My DIY builds: GMAC, BBSHD, 9C RH212, CYC Photon, ToSeven DM01

[linklemming]

Surly Troll BBSHD first ride report:

I learned something new today, always retest what you think you know. Sometimes your experience/opinions could change.

I did a BBS02 setup in late 2016 and even played with many setup parameters and never really liked it and got rid of the kit
after a few months. I have a friend with a BBSHD setup and I never like his setup either but he is not much of the type to fiddle with things.
I have evolved alot ebike wise since then.

Got the Troll/BBSHD setup all done today (except BBSHD settings and eggrider setup). The eggrider and BBSHD seemed to
work together out of the box(the eggrider manual seemed to imply I would have to do all kind of setup).

Despite doing a 40 mile ride on the BC/GMAC today, I took the Troll/BBSHD for a little ride (that turned into 30 miles).

I ordered my BBSHD kit from Luna with the hotrod programming (no charge), For an out of the box setup, I am pretty happy.
Startup(PAS) for almost all power levels seemed really smooth and motor runon after pedaling stops doesnt seem to be an issue.
This setup has no brake sensor or shift sensors and I see no reason to add them. I am a lifelong cyclist and just seem to do all the
right stuff when shifting. I even tried to cause some bad shifts and just couldnt do it. It doesnt seem any worse than one of my
Brose bikes which does not have shift detection. My only complaint is a jerky throttle. Not bad for not chainging any settings yet.

BBHD is super quiet which is really important to me, The Swiss DT 350 Hybrid hub is also pretty much silent.

A 5 minute test ride turned into 30 miles with me trying all sort of scenarios (technical offroad, raised cattleguards (bbshd clearance),
15% climbs, top speed in different scenarios. The only time the BBSHD faultered was in the technical climbs where a responsive mid-drive
torque sensor like my Brose bike just rules. I still prefer a torque sensor but this BBSHD setup will work well for many rides.

Im glad I decided to revisit the BBSHD again for this build eventhough another GMAC would have been a given.

More pics and details coming soon

 

[linklemming]

BC GMAC update:

Well 2 rides in and I think I am going to have bearing issues on another erider torque sensor BB.

I came up on a pool of water ALOT deeper than I anticipated in an underpass next to a creek. We are getting
alot of snow runoff right now and combined with lots of rain, means all the streams are full.

About halfway thru, I realized I made a huge mistake but kept the speed up thanks to the throttle. Im guessing
the water was 10 inches deep. Good news is that this BB seems waterproof as far as the torque sensor function as I kept on riding, no problems.

The bearings on the new erider BB already seem rough so I will likely be replacing them soon.

As it turns out, this appears to be super easy (if you are familiar with replacing pressed in bearings)

The bearings are 6805RS on the drive side and 16003RS on the non-drive side, I have a couple of sets on order.

Here is a pic if the disassembled BB

 

[Merle Nelson]

70 miles....what a stud!

 

[linklemming]

Surly Troll BBSHD update:

Havnt played much with BBSHD settings other than setting speed to 100% for all assist levels. Tried doing some settings while on my ride but couldnt connect to eggrider display with my phone (worked fine when I got home).

Did a 30mile ride yesterday, very pleased with this build.

So far, the only things I dont like are the eggrider display size and the stock BC brakes I transferred to this bike. I dont have perfect vision but dont require glasses unless I am reading. All I can read on the eggrider display is the speed and assist level. There is a screen showing wh used which is really the only other thing I care about (spoiled by the cycle analyst). This screen has text so small, I can barely read it with reading glasses on. There is talk about customizing what is shown on the display but its not implemented yet.

Bummer that there are no bafang displays that show correct battery level indicators for 52V (except for eggrider)

Decided to try the Bafang sw102 with custom display software from eco-cycle, while I would prefer wh, if the battery indicator on the sw102 is accurate for 52V I will likely just stick with that for now.

