TSDZ2 48v 100nm version

[EMGX]

Spring is here with warmer temps just around the corner. When the weather allows I want to do some few day tours in eastern Oregon before it gets hot there as well as on the Olympic Peninsula, Whidbey and the San Juan Islands later in the spring and summer. I have a Yamaha assist gravel bike but it isn't as comfortable and sturdy as an old Walmart Schwinn hybrid that I've ridden in those areas also. My 70nm rated Yamaha and the 80nm rated TS that I have installed on a couple bikes provided plenty of assist but I ordered a TSDZ2 in a 48v, 18a - 750w version advertised as delivering up to 100nm torque. Extra torque might be helpful if I try pulling a single wheel BOB type trailer instead of loading up the bike. Should arrive within about a week.

This is the destination bike, with my 48v 15ah battery it should easily weigh less than 50#. Can't wait.

 

[EMGX]

TS was scheduled to be delivered today but shipping got delayed for a few days (one business day but today is Friday). No worries, good weather forecast for today to do other things, rain on Monday so it all works out.

 

[EMGX]

Still cold and overcast so I decided to get a head start.
Weighed the Schwinn hybrid on a hanging scale with front rack, heavy Walmart pedals, fenders and water bottle cages at 31 pounds - not bad for a bike with a steel front fork.
I see that the rear Schwalbe Marathon tire is labeled as ebike rated, not that that matters. Front tire is a Specialized Armadillo with many miles on it but not showing any significant wear (lost the Armadillo on the back due to a nail that went thru the tread and out the sidewall a couple years ago).

OK, not to be contentious but as a reality check counterpoint to aggressively advanced opinions that a mid drive conversion is too complex or requires expensive special bike tools or a LBS to remove the crank assembly - without hurrying I removed the entire crank assembly with BB cartridge in less than 10 minutes, including looking for tools and spending some time giving attention to one of my dogs that came to investigate. The two bike specific tools to accomplish this task cost less than $15 combined. I'm not a mechanic but bikes like this one are extremely simple machines. I respect that some people aren't DIY types but IMO this is a novice DIY project for the right bike and someone with basic skills and confidence YMMV. It would be unfortunate if an able person with a compatible bike was deterred due to strong statements by naysayers. Unless I hit some unexpected snag I'm thinking that a complete installation will take less than an hour, easily. This is in line with installation time estimates by some sellers and some others who have done it.

Looking at the chainline maybe a dual front sprocket on the TSDZ2 might work but with a 42t chainring and 12-42 cassette I will probably start with the stock dished chainring and see how that goes before considering the dual sprocket setup.

EDIT:
bike weight is 28 pounds with the triple crank/cartridge/pedals removed.

DOUBLE EDIT:
almost 50 minutes for installation. I probably fiddled with the torque device for about 10 minutes of that to get it installed. I didn't use it on my Dahon Jack. Instead I let the motor rotate up to the down tube with dense foam pad between the motor and tube. I preferred the look of the motor rotated up like on the Dahon but went with the stock torque device instead.
I will still be clipping off the bullet battery connectors and replace with Anderson Powerpoles. And I have the chain off soaking in diesel and a couple other things not directly related to the TS installation. It isn't a race but I was somewhat slowed because I was working the driveway on a cold blustery day (snowed earlier today) and cold hands fumbled with the tools a bit. Anyway, for me time and difficulty of installation doesn't determine choice of hub vs TS mid drive, other considerations predominate by far. Looking forward to seeing how it performs later in the week when the weather improves.

ecocycles was temporarily out of the xh18 display so it was supplied with a C-3 which I'm told is an upgrade that provides 5 rather than 4 levels of assist and a more accurate battery gauge.

 

[EMGX]

Test ride. Not sure it feels 25%stronger than the 80nm on my wife's bike but it may be. C3 display with 5 levels of assist is nice, glad I got it instead of he twist adjust xh18. Fits better on the handlebars

 

[EMGX]

The stock TSDZ2 5mm offset chainring didn't provide a great chainline and the chain came off the chainring a couple times in the lowest 2 gears so I replaced it with a 10mm offset N/W chainring which corrected those problems. With a little less than 100 miles on the motor I think it is OK but doesn't feel like it could have 100m of torque as advertised. In fact it doesn't seem much, if any, more powerful than a Yamaha PW-SE 70nm gravel bike or a 36v 500w TSDZ2 (80nm advertised) that I have used on a couple bikes. The C3 display works well on my handlebars but the voltmeter is very inaccurate, it has 5 levels of assist but the lowest two levels are nearly indistinguishable so not really any better than the 4 levels of assist version on my other TSDZ2.

I used a 10ah 48v LiFePO4 (57.6v) battery on the last couple rides totaling ~40 miles with over 3,000ft elevation gain, resting voltage now 52.5v which is probably around 40% residual. capacity so maybe 60 miles capable with similar riding conditions.

 

[vincent]

Great write up and a clean build

 

[clodeb]

I have the same motor and similar batt (frame bag) 20 amp batt. Well i think we defenetly need to upgrade the firware to give it more life.There is plenty on the subject,,a bit complicated but in the long run it worth it i think.

 

[EMGX]

I have the same motor and similar batt (frame bag) 20 amp batt. Well i think we defenetly need to upgrade the firware to give it more life.There is plenty on the subject,,a bit complicated but in the long run it worth it i think.

I'm OK with the assist it provides but it doesn't seem to be stronger than the 36v version, maybe it has something to do with the different bikes the motors are on but it seems like a 25% increase from 80nm to 100nm should be very noticeable. It is also louder than my 36v version which is bothersome. Again it could be due to differences in the bike frames - I might put a plug of expandable foam in the downtube and seat tube near the bottom bracket to see if that helps at all. Pedaluma has posted that it can make a difference with some bike frames where the motor noise resonates up the tubes. The two bikes that I tried the 36v version on were both Dahon folders where there isn't communication from the bottom bracket to the down tube because of the hinge.

I did a 63 mile ride yesterday including some difficult long, steep hills and the TSDZ2 did pretty well. I couldn't have done the entire ride without the assist, so at least it meets my needs.