Recommend a DIY kit source for my 1st build please

[JRA]

I like the way the overall bike weight is distributed better with a front hub. I can still lift the front wheel plenty to avoid man holes etc. and I also like the two wheel drive feature as sometimes I get jiggy with back country loose surface hill climbs

But all in all I find it to work the best for my needs.

I use Schlumpf 2 spd bb drives. V2 is a High Speed 2.5/1 and V1 is 1.65/1 so the 27t rings get bigger. On V1 all the way to a 160" gear which is plenty for pedaling along at 35. You can use conventional cranksets but as you suggest you would need pretty good sized chain rings. I have actually put a Di2 Alfine 11 spd on V2 since the picture was taken which works really well also. Basically as I said keeping the pedal input segregated from the motor drive makes for the most realistic pedaling experience.

I call them HL batteries because that is the initials on the case, stands for Hua Lung etc.... They are all over on Alibaba and China is where they originate it is just who imports them and how you get ahold of one that counts. As mentioned you just want to make sure you have cells that will help with your power requirements.

 

[JRA]

V1 is a bikes direct bike. If you are willing to spend another couple hundred bucks you might find one with tubeless rims. I find tubeless to be the way to go as flats are pretty much a thing of the past. I got a 1 5/8" gold screw in my back tire the other day, stopped, threaded it out, rotated the hole to the bottom, shook it around, added air and kept on going. Still haven't had to add air to it. Try that with tubes......

 

[rich c]

Not the closest photos, but are you using a torque arm on the hub motor? Are the forks aluminum?

 

[tomjasz]

Alibaba is a distributor site, mainly, and Aliexpress is a sort of China eBay. There are good companies on Aliexpress.
However people like Grin and EM3ev are far more secure for the uninitiated. Grin eZee are top notch, followed by MAC. Youre safe with either one. I buy all batteries from a company also on Aliexpress

 

[JRA]

Not the closest photos, but are you using a torque arm on the hub motor? Are the forks aluminum?

V1 has as Grin TA that sits on the disc side axle and attaches directly to a brazeon. It is a Carbon Fiber fork with Carbon Fiber dropouts and in over 2000 miles of use and I must admit to a certain amount of abuse, with constant watch has never shown any undue signs of distress. 1200w peak motor that gets full torque applied on occasion.

V2 has the Any Axle motor which has its own torque arm that I made a fitting for the aluminum fork of that bike. I like this setup better because it is tool less removal. Once again no signs of stress to the fork/headtube/headset over 2000 miles.

I realize that this goes against the grain of most peoples logic but I tend to depend on theory based experience rather than theory based on hearsay and it has led me to the conclusion that a properly set up front hub motor is fine, no matter what fork you have it attached to.

The biggest problem with hub motors in general is that their axle size is larger by a mm than most of the dropouts standard on bikes here in the US which leads to some sloppy solutions to get them in. That plus lack of a TA and all bets are off. In the early days of Endless Sphere there were several instances of bad things happening but most were due to poor judgement in general.

The Grin motor accepts 10, 15mm thru and 20mm thru which is a great feature and going forward you will see more companies get with that program hopefully. Plus encapsulating the axle fully as thru ones do is going to help retainment also.

 

[Trail Cruiser]

I use Grin because they have the best hub motor going, the Any Axle. It is the lightest DD motor and DD is what I prefer for high speed road riding. Here are my bikes, V1 (black with 48v, 25a, 9c) and V2 (silver with 52v, 25a, AnyAxle).
View attachment 19572

I only have the 10ah shark battery on V2 and the 11ah Dolphin on V1 and they both will do 30 miles averaging 25 mph +/-. But I would get a 13.5 today if I was in the market to have a little more on tap for a longer ride or a faster short one.

Top speed on both bikes is north of 30 and they will climb hills fast and efficiently if you pedal along in the correct gearing. FYI I prefer to use just a throttle for my road bikes and the cruise control function of the CA3. That way my cadence is set by me and my desired output at all times. I find this important when spinning higher cadence. On my mtb i have a torque sensing system that works great at lower cadence but at higher ones the "magic legs" feeling is too plastic and I find it hard to settle in. But on that bike I never really do much road and for what I do it is fine.

HL batteries are pretty much the gold standard right now it seems. They use both Panasonic and Sanyo cells so be sure you know what you are getting 3200mah is the happy medium. I got the shark from Grin but that was because I was there at their place of business. If I was to buy a battery today I would seek out as close a one that meets my criteria and get it, hopefully by driving to get it.

E bike tech is progressing at a rapid pace and these bikes are what I would consider to be future proofed in that the biggest advancement on the horizon is battery chemistry and these "kit" type batteries will be among the first to adopt the new 21700 cells due out this year. And arguably the cheapest way to subscribe.

Is that a 28 teeth front chain ring?

 

[JRA]

27t

 

[flymeaway]

This will be a ground up build.

Ironies of ironies.....that is the bike I used for my 1st conversion. My current commuter is a Titanium frame bike (from BD) with a BB02 Bafang 750W drive and a 52V 13.5AH Shark Pack from Luna Cycles. My commute is 15 miles one way and I easily keep the bike moving 28 mph on the flats. I started using the Rohloff IGH about 3 years ago and won't do anything other then the Rohloff going forward....pricey but it just plain works. Because I use the Rohloff I'm using mid-drive motors. I also have a MAC500 rear hub conversion that works well, but the build is more complicated then the Bafang mid-drive.

Everyone has a preference so there isn't any wrong way of doing the conversion. If you use the Bafang 750W BBs02 with the Shark 13.5 AH you will have the bike you are looking for. Is it better then any other possible conversion......not necessarily, but there's where personal preference comes in. The Bafang mid-drive conversion is simple straightforward, and so far for me, very reliable. The Titanium commuter has over 6,000 miles in 2 1/2 years behind it without any mechanical issues.

Court J.

 

[tomjasz]

DD ar3 fine if not hill riding. Many say front drives are odd riding. I have mor3 than on3 o& each

The Bafang mid-drive conversion is simple straightforward, and so far for me, very reliable. The Titanium commuter has over 6,000 miles in 2 1/2 years behind it without any mechanical issues.

Court J.

I've always believed that a majority of the problems with the BBS01 and BBS02 are the way in which they are ridden.There are a small percentage of failure due to poor manufacturing, but that is a relatively small percentage.

I don't see my MAC builds as more complex as someone mentioned. The BBSHD was just to fast for the bikes I have.

 

[Chris Hammond]

Court, I have a few questions for you.
Why did you switch from the Elite adventure to your current bike?
After riding both what are pluses and minuses to each?
How has the drive train held up on your mid-drive conversions? Are you experiencing significant wear on chains, sprokets, etc?
Is a IGH a must have for mid-drive conversion for reliability?
I initially started to consider a DIY build due to the relative ease of putting in a BBSHD kit, and it's ability to provide higher cruising speeds than a prebuilt bike. Prior to learning about that I was sure I was going to get a Juiced CrossCurrent S. (I am still considering it BTW.) I am trying to avoid making any regrettable errors, and build a commuter special that will keep me happy for many years.
I want a reliable bike that I can maintain and not worry about nagging little problems or regrets. ( I know, it's a lot to ask for from a $2K bike.)