250W Bafang Trek Pure conversion with kit from Bluenergy

[stanmiller]

Earlier this year I converted my wife's Trek Pure with a 36V 250W kit from Bluenergy. She loves it!



We ride nearby greenways, visit coffee shops, and she takes it to the gym. The battery at 5.2 Ah is good for about 15 miles and speed tops out at 23MPH. Weighs 42 LBS

Total cost of parts:
$553.22

With wheel build by Charlotte Cycles
$687.07

Build links

Bafang Electric Bike Rear Hub Motor Conversion Kit 36V 250W, 26", DP C18 Display, Cassette

258.23US $ |Bafang 36v 250w Ebike Motor Wheel Electric Bike Conversion Kit 20/26/27.5/700c Inch 250w Bicycle Brushless Gear Rear Hub Motor - Electric Bicycle Motor - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

$304.60

36V 5.2ah Bottle Battery rechargeable with BMS and charger

184.5US $ 10% OFF|10S2P New 36V 5AH 6AH 6.7AH 7AH Bottle Battery Rechargeable 36 Volt Battery for Escooter With BMS and Charger|Electric Bicycle Battery| - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

$165.00

Shimano Mountain Bicycle V-Brake - BR-T4000 (Front)

Amazon.com

$13.91

Shimano Mountain Bicycle V-Brake - BR-T4000 (Rear)

Amazon.com : SHIMANO Mountain Bicycle V-Brake - BR-T4000 (Silver - Rear) : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : SHIMANO Mountain Bicycle V-Brake - BR-T4000 (Silver - Rear) : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

$14.62

Clarks Brake Pads V Mtb 72Mm B/O Alt Anti-Lock Tech

Amazon.com : Clarks Brake Pads V Mtb 72Mm B/O Alt Anti-Lock Tech : Cycling Equipment : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : Clarks Brake Pads V Mtb 72Mm B/O Alt Anti-Lock Tech : Cycling Equipment : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

$9.75 x 2

SunRingle Sun Rhyno Lite 26" 36 Holes Silver Rim, Presta valve drilled

Amazon.com : SunRingle Sun Rhyno Lite 26" 36 Holes Silver Rim, Presta valve drilled : Bike Rims : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : SunRingle Sun Rhyno Lite 26" 36 Holes Silver Rim, Presta valve drilled : Bike Rims : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

$35.59

Charlotte Cycles - Wheel Build (including 36 spokes and nipples)

Bicycle & Repair Shop in Charlotte NC | Charlotte Cycles

Proudly serving Charlotte NC, Charlotte Cycles offers some of the most popular bike brands such as Giant, Gazelle, Velotric, and others. We sell, rent, and service bikes, trikes, and e-bikes.

www.charlottecycles.com

$133.85

** Update: Added Clark brake pads **

 

[harryS]

Nicely done, Stan.

 

[tomjasz]

Well done! My favorite frame is a Trek Pure. It's my daily errand-runner. Sadly the Pure was dropped when Trek bought Electra. I actually like the Pure a bit better. I'm always hunting around for a Trek Pure stepthrough frame. A great frame and bike to get old on. SUPER comfortable. The added seat post suspension was a great idea too!

 

[Browneye]

We had Trek FX bikes, then got new Specailized, probly could have kept what we had. So now we have 4 bikes and want electrics. Duh. LOL

We have a relatively new Specialized ROLL Sport for her which I think is a good candidate for an ebike conversion - has the fat 650b tires and tektro disc brakes.

Going with a Bafang unit either a 350-500w geared hub or mid-drive. Leaning toward the mid-drive currently since she really only wants it for hills. But then hers has the 3 front drive rings so may as well take advantage of those with a hub drive. Kind of up in the air on it.

Any suggestions? First post!!

I heard from Luna, they really only sell mid-drives, said their wheel builder flaked on them. But I could build a wheel if I had to. The china kits already have a built wheel, the Roll has a freewheel cassette.

Found the 'bluenergy' people on ali express.

 

[tomjasz]

BBS02B motors need to be ridden like a bike. Using proper gears and shifting. A BBSHD is far more forgiving. But that said many of us may do better with a geared hub drive. Far less issues and more easily repaired.

 

[Slow Rider]

Just to give you an idea, here's a sf bay area company that sells converted Rolls with Bafang mid-drives.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[tomjasz]

I support Bafang mid drives. We have shops doing conversions. As long as there’s a firm one year warranty I’d be happy with a shop conversion.

 

[stanmiller]

Going with a Bafang unit either a 350-500w geared hub or mid-drive. Leaning toward the mid-drive currently since she really only wants it for hills. But then hers has the 3 front drive rings so may as well take advantage of those with a hub drive. Kind of up in the air on it.

Once she starts riding, she'll use the assist for more than just hills. It's too much fun.

