a bafang rear drive hub and full suspension, for less than $300 , use a translator

 

[amigafan2003]

What exactly is your problem?

If you've nothing constructive to say (it just sounds like you're trolling tbh) then the door is > that way.

 

[tomjasz]

Send him 3k and up for one of those all electric department store quailty bikes so he can turn around and go buy himself one of those 1.4L volkswagens, such a sweety you. you can buy an entire electric bike with a bafang rear drive hub and full suspension, for less than $300 , use a translator

And you can buy Levi's for $25. Still don't get it?

 

[cycborg]

Maybe time to stop feeding the troll, guys?

 

[tomjasz]

Maybe time to stop feeding the troll, guys?

Oops, didn't check the post count.

 

[Krakz]

The exchange rate is 6 to1 and I just saw a bafang BBSO2 selling for $500 dollars direct from china Wow thats $3000 yuan these people are going to the bank ! all for a mediocre electric motor and some sub par electronics and then you still need to find a bike, buy batteries and assemble it all ? no wonder china now has more millionaires than the US or canada

It s always a proplem to buy single bike parts - in germany aldi discounter sold an quite well Touring Bike with Bafang BBS01 - for exakt the same Money (less tha 900 Euro), i have to pay just for motor and battery

 

[skyungjae]

I may be joining the Bafang revolution, BBS-02 to be exact. Anything I should be aware of before I take the plunge?

I was thinking about dismantling one of the brakes and create a thumb push button to use kinda like a clutch when I shift gears.

But first thing's first. Gotta find a full suspension frame that can accommodate this battery.

There's got to be someone on here is using this battery with a full suspension frame. :lol:

 

[speedmd]

My bbs02 lasted 1 hr before frying the controller. 2 months later it is working. To be fair they were going through some major revisions on it and I did not want the same exact thing.

The GNG setup with 75v / 30+ amps is way more powerful. If your thinking the thrill will be the same, you may be disappointed. The BBS is quiet as hell though and a real stealthy setup.

 

[skyungjae]

My bbs02 lasted 1 hr before frying the controller. 2 months later it is working. To be fair they were going through some major revisions on it and I did not want the same exact thing.

The GNG setup with 75v / 30+ amps is way more powerful. If your thinking the thrill will be the same, you may be disappointed. The BBS is quiet as hell though and a real stealthy setup.

Well, I was running my GNG at 48V. My Stinky was a bit too much for the 95% commuting use. I definitely want something that feels more "bicycle," and this kit seems to fit the bill.

 

[radroach]

I've been shopping for BBS02 500W, should I buy from Greenbikekit ($410) or EM3EV ($500). 36V or 48V? Will a bottle / tube - style battery be compatible (plug and play) with this setup?

 

[maxwell92036]

For clutching while you are shifting there are several ways to do this without crunching the gears.

Lightly pull in the left (front) brake lever while you shift with your right hand. This cuts off the power. Hold it until your bike switches gears

Backpedal right before you make a shift. This cuts off the power too.

Or quit pedaling and if you are shifting to a higher (smaller cog in the back) just make as many clicks as you want and then gradually pedal until you are in gear. Don't do this when you are going to an easier gear (larger cog in back)

Trying to shift going slow uphill with a large load on the chain is bad news. Look ahead and plan out your gear change. If I get in a jam I just use the throttle until I can pull off a clean shift. I use a thumb throttle on the left side so as not to interfere with shifting.

Also make sure your bike is shifting well and that the chain is lubed and has no kinks in it. It must solidly go into a gear and stay into the gear.

Practicing smooth shifts and keeping your drivetrain lubed and adjusted are keys to a happy ride and more miles between repairs.

Mid drives rock for a number of reasons but they require a little more skill to ride them correctly. If you hamfisted or don't much care about learning how to ride one right then you would probably be better off with a hub motor.

 

[rp3]

Not having ebrakes I just use a tiny bit off throttle to ease the power off. There's no delay doing it this way. :wink:

 

[Masure]

Hi guys,

I'm building a bike from scratch with a bbs02. Sadly, my frame can't take the bbs :-( . It's a 29" hardtail mtb carbon frame (flyxii fr 217). The bottom bracket outer shell is too thick for the clearance between bbs crank axle and motor housing. When I want to push the axle through the BB, the motor shell is hitting the BB :-\. I'm screwed and I think I'll have to change the frame or the mid drive. Maybe a gng would fit but it looks like way less stealth and easy to set up.

