As a long time rider I found the inevitable effects of aging to slowly decrease my usual 100 km rides to less than 20. I watched as my great joy of riding through the quiet countryside disappeared. With a little work and money everything changed. I added a Bafang BBS02 motor to one of my bikes and the years melted away. It was a complete game changer. If you have a bike you like to ride I recommend that you consider a conversion. The ability to tune the Bafang controller to your application is a great advantage compared to the fixed control that is usually found on production ebikes. Sure it's not a super smooth torque sensor but it is far more versatile. My advice - don't wait or bother with production ebikes, just convert your favourite bike. You will never regret it.
Ebikes - the game changer!
- Thread starter rammike
- Start date
Zoe Johnson
Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- atlanta
6zfshdb
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Northeast Pennsylvania
I'm considering a conversion kit for my old Trek MTB but I question whether it's caliper rim brakes are up to the task. For some reason, I find I use the brakes much more on my E-bike than I did on the Trek. I ride at about the same speed, often in the same places, but use the E-bike disk brakes much more frequently. I suspect it has something to do with the heavier bike.
I know there are many E-bikes on the market with rim brakes but most seem to use disk. I'm 6' 2", 230# and with the added battery weight of the conversion, I'm a bit concerned.
The Trek has the mounting bosses on the frame and a disk brake conversion is possible but the added cost makes the project less feasible.
I know there are many E-bikes on the market with rim brakes but most seem to use disk. I'm 6' 2", 230# and with the added battery weight of the conversion, I'm a bit concerned.
The Trek has the mounting bosses on the frame and a disk brake conversion is possible but the added cost makes the project less feasible.
kevinmccune
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
tomjasz
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Minnesnowta
You don’t mention speed or which kit. I find that high quality rim brakes and KoolStop salmon or KS ebike specific pads give me good braking up to 20-25MPH. If you are considering a hub motor regen braking can be quite powerful. @m@Robertson i think it was didn’t like AVID BB7 mechanical discs but i found them basically ok and solid to 25mph. I grab a friend to help me field test braking. I use the MSF drill for avoidance and then panic stops to determine just what my braking distances are. You can always slow down and upgrade incrementally. I’m trialing Magura hydraulic rim brakes for front use at some point this winter.
I used a set of these on one bike with BBSHD and KoolStop salmon MTB pads. I wasn't happy at 30MPH. But it was more than just brakes that cooled me to those speeds.
With good brake pads, I have 26” discs.
From ES conversation with a fellow I've learned much from,
The various Pedersen SE brakes (Scott, Suntour, and later Tektro) were as potent as cantilever brakes ever got, and the best available before Shimano introduced V-brakes. But good linear pull brakes with the right levers and pads are just as strong as SE brakes were, and less temperamental. For better lever feel and maybe even more bite, you can add a booster arch to stiffen the pivots.
If you can't get more braking power than you can stick to the ground with something like Avid Single Digit 7, Speed Dial levers, Kool Stop pads, and a booster, then there's a problem with the cable or adjustment. (Or you're running a heavy multi-passenger pedicab.) You can turn up the gain with long blade levers if grip strength is a limiting factor.
Last edited:
6zfshdb
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Northeast Pennsylvania
I haven't decided on a kit yet. I'd like a mid drive but the bottom bracket on the Trek is wider than most kits I've seen will fit. A hub motor would be simpler but would involve having the motor laced into the existing Trek rear wheel. Using a motor / wheel combination could involve compatibility issues with the Trek drivetrain. I haven't spent much time on research yet so there is a lot I don't know.You don’t mention speed or which kit. I find that high quality rim brakes and KoolStop salmon or KS ebike specific pads give me good braking up to 20-25MPH. If you are considering a hub motor regen braking can be quite powerful. @m@Robertson i think it was didn’t like AVID BB7 mechanical discs but i found them basically ok and solid to 25mph. I grab a friend to help me field test braking. I use the MSF drill for avoidance and then panic stops to determine just what my braking distances are. You can always slow down and upgrade incrementally. I’m trialing Magura hydraulic rim brakes for front use at some point this winter.
I used a set of these on one bike with BBSHD and KoolStop salmon MTB pads. I wasn't happy at 30MPH. But it was more than just brakes that cooled me to those speeds.
With good brake pads, I have 26” discs.
From ES conversation with a fellow I've learned much from,
The various Pedersen SE brakes (Scott, Suntour, and later Tektro) were as potent as cantilever brakes ever got, and the best available before Shimano introduced V-brakes. But good linear pull brakes with the right levers and pads are just as strong as SE brakes were, and less temperamental. For better lever feel and maybe even more bite, you can add a booster arch to stiffen the pivots.
If you can't get more braking power than you can stick to the ground with something like Avid Single Digit 7, Speed Dial levers, Kool Stop pads, and a booster, then there's a problem with the cable or adjustment. (Or you're running a heavy multi-passenger pedicab.) You can turn up the gain with long blade levers if grip strength is a limiting factor.
I hadn't considered upgrading to a higher quality rim brake. I'll look into it. Thanks for the info!
Other than the challenge of the conversion itself, I have no real need for another E-bike at this point. All my Treks have diamond frames which I may not be able to mount in the future. Unless I get another riding partner, it could be an exercise in futility. We'll see.
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