BBS02 on Bianchi road bike

[WilliamT]

I purchased this Bianchi new as a teen over 30 years ago. I used it to bike from my dorms to classes back in the 80s.

Since then, its been updated as parts have broken and just needed to be updated. The 12-23 freewheel was too difficult to ride on hills.

The old Mavic rear wheels got damaged in an accident so I replaced the wheels too.
The campy shifters and derailleurs worked well but I got tired of always reaching down to shift.

The only parts left of the original bike is the frame and fork I suppose.

Brakes/shifters, derailleurs, 10 speed cassette upgrade to Shimano 105 components
Replaced drop bars with Easton carbon bars with integrated cable routing.

The seat I just happen to have from another bike that I no longer used but later replaced with a gel seat.

Total weight of the bike w/rack and 13 ah battery: 43 lbs.

Had to expand the rear drop outs to accommodate the wider cassette. (its great having a steel frame to work with)

Front chainring 52 tooth, rear 10 speed cassette (11-28t).

Most of the time the chain is in the rear middle cassette which gets me to 25 mph comfortably on the flats, with Level 2/5 assist. That includes carrying my 2 pannier bags full of clothes for work.

 

[Angela M.]

Nice work keeping it up!

 

[Ebiker01]

Really nice. I plan to do same thing On my 7year young Storck road bike.
It’s a shame that bike companies are selling an e road bike at 5-8grand !! For what ? A 250watts Fazua system that cost 100$ in China ?? And most of them are hand in hand on using this system and a meager 2-300wh battery. Only ones worthy of a mention are Specialized turbo s and the Trek E Domane. The latter is probably worth of the price.
Congratulations for disrupting the market, NOT being at the mercy of A dealer and inspiring others to do so !

Q- What would the total cost be just for the parts ? 1k ? The celeste Biancho had no idea, it would go on to become an electric S Pedelec? or R pedelec. It prob. does above 32mph top speed. Really nice work .

 

[WilliamT]

Currently I have a 11.6 ah battery (550 watt) battery that I took from my Radwagon to use on this bike. With the battery being about 3 years old now, I'm only getting about 28 miles total in Eco mode. But on this Bianchi, I'm getting double that range because the bike is so light and I can use less assist when riding.

The kit cost about $450 and the battery varies from $300-$1000 depending on the size (300 wh up to 1400+ wh). Because I'm using an existing battery I saved on the cost.

I've had no problems reaching 32 mph on that bike and that at level 2/5 assist.

I've also moved the battery to the trailer because it allows me to switch different batteries without disconnecting from the bike. It also allows me to add some bottle cages.

 

[tomjasz]

The BBS02 makes for a really nice assist! However, the BBS02 is a bicyclists motor. Meaning it needs to be ridden like a bike using gears to shift before stops. Using the motor and throttle to take off from stops without using lower gearing can overheat and create problems with those drives. The BBSHD is heavier but also more forgiving, with speeds up to 32MPH.

 

[tomjasz]

Currently I have a 11.6 ah battery (550 watt) battery that I took from my Radwagon to use on this bike. With the battery being about 3 years old now, I'm only getting about 28 miles total in Eco mode. But on this Bianchi, I'm getting double that range because the bike is so light and I can use less assist when riding.

The kit cost about $450 and the battery varies from $300-$1000 depending on the size (300 wh up to 1400+ wh). Because I'm using an existing battery I saved on the cost.

I've had no problems reaching 32 mph on that bike and that at level 2/5 assist.

I've also moved the battery to the trailer because it allows me to switch different batteries without disconnecting from the bike. It also allows me to add some bottle cages.

View attachment 34653

Nice build and I really like that is was done with an old friend frame!

 

[Rob2000]

Hey William,

Thanks for posting this. I, too, have a Bianchi (in that beautiful celeste color) from the 80's (I was in my 30's at the time), but it was never upgraded and has been hanging on my wall for the past ten years. I now have a Specialized carbon fiber road bike plus an old mountain bike (and recently purchased an e-bike) and I never considered converting the old Bianchi, but I sure enjoyed looking at your photos. I'm sure it rides like a dream!

Thanks again and enjoy your ride!

 

[tomjasz]

Hey William,

Thanks for posting this. I, too, have a Bianchi (in that beautiful celeste color) from the 80's (I was in my 30's at the time), but it was never upgraded and has been hanging on my wall for the past ten years. I now have a Specialized carbon fiber road bike plus an old mountain bike (and recently purchased an e-bike) and I never considered converting the old Bianchi, but I sure enjoyed looking at your photos. I'm sure it rides like a dream!

Thanks again and enjoy your ride!

The Bianca is a perfect mid drive bike. Full disclosure, I support a mid drive reseller. But old steel frames rock!