Definately like the feel with the torque sensor on the GMAC build better but this bike has its good qualities as well and is a keeper.

On the stock BC brakes I put on this bike. They are Tektro HD-M275 hydraulics and I can say without a doubt they are the absolute worst brakes I have ever tried. My old Avid BB7 brakes are way better. They never felt like they bedded, stopped horribly, felt horrible at the lever and squealed like crazy. Put on some Deore hydraulics and they are MUCH better.

Here is a pick of the completed bike. I will be putting on an Origin8 Strongbow handlebar this weekend. This pic has some cleaned up wiring but still needs more. I will likely make a custom wiring harness soon.

 

[mclewis1]

On the stock BC brakes I put on this bike. They are Tektro HD-M275 hydraulics and I can say without a doubt they are the absolute worst brakes I have ever tried. My old Avid BB7 brakes are way better. They never felt like they bedded, stopped horribly, felt horrible at the lever and squealed like crazy. Put on some Deore hydraulics and they are MUCH better.

Interesting ... on my BC the 275s were a little noisy when I first rode them but I re centered them by loosening the mounting and since then they've been silent. Mine feel like the various Shimano hydros that I've ridden for years, with really good modulation and stopping power. I've also ridden poor hydraulics and my 275s are light years better.

The one common complaint I've read about from a few folks with the 275s have been the OEM choice of pads, so perhaps a different type of or just softer pad will address your concerns?

I always get a chuckle about your CA comments. So many folks are missing out ... I think anyone doing a DIY build would benefit from running a CA, at least initially. It will teach you so much about your motor, battery and riding style. It's like a complete ebike power education on your handlebars. In a perfect world it would be first using a regular CA, then after the settings are all tuned and tweaked everything would be downloaded into a minimal display. A minimal setup (small like the Eggrider V2 or SW102) that would include a USB port and/or BT for downloading todays ride data. Oh to dream ... lol.

 

[AHicks]

I realize that you're kind of stuck with wherever that motor mount leaves you regarding how low it carries the motor, but it seems like it wouldn't be too hard to improve on that? To the point the motor could be raised as far as practical for increased ground clearance? I was looking at the video of the "new" motor last night, and the hose clamp holding the front of the motor (looks TERRIBLE). One idea I had, if you were to route a piece of alum. flat stock (1/2"or 3/4"x1/8"?) starting from the motor, up over the top of the down tube, and back down to the other side of the motor and run a bolt through the ends of that strap and the motor for instance? You could run that strap through a piece of rubber (or some other material) hose for vibration/abrasion resistance and end up with a motor carried as high and as securely as possible. No?

 

[linklemming]

Interesting ... on my BC the 275s were a little noisy when I first rode them but I re centered them by loosening the mounting and since then they've been silent. Mine feel like the various Shimano hydros that I've ridden for years, with really good modulation and stopping power. I've also ridden poor hydraulics and my 275s are light years better.

The one common complaint I've read about from a few folks with the 275s have been the OEM choice of pads, so perhaps a different type of or just softer pad will address your concerns?

I always get a chuckle about your CA comments. So many folks are missing out ... I think anyone doing a DIY build would benefit from running a CA, at least initially. It will teach you so much about your motor, battery and riding style. It's like a complete ebike power education on your handlebars. In a perfect world it would be first using a regular CA, then after the settings are all tuned and tweaked everything would be downloaded into a minimal display. A minimal setup (small like the Eggrider V2 or SW102) that would include a USB port and/or BT for downloading todays ride data. Oh to dream ... lol.

Yes, I have read about people having more success with the 275s by changing pads and Im sure would have had success as well. I will try them on another bike at a later date.

It seems like every set of brakes I have received on a prebuilt bike has required new pads (I suspect they are being contaminated when the bike is built)

I had a spare set of Deore 6100 Brakes so it was easy enough to just put them on. The Deore brakes are a little more off/on than I would like but they have worked well on the GMAC build even with the resin pads which will be upgraded when they wear out.

