Ebike conversion tips, tricks, and suggestions thread.

[Cody01]

Hello, If you have any info you would like to share regarding converting an existing bike please share. I have been interested in converting my Motobecane Boris medium frame fat bike for awhile now. I joined Endless Sphere to ask a few questions and they seem to be a stuck up crowd over there and not really reply. I do plan on converting my Boris at some point when money allows. The BBSHD system looks good. I tried to ask a few vendors some questions only to have them reply back with I should know what I'm doing on my own before attempting anything and didn't really answer my questions at all.

 

[jsalas2]

I'm learning also, the vendor I decided to use, because they are based in the US and they upgrade the motors before they send them out is Luna cycles here's a link to the motor your interested in, lots of videos and info on the site good place to start
Bafang BBSHD 1000 Mid Drive Kit - IN STOCK!
http://lunacycle.com/bafang-bbshd-1000w-mid-drive-kit/

 

[Yeti Tom]

What do you want to know?

I built a large boris, my buddy has a meduim.

Easy as hell

 

[Cody01]

SO your friend did a medium frame Boris ebike? I'd mainly like to know what is the highest ah battery I can put in my medium frame. My rides are long and very very hilly.

 

[Yeti Tom]

52v Panasonic 13.5ah GA Shark Pack.

lunacycle has dimensions on their site for their packs. You can make up a cardboard pattern to check fit

 

[Cody01]

I went to Luna and started putting items in the my cart but not sure if I any of the sensors and other affiliated accessories. Also is the $45 upgraded display worth it? Is it backlit for night riding? Just not sure what all I need. I ride rather hilly terrain so I'm thinking 42T chainring.

 

[jsalas2]

You want smaller chaining for climbing, I picked this one, read the review and see what you think.
Luna Mighty Mini 30T Chainring Turns Your BBSHD Into A Bloodthirsty Monster | ElectricBike-Blog.com
https://electricbike-blog.com/2016/0...irsty-monster/

link for chainring
Luna Mighty-Mini 30 tooth BBSHD Chain Ring - Luna Cycle
http://lunacycle.com/parts/bafang-pa...hd-chain-ring/

 

[boss]

Agree on chainring; achieve 22-24 mph (on road) with BBS02 with 30 tooth ring, and much better for ascending. The BBSHD has more power, but still should benefit from the smaller ring. I run three speed 11-17-28 with 8-speed spacing. The standard display is backlit, so you probably don't need the upgrade. You need only the BBSHD, a battery (plus charger, of course) and triangle bag (depending on how you want to carry battery - works great for me lined with the packaging material that came with the battery). They should supply with XT-90 electrical fittings which are great.

 

[Cody01]

You guys have been very helpful. I will go ahead and order my stuff and get started. Do I need the Bafang Wrench? I don't have much bike tools. Either that or I could have my LBS install the motor and cranks.

 

[boss]

You might as well get the wrench since that tool is best for the "nut" that is used for "backing up" the one that completes the installation of the motor (it's the same as another BB tool, so I already had one). It's a very easy conversion but you need basic tools to remove your existing BB.

 

[Cody01]

I had been riding my Niner Jet 9 for most of the year and borke out the Boris the other knowing that Luna would likely have a Holiday sale which they did. I wanted to put a few miles on the Boris on some of the kind of singletrack I would plan on riding with the BBSHD system. I'm glad I did that before ordering. I realized even though I already own the bike and the BBSHD is a great motor for the money I'm jus not into the Boris fat bike anymore. I want suspension only from here on out. I plan on holding off and buying a Turbo levo next year.

 

[rider95]

Just find a nice used bike and convert it lets you learn and you do it in steps spending money in stages , not having to shell out $5000 at once and a lot cheaper too.

 

[boss]

FS is a great idea especially with e-power. I'm through with hardtail and rigid bikes too, and don't think you can go wrong with a Levo.

 

[richj8990]

If I go on Amazon and type in electric bike wheel conversion kit, I get over a dozen hits for wheels ranging from 250W to 4000W, most being 1000W. If I then add "mountain" to the search, it comes up with exactly one hit:
Aosom 26" Rear Wheel 48V 1000W Electric Battery Powered Bicycle Motor Conversion Kit

This weighs 26 lbs without the battery. That's kinda heavy. I'm looking for more like 20-30 lbs total with the battery. It doesn't have to be 15+ miles of electric-only biking, and I don't mind pedal-assist if it's lighter. Any conversion kit out there that's reasonably priced (under $400) and doesn't weigh more than 35 lbs with the battery? Or is that just wishful thinking? 2nd question: can any rear bike wheel conversion work, as in it's designed for a road bike but you just need to put something like a 1.95 inch mountain bike tire on it? Or would that be too wide and more like 1.75 inch is probably the widest mountain bike tire you can do?

 

[portnuefpeddler]

You wanting to pretty much just ride improved paths and streets, with just a few slopes? Or do some serious mountain climbing? If the later, a mid drive would be the way to "go". Having figured that out earlier, I cut short my research into rear hub drives. Mid drives offer too many advantages, the motor being part of the gearing system the biggest, not to mention better weight distribution and easier and simpler rear tire removal.

This all results in going further/steeper,faster while using less power. Hold up a liqueur store or something and get a BBSHD kit from Luna, they rock.

 

[richj8990]

New Mid Electric Motorized E-Bike Conversion Kit 24V 250W Brushed Electric Bike Motor (NEW CRANK ARM) Electric Bike Mid Drive, around $250 with shipping, that's the cheapest one. Most mid-drives are $500+, the avg. are $750+ and if they get that expensive, maybe someone should simply buy the whole electric bike for $900+ to begin with? Then at least you have a warranty on the whole thing and don't have to deal with installation.

What I'm "thinking" of doing, not that I have to, is probably do truck/jeep/fire roads, and then some back trails for maybe 15-20 miles total in one session. That's hard to do on a pedal bike due to elevation changes, rocks on the road, etc, it would take 3-4 hours at least. By the time I get to a cool trail off the dirt road I've gone 4+ miles and it would be nice to cut that transit time to the trails shorter. An e-bike would let me explore areas on the far side of those dirt roads from where I can park my car. I'd love to go up steep hills but I'm afraid the traction is just not going to be there whether it's front, mid, or rear torque. So it would basically be used for going on or up relatively mild ascents on a road and then pedal down the side trails eventually back to the road, and then pedal or electric depending on how fast I want to get back to the car. Can the bike's rear tire handle the torque of the electric motor on sandy/rocky steep road inclines? I have trouble hiking a normal bike up those to begin with, can a bike really just "drive" up a 30% incline with on an eroded dirt road?

 

[jeffw-13]

 

[Moe Ped]

 

[richj8990]

Uh...NO for the above.

What do you think of this rear-wheel setup:

Aosom 26" Rear Wheel 48V 1000W Electric Battery Powered Bicycle Motor Conversion Kit, $240 on Amazon

Luna 48v Panasonic 11.5ah Shark Pack, $430 with charger, installs directly to water bottle screws on frame.

 

[boss]

It's a very good kit, but the motor, like all inexpensive direct drives from China weighs about 20 pounds. This isn't noticeable so much on the street, but not a good idea for off road on anything but smooth dirt IMO.