I have some first hand experience I can share.
I have several new DIY projects on the go and look forward to sharing them when complete here to my EBR friends. On my main road bike I did try a low cost (under $30CDN) PAS to have the experience and as a 'spare' that would be easy to install if I ever had an issue with my main torque sensor BB. It worked, taught me a lot about the Cycle Analyst I just installed and what I could do with it, good learning experience.
Previous to that I have only ever ridden my Bionx ebikes which are all torque sensors built into the rear hub motor. I really do prefer the torque sensor ride.
First, here is a link to the shop I purchase from and their PAS and Torque Sensors models:
Options to add automatic pedal assistance to engage the motor on your bike.
www.ebikes.ca
The model I went with for my setup was:
ERider-T9N Torque Sensor for 68mm BB Shells with 170mm Miranda Cranks and 4 Bolt 104mm BCD Chainring Spider. Side Cable Exit. Chainrings Not Included. NOTE: Certain ERider setups are succeptible to electrical noise from the controller causing intermittent cutout behavior. This can be solved by...
www.ebikes.ca
Because the cable exits the left side there was no need to drill any holes in my bottom bracket, peace of mind for sure. I had to learn how to change a bottom bracket (youtube is your friend, lol) and buy the simple tools needed to the do the change myself - could have went to my LBS but I'm setting up my own full shop at home to do all my own bike/ebike projects as a fun hobby.
The kit I purchased came with 165mm cranks. Previously I always just used the 175mm cranks the bikes I purchased came with. I discovered I really like the 165mm cranks, especially for road riding, as I now spin at a 5-10rpm higher cadence. You can purchase 175mm cranks if needed in addition to the sensor, for example.
The setup I did was plug and play into the Cycle Analyst and a few settings there, I was done. I recall from reading the user guide you can use a BB Torque sensor like this for basically any controller, you just need to match up the pin wiring properly and the setup within the controller - example 5V feed, 1.5V at 0 torque up to 3.5V for maximum torque, etc.
If your budget permits and your setup will work with a Cycle Analyst I highly recommend it - (if you don't have it already) - after seeing CA's in countless youtube video's I was sold on it and couldn't be happier. It may be the piece that lets you easily connect your new BB torque sensor into it and then it connects to your controller/motor making the magic happen.
Real world experience - Awesome. With the CA I switch to the Human Watts screen and this model is able to measure torque applied from both peddles (more accurate than models that are one side only or chain tension measuring) and it's a 18 pole PAS to note for how quickly it engages/disengages. During my rides I see my cadence, how many watts I'm pushing on flats and up hills, average for the ride, total watts generated, etc.
Most of all (sorry if I'm a little long winded here, haven't been on EBR for a while and great to be back) the actual experience is very smooth, accurate and feels 'super human'. For anyone who has ridden a Bionx torque sensor based setup, it's as good/better than that experience.
My setup happens to be a 2WD setup - BB to CA, CA through a Grin splitter cable to 2 PhaseRunner controllers and then a hub motor in each wheel. A hard push down on the pedals and both motors throttle up beautifully together, even better than I had hoped when I designed this setup.
Any questions please reply or pm me of course. In close, measure your BB, make sure you have the tools to do the change yourself or a LBS to go to, look at the main 3 to 4 brand offerings, make sure you have enough cable length or get extensions where needed and most of all, enjoy feeling like superman when you have the install done and go riding.
Cheers
Shaun