I love the CA, it teaches me alot and I allows me to know the exact battery capacity used. I am also a fan of the recorded human power (only available with torque sensor) as it show me how hard I rode. This can also be done with a heartrate monitor but I just prefer the human power.

 

[linklemming]

I realize that you're kind of stuck with wherever that motor mount leaves you regarding how low it carries the motor, but it seems like it wouldn't be too hard to improve on that? To the point the motor could be raised as far as practical for increased ground clearance? I was looking at the video of the "new" motor last night, and the hose clamp holding the front of the motor (looks TERRIBLE). One idea I had, if you were to route a piece of alum. flat stock (1/2"or 3/4"x1/8"?) starting from the motor, up over the top of the down tube, and back down to the other side of the motor and run a bolt through the ends of that strap and the motor for instance? You could run that strap through a piece of rubber (or some other material) hose for vibration/abrasion resistance and end up with a motor carried as high and as securely as possible. No?

While the motor position isnt perfect with the bracket, its still pretty good. It has 5.75" clearance whereas the chainring has 6.25" so its not that big of a deal. The motor snug against the downtube(without bracket) is about level with the chainring. I have tested the ground clearance on every possible situation I will encounter on a rigid bike and it has more than sufficient clearance. California ebike does sell another bracket which uses a hose clamp to attach to the seat tube but its just fugly.

I have seen several good DIY brackets on endless sphere and will eventually make my own but its not really needed.

Yeah, the new motor hose clamp is ridiculous, Im not sure why anyone would show such a thing.

 

[linklemming]

BC-GMAC update

I heard the dreaded sound coming from the BB/pedal area today telling me my crankarms were loose on the BB square taper.

The Shimano FC-E6000 crankarms always mounted further inward on the square taper than the Miranda cranks. It turned out to be enough that the end of the BB spindle wouldnt let the bolt get any tighter as the bolt would bottom out on the spindle.

So on went another set of Miranda Cranks(3rd set), note that these sit 4-5mm further out on the BB spindle than the shimano cranks (which were almost flush with the BB...i.e. 1mm gap). This time I decided to use no grease on the square taper and cleaned it well with simple green.

If it turns out these loosen as well, I am just going to stock up on bafang BBSHD crankarms as they are cheap at $30 a pair and I can use them on both bikes.

I have spent at least 40-60 hours researching square tapers (ISO vs JIS) and the erider is definately a JIS square taper. In the end it really shouldnt matter from everything I have read including following posts back to the early 90s on usenet.

I have always greased the square taper since the early 90s and it has always worked. Perhaps no grease this time will fix the issue.

 

[linklemming]

So after 5 rides each on the Troll-BBSHD and BC-GMAC I have some observations.

Troll-BBSHD
The Troll-BBSHD has a more nimble feeling to it although when I try really hard maneuvers, they seem similar. Im guessing this is due to a lower polar moment of inertia due to not having a motor on the back wheel.

I like the Troll-BBSHD ALOT...much more than I thought I would. The big thing that made it work was changing the keep current from 60 to 90. With the value set at 60, it just seemed pointless to pedal harder/faster as you were not really gaining speed, just exercising more for the same speed which seems pointless to me.

I find myself caught off guard when going up steep stuff on the BBSHD. Im used to the torque sensor on the GMAC build adding power as I push harder going up hills and this doesnt happen with the BBSHD. WIth the BBSHD you have to add more assist than what I am used to. I will figure it out in time but its frustrating.

Im 100% happy with the BBSHD and glad I decided to try it although I miss the torque sensing

BC-GMAC
While the torque sensing is nice, its not like the high quality feeling you get with something like Brose/Bosch/Shimano/Yamaha. At speeds above 20mph and higher gears its not as important (My brose just feels better the slower I go as the motor gets more and more leverage thru the drivetrain which amplifies this feeling). It is nice though to just set a assist level and forget about it from that point on which is where this bike shines.

