Planned build

[indianajo]

Nice brakes.
The only thing I'd take apart is the front & rear axles to renew lube. Petroleum jelly works. Turn upside down & drip oil in the crank hole. Oil the head set while standing up. Oil all the cables while the exit is pointed up. Oil the shifter pivots. Oil the chain. Non detergent 5w oil, like type A or F transmission fluid, or 3 in 1 oil. NOT dexron ATF.
I don't know if trek has the easy stretch kiddie cables or the good ones like came on my yuba. Good cables don't stretch and require constant adjustment. Good SS slick coated cables can be bought from clarks & jaguar. I broke a shifter cable @ about 3000 miles.
I don't understand the passion for stands. I turn my bike over on handlebars & seat & it weighs 70 lb without panniers & tools. A display could be a problem, but I designed a standoff out of sheetmetal that could be unscrewed & turned down for turning bike over in 1 minute. I later deleted the display, it was wrong, 25% high in KM, showed 0 mph downhills, and fogged over from the rain. My throttle has voltage built into it now. That is all I need. I don't have to lift the whole bike If I'm just flipping it over. If you are out on road there is usually a tree, fence or telephone/cable generator to lean the bike against nearby. But this isn't Kansas.
If you maintain shimano 7 speed rear, understand they come unscrewed & drop balls after x000 miles. They are designed for kids that ride a bike 400 miles in their life. The ferrule against the internal race has to be discarded and a second 3/8"x26 tpi nut counter tightened against the race to prevent race from backing off. Stupid design. Wait til you've pushed the bike home. For me it was only four miles; lucky since I go 30 miles from home weekly. Balls are 1/4" BTW, even in this metric day. There is also an axle with a machined step from freethepeople but neither modernbike or thebikeshopstore ever stocked one. neither could get me 3/8"x26 tpi nuts either. The bikeshopstore shipped any size of random hex shaped junk instead of 3/8"x26 tpi nuts. They would give me my money back, but it didn't fix the bike. I bought another bike, until I found victornet.com had 3/8"x26 tpi taps, so I could make my own nuts.
The shimano 6 speed axle broke against my exhorbitant 180 lb. It is only 5/16" thick. Don't use one unless you weigh 120.
I'm using shimano 8 speed rear now, has gone 6000 miles without disassembly or failure. I have my Mac12 hubmotor on the front, as is the battery. I don't use it unless the wind is >12 mph or I'm out beyond 25 miles. When I'm in a hurry and do use it on the 80 hills of my route, it doesn't overheat. Total rise is 200', total weight is 330, of which I'm 160.
I can change the tube on the hub motor end in 40 minutes. Rear 30 minutes. I don't patch tubes, it doesn't work half the time. I don't unwire the motor to change the tube, just cut some ties & replace them. Pushing the bike 15 miles to destination or origin because it won't hold air is to be avoided. Been there, done that, when the first tube blew up immediately. Also when a used tire ripped the cord. I carry 2 cheap schwinn tubes and one jointed one which I've never used in 3 years.

 

[JES2020]

