My DIY Luna Cycle Bafang HD is finished!

[Tom@WashDC]

It's very cold outside. Snow and ice on the ground. All my parts have arrived.
What better place to start my DIY build?
Bike: Mongoose Dolomite Fat Tire Bike
Motor: Mid-drive, Luna Cycle, Hot Rod Bafang BBSHD, 1600 Watt.

My current ride is an Aventon Level with about 950 miles on it. My wife has a Level too. We thoroughly enjoy the Level, but it is meant for paved trails and roads. I felt the need for some more aggressive riding in the backwoods and trails around my home in Loudoun County VA. After studying the quality build of the Aventon, and reading up on many of these forums, I decided to take the plunge and try the DIY route. My thanks to all those that post here on EBR, Endless Sphere, YouTube, and to the bike and parts manufacturers and distributors that answered my email questions.

 

[reed scott]

We wanna see what's in the box. asap !

 

[Tom@WashDC]

Ahh, sorry, I neglected to do an "unboxing video". All of the components from the Luna Box are displayed on the floor.

Luna Cycle , Mid-Drive BBSHD Bafang - 1600 Watt Hot Rod Version
Luna Cycle Mighty Mini 30 Tooth Chain Ring in Blue.
Stock Bafang Chain Ring
Stock Bafang Cranks
Stock Mechanical E-Brake Levers with integrated cut off. ( I will be adding hydraulic brakes later)
Luna 860C Full Color Display
Gear Shift Sensor
Universal Thumb Throttle
Motor Stabilizer Bar (does not fit the Fatty bottom bracket, I have a work around)
Luna Install Helpers, 120MM BB spacers

Assorted parts ordered from eBay, Amazon, Hobby Lobby, Mike's Bikes, and Home Depot:
Di-Electric Grease
Assorted Rubber Grommets ( for routing cables internally)
Heat Shrink Tubing
Seat Post mounted Controller Box (organize excess wiring and shield battery/motor connectors)
Aluminum Alloy Rivet Nuts (for additional secure battery mounting)
FOMTOR 90 Degree Adjustable Stem
Black Spiral Cable Wrap
Fat Bike Mud Guards, Front and Rear
Hailong-3 48V 17.5 Ah Battery
Shimano Altus Trigger Shifter (Mike's Bikes)
Gray Primer Paint (Home Depot)
Zip Ties Black (Home Depot)
Assorted Washers (primed and painted black gloss, Home Depot)
Testor's Black Gloss Paint in spray can and bottle. (Hobby Lobby)
Small Paint Brushes (Hobby Lobby)
Small Self Tapping Metal Screws (for hidden zip tie anchor points, primed and painted Gloss Black), (Home Depot))
Velo Cloud 9 Memory Foam Seat (eBay)

Mongoose Dolomite 26", 7-Speed, Fat Tire Bike (Walmart, $260.00 shipped)

 

[tomjasz]

That’s a lot of motor for the crap brakes on those Wallfart fat bikes. A decent set of disc brakes cost more than the bike! Please Take care!

 

[Tom@WashDC]

That’s a lot of motor for the crap brakes on those Wallfart fat bikes. A decent set of disc brakes cost more than the bike! Please Take care!

Yes, my first review will be of the mechanical disc brakes. I'm curious to see how they compare to my Bengal Ares 3 Hydraulic Disc Brakes, with 180mm Rotors. I think these stock brakes are made by

 

[Tom@WashDC]

Motor goes on tomorrow.

 

[jangles]

It's very cold outside. Snow and ice on the ground. All my parts have arrived.
What better place to start my DIY build?

Bike: Mongoose Dolomite Fat Tire Bike
Motor: Mid-drive, Luna Cycle, Hot Rod Bafang BBSHD, 1600 Watt.
View attachment 74432

Tom , just a little advice here from one Goose owner to another . Be sure to grease your hubs and the fork bearings . There is a guy on YouTube that shows how to disassemble the freewheel and front hub to do that . The bike will be great and looks good already for your first build . Search YouTube for "Budget friendly biking" then search his channel for the greasing . Good luck and post more pics and a vid of your maiden voyage .

Edit , I also have a Fito Cruiser build , a converted BTN AWD to BBSHD and a Juggernaut Ultra FS on the way . Damn things are addictive !

 

[Tom@WashDC]

Tom , just a little advice here from one Goose owner to another . Be sure to grease your hubs and the fork bearings . There is a guy on YouTube that shows how to disassemble the freewheel and front hub to do that . The bike will be great and looks good already for your first build . Search YouTube for "Budget friendly biking" then search his channel for the greasing . Good luck and post more pics and a vid of your maiden voyage .