 

[FlatSix911]

Currently, I have a 11.6 Ah battery (550 Watt) battery that I took from my Radwagon to use on this bike. With the battery being about 3 years old now, I'm only getting about 28 miles total in Eco mode. But on this Bianchi, I'm getting double that range because the bike is so light and I can use less assist when riding.

The kit cost about $450 and the battery varies from $300-$1000 depending on the size (300 Wh up to 1400+ wh). Because I'm using an existing battery I saved on the cost.

I've had no problems reaching 32 mph on that bike and that at level 2/5 assist.

I've also moved the battery to the trailer because it allows me to switch different batteries without disconnecting from the bike. It also allows me to add some bottle cages.

View attachment 34653

Well done! I also have Bianchi Manhattan E-Bike in the stable... no conversion required.

 

[MN Bianchi]

I love your Bianchi. I have several myself.
My current project is installing a BafangUSAdirect BBSHD into one of my bikes. I chose my Salsa Merikesh touring bike as a likely candidate. It has a very stable and solid frame. The mid drive installation went well until I got to the brakes. The brake levers that came with the kit don’t seem to be very good. The biggest issue was positioning them on the bars. The bars on this bike are Salsa Cowchipper 2 drop bars with an outward flare. They are 31.8 mm. The Bafang brake levers are too small to fit on the bar.

Would I be better of trying to install cut off sensors and keep the original brake levers?

ps. The shifters are bar end.

 

[tomjasz]

IF you're happy with the existing brake levers, I prefer the ones on my Trek build, I think the nicest fix are Hydraulic brake cutouts. They are attached with epoxy. One side a magnet the other the sensor. I use epoxy putty and use a knife to clean up any excess before it sets up completely.

Another type requires stringing the brake cables through. I'm disappointed in their function.

PreviewPreview3:45Installing Hydraulic Brake Sensors for ebikes

 

[Deacon Blues]

What a great conversion!
Before I ordered an ebike from Watt Wagons, I seriously considered installing a DIY ebike kit on my 2016 Specialized Diverge carbon. I contacted Grin, in Vancouver, and discussed what parts I'd need (Hub motor kit) but I didn't go through with it because I wasn't sure the carbon frame (especially the rear part) could handle the extra power and stress of the electric motor.

One of the older riders in the seniors group I ride with bought a Specialized carbon commuter bike and had the shop install a Bionx kit. He's put thousands of kilometers on the bike in the last two or three years and so far the frame has held up well.

WilliamT, are you using brake cutouts?

 

[WilliamT]

I've thought about putting brake cutouts but ended up not doing it for the Bianchi. Its hard to get those on drop bars. I know a lot of people will only ride with cutoffs but I've never had any problems stopping the bike.

There have been times where the brake cutouts caused me more problems than helped. When I ride over hard packed snow and refrozen ice,there are times I needed to feather the brake to keep from going too fast while keeping the momentum going. Having the motor cut in and out would have made it much more difficult to keep balance.

 

[tomjasz]

I’d never advise someone to not use cutouts. I ride year round too. On my winter ride I only use one brake lever with a cutout. Things happen and fail, I’ve had a thumb throttle get sticky an stay on after releasing it. Cutout lever saved the bacon. BBSHD motors and any 1000W motors are quite powerful. I’m certain it’s more risky for me to go without at least one cutout lever. i don’t use a Gearsensor rather a tap on the cutout to shift and not load up the derailleurs. As always, YMMV.

 

[steve marino]

Wow. A 43 lb steel frame Bianchi eBike. What's not to like? Well, maybe the brakes, and personally I would go w/ wider tyres just for the safety factor, but otherwise a flawless conversion.

 

[WilliamT]

Wow. A 43 lb steel frame Bianchi eBike. What's not to like? Well, maybe the brakes, and personally I would go w/ wider tyres just for the safety factor, but otherwise a flawless conversion.

I agree the tires to be wider. I was limited to what the frame could accept. The original tires were 700c x19mm. I was able to get 23mm tires at the bike shop but eventually moved up to 25mm. The widest tire the front can take is 28mm without rubbing up against the forks. The rear being 25 mm. A 28mm in the rear would rub against the frame.

Currently the bike uses Schwalbe Marathon tires, 28mm in the front and 25mm in the rear. These tires very heavy but also extremely durable. I use to have Continental All Season tires but they were too prone to flats.

Since the original post, the drop bar have been replaced with riser bars for a more comfortable ride. The brakes are new Shimano 105s which do a great job of stopping the bike.



I replaced the quick release skewers with hex bolt skewers because the rear torque was causing the rear wheel to slightly turn to the left. It also more convenient. I no longer need to loop my wheels when locking to a tree.