Nice brakes.
The only thing I'd take apart is the front & rear axles to renew lube. Petroleum jelly works. Turn upside down & drip oil in the crank hole. Oil the head set while standing up. Oil all the cables while the exit is pointed up. Oil the shifter pivots. Oil the chain. Non detergent 5w oil, like type A or F transmission fluid, or 3 in 1 oil. NOT dexron ATF.
I don't know if trek has the easy stretch kiddie cables or the good ones like came on my yuba. Good cables don't stretch and require constant adjustment. Good SS slick coated cables can be bought from clarks & jaguar. I broke a shifter cable @ about 3000 miles.
I don't understand the passion for stands. I turn my bike over on handlebars & seat & it weighs 70 lb without panniers & tools. A display could be a problem, but I designed a standoff out of sheetmetal that could be unscrewed & turned down for turning bike over in 1 minute. I later deleted the display, it was wrong, 25% high in KM, showed 0 mph downhills, and fogged over from the rain. My throttle has voltage built into it now. That is all I need. I don't have to lift the whole bike If I'm just flipping it over. If you are out on road there is usually a tree, fence or telephone/cable generator to lean the bike against nearby. But this isn't Kansas.
If you maintain shimano 7 speed rear, understand they come unscrewed & drop balls after x000 miles. They are designed for kids that ride a bike 400 miles in their life. The ferrule against the internal race has to be discarded and a second 3/8"x26 tpi nut counter tightened against the race to prevent race from backing off. Stupid design. Wait til you've pushed the bike home. For me it was only four miles; lucky since I go 30 miles from home weekly. Balls are 1/4" BTW, even in this metric day. There is also an axle with a machined step from freethepeople but neither modernbike or thebikeshopstore ever stocked one. neither could get me 3/8"x26 tpi nuts either. The bikeshopstore shipped any size of random hex shaped junk instead of 3/8"x26 tpi nuts. They would give me my money back, but it didn't fix the bike. I bought another bike, until I found victornet.com had 3/8"x26 tpi taps, so I could make my own nuts.
The shimano 6 speed axle broke against my exhorbitant 180 lb. It is only 5/16" thick. Don't use one unless you weigh 120.
I'm using shimano 8 speed rear now, has gone 6000 miles without disassembly or failure. I have my Mac12 hubmotor on the front, as is the battery. I don't use it unless the wind is >12 mph or I'm out beyond 25 miles. When I'm in a hurry and do use it on the 80 hills of my route, it doesn't overheat. Total rise is 200', total weight is 330, of which I'm 160.
I can change the tube on the hub motor end in 40 minutes. Rear 30 minutes. I don't patch tubes, it doesn't work half the time. I don't unwire the motor to change the tube, just cut some ties & replace them. Pushing the bike 15 miles to destination or origin because it won't hold air is to be avoided. Been there, done that, when the first tube blew up immediately. Also when a used tire ripped the cord. I carry 2 cheap schwinn tubes and one jointed one which I've never used in 3 years.

I also don't use a stand ,I have all the item on my handlebar loose enough so that I can rotate them out of the way when turning the bike over.
I recently installed this two leg kickstand, so I can now do much of the maintenance with the rear wheel off the ground so slick the way it folds to one side out of the way.

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PS That's how I got the pic above my screen name, the rear wheel is spinning with individual reflectors seen on the front wheel !

 

[jfny1978]

I also don't use a stand ,I have all the item on my handlebar loose enough so that I can rotate them out of the way when turning the bike over.
I recently installed this two leg kickstand, so I can now do much of the maintenance with the rear wheel off the ground so slick the way it folds to one side out of the way.

BV Bike Kickstand Double Leg MTB Center Mount Aluminum Alloy Kick Stand 24"-28"® 852664529867 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for BV Bike Kickstand Double Leg MTB Center Mount Aluminum Alloy Kick Stand 24"-28"® at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

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PS That's how I got the pic above my screen name, the rear wheel is spinning with individual reflectors seen on the front wheel !

Thank you. For me. I have some back problems, so I think it's going to be important for me to get a stand where I can work on my bike without constantly bending over or sitting on the floor.

 

[JES2020]

Thank you. For me. I have some back problems, so I think it's going to be important for me to get a stand where I can work on my bike without constantly bending over or sitting on the floor.

I see, will you need to lift the bike up high to get it on the stand? That micgh present an issue with back problems.
Another option is to suspend the bike from the rafters in your garage using a come too, or get a little auto repair seat on wheels (which is what I use).

Mechanics Roller Seat

Amazing deals on this Mechanic'S Roller Seat at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

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[jfny1978]

I see, will you need to lift the bike up high to get it on the stand? That micgh present an issue with back problems.
Another option is to suspend the bike from the rafters in your garage using a come too, or get a little auto repair seat on wheels (which is what I use).

Mechanics Roller Seat

Amazing deals on this Mechanic'S Roller Seat at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

Thank you. No, my back isn't so bad that I can't lift bikes. I just need to be careful about not stressing my back too often and going into weird positions.

As for the garage option, I am an apartment dweller, so no go on that. As I get older, the only reason I want to own a house is to have a garage or basement to fiddle around with things.

I think I am just going to order a standard bike repair stand online, and let the creative people who designed products for that purpose have my money.

Have a good Sunday, thanks!

 

[JES2020]

Thank you. No, my back isn't so bad that I can't lift bikes. I just need to be careful about not stressing my back too often and going into weird positions.

As for the garage option, I am an apartment dweller, so no go on that. As I get older, the only reason I want to own a house is to have a garage or basement to fiddle around with things.