All that being said, I love both bikes and glad I went down the DIY route as I have 2 very capable 35mph 50# bikes which I can ride at any speed and get great exercise and can be changed out as needs/technology changes.

I really ride for exercise more than anything else but its nice to have the speed for certain situations.

Here is a screenshot from the CA on the BC-GMAC from fridays 30mile ride. Not bad for a 59 year old 40# overweight eMTBr.

 

[Johnny]

While the torque sensing is nice, its not like the high quality feeling

I think your problem is low sampling rate and/or high latency. What model sensor are you using do you have the spec sheet?

 

[mclewis1]

Here is a screenshot from the CA on the BC-GMAC from fridays 30mile ride. Not bad for a 59 year old 40# overweight eMTBr.

Yeah, that is pretty impressive. What do your average Wh/mile numbers look like?
I'm curious about my numbers but without a torque sensor I have no direct measurement of my human output, so I have to back into the numbers (with some help from the Grin modeling). I don't think I've seen a 200w/hr average over anything near an hour, but I'll chock that up to being 62, bad back, and riding with more air resistance (sea level ... lol). I'm getting closer though so maybe in another few months or so.

As much fun as I'm having with my BC/Shengyi hub motor setup on 30-50 mile rides, I keep looking over at my CrossCheck and thinking "with a similar motor, more battery, lighter wheels, and better aero, that's what I should be using to go after my 100k and eventually 100 mile targets". That might become my 2nd bike project this winter.

 

[linklemming]

Troll-BBSHD Update:

This bike is pretty much done at this point. Took off all the Surly decals and painted over the hideous luna logo on the battery

Changed out the brakes to Shimano Deore I had lying around, put on an origin8 strongbow handlebar (LOVE the aero hand positions and more sweepback), changed the eggrider display to a sw102 from eco-cycles, used a different throttle as handlebar space on the strongbow handlebar is a challenge and made a modified wiring harness from the BBSHD to the display and throttle and eliminated wiring for brake cutouts which I dont use. This greatly cleans up the wiring.

A few notes:

1.) I will likely redo the wiring harness(buy a new harness and redo). I had it PERFECT the first time I did it but didnt realize that all the original wiring colors didnt match up. So I had to start over which shortened it by a few inches. The harness now, has all the solder joints right at the point where the harness will flex due to steering. At this point, I just bathed/coated all the wiring/connections which already had heatshrink on them with RTV, slid a larger heatshrink over the RTV mess and shrunk it down. It should be ok but I will carry a spare harness in my camelback.

2.) I used a different throttle than comes with most BBSHD kits due to real estate issue on the handlebars. Instead of a screw used to reduce the clamp size, it uses a grub screw that digs into the handlebar to secure it.

3.) SW102 from eco-cycles is better for most riding and has an accurate battery gauge for 52V battery although I do like the features of the eggrider more, I just dont have the super vision required to read it. Im researching programming a SW102 myself.

 

[linklemming]

Yeah, that is pretty impressive. What do your average Wh/mile numbers look like?
I'm curious about my numbers but without a torque sensor I have no direct measurement of my human output, so I have to back into the numbers (with some help from the Grin modeling). I don't think I've seen a 200w/hr average over anything near an hour, but I'll chock that up to being 62, bad back, and riding with more air resistance (sea level ... lol). I'm getting closer though so maybe in another few months or so.

As much fun as I'm having with my BC/Shengyi hub motor setup on 30-50 mile rides, I keep looking over at my CrossCheck and thinking "with a similar motor, more battery, lighter wheels, and better aero, that's what I should be using to go after my 100k and eventually 100 mile targets". That might become my 2nd bike project this winter.

I forget the exact wh/mile for the ride but for some reason 13.5wh/mile seems correct.

Wind resistance at altitude does make a difference, first time I did a downhill descent in Colorado at over 10k ft, I reached over 50mph (typically reached mid 30s in SF bay area). My rides are usually around 1mile high.