Edit , I also have a Fito Cruiser build , a converted BTN AWD to BBSHD and a Juggernaut Ultra FS on the way . Damn things are addictive !

I agree, the "Damn things are addictive"! I appreciate the advice. I do remember seeing a review of the Mongoose Dolomite on YouTube and the guy said that there was almost no grease in the bottom bracket, rear hub, and fork bearings.

 

[stanmiller]

Yes, my first review will be of the mechanical disc brakes. I'm curious to see how they compare to my Bengal Ares 3 Hydraulic Disc Brakes, with 180mm Rotors. I think these stock brakes are made by
View attachment 74510

If the brakes are like the ones on the Mongoose Envoy, they'll work aright but need regular adjustment and can be noisy. Even with organic pads.

Stan Miller's Electric Envoy

Mongoose Envoy

For those looking to do a custom build, the Mongoose Envoy is an excellent choice. In November 2019, I converted my Envoy to an eBike with a 500W Bafang hub kit from Bluenergy. I’m now at 1200 miles. You’ll find other Envoys converted with mid-drives, but I chose a hub to maintain the...

electricbikereview.com

I upgraded to a set of TRP HY/RD hydraulic brakes courtesy of a tip in these forums. They're great! Dual piston. Whisper quiet with organic pads. And compatible with one's existing cable actuated setup. I have 180 mm in the front and 160 mm in the back.

Amazon.com : TRP HY/RD Road Hydraulic Disc Brake Caliper Black Rotor Front 180mm : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : TRP HY/RD Road Hydraulic Disc Brake Caliper Black Rotor Front 180mm : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

Before getting the TRP's, I experimented with a BB7 and 180 mm rotor on the rear. To my surprise, the 180 mm would lock the wheel and skid out. So I dropped back to 160 mm to tame things down.

 

[stanmiller]

Tom , just a little advice here from one Goose owner to another . Be sure to grease your hubs and the fork bearings . There is a guy on YouTube that shows how to disassemble the freewheel and front hub to do that . The bike will be great and looks good already for your first build . Search YouTube for "Budget friendly biking" then search his channel for the greasing . Good luck and post more pics and a vid of your maiden voyage .

Yes. Do this.

I converted a Mongoose Envoy last year. My bottom bracket was well greased, but the fork bearings needed some love. Also, I tossed out the front factory wheel and replaced with a Rhino Lite XL rim and Shimano hub.

 

[tomjasz]

Before getting the TRP's, I experimented with a BB7 and 180 mm rotor on the rear. To my surprise, the 180 mm would lock the wheel and skid out. So I dropped back to 160 mm to tame things down.

Having nearly 6 years of BBSxx series support and sales experience, I've seen scores of Dolomite bikes kitted. In 2016 I bought a Fatty from Bikes Direct. Actually better brakes than on the Dolomite but not adequate to stop from 30MPH SAFELY.

I tried the BB7 but still no joy. I've written before describing how I test braking by using the standards from the MSF training course. BBSHD kits can easily be 35MPH bikes. IMO now more scooter than eBike. Panic stops, and stopping distances are ABYSMAL. To my way of thinking this may well lead to more damn regulations. It now sits in a dusty corner of the shop. Destined for the local school bike mechanics classI did flip all 4 of my BBSHD and made some fellas great deals. My 250W and 350W versions are still in regular use and the brakes match the motor power.

Every single one of the best builders ALWAYS has updated brakes. Magura has become very popular with fast eBikes and have higo options and updated harnesses for an easy install on BBSxx kits.

 

[EMGX]

I get the concerns about brakes but only up to a point. Any bike can easily go 35mph on a downhill. Where I regularly ride downhill coasting gets into high 30s to low 40s without any assist, on any bike. I've done this with a coaster brake bike, a heavy cruiser with only one disc brake on the rear, rim brake bikes, my BH gravel bike with only adequate cable disc brakes and a mountain bike with awesome hydraulic disc brakes. Of course the bikes with better brakes are "safer" but, in general, any bike at that speed isn't really that "safe" regardless of the brakes. Bikes with only rear coaster brakes have been around forever but that hasn't resulted in any increased regulation. Same with regards to the added weight of an ebike, that would be like saying that heavier people or those carrying a load can't ride bikes with certain brakes - people have toured on heavily loaded bikes with only rim brakes forever.

