I'm curious to me that the latest Bafang Ultra mid-drive motor isn't getting much attention or use in many mainstream bikes. 1000+ watts, insane 160N.m of torque, user-programmable and an apparent sturdy build quality. Am I missing something? What are your thoughts?
You have to put it on a custom frame designed specifically for the Ultra. The BBSHD is a easier fit unless your are a bike manufacturer who builds that bracket in.
Frey ebikes from China uses this one but have not seen it in the US. Was tempted to order but they could not guarantee an after sales service in the US..will wait until someone have a first hand experience with the motor in their ebike...160 nm is a lot of climbing power plus the frey ebike had an extended baterry option giving you 725 + 500 watts of juice.
I have been tempted but the economics of converting existing mountain bikes is kind of too good to consider this unless it can put out substantially more power. Seen some hotrod bbshd’s but I haven’t seen anyone willing to destroy one of these to figure out where the safe limit is. Maybe Luna will get around to it.
Frey ebikes from China uses this one but have not seen it in the US. Was tempted to order but they could not guarantee an after sales service in the US..will wait until someone have a first hand experience with the motor in their ebike...160 nm is a lot of climbing power plus the frey ebike had an extended baterry option giving you 725 + 500 watts of juice.
I have been tempted but the economics of converting existing mountain bikes is kind of too good to consider this unless it can put out substantially more power. Seen some hotrod bbshd’s but I haven’t seen anyone willing to destroy one of these to figure out where the safe limit is. Maybe Luna will get around to it.
AFAIK the Ultra is a modified G510, so any bike that is made for the G510 will work with the Ultra. Correct me if I am wrong. It requires new tooling for the frame, as soon as the demand for the frame gets big enough more bikes will be on the market. I have seen bare frames offered to home builders but not many.
The main "limitation" being that it's kinda a little bit illegal in many countries and provinces / states. Look at the current class system in the United States and you will see it has very little support for anything above 28 mph. It has a peak power of around 1500-1700W and can get you up to 32-35mph, which is small moped territory. So it's also illegal to ride it on the street in almost every country. I question ebikes with this much power. Worried hot dog riders will have an accident on a bike path killing a walker, kid or elderly cyclist. Government will impose new regulations.
The main "limitation" being that it's kinda a little bit illegal in many countries and provinces / states. Look at the current class system in the United States and you will see it has very little support for anything above 28 mph. It has a peak power of around 1500-1700W and can get you up to 32-35mph, which is small moped territory. So it's also illegal to ride it on the street in almost every country. I question ebikes with this much power. Worried hot dog riders will have an accident on a bike path killing a walker, kid or elderly cyclist. Government will impose new regulations.
I have one. It works great. Like anything you have to ride it responsibly. I rarely ride it at the top end - battery draining fun. Some people don't want or need all that power. I don't always ride mine at level 5, but when I do, it is a whole lot of fun. Especially when your conquering hills when your over 50... I typically ride in level 3 and still pedal assists to about 28, which gives me a range around 65 miles riding in a very hilly area.
The bigger question is why would you spend $3,000 to $7,000 when you can convert one of your bikes to these motors. They are awesome. I have had mine for a while and love it. As to the chain issue, I ride my Trek Domane SL7 all the time and have to change my chain on that at 1000 miles to 1500 miles. Just get one and build a bike. You won't regret it.
The bigger question is why would you spend $3,000 to $7,000 when you can convert one of your bikes to these motors. They are awesome. I have had mine for a while and love it. As to the chain issue, I ride my Trek Domane SL7 all the time and have to change my chain on that at 1000 miles to 1500 miles. Just get one and build a bike. You won't regret it.
Actually the Apollo and Apex are built around the ultra:
Who makes the Apollo??? Never have seen one or heard of one being availible to order. Apex yes, a buudy of mine has one. Frey has a time frame issue as far as ordering and getting it any time soon. Biktrix is in Canada and another buddy has one. He likes it ok but the head angle is way to slack for me. Long wheelbase and its heavy!. I built up a bike thats made in Germany but was imported here in the US. Exess HP-E180 that I got from Wattwagon out in the Boston area. Not sure if he still carrys them as he is designing and producing his own frames with a ton of options. I have another bike with a BBSHD and love it but being a hardtail gets a little rough. DS makes a world of difference. Andy Kirby makes another one, two of my friends have those on order ( December delivery) so we'll see. G510 is a good motor. Noiser than the BBSHD but I like the PAS better than the BBSHD. Where it lags behind is in the throttle response but that can be adjusted by the end user if you get the programing cable that matches.