I 'highly' recommend the origin8 strongbow handlebars for aero (see my pics). I have them on 3 ebikes now. Makes a huge difference. Tackling a good headwind (20mph+) with these handlebars seems to make me untouchable even with the limited power output of euro based mid-drives.

 

[linklemming]

Troll-BBSHD Update

I have about 300 miles on the Troll-BBSHD at this point.

Summary: Absolutely love the bike, wish it had torque sensing but its pretty good as is. I also love the relatively clean lines/lack of wiring compared to the BC-GMAC bike. Also pretty darn quiet

Handling: As I have mentioned before, this bike feels more nimble and playful than the BC-GMAC build. I like the handling ALOT.

Luna Wolf 52V 12AH battery(30Q cells) - this pack is friggin heavy at 10lbs 13oz (my Luna 52V 13.5AH panasonic(GA cells) super shark weighs 7lbs 13oz). The 30Q cells definately feel more powerful than the GA cells but I really prefer the range of the GA cells. I can typically do 30 miles, no problems on the shark pack about as fast as I dare and just make it back with 25-30% battery left. I have to be more frugal with the Wolf pack. Definately use a strap to secure the battery although the magnetic mount appears strong. The bike fell over today and the strap kept the battery from leaving the bike (it came off the magnet mount)

Eco-cycles sw102 display - I initially thought I would like this more than the eggrider. The battery indicator on my unit is misleading and I drained my battery down lower than I would have liked. Also the speedometer/odometer is only a rough estimate as you only put in the wheelsize (26,27.5.29 etc...) instead of the wheel circumference. I will probably put my own software on it at some point.

Eggrider display - I hate the small fonts on the trip screen. I just bring along a pair of reading glasses. About 1/2 of the way thru a ride, I stop and read the wh used to plan the second part of my ride. I will likely use this display on a WattWagon Helios or Hydra Build planned for next year.

Motor Mount - the non drive side BB lockrings came loose around 50 miles. They now have loctite 242 on them and havnt loosened since.

Power - Max current is 30amps. I have 9 assist levels going from 10% current limit for assist 1 to 100% for assist 9 in 10% increments and think thats ok for now. Most of my riding is assist 2 or 3 with 4 when I am tired and 5 or 6 when I just want to cruise. Anything above that is just stupid fast...and stupid fun when the conditions permit.

PAS - miss the torque sensing but have come to grips on how this bike works and just enjoy it for what its is. It definately make me appreciate my torque sensing bikes when I ride them.

 

[linklemming]

BC-GMAC update

Went for a 35mile ride today and in the last 10 miles noted a nasty sound coming from the bottom bracket area. It was a quite nasty 'clack-clack' sound.

Took out the erider torque sensing BB and its definately the drive side bearing. Note that I did go thru a deep puddle a month or so ago and likely submerged the BB so this could be expected. Only about 300 miles on this new BB. Both the bearings are sealed but the dive side one is exposed while the non drive side is hidden behind a lockring/cover and is just fine.

Tried installing an older erider BB with replaced bearings and when I reassembled it all on the bike, the bearings were highly loaded and would only barely turn when I tightened(even barely) down the lockring used to retain the BB axle. I figured it was that a bearing was not seated 100% so I tried to fix that and it got better but still a nogo.

I then tried installing a new erider BB and had problems with it as well. I could see the axle wobble up/down and when I started tightening everything down I could feel this in the resistance when turning the axle by hand(it was tight for about 1/2 of the revolution). Im guessing this wobble is due to bad machining??

Note that I know facing the BB is a recommended thing to do but have never had to do it and I dont see how it is causing my issues (I would expect a constant resistance, not a off/on resistance).

