What brakes are the BBS02 levers supposed to be used with?

My bike has some sort of no-name linear pull brakes. The front has a 'power modulator' (spring in the noodle for antilock).

With the Bafang levers that came with my BBS02 kit (two-tone, silver with black grips), I can't get an adjustment that feels right. Even adjusted so the pad is about 1mm from the rim, I can still pull the front lever all the way to the bar with one finger. The rear feels better than the front but still not good.

I found this old thread with a similar problem, which got me looking at the Travel Agents which led me to this article by Park Tool.

The article says the pivot radius (see figure 2) on a road brake is 21mm and on a linear pull it's 42mm. The radius on the Bafang levers is about 28mm and the radius on my bike OEM levers is 35mm. This is really confusing because basically each type is 7mm away from the next:

'Standard' road / cantilever lever = 21mm
Bafang lever = 28mm
My OEM linear lever = 35mm
'Standard' linear = 42mm

So I can't figure out the best solution. Using the Travel Agent with the Bafang levers would be like an effective 53mm radius which is a lot more than a 'standard' linear lever radius, and WAY more than my bike's OEM lever's radius.

Is there a type of caliper I can buy that will work well with the Bafang levers with or without a Travel Agent? I don't really want to use the Bafang adapters meant for hydraulic brakes where you have to glue them onto the levers somehow since I don't like how they look.

You could just refit your old lever and use brake sensors instead, like these:

Bafang brake sensors

They can take a little time to fit, adjust and get right, but once you do, they are reliable and work faultlessly. Although they are primarily used on hydraulic brake sytems, there is no reason why you cannot use them on a mechanical brake set-up.

If you are interested in fitting something like this, so that you can use your old levers, then I can post a picture of how mine are fitted. Just say the word

alfantastic said:

If you are interested in fitting something like this, so that you can use your old levers, then I can post a picture of how mine are fitted. Just say the word

Click to expand...

Sure, I wouldn't mind seeing your pics. I thought about going that route but discarded it because I haven't seen any installs that look as clean as I'd like.

No probs, will rustle some up in the morning, it's too dark in the UK to take any decent pics now.

For future travelers, I replaced the noodle (with a standard one that doesn't have a 'power modulator'), the cable, and the housing, and it's great now. I replaced them all at once so I can't tell you which was the problem (sorry). For what it's worth, this is with the silver and black two-tone levers, but the all-black levers have the same pivot radius and should be fine, too.

These:

http://i.imgur.com/DY9goo4.jpg

And these:

http://i.imgur.com/cBkuNek.jpg

Should both work fine with regular v-brake / linear-pull brakes. The silver and black ones came standard with the kit I ordered from em3ev.com

Glad you got it sorted in the end. I Googled those 'power modulator' thingies, and not many fans out there lol.

Apologies for the late piccy, and it's a bit late now, but here's a piccy of the brake sensor arrangement I have on my bike. Not exactly discreet or aesthetic, but has been reliable over 5k miles.



The sensor is on the right and connects directly to the higo connector on the Bafang. The silver ring on the left is a small magnet, which activates the cut-off when the lever is pulled and the magnet moves away from the sensor.

Ah that's not bad at all; better than others I've seen. Thanks for the pic.

Bafang levers suck use hydraulic adapters.

What brakes are the BBS02 levers supposed to be used with?

There's no guidance I've seen that specifies any particular brake is required or 'supposed' to be used with the Bafang Mid drive units.

The decision is usually based on different, limiting factors:
- what the bike came with
- what brake levers are supplied
- budget
- fitment issues
- challenges with creating a cut off

So it becomes a question of whats 'best', which is usually a combination of the above, moderated by personal preferences.

The kit supplied brake levers are usually functional with mechanical brakes, but are garbage if you are used to anything better. They can usually be disassembled and the magnet/hall sensor used in exactly the same way as the above referred 'hydraulic' brake sensors -- which are basically the same thing - just a potted hall or reed sensor and magnet arrangement.

Magura have a product which has a T junction with a sensor in it within a hydraulic hose - elegant, but not a cheap solution.

Alternatively, you can buy an ebike specific lever with sensors built in and recycle the higo plugs off the supplied handles. Kinda works, but lacking in lever choice.

Lastly, make the decision entirely in reverse order. Choose your brakes and corresponding levers and find a way to make it work - retrofitting hall sensors either premade or recycled from the original handles, whatever. I prefer to make the call this way - I end up with exactly what I want, but each to their own. 8)

Why use brake sensors at all?

Depends on whether you are using PAS or throttle. They are pretty nice to use with PAS, means if you edge forward at the lights/around pedestrians there's a quick way to prevent the bike surging forward.

ideate said:

Why use brake sensors at all?

Click to expand...

safer especially in traffic. But i do have one bike with only a cut out button. Id never ride without some cutout. The mid bafangs do cut out with a back pedal, still i find brakes more convenient and sensible. I'm older but would like another couple of decades...

ideate said:

Why use brake sensors at all?

Click to expand...

On my BBS02, if I change gear without cutting the power first, the drivetrain can bang and clonk into gear. Not good for the derailleur, chain and cassette.

So, I very slightly squeeze the rear brake lever to cut the power, then change gear. It makes for a much smoother gear change and my nerves stay intact