I am trying to get a feel for the reliability of the 48v 750w BBS02. I am getting mixed signals as I read different people's reviews. Are the main issues with reliability a matter of abuse or inherent weakness in the unit? If geared correctly and used on road, is the BBS02 reliable? I would go ahead and get a BBSHD if funds weren't tight. The BBSHD starts at around $150 more and everything I have read says the stock chainring is crap and must be replaced right away, which adds another $100. Is that true or are some people happy with the 46t stock BBSHD chainring? I will be using it with a 20" rear wheel so it will have lower gearing than a MTB would.
BBS02 Reliability?
- Thread starter Xray
- Start date
alfantastic
10 kW
I reckon they are pretty reliable if a few rules are followed:Xray said:
1) Make sure the one you buy, whether new or used, has the controller with the upgraded 3077 mosfets.
2) Always start off in a low gear. Don't be tempted to leave it in a high gear to pull away from a standstill.
3) If you have no chain alignment issues with the stock Bafang chainring, then keep it, as your 20" wheel will be kinder to the drive-train anyway.
4) For longevity of the motor/controller, don't be tempted to reprogram the controller. Keep the stock Bafang settings.
5) Don't ignore strange noises coming from the unit. Sometimes you think the worst, but it may only need a little extra grease on the secondary gears.
Later edition units have had a few mods done to them to improve previous issues. AFAIK, the axle seal has been improved and the metal gear inside the unit has been improved. Hopefully someone else can confirm this with a date from which these mods were introduced :wink:
footloose
10 kW
I ran an early generation 48V 750w BBS02 on a folding bike with 20" wheel for a while. Great combo.
Ample power for that bike. In fact a bit more than I needed, and eventually I moved it to another bike with larger wheels.
Run it on road, reasonably careful to start in a low gear on flats, and always start in low on hills.
Knock on wood, no problems so far after ~2 years of moderate use.
Ample power for that bike. In fact a bit more than I needed, and eventually I moved it to another bike with larger wheels.
Run it on road, reasonably careful to start in a low gear on flats, and always start in low on hills.
Knock on wood, no problems so far after ~2 years of moderate use.
Buy a BBS02 with the 3077 mosfets and have the dealer set it at 18 amps. If you are going to run it at 25 amps then install a temperature gauge and keep it below 110 degrees. (See Electric-Fatbike.com article) Don't let idiots ride your bike and fry it. Otherwise buy a BBSHD. The HD is a much more reliable unit. (You certainly do not have to replace the stock BBSHD chainring. It will work fine especially with your 20 inch wheels.)
cell_man
100 kW
sather said:
I'd agree that the HD does have some improvements over the BBS02, but it is way too early to state it as a fact, that it is more reliable. The HD have only been available for a short time, so how can anybody state it as fact that they are more reliable. I'd agree that early indications look quite good, and that the improvements do seem to have addressed some of the common issues with the BBS02, but not more than that.
As was well said above, get a controller with the 3077 fets (they all should have them if the build date is later than about August 2015, the production date for the controller is etched onto every BBS kit, and there is info on the EM3ev site, regarding the model numbers for 3077 fet controllers). The BBS02 are not bullet proof, unfortunately middle motors can be sabotaged by not using the gears correctly, and unfortunately Bafang (against my numerous suggestions) use higher phase current on their BBS kits, than is strictly necessary (for a middle motor), so it doesn't force people to use the gears correctly.
In the wrong hands, they can be broken, but with a little care and mechanical sympathy (using the appropriate gears), they are not bad at all. The steel gears do wear and I am now starting to come to the realization that periodically replacing the grease that runs on the main steel gear and pinion gear, is advised to get the most mileage from the gears.
IME, it is a little counter-intuitive, but the people that think they are babying the kits, by going everywhere in a low PAS level (including up hills), are often the ones that had the most controller problems. They end up labouring the motor at too low an rpm, whilst nonchalantly pedaling slowly and with little effort. This is the big killer of the BBS02 controllers.