I think I am just going to order a standard bike repair stand online, and let the creative people who designed products for that purpose have my money.

Have a good Sunday, thanks!

No problem, just something I ran into after installing the motor and battery, the bike ballooned to almost 65 lbs of awkward mass.
I don't have back problems, but I had trouble lifting that thing straight up. and that's with two hands. looks like you have to use one hand to lift and one to clamp with a bike stand.

I'm sure what ever you do, you will love riding the finished product, it's almost like riding a magic carpet,so effortless, quite and smooth.

 

[EMGX]

I'm looking forward to seeing what you choose and how it works out for you. I've done geared front hub, geared rear hub and the Tongsheng mid drive, trying them on several different bikes (except the geared rear hub that I've only installed on one bike so far) and I have a Yamaha powered mid drive gravel bike. They all have advantages, disadvantages and compromises so I don't think there is a dogmatic, one best for everyone and every bike, choice. Bike stand is a back saver for sure and makes everything from routine maintenance to more involved tear down much easier. The cheap one I have can clamp either horizontally on the top tube or vertically on a seat post. I use it horizontally on the top tube so it is very easy to lift the bike with both hands onto the stand then clamp it in.

 

[jfny1978]

I'm looking forward to seeing what you choose and how it works out for you. I've done geared front hub, geared rear hub and the Tongsheng mid drive, trying them on several on different bikes (except the geared rear hub that I've only installed on one bike so far) and I have a Yamaha powered mid drive gravel bike. They all have advantages, disadvantages and compromises so I don't think there is a dogmatic, one best for everyone and every bike, choice. Bike stand is a back saver for sure and makes everything from routine maintenance to more involved tear down much easier. The cheap one I have can clamp either horizontally on the top tube or vertically on a seat post. I use it on horizontally on the top tube so it is very easy to lift the bike with both hands onto the stand then clamp it in.

Thanks. I am pretty sold on mid-drive at the moment. Just gotta take my time and make sure to understand what the heck I'm doing.

 

[indianajo]

I sit on an upturned 5 gallon bucket. Lifting the entire bike with tools & panniers is beyond my capability age 70. I have a diesel crane out at the summer camp, but not in town.

 

[creativepart]

That looks like a great candidate. I just put a rear hub kit on my Specialized Crosstrail. It's a bit more of a hybrid bike then your Trek. But not by much.

It was super easy. It took no more than 2-days and that's going carefully.

I love my hub drive but many times think a BBS2 mid-drive would have been as good or better. I got my kit from Dillenger (https://dillengerelectricbikes.com/). They have both hub kits and mid-drive kits at decent pricing. I got my hub kit with battery and charger for $729 and it was totally complete. It took 4-days to receive.

The only thing you need is some decent bike tools. I also have a bike stand and I love it. Makes working on the bike much less back breaking.

Go for it. Take it slow. Buy Park brand or similar tools.

 

[creativepart]

Pay attention to that bottom bracket size. I don't know the year of your Trek, but the new ones have a VP BC73, 73mm, threaded cartridge BB. Make sure the kit you order accommadates a 73mm bottom bracket.

Here's a link to my bike stand. I'm pretty sure I paid a lot less than this for my stand.

Amazon.com

 

[jfny1978]

Pay attention to that bottom bracket size. I don't know the year of your Trek, but the new ones have a VP BC73, 73mm, threaded cartridge BB. Make sure the kit you order accommadates a 73mm bottom bracket.

Here's a link to my bike stand. I'm pretty sure I paid a lot less than this for my stand.

Amazon.com

Cool, good to know about the bottom bracket size. I bit the bullet and ordered a Park Tools workstand today.

 

[JES2020]

Cool, good to know about the bottom bracket size. I bit the bullet and ordered a Park Tools workstand today.

Pay attention to that bottom bracket size. I don't know the year of your Trek, but the new ones have a VP BC73, 73mm, threaded cartridge BB. Make sure the kit you order accommadates a 73mm bottom bracket.

Here's a link to my bike stand. I'm pretty sure I paid a lot less than this for my stand.

Amazon.com

Two days? That is going slow, I did mine in like 3-4 hours, and that was my first time.
Just curious , why do you think mid drives would be better than hub? I mean they cost more and, as you are confirming, are way more complicated to install.

