KeithBo78

Who makes the best kit?

Which battery?

which is better brushed or brush-less motor?

15 0r 20 amp controller?

Thanks

slomoshun

That is fuel for a fire.

Brushless motors are the norm. Bafang hubs and mid-drives appear to be leading the pack for add-on kits. Most offerings have an appropriate battery and controller.

dilkes

That's a bit like asking - "What's the best car?"

Depends on your needs and how much money you want to spend.

KeithBo78

I live in hilly country, i weigh 200 pounds, thinking using a decent mountain bike. Money $2000 or so. what i have read prolly sould get a 1000watt brushless motor.

fietsbob

Lectric Bikes kits are sold and installed by my Local shop.. Mid Drive replaces crankset, made in 350 to 1Kw.

look them up .. company in NV.. uses Bafang motors from china.. expect they do QC checks on the motors in the company


Best? probably German Bosch, but they require a frame built around them, not something you can add with a kit.





....

2old

Luna Cycle has a BBS02 mid-drive with a 48V battery for $750 plus shipping (and tax if you're in CA). I've been using a BBS02 for two years with their 52V, 10 a-h battery and it's superb. You need bottom bracket tools to remove the BB from your bike and install the kit. If the bike you select has full suspension, you may need to get creative to io install the battery; otherwise a triangle bag works well.

dilkes

+1 on that for hilly country...and it's a great price. If you want even more power you can go with the BBSHD for more $$$.

KeithBo78

thanks for the replies, does Luna Cycle make s a rear hub drive?

2old

Yes, look at their site. Also, they distribute a "two speed" hub motor, but I have no experience with it.

KeithBo78

will the BBS02 mid drive work well with this bike? Does the chain hold up ok withe electric mid power?

https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p...ggrssrprxxxprf

2old

The GT is a good donor bike since its down tube doesn't have any radical curves; this should provide good ground clearance. I run three speeds on the rear cassette 11-17-28 with 8-speed spacing for a straight chainline. This has worked well for two years. The GT system should be adequate.

KeithBo78

which front sprocket did you get? the web page says 46t for hilly

2old

Started with 46, but changed to 30 since all my riding is off road and a top speed of 22-24 mph is adequate for me (actually my wife since she appropriated the bike).

wsteve464

Check out Tangent motors

Slightly over 2K w/o battery

InTheRain

I prefer BionX kits. I don't think I'd go that way if I think I was going off-road with long, steep climbs. However, for road riding (commuting), I love mine. The 500 watt, 28mph motor would be nice. I have a 350 watt, 20mph motor.

speshelite

What type of range are you getting?

InTheRain

Riding highest level of assist about 30 miles. Lowest level of assist, the marketing says 80 miles. However, it's easier to ride my regular road bike than it is to ride my ebike on assist level 1. I spend most of my time in assist levels 3 and 4. I have a 555whr battery.

Cute Boy Horse

The best mid drive is the Cyclone 3000w although you need to be careful to install it.

JakcBeNimble

To reinforce what others have said:

- A BBS02 is a solid kit and should be able to meet your needs. I have one and also live in a hilly area and it lugs me all over town. I'm guessing the bike+me weighs ~210lbs. If you're feeling saucy and your budget supports it the BBSHD is also an option, although it'll stress your drivetrain quite a bit more.

- The GT bike you linked will work great. It ticks the disc brakes and solid build boxes.

- The stock chainring supplied with the Luna kit is garbage. Consider the ~$90 for a Lekkie ring as part of the purchase price. I also recommend the Gear Sensor as almost mandatory unless you can be super disciplined letting off power while shifting.

- Gearing: I got the 42T chainring and run a 12-27T 9 speed cassette. Tops out around 30 mph when I spin out (motor could spin much faster) and will also drag me up the steepest hills in Seattle. No trouble with the chainline oddly enough.

- Battery: I have the 52V 7Ah Mighty Mini from Luna as well, and it'll get me somewhere between 8 and 15 miles depending on how hard I'm throttling it. I am running on skinny tires though which I don't recommend and will be changing as soon as I can find a new frame I like.

- If you plan on doing much city or trail riding the "PAS" system on the BBS02 is borderline dangerous since it operates as an on/off switch controlled by pedal spin. Getting full power unexpectedly in traffic or on a narrow trail is no fun. If you have the inclination it's not difficult to get the cable from Luna and disable the PAS so you run throttle control only. This is NOT strictly legal in most places but if you keep your speed down and don't ride like a jackass no one will know or care.

- I'm about 550 miles in on my build and aside from nearly destroying it on some potholes it's been great. Haven't had to replace a single drivetrain component yet with only minimal maintenance.

speedy25

I agree with Jak. PAS can be abrupt on a higher power motor and surprise you at the wrong time. Its a VERY good argument for power cut switches on brake levers that some think are not necessary.

-SP

Rick Imby

I agree with speedy on the power cut brake levers. I use them to cut power while shifting also---very easy learning curve.

I disagree with the throttle vs the pas---but I only use pas 1 or pas 2. I don't like the throttle

I built up on a Mountain bike with front shock I added a seat post shock also. Disc brakes are an absolute necessity for safety in my opinion. The 12 pounds added to my bike for bbs02 mid motor and battery I have the dolphin motor and wish I had gone with a bag motor.

I have both the 30 tooth and the 42 tooth aluminum chainrings. The 42 is a good compromise but I would go with the aluminum 48 if the bike was a dedicated road bike---I would only use a mountain bike as the base due to the load.

With the 30t I am can assist up to about 14 mph long term-the 30 tooth is worthless for pavement use if you want to assist the motor---no need for the motor at that speed. The 42 I can assist up to about 20 mph for longer rides but I am prettty well spun out at 20 mph with the 42t. I wish I had the 48t for cruising at 25-30 on pavement.

Nelson37

First, get a handle on the length and slope of your hills. Next, find a good ebike simulator and run some data on time to overheat for various motors.

Desired range and speed are also important factors.

BB drives are often recommended for hilly areas, but "hilly" means different things to different people, also your peddle effort capabilities are unknown. BB drives do result in increased drivetrain maintenance, as they put several times more power into chains and gears than they were designed for.

The two-speed motor is mechanically unreliable and suffers from serious design flaws. Failure rate has been extremely high. Repeated design changes may, or may not, have at least partially solved this problem.

For a reputable dealer of quality products with good support I would recommend Paul at Em3Ev. I researched various dealers, their business practices, and customer support for many years. Certain dealers I would not recommend to anyone other than my ex-wife and her lawyer. I strongly urge you to do some research in this area.