Cheers
Paul
I've spent a lot of time driving under powered manual transmission vehicles over the years. I tend to wind motors up and keep them at higher RPMs. I also keep a fairly high cadence when riding my bikes or trikes so I don't think I will tend to over stress the mid-drive. In you guys' experience, does the BBS02 need preventative greasing? Should it be opened up and lubed right away or only if there are unusual sounds to be heard?
gman1971
10 kW
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Xray said:
If you want a pedal spinner (vs wanting a pedal masher) mid-drive system then the name of the game is the Cyclone 3000W; first its cheaper, then you won't have to worry about being on the wrong gear, just mash the gas and watch it get to 30mph in a snap; you can ditch the temp sensor too, you can run 4.5 kW out of the motor before it starts to get warm... the controller can take any voltage from 36V to 72V to suit your needs. The controller also has three different speed modes that you can switch on the fly for more aggressive riding (or less aggressive riding)
G.
cell_man
100 kW
Xray said:
cell_man said:
Lurkin
100 kW
Read the Bafang section of the Mid Drive Section of the ES Wiki. I have summarised the common issues, solutions and information from a vareity of threads there.
I purchased two BBS02s from EM3ev in Dec. 2014. I did not modify the controller settings and did not open the units. I installed 32 tooth chainrings on both BBS02s so that I kept the RPMs up and did not fry the old (non 3077) controllers. I do a lot of steep trail climbing and I weigh more than 200lbs. and the bike weighs 65lbs with battery. Both BBS02 units failed and EM3ev took care of the problems quickly with no hassles.
I know it is too early to state that the BBSHD is bulletproof, but I have already abused the HD far more than I ever did the BBS02s and it doesn't even get warm. The Cyclone may be an alternative if you don't mind a more difficult install, and much less stealth (noise and appearance) than a BBSHD.
I know it is too early to state that the BBSHD is bulletproof, but I have already abused the HD far more than I ever did the BBS02s and it doesn't even get warm. The Cyclone may be an alternative if you don't mind a more difficult install, and much less stealth (noise and appearance) than a BBSHD.
tommie
10 W
cell_man said:
@ Paul,
searched your site for that info, you wouldn`t have a link possibly??
cell_man
100 kW
gman1971
10 kW
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sather said:
I have to disagree that the Cyclone is tricky to build, as it involves the same exact steps as the Bafang; removing the BB and installing in place of the original BB... the only extra step involved is fitting the motor-to-crank drivechain... I wouldn't call that tricky... and there is information available to get started, even E-S has its own thread about... I've already pointed a few people on the right direction and they haven't had much of a problem. Any build is trick without the right tools... get the right tools and you'll succeed at any job.
Of course any merchant is going to prefer selling the more expensive and less capable kits for a larger profit margin... the Cyclone 3000W I am running is pretty much silent at this point, took me 3 hours to install and get running and it will eat BBSxx for breakfast any day of the week when I twist the throttle. Perhaps not as fancy b/c it has no LCD and uglier connectors, but seriously, I much rather have a CA over any of those generic "LCDs". You also don't really need much of an LCD with the Cyclone, all you need is a battery gauge, and the Oro throttle supplied with it has just that; you can abuse the snot out of the Cyclone and and its highly unlikely it will fail, as opposed to these Bafangs that if you look at them wrong way they will snap, overheat or melt controllers. The Cyclone allows the use chainrings, I know, people here don't run them, but without these you can't use your bike normally without electric motor, a 42T chainring with a 36T on the back going uphill can be a serious challenge for not-so-fit individuals. By cornering yourself into a single chainring have to make a compromise, you cannot have low end and top end without seriously stressing the drivetrain or giving up the "bragging rights" top speed.
G.
There are numerous chainring adapters for the BBS02 allowing 30, 32, 36, 38, 40, and 42 tooth chainrings. Lectric-cycles sells an adapter for the BBSHD that allows a 38, 40, or 42 tooth chainrings.
The articles written by Electric-Fat bike.com and Electricbike.com BOTH state that the Cyclone install is more difficult that the Bafang. The Cyclone is not legal on the street. The RPM of the cyclone makes it impossible to pedal along and turns it into a small motorcycle instead of a bicycle. The Cyclone controller should be left out in the open for heat dissipation, which leaves a rats nest of wires going everywhere. The Cyclone is not stealthy. Everyone you meet on the trail will be instantly alerted that you are riding an electric bike because of the loud motor, chain noise and visual appearance. Listen to the noise levels in the videos below. You can hear the Cyclone coming a block away.
https://www.electricbike.com/taking-on-the-cyclone-mid-drive-an-ebike-brute/
If you are still sold on the Cyclone after looking at the plumbing hose clamps, plastic zip ties, and mickey mouse chain tightener, maybe you should look at a Lighting Rods kit. It is essentially the same unit without these problems.