 

[creativepart]

I had a Blix Vika+ 20" folding eBike as my first eBike. It is rear hub drive and I put 800 miles on it in the first year. But I realize that I mostly "shadow" pedaled and rode it at PAS 5 (top speed) and never used the gears.

When I bought my kit I wanted to continue that method of riding so I got a rear drive hub. After riding 300 miles around Tucson (on extended vacation) I found myself riding in PAS 3 out of 5 and using the gears much more. I liked it. A lot. So, I think a mid-drive might suit that style of riding better.

I still love my DIY bike rear hub drive and I may also sell my Blix Vika+ because of that. I've never ridden a mid-drive but I have a feeling my next eBike will be a mid-drive.

I could have finished the bike in a day. Really, it wasn't difficult. I was cautious and did a lot of checking on YouTube to be sure I didn't mess things up. Actually, I had mentally planned for a much longer build project - that sounded like fun. So, two days were really stretching it.

Fact is... I still tinker with things on the bike. It's fun. Yesterday, I removed the front derailleur. I tested riding the bike with the smaller front ring and knew I'd never use that thing again. The front shifter was kind of in the way on the handlebars so, yesterday I just removed all of that.

The first 100 miles on the bike I was always tweaking the placement of controls, too. Changed the grips and the saddle. I keep removing zip ties and tidying up the wiring, too.

 

[JES2020]

I had a Blix Vika+ 20" folding eBike as my first eBike. It is rear hub drive and I put 800 miles on it in the first year. But I realize that I mostly "shadow" pedaled and rode it at PAS 5 (top speed) and never used the gears.

When I bought my kit I wanted to continue that method of riding so I got a rear drive hub. After riding 300 miles around Tucson (on extended vacation) I found myself riding in PAS 3 out of 5 and using the gears much more. I liked it. A lot. So, I think a mid-drive might suit that style of riding better.

I still love my DIY bike rear hub drive and I may also sell my Blix Vika+ because of that. I've never ridden a mid-drive but I have a feeling my next eBike will be a mid-drive.

I could have finished the bike in a day. Really, it wasn't difficult. I was cautious and did a lot of checking on YouTube to be sure I didn't mess things up. Actually, I had mentally planned for a much longer build project - that sounded like fun. So, two days were really stretching it.

Fact is... I still tinker with things on the bike. It's fun. Yesterday, I removed the front derailleur. I tested riding the bike with the smaller front ring and knew I'd never use that thing again. The front shifter was kind of in the way on the handlebars so, yesterday I just removed all of that.

The first 100 miles on the bike I was always tweaking the placement of controls, too. Changed the grips and the saddle. I keep removing zip ties and tidying up the wiring, too.

I pretty much leave mine in pas 1 and high gear, unless going up a hill, then I will down shift the bike gears.
I can cruse at 30 MPH throttle only, and on certain straight a ways I'll gun it just for the halibut.
I get 80 miles on a charge.
I have never rode a mid drive either, but one thing I know is the same ... when you pedal you move, when you brake you stop.

 

[jfny1978]

I just had a mild panic attack regarding making sure I buy a conversation kit before they possibly go out of stock. I ordered this one:

Amazon.com

I also ordered a brake sensor and gear sensor.

I think this is everything I need. If anyone can think of anything else I'm missing I would to hear it.

Thanks to everyone for their help! I'm excited

 

[JES2020]

I just had a mild panic attack regarding making sure I buy a conversation kit before they possibly go out of stock. I ordered this one:

Amazon.com

I also ordered a brake sensor and gear sensor.

I think this is everything I need. If anyone can think of anything else I'm missing I would to hear it.

Thanks to everyone for their help! I'm excited

Good to go thru Amazon , if you have issues you can always return it.
Had to chuckle when they said 1 hour installation time.

 

[jfny1978]

Good to go thru Amazon , if you have issues you can always return it.
Had to chuckle when they said 1 hour installation time.

Haha. Yeah I figured I could return it if I had to. T

Good to go thru Amazon , if you have issues you can always return it.
Had to chuckle when they said 1 hour installation time.

Haha yeah. I figured I can return it if I have to. But I am pretty sure it's everything I need.