My only experience is with Bafang rear-hub motors. I've converted three bikes - all with kits from Bluenergy.

Early on, I looked at mid-drives but they can be noisy (at least in YouTube videos) and require you to stop pedaling when shifting or you need a cut-off sensor attached to the shift cable. Plus, the mid-drive sits below the bottom bracket so their could be clearance issues in a cruiser bike configuration. Mid-drives seem particularly well suited on an eMTB with suspension. Or when faced with really tall grades.

For the hills of Charlotte, NC, our 250w and 500w setups have no problem with the climbs. The 500w will really get-up-and-go. So you'd be safe with the 500w and just keep it in the lower pedal assist (say setting 2).

The Bafang hub motors also have an electric whine to them, but it varies with the voltage level. To get something whisper quiet, I would look into a motor from Grin.

I have just over 2000 miles on my Electra Townie on a 500w motor. My wife's Trek is at 200 miles on her 250w.

 

[tomjasz]

To get something whisper quiet

A controller can seriously affect the sound, but gear drives will always have a whine. Which Bafang hub motors are you using?

 

[Browneye]

Just to give you an idea, here's a sf bay area company that sells converted Rolls with Bafang mid-drives.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

All good except the cost. A converted Roll is more than a whole slew of purpose-built ebikes.

I think Stan did great for getting parts and piecing it together. For us, I think a 250w rear hub isn't enough, nor is a 15mi range. So I'm leaning toward a 500w mid-drive, 12, 14, or 17ah battery.

Cost is a big factor - in our case it doesn't make much sense to dump a grand into a $500 bike that is likely worth half that, especially when you can get a brand new Aventon or RadRover, for sub-$1500. I have no desire to spend a couple grand and up for a bicycle - this is pure recreation for us.

I'm not too concerned about having local mechanical support/warranty - I've been building bikes for over fifty years. If it breaks I can fix it. OTOH I don't want to buy a door stop or have to wait a month for product to ship from overseas. I'm really looking for a domestic source/supplier now.

I went and rode the Aventon Pace 500 and 350. Both were very nice. Even the 350, with a 350w geared hub, goes along nicely, but I can imagine it would be outmatched by any steep hill. But gee, a grand for a new ebike is pretty good. The Pace 500 is very nice for $1400. And while our Trek and Specialized bikes are a little nicer, there's not THAT much difference. It's hard to justify spending a grand to convert one to electric. A Bafang 500 or 750w mid-drive is going to be pretty well there.

Nice job on the Trek conversion.

 

[Browneye]

Once she starts riding, she'll use the assist for more than just hills. It's too much fun.

My only experience is with Bafang rear-hub motors. I've converted three bikes - all with kits from Bluenergy.

Early on, I looked at mid-drives but they can be noisy (at least in YouTube videos) and require you to stop pedaling when shifting or you need a cut-off sensor attached to the shift cable. Plus, the mid-drive sits below the bottom bracket so their could be clearance issues in a cruiser bike configuration. Mid-drives seem particularly well suited on an eMTB with suspension. Or when faced with really tall grades.

For the hills of Charlotte, NC, both the our 250w and 500w have no problem with the climbs. The 500w will really get-up-and-go. So you'd be safe with the 500w and just keep it in the lower pedal assist (say setting 2).

The Bafang hub motors also have an electric whine to them, but it varies with the voltage level. To get something whisper quiet, I would look into a motor from Grin.

I have just over 2000 miles on my Electra Townie on a 500w motor. My wife's Trek is at 200 miles on her 250w.

A hub drive would probly fit the budget better. Maybe get all done for six or seven hundred. My guess is a 500w geared hub would work for 98% of her riding. For something really steep starting from stop, she may still have to walk it. [shrug]

Sounds like Bluenergy might be the ticket. Thanks!

 

[stanmiller]

A controller can seriously affect the sound, but gear drives will always have a whine. Which Bafang hub motors are you using?

Sometimes the motor is barely perceptible. Mostly you hear a soft electric motor whine. Then more so when climbing (perhaps that is the gears) and when the battery is fully charged.

 

[stanmiller]

A hub drive would probly fit the budget better. Maybe get all done for six or seven hundred. My guess is a 500w geared hub would work for 98% of her riding. For something really steep starting from stop, she may still have to walk it. [shrug]

Sounds like Bluenergy might be the ticket. Thanks!

Good luck!

Here's the thread for my Electra Townie

Electra Townie conversion with kit from Bluenergy

After a few years of lurking around here and endless-sphere, I finally took the plunge and converted my Electra Townie to an e-bike. I’m now over 530 634 1386 2000 2530 miles in and couldn’t be happier. I had ridden this Townie and prior Trek Pure thousands of miles and along the way tuned...

electricbikereview.com