The articles written by Electric-Fat bike.com and Electricbike.com BOTH state that the Cyclone install is more difficult that the Bafang. The Cyclone is not legal on the street. The RPM of the cyclone makes it impossible to pedal along and turns it into a small motorcycle instead of a bicycle. The Cyclone controller should be left out in the open for heat dissipation, which leaves a rats nest of wires going everywhere. The Cyclone is not stealthy. Everyone you meet on the trail will be instantly alerted that you are riding an electric bike because of the loud motor, chain noise and visual appearance. Listen to the noise levels in the videos below. You can hear the Cyclone coming a block away.
https://www.electricbike.com/taking-on-the-cyclone-mid-drive-an-ebike-brute/
If you are still sold on the Cyclone after looking at the plumbing hose clamps, plastic zip ties, and mickey mouse chain tightener, maybe you should look at a Lighting Rods kit. It is essentially the same unit without these problems.
gman1971
10 kW
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Do these allow dual chainrings to be used at the same time?
So the internet claims something is true, therefore it must be true? Really? I installed my Cyclone kit in roughly 3 hours (the easiest of all three kits I've installed to date)... and most people who install their kits seem to agree with my experience, they don't run into much of a problem either. I am the user of the kit, along with a lot of the ppl and we are the ones dealing with it and the kit is rock solid and easy to install.
My controller barely gets warm, so I don't understand why you claim that it needs to be outside... do you own this kit?
I don't have a rat's nest cable problem on my eBike like you describe, I wired everything in between the two plates of the motor and the only cables that you see are the ones running from the handlebar to the controller, as in the throttle cable. I've added more cables, but none of those are related to the controller, like headlights, horn, trailer 48V extension plug...
The BBSHD is not legal either, and the claimed 750 watts on the BBS02 is not true b/c it can deliver a heck of a lot more power than that. Most mid-drive ebikes aren't legal as per the "law" b/c they can deliver in excess of 750 watts; and if being legal is a priority then I would run a 250 watt front hub with a 10amp controller at 36V... not a Bafang/Cyclone mid drive. So what the heck was this about?
I've personally chosen to use the high RPM of my cyclone so my chains will last a lot longer, and FYI, the Cyclone has a 3-speed switch that allows to change the RPM at which the motor is allowed to spin (a switch that can be installed on your handlebar), so you can set it mode #1 and it won't pedal much faster than you can pedal as a human, around 80-85 cadence... but also gives the ability to go nuts if you enable mode #3, so you were talking? The kit allows for way more than being stuck at pedaling speed...
I am not only sold on the Cyclone, I own one that has been running like clockwork for 1.1k miles at 30+ mph on 11% hills at the frozen/salty/sludgy roads/trails of Wisconsin, it hasn't had a single hitch so I don't know what problems are you speaking of... Do you own one? Probably not, so don't make these statements if you don't own one.
I believe it is a steal of a kit, nothing on that price range can touch it. My kit isn't as noisy as you are led to believe it is either, sure, I can hear it under hard acceleration, but once you've run it for a few hundred miles everything quiets down... chain noise? dude, are you serious? what kind of chain noise are you referring to?
When I am on the trails with other people around I am not running 35 mph, sorry; I don't want to be the jerk who runs his "stealth" eBike at 30+mph on the trail pissing everyone off (including me) while swerving in-out of the lane or blowing by everyone on the uphills because they have 1000+ watts at their disposal. I don't have anything to hide by having an electric motor under my frame triangle; and I've met pretty hardcore MTB guys that stopped to talk about the bike and thought it was awesome. When I am on a trail with other people around I am pedaling at ~15 mph along with the rest of the people and sometimes I give it a bit of throttle to help with the uphills, and the amount of throttle I give the motor is 100% silent; but I don't mash it so I can get to the top first place or swerving around other cyclist and showing off at 30mph in the trail... that seems to be what gets eBikes a bad name, not the fact you have a motor. I try to be very respectful of other bikers, and the concept of "stealth" so I can get away with things doesn't resonate well with me. When I am alone at the trail? heck yeah, then let it rip...