 

[EMGX]

Motor goes on tomorrow.

View attachment 74512

looking forward to your review of the build

 

[tomjasz]

people have toured on heavily loaded bikes with only rim brakes forever.

On a loaded 70lb bike with an old retired fat butt? The dynamics change very quickly. An occasional downhill run just isn't the same as an eBike that can power up to those speeds with a motor and maintain them. But point taken! Thanks!

 

[Tom@WashDC]

If the brakes are like the ones on the Mongoose Envoy, they'll work aright but need regular adjustment and can be noisy. Even with organic pads.

Stan Miller's Electric Envoy

Mongoose Envoy

For those looking to do a custom build, the Mongoose Envoy is an excellent choice. In November 2019, I converted my Envoy to an eBike with a 500W Bafang hub kit from Bluenergy. I’m now at 1200 miles. You’ll find other Envoys converted with mid-drives, but I chose a hub to maintain the...

electricbikereview.com

I upgraded to a set of TRP HY/RD hydraulic brakes courtesy of a tip in these forums. They're great! Dual piston. Whisper quiet with organic pads. And compatible with one's existing cable actuated setup. I have 180 mm in the front and 160 mm in the back.

Amazon.com : TRP HY/RD Road Hydraulic Disc Brake Caliper Black Rotor Front 180mm : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : TRP HY/RD Road Hydraulic Disc Brake Caliper Black Rotor Front 180mm : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

Before getting the TRP's, I experimented with a BB7 and 180 mm rotor on the rear. To my surprise, the 180 mm would lock the wheel and skid out. So I dropped back to 160 mm to tame things down.

I took a look at those TRP HY/RD hydraulic brakes, thanks for the heads up. They look nice. Certainly an easy install.

 

[Tom@WashDC]

Ok, Finally finished the project. Hit a few few small snags of my own making along the way. The kit was an easy install, nothing difficult. I took my time and tried to make a very clean and finished product.

One thing I did not want was a bunch of exposed zip ties on the frame, so I ran the main motor wiring harness through the base of the downtube up to the handlebars. I used grommets to seal the holes. After drilling any holes in the steel frame I used primer paint on the exposed metal, then painted again with black gloss paint. I wrapped some of the wiring with spiral wrap.

To eliminate exposed zip ties in the Speed Sensor install, I took a page from my Aventon Level e-bike and installed small zip tie holders mounted under or inside the bottom rail. Holders and screws are were primed and painted gloss black.

To manage the the battery, motor, and Shift sensor cable, I installed the seat post mounted controller box as a junction box. The battery to motor connections were coated in dielectric grease, and sealed with shrink tube and zip ties before closing the box.

A buddy of mine has the older version of the Bafang BBS02 motor and one of the problems that he and others have encountered is that the motor develops some play over time because the Bafang mounting bracket Bracket does not work perfectly. The new motor has the same bracket. In theory the bracket has small protrusions on the bracket side that mates to the bottom bracket. These protrusion are meant to "bite" into the bottom bracket when tightened. This should prevent the motor from moving, in theory. Evidence shows that the design is flawed and the motor/bracket develops play over time. My solution was to place a stainless steel hose clamp around the motor housing, and interlock it to a stainless steel hose clamp on the downtube. Both clamps were primed and painted. The clamp on the down tube sits on a rubber gasket covering the down tube. It may need tightening a few times as it may stretch. My future solution is to remove the motor bracket, and "pre-cut" grooves into the bottom bracket so the motor bracket protrusions can work as intended.

For the battery mount, I installed two additional anchor points in addition to the existing bottle bosses. I Installed two Aluminum Rivnuts, or Rivet Nuts into the downtube. I did not have a Rivnut tool, but I used a simple method I found in this YouTube video.

I have the Luna, 30 Tooth Mighty Mini chain ring, which I will install after my first real test drive. I reworked the brakes, adjusted the new Shimano Trigger Shifter, charged the battery, turned the system on, and everything worked seamlessly. Took it for a quick spin up and down the street. Works like a charm. The bike is much more powerful than my rear hub Aventon Level, which is an excellent bike. I will perform a major "off-road" test this week and get it covered in mud. ~Tom

 

[tomjasz]

Fantastic job! Well done!

 

[Tom@WashDC]

Fantastic job! Well done!

Thanks Tom!

 

[vincent]

great job!

 

[onlineaddy]

Looks like you took great care in your build. Congratulations on a job well done!