 

[EMGX]

Looks like a good complete kit, I hope it provides what you want out of your ebike experience.
Taking just a quick look I see that there is an option of motor cut off brake levers or stick on inhibitors. If you have hydraulic brakes or even mechanical disc brakes but want to keep your stock levers the stick on inhibitors are the ones to consider requesting. Since you don't have experience working on bikes and there is no reason to hurry their "less than 1 hour" installation is optimistic, especially if you have bike specific issues like interference from a cable guide on the bottom of the bottom bracket which could interfere and need modification. Otherwise it is a reasonable time estimate if you don't hit any installation snags, or at least it was for the Tongsheng mid drive.

You might already know all of this but a couple things that may (or may not) prove helpful:

Watch a video on bottom bracket cartridge removal, it is super simple and easy but sometimes people forget that the chainring side of the cartridge has left hand threads which means that you turn clockwise to remove it. The non chainring side is standard right hand threads which means turn counterclockwise to remove.
Also take a close look at the crank arm puller that you are using. My compact puller has a round piece screwed on the end which I think is for splined cartridges, for standard square taper that disc needs to be removed. Otherwise the arm puller will only be pushing against the recessed portion of the crank arm, not the cartridge axle part.
For encouragement here is a video done by some kids who look like they have zero experience and think they are greasing a sealed cartridge but still get the job done.

If you need to remove handlebar grips that are stuck tight on the bar spraying some brake cleaner between the bar and the grip after carefully inserting a thin screwdriver to create some space should make them easy to remove but still useable.

Not sure if this is applicable to the Bafang but when installing the Tongsheng on my Dahon Jack it hung up on a burr in the bottom bracket (where there is a tapped hole for a support when the bike is folded). Even though this hole is specific to the Jack I think this hanging up is fairly commonly reported, especially with aluminum bottom brackets. I used a half rounded file to remove the burr, careful to not damage the threads at the ends of the bottom bracket. Then the motor slid right in.

You won't need a chain breaker tool in order to remove your front derailleur if your stock chain has a master link but a chain breaker is always good to have around anyway.

Maybe those who have done a mid drive install, especially those with Bafang experience, have more or better tips that might be useful.

 

[jfny1978]

Looks like a good complete kit, I hope it provides what you want out of your ebike experience.
Taking just a quick look I see that there is an option of motor cut off brake levers or stick on inhibitors. If you have hydraulic brakes or even mechanical disc brakes but want to keep your stock levers the stick on inhibitors are the ones to consider requesting. Since you don't have experience working on bikes and there is no reason to hurry their "less than 1 hour" installation is optimistic, especially if you have bike specific issues like interference from a cable guide on the bottom of the bottom bracket which could interfere and need modification. Otherwise it is a reasonable time estimate if you don't hit any installation snags, or at least it was for the Tongsheng mid drive.

You might already know all of this but a couple things that may (or may not) prove helpful:

Watch a video on bottom bracket cartridge removal, it is super simple and easy but sometimes people forget that the chainring side of the cartridge has left hand threads which means that you turn clockwise to remove it. The non chainring side is standard right hand threads which means turn counterclockwise to remove.
Also take a close look at the crank arm puller that you are using. My compact puller has a round piece screwed on the end which I think is for splined cartridges, for standard square taper that disc needs to be removed. Otherwise the arm puller will only be pushing against the recessed portion of the crank arm, not the cartridge axle part.
For encouragement here is a video done by some kids who look like they have zero experience and think they are greasing a sealed cartridge but still get the job done.

If you need to remove handlebar grips that are stuck tight on the bar spraying some brake cleaner between the bar and the grip after carefully inserting a thin screwdriver to create some space should make them easy to remove but still useable.

Not sure if this is applicable to the Bafang but when installing the Tongsheng on my Dahon Jack it hung up on a burr in the bottom bracket (where there is a tapped hole for a support when the bike is folded). Even though this hole is specific to the Jack I think this hanging up is fairly commonly reported, especially with aluminum bottom brackets. I used a half rounded file to remove the burr, careful to not damage the threads at the ends of the bottom bracket. Then the motor slid right in.

You won't need a chain breaker tool in order to remove your front derailleur if your stock chain has a master link but a chain breaker is always good to have around anyway.

Maybe those who have done a mid drive install, especially those with Bafang experience, have more or better tips that might be useful.

Thank you, very helpful! I do plan to take my time, enjoy the process, and learn things. I will am going to have my computer at eye level near my bike repair stand too, so I can watch videos about what I am doing.

I appreciate you taking the time to write all of this advice. Have a great day!