The lightning rod's kit is not for me, I won't go into any details but it doesn't interest me the slightest bit.
G.
So the internet claims something is true, therefore it must be true? Really? I installed my Cyclone kit in roughly 3 hours (the easiest of all three kits I've installed to date)... and most people who install their kits seem to agree with my experience, they don't run into much of a problem either. I am the user of the kit, along with a lot of the ppl and we are the ones dealing with it and the kit is rock solid and easy to install.
My controller barely gets warm, so I don't understand why you claim that it needs to be outside... do you own this kit?
I don't have a rat's nest cable problem on my eBike like you describe, I wired everything in between the two plates of the motor and the only cables that you see are the ones running from the handlebar to the controller, as in the throttle cable. I've added more cables, but none of those are related to the controller, like headlights, horn, trailer 48V extension plug...
The BBSHD is not legal either, and the claimed 750 watts on the BBS02 is not true b/c it can deliver a heck of a lot more power than that. Most mid-drive ebikes aren't legal as per the "law" b/c they can deliver in excess of 750 watts; and if being legal is a priority then I would run a 250 watt front hub with a 10amp controller at 36V... not a Bafang/Cyclone mid drive. So what the heck was this about?
I've personally chosen to use the high RPM of my cyclone so my chains will last a lot longer, and FYI, the Cyclone has a 3-speed switch that allows to change the RPM at which the motor is allowed to spin (a switch that can be installed on your handlebar), so you can set it mode #1 and it won't pedal much faster than you can pedal as a human, around 80-85 cadence... but also gives the ability to go nuts if you enable mode #3, so you were talking? The kit allows for way more than being stuck at pedaling speed...
I am not only sold on the Cyclone, I own one that has been running like clockwork for 1.1k miles at 30+ mph on 11% hills at the frozen/salty/sludgy roads/trails of Wisconsin, it hasn't had a single hitch so I don't know what problems are you speaking of... Do you own one? Probably not, so don't make these statements if you don't own one.
I believe it is a steal of a kit, nothing on that price range can touch it. My kit isn't as noisy as you are led to believe it is either, sure, I can hear it under hard acceleration, but once you've run it for a few hundred miles everything quiets down... chain noise? dude, are you serious? what kind of chain noise are you referring to?
When I am on the trails with other people around I am not running 35 mph, sorry; I don't want to be the jerk who runs his "stealth" eBike at 30+mph on the trail pissing everyone off (including me) while swerving in-out of the lane or blowing by everyone on the uphills because they have 1000+ watts at their disposal. I don't have anything to hide by having an electric motor under my frame triangle; and I've met pretty hardcore MTB guys that stopped to talk about the bike and thought it was awesome. When I am on a trail with other people around I am pedaling at ~15 mph along with the rest of the people and sometimes I give it a bit of throttle to help with the uphills, and the amount of throttle I give the motor is 100% silent; but I don't mash it so I can get to the top first place or swerving around other cyclist and showing off at 30mph in the trail... that seems to be what gets eBikes a bad name, not the fact you have a motor. I try to be very respectful of other bikers, and the concept of "stealth" so I can get away with things doesn't resonate well with me. When I am alone at the trail? heck yeah, then let it rip...
The lightning rod's kit is not for me, I won't go into any details but it doesn't interest me the slightest bit.
G.
sather said:
No, I did not buy a Cyclone. I looked at the Cyclone and bought a Lightning Rods instead. A Lightning Rods is essentially a beefed up Cyclone without all the cheezy, marginal parts.
THE FOLLOWING ARE QUOTES FROM ELECTRIC-FATBIKE.COM ABOUT THE CYCLONE:
"This kit should not be the first mid drive ebike kit you buy as the installation is pretty tricky".
"This is not a beginner kit (NO INSTRUCTIONS, NO SUPPORT)"
"After spending a whole day slaving away installing this drive unit...,"
"The downsides are that the entire frame tends to flex when it’s powered up, the large (PLASTIC) ziptie that the kit ships with is a joke and when the motor torques under power it gets about 1 mm away from hitting the drive side pedal. The whole system is just a little on the sketchy side for me, and I haven’t even started testing it at more than 52v yet. Yikes"
"The tradeoff you have to make is in reliability, running 3000W though a bicycle drive train for any length of time and you’re going have issues. This can be a real bummer if it leaves you stranded in the middle of nowhere".
