Big name bikes and Bafang

[kmccune]

I was referring to 48v controllers that we use 52v with. I think the L--- Ludacrous is only rated for 60v max also. I could be wrong.
More volts are fine to a point. 72v whew. nuts. Happy holidays to all.

Just remember the initial voltage on a 60v battery will exceed the rating on many controllers, with a real possibility the components will suffer damage.
If you really want,fast and stupid acceleration( sort of , kind of resembles an ebike) there a Polish built Ebike or trail bike (if you will) that will check the boxes,if you have to license I do not know, you should get insurance anyway with this thing( you could tell from the video on the test- looks like rocket acceleration) Too scary for me, my reflexes are so slow I opted out of Motorcycles early on.

 

[tomjasz]

"tons out there" is confusing and reads like it's a popular upgrade. GREAT threads on endless_sphere.

 

[pmcdonald]

Hope everyone had a pleasant Christmas, if that's a holiday you celebrate.

This debate feels like it could go round and round forever as we all justify our purchases.

I feel real insight into the question can only be gained from the people who work with these parts day in and day out. Why do the big brands shun Bafang? You'd need to ask a product manager from one of the big brands.

In lieu of that we do have some very talented founders and designers active here. Some seem quite happy to go the Bafang path, some not.

I suspect the answer comes down to a holistic balance of market positioning and target customers, supply chains, reliability, programming prowess, legal liability, etc.

 

[mogulskier]

The name alone with fetch an immediate recognition and interest. Go beyond that though, and you need to spec the bike and compare it against similarly priced/type. Then you'll see if your buying a quality bike or let name recognition get the better of you without doing your research.

 

[goldconch]

Bafang's hub motors, around in one form or another since 2003, are just one out of a laundry list of cost-effective and easily-supplied/swapped component choices when shopping white-labelled frames made in Chinese state factories (many of them pumping out the same designs). Alibaba lists 38.663 ebike model designs available for manufacturing. For many of these factories, minimum custom bulk order run is just 50 bikes. Almost any of us could equip and build our own branded-series, according to our prefs/specs, pack them in a shipping container, and send them out for distribution, anywhere in the world. There are low barriers to entry, with factory customer service reps more than happy to apply custom brand detail and decals for orders =>50 units (and some will do this for free). It's not required that Bafang hub motors be paired with Bafang batteries unless the distributor "brand" prescribes that in their factory order. My Bafang hub motor certainly doesn't know, or care, that it is being powered by a 14Ah Samsung pack.