I have a 2009 Ibex Asta Pro that I decided to convert to an e-bike. I was road and off road rider for over 30 years. Had to quit riding about 5 years ago due to lower back issues. Underwent surgery and worked with physical therapy to no avail for cycling. I can walk two or three miles at a brisk pace, circuit train with weights at the gym and extensive core exercises (per my PTs). But the pedaling motion causes a lot of inflamation. Even pedaling the MTB around the neighborhood two miles prior to kit install to make sure brakes and shifting worked properly resulted in serious discomfort shortly after. I planned on using the ebike exclusively with throttle only once completed.
I ordered the BBSHD kit from Bafang DirectUSA with their 48v 11.7ampHour ultraslim battery. From the dimensions, it looked like the only one that would fit in my main triangle. The battery required a little additional fabrication with a mounting plate to get it to attach to my existing water bottle bosses. The other aspect that required rework were the hydraulic brake sensor. There just wasn't a place to bond the sensors directly on my Elixir brake lever assembly. I ended up wrapping the brake lever assembly with a a couple of layers of an old road bike tube. Place the sensor and wrapped it all a couple more times with the tire tube. Then secured it with a zip tie and covered zip tie with black electrical tape.
When I had the bike out I was running the 46x21 and it seemed to bog down a little on some short local hills that max out around 13%. I also couldn't use more than like 3 or 4 of my rear cogs on the 9spd cassette without the chain jumping the chainring. So I ordered a 42t Lekkie ring and a chain holder to mount where the front derailleur would typically be. I figure with the 42 and a chainguide I should be able to easily run the 14 to 24 cogs on my cassette and possibly the 28. The 14 - 24 would give me gear ratios of 3.0 to 1.75. If it'll take the 28, that'll give me a 1.5 low end. Even the 1.75 should be enough for me. I don't intend to take the bike on any long overly steep gradients.
The bike has plenty of power. Factory speed limit on the controller was 25mph, I was able to bump it up to 31mph with the stock display functions. I don't really expect to take the bike over 18-20 mph during typical riding. However there are times when a little more speed is necessary to safely negotiate road traffic.
I'm very happy with the way the bike turned out. Felt a bit out of place and a little nervous about the bike at close to 20 mph. But after a few miles, I felt right at home again. I use to road race and time trial years ago, plus lots of fast road rides on group training rides. So I know what it is like to ride at speed and the dangers involved. This thing is just going to be for brief recreational rides and the 3 miles to get over to our local park where I go for walks a few times a week. I think I had just as much fun putting this thing together as I have getting it out and riding the first few times. I use to do all the maintenance on my road bikes and my MTB. Plus I've built a number of bikes up from bare frame. So I know my way around a Park workstand.
I ordered the BBSHD kit from Bafang DirectUSA with their 48v 11.7ampHour ultraslim battery. From the dimensions, it looked like the only one that would fit in my main triangle. The battery required a little additional fabrication with a mounting plate to get it to attach to my existing water bottle bosses. The other aspect that required rework were the hydraulic brake sensor. There just wasn't a place to bond the sensors directly on my Elixir brake lever assembly. I ended up wrapping the brake lever assembly with a a couple of layers of an old road bike tube. Place the sensor and wrapped it all a couple more times with the tire tube. Then secured it with a zip tie and covered zip tie with black electrical tape.
When I had the bike out I was running the 46x21 and it seemed to bog down a little on some short local hills that max out around 13%. I also couldn't use more than like 3 or 4 of my rear cogs on the 9spd cassette without the chain jumping the chainring. So I ordered a 42t Lekkie ring and a chain holder to mount where the front derailleur would typically be. I figure with the 42 and a chainguide I should be able to easily run the 14 to 24 cogs on my cassette and possibly the 28. The 14 - 24 would give me gear ratios of 3.0 to 1.75. If it'll take the 28, that'll give me a 1.5 low end. Even the 1.75 should be enough for me. I don't intend to take the bike on any long overly steep gradients.
The bike has plenty of power. Factory speed limit on the controller was 25mph, I was able to bump it up to 31mph with the stock display functions. I don't really expect to take the bike over 18-20 mph during typical riding. However there are times when a little more speed is necessary to safely negotiate road traffic.
I'm very happy with the way the bike turned out. Felt a bit out of place and a little nervous about the bike at close to 20 mph. But after a few miles, I felt right at home again. I use to road race and time trial years ago, plus lots of fast road rides on group training rides. So I know what it is like to ride at speed and the dangers involved. This thing is just going to be for brief recreational rides and the 3 miles to get over to our local park where I go for walks a few times a week. I think I had just as much fun putting this thing together as I have getting it out and riding the first few times. I use to do all the maintenance on my road bikes and my MTB. Plus I've built a number of bikes up from bare frame. So I know my way around a Park workstand.