 

[0utrider]

Anything I should be aware of before I take the plunge?

It's cleaner with a 68mm bottom bracket insofar that you can use the lock nuts on both sides and the front chain ring is more aligned with the rear gears. Not that a 73mm won't work. It would be nice to use the power of a cycle analyst to its fullest potential but others have reported that it can become frustrating to work out all the kinks. Fortunately a CAv3 is not an absolute requirement. I won’t be able to report any more gotchas until this weekend when I actually install onto the donor bike the BBS-02 sitting on the floor of the living room. Other things for which I'm on the look-out but don't know how they will affect me:

• * Will I have problems with the front chain ring placement with the chain line? Also will the teeth hit the frame. I’m starting with a 46 tooth sprocket so, I’m hoping not.
  * Annoying Noise from the spalls in the bottom bracket when the unit engages the front chain ring.
  * Coordinating gear shifts with the brake cut-off to minimize ratcheting and chain slip caused by the system not having a throttle only mode (use it like a clutch?)
  * Will I have to monkey with the wheel size setting trick to get the best speed and performance out of the controller?

I'm sure I'll find a couple of other issues on the way but not insurmountable.

 

[0utrider]

The BBS is quiet as hell though and a real stealthy setup.

That's what I'm going for in addition to the motor disengaging allowing less drag for non-powered pedaling.
I know eventually I'll get a faster direct drive hub motor but for the first project, the BBS-02 seems to hit the requirements for my first build.

 

[0utrider]

Practicing smooth shifts and keeping your drivetrain lubed and adjusted are keys to a happy ride and more miles between repairs.

I'll also keep your advice in mind!

 

[0utrider]

Not having ebrakes I just use a tiny bit off throttle to ease the power off. There's no delay doing it this way. :wink:

Nice, I'll practice this as well.

 

[0utrider]

Sadly, my frame can't take the bbs :-(

I definitely would not mess up your BB on that carbon bike. I also ended up changing frames from a Trek 8.2 DS, though in my case it was just an inconvenience rather than a hard stop since I was running up against issues with the BB width and with the Treks integrated shifter/brake levers. Yes, I could have continued with the same bike but after thinking over it for a while changed my mind going with a cheap WalGoose XR-Pro for the Franken-Bike. I can't say yet if this is a regrettable decision since I'm not sure what I may run into. So far, battery placement is my biggest head-scratcher leading to me likely using a backpack at first so I can at least test the system.

I'll post the project once it’s underway this weekend.

 

[Masure]

Really frustrating and hard to change plans but this is a dead end as you mentioned.

 

[skyungjae]

Sadly, my frame can't take the bbs :-(

I definitely would not mess up your BB on that carbon bike. I also ended up changing frames from a Trek 8.2 DS, though in my case it was just an inconvenience rather than a hard stop since I was running up against issues with the BB width and with the Treks integrated shifter/brake levers. Yes, I could have continued with the same bike but after thinking over it for a while changed my mind going with a cheap WalGoose XR-Pro for the Franken-Bike. I can't say yet if this is a regrettable decision since I'm not sure what I may run into. So far, battery placement is my biggest head-scratcher leading to me likely using a backpack at first so I can at least test the system.

I'll post the project once it’s underway this weekend.

I had a WallyGoose 29er at one point. Had the battery I wanted fit the triangle, I probably would've moved all my GNG parts over. Unfortunately, the template I made showed it would not work. em3ev let me know that you need at least 2cm above the battery to take it out.

Now that my Stinky is gone, I'm on the search for a full suspension frame with enough clearance for the battery. So far, this is one of the best options I've seen:

This makes me wish I had jumped on a Ferrari CX-60 back when they were being sold for $900.

Anyhow, as soon as the GNG stuff in my garage sells, I'll be ordering a BBS-02.

 

[tomjasz]

While a single GNG review didn't spell doom for me, after all the reading here, I'm happy I went with the BBSOX version. I envy those able to ride full suspension frames. I did try out one and was duly impressed with the ride. Sadly no full suspension crank forward bikes will ever be marketed. Following your progress to see what direction you end up taking. Best of luck finding the right bike!

T