"The giant (PLASTIC) tie wrap broke on my first time out"
"Now comes the hard part, setting the tension of the tensioner correctly using nothing but a zip tie. This is the ultimate test to see how well you will survive in a Zombie Wasteland, Macgyver".
"This zip tie is very important and if it breaks and you don’t have another one then you’re going to be walking. Moral of the story? Carry extra zip ties everywhere you go because you never know when civilization is going to collapse."
"Once you think you have the motor tensioner adjusted right then it’s time to run the motor for a bit to see if the chain jumps off. Be aware that having an open running chain is incredibly fricking dangerous".
THE FOLLOWING ARE QUOTES FROM ELECTRIC-FATBIKE.COM ABOUT THE CYCLONE:
"This kit should not be the first mid drive ebike kit you buy as the installation is pretty tricky".
"This is not a beginner kit (NO INSTRUCTIONS, NO SUPPORT)"
"After spending a whole day slaving away installing this drive unit...,"
"The downsides are that the entire frame tends to flex when it’s powered up, the large (PLASTIC) ziptie that the kit ships with is a joke and when the motor torques under power it gets about 1 mm away from hitting the drive side pedal. The whole system is just a little on the sketchy side for me, and I haven’t even started testing it at more than 52v yet. Yikes"
"The tradeoff you have to make is in reliability, running 3000W though a bicycle drive train for any length of time and you’re going have issues. This can be a real bummer if it leaves you stranded in the middle of nowhere".
"The giant (PLASTIC) tie wrap broke on my first time out"
"Now comes the hard part, setting the tension of the tensioner correctly using nothing but a zip tie. This is the ultimate test to see how well you will survive in a Zombie Wasteland, Macgyver".
"This zip tie is very important and if it breaks and you don’t have another one then you’re going to be walking. Moral of the story? Carry extra zip ties everywhere you go because you never know when civilization is going to collapse."
"Once you think you have the motor tensioner adjusted right then it’s time to run the motor for a bit to see if the chain jumps off. Be aware that having an open running chain is incredibly fricking dangerous".
gman1971
10 kW
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- Oct 17, 2015
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- 976
First, the Lightning Rod kit started as a GNG kit... not a Cyclone. He replaced everything except the motor... You obviously don't commute yours in the snow with sleet and salty roads... that Lightning Rod kit is perfect for that, everything out exposed... hmmm... salt and water and exposed mechanical components... uff, what a great combo!!
I don't give a rats ass what a website thinks or claims, because I can put a great review on my website stating just the opposite, so, who is wrong? I might or might not take it into consideration, but it isn't absolute truth. Head over the Cyclone 3000W thread, lots of happy campers there...
Again, you don't have any first hand experience with this kit, so don't quote other people as your own opinion, I am not quoting anyone b/c I've installed this kit myself... you just have no clue which is obvious at this point, some Bafang fanboy vs Cyclone fanboy... oh boy.
I read these, and the comments in these sites are all overly dramatic... but let me point out that Luna doesn't make the same profit by selling one Cyclone vs selling a Bafang, so of course is going to be harder to install and try to get you to buy the more expensive (and supposedly easier to installed). They even warned me over that it was going to be a nightmare... well, apparently my experience turned out to be... just different, and so has been the experience of other people on the E-S thread...
But since you bring up those comments (that are NOT YOURS) let me reiterate some things AGAIN:
It didn't take a day to install it, again that's their opinion, NOT YOURS; and I have the kit running and running well. I can also tell you that the "No instructions. no support" is a fallacy; the C3000W kit has its own thread on E-S, Paco actually responds to emails... there are pictures on the Cyclone website explaining how to install it... etc; even a video on youtube how to get it installed. So, no information? Maybe you didn't care to use the thing called... ah yes... G O O G L E? C'mon dude, we are not in the 80s anymore... If you buy from Luna you get their support, although it might be spotty... to be upfront.
