1st Ebike Commuter Complete... first 141 miles down

So this is my first ebike buid, I have been stalking this forum for the better part of 3 years, thank you all for all the knowledge you willingly impart. After careful deliberation I decided on a BBS02 750w, orginally it was supposed to go on my road bike but a little snafu happened. Short version, I now have bent chainstays and derailleur hanger.

Picked up the Trek and started the build. It went together quite smoothly. Paired the motor with a 52V 13.5ah Battery, and got rid of the knobbies in favor of 700x42c Continental Speed rides. Played with the programming a bit to get it to feel right and limited to 18 amps max.

So far have four full round trip commutes (33 miles round trip) and some random running around, total of 141 miles. All I can say is this thing is hilarious, I still pedal as hard as I would on my regular bike but I just get everywhere faster.

I am tempted to bump up the amperage limit to 20 A. However, the consensus seems to be 18 A is better for longevity. Besides I think I may be already getting some chain stretch . At least 7 speed chains are cheap.
Anyway just wanted to share.

Even at full gallop, I bet you don't pull more than 15 amps on the flat, so in fact, you might consider lowering it rather than upping it.

But if you have steeper hills, or want to leave the stop light faster, then 20 amps is plenty.

52v x 20 amps though, that's 1000w. It is a lot for bike chain to handle. But chain is cheap. 8)

How does on the hills?
It's seems a nice build

Looks like a very nice build. Where did you order the components from? I am about to pull the trigger from LunaCycle but hearing mixed opinions these days. I looked into Em3ev but their website is crap. I have to pick each and every part separately. Is there a list that I can refer to?

Thanks.

cilveti said:

How does on the hills?
It's seems a nice build

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Thanks, It climbs fantastically, there is a massive climb on my way home gear down to 28t on cassette and with me pedaling along climb it at 15-17 mph.

dogman dan said:

Even at full gallop, I bet you don't pull more than 15 amps on the flat, so in fact, you might consider lowering it rather than upping it.

But if you have steeper hills, or want to leave the stop light faster, then 20 amps is plenty.

52v x 20 amps though, that's 1000w. It is a lot for bike chain to handle. But chain is cheap. 8)

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I don't use the throttle much so I rarely see more than 550w on the display so 10ish amps. But I have been having way to much fun outrunning traffic from 0-20 :lol: with full pedal effort plus full throttle once its rolling. I know its murder on the drive train but still fun nonetheless.

jamesbond007 said:

Looks like a very nice build. Where did you order the components from? I am about to pull the trigger from LunaCycle but hearing mixed opinions these days. I looked into Em3ev but their website is crap. I have to pick each and every part separately. Is there a list that I can refer to?

Thanks.

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I ordered from LunaCycle when they had a sale on the bbs02 and it all went smoothly. What motor are you trying to run, for the bbs02 both sites have kits available you just pick your options as far as throttle and display and such.

I love it.
I love the idea of a fast bike with 42mm speed rides on it.
Still crying over your last bike. I looked into going 650b on my steel road bike, but I think the maximum width I could get is 32mm, so its not worth the hassle changing to 650b. But I have a specialized cross trail with tires similar to yours that is begging to be converted!

superl8apex said:

I ordered from LunaCycle when they had a sale on the bbs02 and it all went smoothly. What motor are you trying to run, for the bbs02 both sites have kits available you just pick your options as far as throttle and display and such.

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I almost ordered the BBS02 with a 48V 17.5ah killer whale. But then started reading about the Golden Pie V5 rear hub. Now I am confused. I am still leaning toward the BBS02.

chas58 said:

I love it.
I love the idea of a fast bike with 42mm speed rides on it.
Still crying over your last bike. I looked into going 650b on my steel road bike, but I think the maximum width I could get is 32mm, so its not worth the hassle changing to 650b. But I have a specialized cross trail with tires similar to yours that is begging to be converted!

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Thanks. I know the other bike would have been pretty awesome. But stuff happens, especially when modifying things from their intended purpose.
I think you would enjoy the crosstrail converted. It wouldn't be super lightweight but it would be a quick all around bike.
The trek was fairly heavy to begin with (it has a heavy entry level front fork that may get swapped out for a rigid carbon fork at some point) and on a fully charged battery of 58.8V my 17 mile commute on PAS 4 using throttle on steep hills to help it along, and I pedal pretty hard the whole time. I average 20.5 mph and peaked a downhill 43.3mph stopping at traffic lights and such and battery end voltage is usually 53-54 volts. I couldn't be happier with it so far. After the battery breaks in fully I will try it on 80% charge.

jamesbond007 said:

I almost ordered the BBS02 with a 48V 17.5ah killer whale. But then started reading about the Golden Pie V5 rear hub. Now I am confused. I am still leaning toward the BBS02.

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[/quote]
They are both good motors and there are advantages and disadvantages to both. The decision for me was based on I wanted it to still feel like a bicycle and not an electric scooter with pedals. I felt the weight of the hub motor (10+ lbs) behind me and in the wheel would not give me the feel I was looking for.

superl8apex said:

chas58 said:

I love it.

They are both good motors and there are advantages and disadvantages to both. The decision for me was based on I wanted it to still feel like a bicycle and not an electric scooter with pedals. I felt the weight of the hub motor (10+ lbs) behind me and in the wheel would not give me the feel I was looking for.

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I test drove a hub motor and felt the same way. I guess I got my answer

One last question. When you order from LunaCycle did you get everything you need from them or did you have more stuff like all the necessary connectors etc.?

jamesbond007 said:

One last question. When you order from LunaCycle did you get everything you need from them or did you have more stuff like all the necessary connectors etc.?

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Came with every thing but I did get the magnetic brake cut off separately to use the stock levers.

superl8apex said:

jamesbond007 said:

One last question. When you order from LunaCycle did you get everything you need from them or did you have more stuff like all the necessary connectors etc.?

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Came with every thing but I did get the magnetic brake cut off separately to use the stock levers.

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Perfect. Thanks.