The design of the erider torque sensing BB just seems to have too many flaws IMHO. The drive side bearing although sealed is exposed and only lasted 1k miles best case (its dry out here in denver and I hardly ever ride in the rain but do get wet/dirty from riding after snow, although no snow for this latest BB). The design also seems to rely on a very precise BB width (the lockring used to retain the axle will bind the bearing if the BB is wider than 73mm). I have also heard that the torque sensor reading can vary based on how tight this lockring is. I could have the BB width faced/reduced and then use bb spacers to take up any slack but I would need some really thin BB spacers.

So not sure what to do yet. If I use another BB design, I would like to use a shimano hollowtech design. Most cadence only sensors seem to work with the narrower axle of square taper axles which is another thing I had issues with.

If I have to go with cadence only sensing, I will likely just scrap this GMAC project and go with another BBSHD although I will really miss the torque sensing.

Still figuring out what to do, will likely figure it out this weekend.

m@Robertson - any ideas on a good reliable 36h hub with 135mm QR spacing. I really like my dt350 hybrid hub, not sure if there are any adapters for 135mm QR

 

[linklemming]

BC-GMAC update

I finally decided to install the older erider BB with replaced bearings. Some of the issues I was having with it originally was that I hadnt quite seated one of the bearings.

Another issue is that I had some BB axle wobble. Im guessing the BB axle/bearing fit is just too tight. When bolted all together there was noticably more resistance for about 1/2 rotation. I couldnt seem to get rid of it even with some slight hammer love taps.

I have until this point, torqued the lockring down pretty snug which a can cause the bearings to bind. Never checked for this before but all 3 erider torque sensors have this behavior even when not mounted on the bike. Grin mentions torquing the lockring to 3nm on a youtube install video

I just applied a good amount of loctite blue 242 and torqued the lockring down so the bearings would just start to spin freely with no sideplay.

Fitting the spider was the next issue. For some reason, this particular BB axle is hard to get flush with the spider causing alot of runout. Ironically the issue seems to be binding of the mounting bolts on the holes in the spider so simply enlarging the holes seems to fix the problem. Took over an hour to get this correct.

So went for a 30miles ride today with the bb with replaced bearings (which were tight for 1/2 revolution) and at the end of the ride, the BB is as smooth as silk so something seated correctly during the ride.

So far 1600 miles on this conversion

I suspect I will have more problems with drive side BB bearing failures due to contamination, so I ordered a cadence only sensor that should work with a shimano hollowtech BB/crankset
https://ebikes.ca/shop/electric-bicycle-parts/torque-sensors/pas-12p-chr.html

I did most of todays ride using just cadence sensing, not sure if I like it as much as on the BBSHD (you have more flexilibility getting just the right assist by playing with gearing/assist) than with a hub motor.

Im considering going to two BBSHD ebikes eventually.

 

[linklemming]

A few quick updates:

BC-GMAC - about 200 miles on the newly installed erider BB with replaced bearings, the BB is as smooth as silk, no sideplay and no dirt in the bearings so far (I have gotten the bike wet a few times). Im hoping the enduro brand drive side bearing seal is better.

To facilitate easier replacement bearing installation I bought the following bearing drifts
Wheels Manufacturing 6003 Open Bore Adapter
Wheels Manufacturing 6805 Open Bore Adapter

Installed a new set of bearings on a backup erider BB and it was SUPER easy, taking only a few minutes. I did notice I could get the bearings further into their seats which should allow the lockring to be tighter without causing binding of the drive side bearing (probably a nothingburger but worth mentioning).

Bought a new 52V 13.5AH super shark pack (GA cells) from em3ev as I only want to run packs with fused cells for safety reasons. What impressed me was the shipping time was the same time as Luna for the wolf pack I ordered(2 weeks). The em3ev pack is also 3lbs less than the wolf pack (7.8# vs 10.8#). The Luna wolf pack is definately more durable bordering on bulletproof but I just prefer the em3ev design better. For hard MTB, the wolfpack is definately the better choice. I will likely try to sell the wolf pack locally and buy another em3ev pack likely with 30q cells like on my current wolfpack. The 30Q cells are beasts compared to the GA although the GA is better for my typical usage which emphasizes range. To put it into perspective, a 14sx4p GA pack has an internal resistance of about 122milliohm and the 14sx4p 30Q pack is 60milliohm.