Wow, so the infamous quote of the zip-tie... thats another overly dramatic statement, period; and to prove that I am not using a single ziptie on my install (except to hold accelerator wiring to the frame), perhaps you have trouble visualizing that? You obviously seem like a shill of some sort for Bafang, so of course, no fair chance to anything else... The same can be said that if your plastic POS gear inside the Bafang gearbox snaps, then you'll SURELY be walking home, and you'll be grounded for days on top of that!! haha, talk about POS... but hey, its a stealth POS. And let me say that the chances of breaking a ziptie on a low stress part vs. stripping the POS plastic gear on a high stress part is rather slim... and my ziptie will take me 1 minute to replace and your POS plastic gear will take several days to fix, and not before you have another one at hand (pay more $$$) to replace it. Yup, it really make so much sense...
The tensioner on mine took 5 minutes to install, it wasn't particularly hard to to... maybe you're just believing everything you read, again? Actually the tensioner was the easiest part to do... for crying out loud, dude; its a spring attached to a bolt (I didn't use the ziptie, maybe I actually put the kit together so it would last and not just to say I've installed it? who knows...)
Those statements about chains are stating the FRICKING obvious, and overly dramatic, yet again; and even with the BBSxx you still have a chain running open, the bike chain; so what about that? Should we use a driveshaft instead?? Oh no, wait, maybe you've had thoughts to stick your fingers in there... and that is why its so dangerous... get a grip man. FYI, the chain hasn't come off a single time on my kit, and I run 30+ mph all day long and topping out at 49mph, something your POS BAFANG will never do without melting down or stripping gears, or destroying the drivetrain...
So, in regard to these reliability statement, speculation; so they ran the kit for a few dozen miles and they are already making statements about long term reliability?, that is utter BS, sorry there is no other way to say it... Now, when they have run the kit for 10k miles then they can emit a judgement on reliability, in the meantime these statements are as valid as me saying that there is intelligent life in the constellation of Virgo.
You obviously don't have the slightest clue about what the Cyclone kit can offer, and reliability is high in the list of things the Cyclone 3000W kit can offer; and all that without babing the stupid thing around... screw that... Imagine a car that you have to be on 1st gear before you can floor it... and if you forget to downshift to first gear then BRAAAAAGNNNNNG... there goes your transmission...?? I can assure you I wont be buying that car... even if the car was coated with F-117 stealth paint.
To sum it all up, learn about the Cyclone before you speak, and reading opinions on a couple of internet websites and posting them in here doesn't count as "knowing" about it. Install it and you might be tempted to ditch the LR kit...
G.
I don't give a rats ass what a website thinks or claims, because I can put a great review on my website stating just the opposite, so, who is wrong? I might or might not take it into consideration, but it isn't absolute truth. Head over the Cyclone 3000W thread, lots of happy campers there...
Again, you don't have any first hand experience with this kit, so don't quote other people as your own opinion, I am not quoting anyone b/c I've installed this kit myself... you just have no clue which is obvious at this point, some Bafang fanboy vs Cyclone fanboy... oh boy.
I read these, and the comments in these sites are all overly dramatic... but let me point out that Luna doesn't make the same profit by selling one Cyclone vs selling a Bafang, so of course is going to be harder to install and try to get you to buy the more expensive (and supposedly easier to installed). They even warned me over that it was going to be a nightmare... well, apparently my experience turned out to be... just different, and so has been the experience of other people on the E-S thread...
But since you bring up those comments (that are NOT YOURS) let me reiterate some things AGAIN:
It didn't take a day to install it, again that's their opinion, NOT YOURS; and I have the kit running and running well. I can also tell you that the "No instructions. no support" is a fallacy; the C3000W kit has its own thread on E-S, Paco actually responds to emails... there are pictures on the Cyclone website explaining how to install it... etc; even a video on youtube how to get it installed. So, no information? Maybe you didn't care to use the thing called... ah yes... G O O G L E? C'mon dude, we are not in the 80s anymore... If you buy from Luna you get their support, although it might be spotty... to be upfront.
Wow, so the infamous quote of the zip-tie... thats another overly dramatic statement, period; and to prove that I am not using a single ziptie on my install (except to hold accelerator wiring to the frame), perhaps you have trouble visualizing that? You obviously seem like a shill of some sort for Bafang, so of course, no fair chance to anything else... The same can be said that if your plastic POS gear inside the Bafang gearbox snaps, then you'll SURELY be walking home, and you'll be grounded for days on top of that!! haha, talk about POS... but hey, its a stealth POS. And let me say that the chances of breaking a ziptie on a low stress part vs. stripping the POS plastic gear on a high stress part is rather slim... and my ziptie will take me 1 minute to replace and your POS plastic gear will take several days to fix, and not before you have another one at hand (pay more $$$) to replace it. Yup, it really make so much sense...
