Bafang conversion kit vendors
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Bafang conversion kit vendors
I am considering converting a Trek (2008 Fuel EX7) mountain bike with a mid-drive conversion kit.
There appear to be numerous vendors on the internet that sell Bafang (or rebranded Bafang) mid-drive conversion kits (lectriccyles, bafangusadirect, lunacycle, etc), and the prices and availability tend to be all over the place. Also, a lot of them tend to hint that their configurations might exceed street-legal specs. Is there any way to distinguish a reputable vendor from those that might not be? Any prior positive or negative experiences?
My hope is to get something that would allow my wife, with a degenerative knee injury, to get assistance in climbing rather steep and prolonged hills (3000 ft of climbing over 20 miles. She has no interest in going fast, popping wheelies, or any sort of hot-rod-mods.) Any recommendations for configuration are welcome.
There appear to be numerous vendors on the internet that sell Bafang (or rebranded Bafang) mid-drive conversion kits (lectriccyles, bafangusadirect, lunacycle, etc), and the prices and availability tend to be all over the place. Also, a lot of them tend to hint that their configurations might exceed street-legal specs. Is there any way to distinguish a reputable vendor from those that might not be? Any prior positive or negative experiences?
My hope is to get something that would allow my wife, with a degenerative knee injury, to get assistance in climbing rather steep and prolonged hills (3000 ft of climbing over 20 miles. She has no interest in going fast, popping wheelies, or any sort of hot-rod-mods.) Any recommendations for configuration are welcome.
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I would not go with the cheapest vendor. I would purchase the BBSHD. This motor can take allot of abuse. As far as legal goes that is up to you. You can set it up to use a lower power level. Use a 36V battery. Using a 52v and up battery and you have a motorcycle.
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#3
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Dillenger sells the BaFang BBSO1, BBS02 and BBSHD-1000 kits. The BBS01 is fully street-legal and has a 36-volt battery. The complete kit is $795 and their kits are very complete. I bought their rear hub drive kit and it had all I needed except too small items that were needed due to the bike I used to build the kit. They are in Australia but they have a shipping warehouse in California.
https://dillengerelectricbikes.com/c...ctric-bike-kit
https://dillengerelectricbikes.com/c...ctric-bike-kit
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I've had excellent service (six plus years) off road with a BBS02-equipped bike. The motor is a couple of pounds lighter than the BBSHD and arguably "legal" since it's rated at 750w. I've geared mine down with a 30 tooth front chainring which decreases the top speed (on flat terrain) to about 20 mph. I purchased from Luna and have good service from them, but they're not the only vendor. The Trek should make a good donor since, AIR, it has a 68mm bottom bracket which is more ideal for the'02 than 73 mm. Your challenge will be mounting the battery. For 10 miles or so I have a 52V, 4 ah battery which fits in a seat bag. You'll end up adding about 13 pounds to the bike with a small battery (15 for kit and battery minus about two that you remove - crank, BB and front derailleur/shifter.
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@2old Here is a stock image of the bike:
Would either of these two water-bottle mounts work for a battery mount? All other things being equal, I would prefer the bottom of the down-tube.
The BB is indeed 68mm BSA.
Would either of these two water-bottle mounts work for a battery mount? All other things being equal, I would prefer the bottom of the down-tube.
The BB is indeed 68mm BSA.
Last edited by Cyclist0108; 04-27-21 at 05:44 PM.
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wg, the bottom of the down tube should work fine. If you need to move the battery along the down tube, Wolf B-RAD "relocates" the mounts. Probably you'll need to use some kind of strap to insure the system is secure. Luna's "magnetic mounts" have been effective for me and you can augment their system with a strap , zip toe ....
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Thanks! I also thought of the B-RAD.
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I wound up getting her a Cannondale e-Roadbike (different thread), but now I am back to wanting to do one of these conversions, so am re-reading this thread.
Another bike I have in mind has a 73mm BSA bb and a boost crank (and hubs). Does that preclude the BBS02? (It was mentioned above that 68mm was better than 73mm for the BBS02.)
Another bike I have in mind has a 73mm BSA bb and a boost crank (and hubs). Does that preclude the BBS02? (It was mentioned above that 68mm was better than 73mm for the BBS02.)
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I have been a fan of stateside purchases but lately they availability and service has not been good. I recently had two purchases from Greenbikekit.com out of Hong Kong and they were spot on and thorough. Make sure you specify Samsung e cells or Panasonic or LG in the batteries.. You will pay somewhere around 800 for a 48 volt mid drive with 15 amp hour battery. Delivery has been around a couple of weeks and the orders were complete.
I have been getting hard to find parts from them.
I have been getting hard to find parts from them.
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wg, Luna has the BBS02, my favorite system, in stock (Probably California e Bikes, EMPowered and Dillenger too). The problem with 73 mm BB's is you can't use the "jam" nut to secure the main nut for the installation. Probably a stabilizer bar will solve that problem. The other consideration is that some chainstays are configured around the BB in a manner which keeps the motor from "nesting" properly on the drive side. Additionally, if the frame doesn't have a "normally" triangulated intersection of the down tube and BB, ground clearance is impaired. I've only converted steel and aluminum "normal" frames and everything was easy.
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I have been a fan of stateside purchases but lately they availability and service has not been good. I recently had two purchases from Greenbikekit.com out of Hong Kong and they were spot on and thorough. Make sure you specify Samsung e cells or Panasonic or LG in the batteries.. You will pay somewhere around 800 for a 48 volt mid drive with 15 amp hour battery. Delivery has been around a couple of weeks and the orders were complete.
I have been getting hard to find parts from them.
I have been getting hard to find parts from them.
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I saw that, which is why I got to thinking about this again.
I may have a problem. Although this frame is steel, it is fairly atypical in the way the chain stays are shaped to allow for a 3" wide tire:
The problem with 73 mm BB's is you can't use the "jam" nut to secure the main nut for the installation. Probably a stabilizer bar will solve that problem. The other consideration is that some chainstays are configured around the BB in a manner which keeps the motor from "nesting" properly on the drive side. Additionally, if the frame doesn't have a "normally" triangulated intersection of the down tube and BB, ground clearance is impaired. I've only converted steel and aluminum "normal" frames and everything was easy.
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The manner in which they're flared could be trouble. Even with my "perfect for the installation" frames, there's only a couple of mm clearance. I tried to space the motor away from a Niner frame (on the drive side) and the distance between the crank arm and seat stay, which already favors the drive side by about 10 mm, became un"ten"able (bad pun). You'd be better off IMO procuring a mid 80's to mid 90's steel bike or frame. The black bike above is a 1985 Mt Fuji.
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Thanks. I was afraid of that.
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You might ask at endless sphere or Luna (they always respond to my emails and sometimes their help desk is available on their site). Possibly you'll get pointed toward a BBSHD (maybe 100 mm BB) which could be spaced to fit. The unit is more powerful than I wanted, and this would increase your "Q" factor, but probably is a viable solution.
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