Crankarms dont seem to loosen anymore now that Im not greasing the square taper BB spindle before assembly. I have been greasing the square tapers for over 30 years without issues, not sure why it doesnt work now but it is what it is. I will provide further updates if problems arise.

BC-BBSHD - got into a friendly speed contest with a fellow ebiker who was running a 52V 3000Wish direct drive on a twisty gravel ride. I must say the 52V 1500W BBSHD really delivers when pushed although if your really going for speed its best to select a lower gear (higher cadence than you can pedal) and just use the throttle. The BBSHD got so hot I couldnt touch it but still works fine 4 rides later. The BBSHD would pull harder out of the corners and in general and the more powerful direct drive would eventually start catching up. In the end though, the BBSHD was better for the conditions which was limited by cornering traction and rider skill. I think the GMAC would have actually been better for this speed contest, perhaps next time I meet this guy I can provide an updated ride report.

Overall - Found another Surly frameset (Ogre) and will be getting it this week(Surly framesets are pretty impossible to find at this time). The Ogre like the Troll is unique for the surly touring bikes in that it can take a 42t 1x front chainring setup which just works better for my ebike conversions. Not sure what I will end up with yet. Most likely, the Bridgeclub will become a utility acoustic bike and my DIY ebikes will be the troll and ogre. The Ogre is also a light blue, Im considering either some sort of urban gray or blue camo frame wrap or a repaint to gloss black.

 

[linklemming]

Got the Surly Ogre frameset today.

Before it arrived , I called a local bike painting shop and was quoted $900 for a simple gloss black paint job (non powder coat). This is a very popular and well respected local shop but thats just way too much (the frame was $735).

While I was calling around for powder coat options (a few hundred $), the frameset arrived. While I didnt think I would like the blue, I want to stick with it as it seems like a waste to repaint such a nice paint job.

So now to figure out what to do.

The nice thing about a black frameset is wiring and zipties dont show up and the bike just looks cleaner.

Putting the GMAC setup on this bike would probably look too DIY for my tastes(lots of wires and zip ties) so I will likely move the BBSHD setup from the Troll over to this bike(BBSHD install is MUCH cleaner) and put the GMAC on the troll and make the Bridgeclub a Rigid acoustic MTB/errand bike.

Another option is to buy another BBSHD and install it on this bike and sell the GMAC setup. While I love the GMAC setup (with torque sensing), the BBSHD feels better than I expected, is a super clean install and would allow me to have common parts like an extra BBSHD motor. The BBSHD just fells more tossable (for an ebike) despite weighing a good 5# more than the GMAC bike. I have also looked at the source code for opensource TSDZ2 SW102 display (basically what eggrider uses) and think it would be easy to modify the TSDZ2 display code for the bafang protocol and get just what I want on the display.

That being said, the GMAC is also better in many ways (no need to pause while upshifting taking off from a stop at max throttle, accelerates harder initially regardless of gear selection, more customizable, runs cooler in many conditions like higher speeds...i.e. commuting and less drivetrain wear)

Still pondering my options

 

[AHicks]

Regarding the blue - my new bike is kind of a "Smurf" blue. I didn't think I'd like it when I first bought it, but it's grown on me to the point I like it just fine!

Regarding the "pondering" - This new project bike is done, and I really like it. Now faced with the decision regarding what to do with my MAC 12t bike. It's in perfect condition. Doesn't make a sound, new Schwalbe Super Moto-X tires, shifts perfectly, and has GOBS of very friendly easy to use power. Downside is it's 15lbs heaviaer than the new bike, it's age and the age of it's battery (2017). My point is, I get where you are coming from....