The tensioner on mine took 5 minutes to install, it wasn't particularly hard to to... maybe you're just believing everything you read, again? Actually the tensioner was the easiest part to do... for crying out loud, dude; its a spring attached to a bolt (I didn't use the ziptie, maybe I actually put the kit together so it would last and not just to say I've installed it? who knows...)
Those statements about chains are stating the FRICKING obvious, and overly dramatic, yet again; and even with the BBSxx you still have a chain running open, the bike chain; so what about that? Should we use a driveshaft instead?? Oh no, wait, maybe you've had thoughts to stick your fingers in there... and that is why its so dangerous... get a grip man. FYI, the chain hasn't come off a single time on my kit, and I run 30+ mph all day long and topping out at 49mph, something your POS BAFANG will never do without melting down or stripping gears, or destroying the drivetrain...
So, in regard to these reliability statement, speculation; so they ran the kit for a few dozen miles and they are already making statements about long term reliability?, that is utter BS, sorry there is no other way to say it... Now, when they have run the kit for 10k miles then they can emit a judgement on reliability, in the meantime these statements are as valid as me saying that there is intelligent life in the constellation of Virgo.
You obviously don't have the slightest clue about what the Cyclone kit can offer, and reliability is high in the list of things the Cyclone 3000W kit can offer; and all that without babing the stupid thing around... screw that... Imagine a car that you have to be on 1st gear before you can floor it... and if you forget to downshift to first gear then BRAAAAAGNNNNNG... there goes your transmission...?? I can assure you I wont be buying that car... even if the car was coated with F-117 stealth paint.
To sum it all up, learn about the Cyclone before you speak, and reading opinions on a couple of internet websites and posting them in here doesn't count as "knowing" about it. Install it and you might be tempted to ditch the LR kit...
G.
sather said:
puregsr
100 W
Just go over to the fault and fixes thread for the BBS02 to get an idea.
I'm overall happy with the purchase.
But within about 150 miles on the motor, I had to open it up to grease it because of an annoying squeaky noise. I'm a little paranoid at any noise I hear from the motor now, but so far so good. Reading an article by electric-fatbike.com on the possibility of the plastic-eating black grease seeping through causing failure is making me a little concerned because it was impossible to totally keep them separate during my installation.
The lock nut is a pain to deal with and needs to be on really tight. The chainline needs some ingenuity to be optimal. My hidden brake sensor broke, but that's not Bafang's fault. I installed a motor cut off switch which helps with the shifting and the RIGHT thumb throttle that comes standard with the kit is mounted on the left for obvious reason because of the rear shifter is a little awkward - push up instead of down. Sure you can buy the LEFT thumb throttle but then it gets in the way of the motor cut off switch. The PAS has a delay and I find it frustrating on technical trails. The PAS setting thing that is based on RPM is a little weird. And trying to get enough gear inch from a one crank setup also has compromises unless you have lots of money to buy expensive cassettes/shifters or some money to buy expensive mega large cog to customize. I refused to use a small chain ring because I want more speed and even with 48T-11T on 26" wheel, I want to go even faster (52T hit the chain stay for me). And then that whole thing of Chinese Bafang ripping off the Japanese Sunstar design.
Anyway, it is pretty quiet and stealthy but most people immediately know it's an electric bike because they see my battery, so ...
I'm overall happy with the purchase.
But within about 150 miles on the motor, I had to open it up to grease it because of an annoying squeaky noise. I'm a little paranoid at any noise I hear from the motor now, but so far so good. Reading an article by electric-fatbike.com on the possibility of the plastic-eating black grease seeping through causing failure is making me a little concerned because it was impossible to totally keep them separate during my installation.
The lock nut is a pain to deal with and needs to be on really tight. The chainline needs some ingenuity to be optimal. My hidden brake sensor broke, but that's not Bafang's fault. I installed a motor cut off switch which helps with the shifting and the RIGHT thumb throttle that comes standard with the kit is mounted on the left for obvious reason because of the rear shifter is a little awkward - push up instead of down. Sure you can buy the LEFT thumb throttle but then it gets in the way of the motor cut off switch. The PAS has a delay and I find it frustrating on technical trails. The PAS setting thing that is based on RPM is a little weird. And trying to get enough gear inch from a one crank setup also has compromises unless you have lots of money to buy expensive cassettes/shifters or some money to buy expensive mega large cog to customize. I refused to use a small chain ring because I want more speed and even with 48T-11T on 26" wheel, I want to go even faster (52T hit the chain stay for me). And then that whole thing of Chinese Bafang ripping off the Japanese Sunstar design.
Anyway, it is pretty quiet and stealthy but most people immediately know it's an electric bike because they see my battery, so ...
My BBS02, factory built on 915, failed after 1212 miles of riding in regular and also wet, snowy conditions. When I was pedaling home, I felt some play in the crank arm....I had been feeling the crank somewhat stick...and when pressed, it would spin again. Not as smooth as when the unit was working fine. Even before that, I could hear some whirring coming from the unit....that must have been around the 1100 mile mark and as I was headed home, the crank seized. The display and sensors still indicated power and nothing else wrong. When I pulled on the side of the road, I noticed that when I pressed the throttle, I could hear some sound of engagement but nothing really moved much. Moreover, I could feel the motor unit to be out of position, where the 8Fun was facing 7-1 o'clock rather than being horizontal. Asides from the unit being loose, the unit did not engage anything. As the crank was seized, I could not pedal home. I also noticed the motor unit to be hot...hotter than usual.
My average speed on mostly flat courses was a max of 19.6 miles on PAS 2. When I pedaled, I could achieve around 21-22 miles an hour.
I had to call my neighbor who came to pick me up in his large SUV...and decided to take the bike to the shop that did the installation. It has been 4 days since then I have not heard what is the issue.
Depending on the answer, if the fix is not too expensive, I will keep it. BUT, if the unit fails within another 1000 miles per se, I will be looking into investing on a BMC hub motor build, keeping the same battery.
Being stranded unable to pedal home is a bummer. With a geared hub as the BMC, that will be out of the equation. If it was not for my neighbor, I would have been screwed.
My average speed on mostly flat courses was a max of 19.6 miles on PAS 2. When I pedaled, I could achieve around 21-22 miles an hour.
I had to call my neighbor who came to pick me up in his large SUV...and decided to take the bike to the shop that did the installation. It has been 4 days since then I have not heard what is the issue.
Depending on the answer, if the fix is not too expensive, I will keep it. BUT, if the unit fails within another 1000 miles per se, I will be looking into investing on a BMC hub motor build, keeping the same battery.
Being stranded unable to pedal home is a bummer. With a geared hub as the BMC, that will be out of the equation. If it was not for my neighbor, I would have been screwed.
Sounds like you melted the plastic gear.
http://lunacycle.com/parts/bafang-parts/bbs02-parts/bafang-bbs02-nylon-reduction-gear/
https://electricbike-blog.com/2015/10/02/troubleshooting-problems-on-your-bbs02-unit/
https://electricbike-blog.com/2015/08/24/replacing-a-peanut-buttered-nylon-primary-reduction-gear-on-the-bbs02/
Install a temp probe and keep it below 110f to keep from melting another one.
https://electricbike-blog.com/2015/06/07/installing-a-temperature-sensor-in-the-bbs02-unit/
http://lunacycle.com/parts/bafang-parts/bbs02-parts/bafang-bbs02-nylon-reduction-gear/
https://electricbike-blog.com/2015/10/02/troubleshooting-problems-on-your-bbs02-unit/
https://electricbike-blog.com/2015/08/24/replacing-a-peanut-buttered-nylon-primary-reduction-gear-on-the-bbs02/
Install a temp probe and keep it below 110f to keep from melting another one.
https://electricbike-blog.com/2015/06/07/installing-a-temperature-sensor-in-the-bbs02-unit/
sather said:
I rescued my bike back and saw the damage to the Bafang. It was not a plastic gear, it was the main reducing metal gear with several teeth missing. The only way I can see this happening is that something got loose inside and therefore developed severe play between the gear and the rest of the motor....an evidence of this is a sort of worn out track in the motor cover casing that should be clean should the gear in question not have been loose.
ginekolog
10 W
Jkeum said:
I suspect your screws holding big metal gear in place got loose. That causes wooble and in end destroying gear.
See my fix here: https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=58898&start=825#p1230460
