31 Pages of comments, so I only read the first and last page.
We are asking for the findings of those 31 pages to be summarised into known faults, perhaps as a new sticky when it is compiled.
In January 2013, we visited the Bafang factory to sort out a CST issue, and their rep showed us the prototype BBS01. Even riding in a stiff wind below freezing in a suit and tie, it was a winner. "Send us the first ones you make". They did. In April 2013 we took delivery of the aluminium bodied version 1 models in 250 and 350W. I did some of the first postings on endless-sphere giving first impression reviews. After six months of testing, we were sufficiently impressed to put together a group buy in late 2013. We are a charitable trust with a focus on alternative modes of transport in New Zealand, and a group buy is a way to stimulate the market so that shops will see the product and then take it on. Thankfully, the group buy got the Version 2.0 steel bodied motors, because soon after the group buy the aluminium prototypes failed. Bafang replaced one under warranty, but not the other. We're a bit grumbly about that one since we paid real money for it and it failed within the warranty period, but I digress. The BBS01 group buy worked famously, and the motors are seen everywhere in NZ now.
In 2016, we are looking to put together another group buy to get more people on bikes, this time with classic bike frames made in Italy. Our rant is that most ebikes are awful bikes, but very few people even know what a great bike feels like (of you want to experience it, buy a Bella Ciao in Europe or find an old Raleigh DL1 and restore it). Most bikes sold in stores are either for off-road or road racing, or "hybrids" which are a bit like 2WD SUV's - look tough but will never be driven off road, and are not that comfortable on road. As part of this latest group buy, we contracted with a woman who writes a blog on great bicycles to design the geometry, and are now in the process of pulling it all together (a lot of work since there is no money to do it. It is being done for the love of it in our spare time, but hey, that's what charity is about... donations gratefully received if anyone is interested).
We had presumed the BBS01 set to 300W would be the choice of motor. However, as this 31 page thread suggests the BBS01 motor may be beginning to show some cracks, both figuratively and literally.
A number of shops that saw our BBS motors in use thanks to the group buy and began to import them for their businesses are now saying that about 10% are coming back for repairs or replacement, including four from our group buy of 27 motors (seven of which went to Paul to convince him to carry them). As a group buy direct from the factory, each member is on their own, and rather than each owner try to get satisfaction from Bafang, they have been taking them to the local shop that takes them apart and fixing them for a fee. From what I hear from the shops, the bearings are not great and one shop has taken to make its own more substantial seals to keep the dust out. I am told they are replacing bearings with quality ones like Timken or SKF. In some of the comments on this thread, I read about O rings and shafts, for example. I read the exchange between lurkin and cell man (and have to say, I side with Paul... his support is outstanding), but I have concerns about the necessity of warranty repairs. The wholesaler taking care of the motor they sell is not the issue, it is the manufacturer and their product I am fact-finding. One shop is saying we should go back to hub motors so there will not be any warranty issues. I shudder at the thought because for the ordinary person on the street, the mid motor is so much better when it is working.
Alarm bells are ringing. We don't want to put together a group buy and find people do not get a great bike because the motor will fail at 500 kilometers. One option is to deliver each bike with one motor kit installed, and a second bare motor as a spare, sort of like the spare tyre that comes with cars because in the old days, tyres went flat. Under this theory, the motor is presented as a disposable, like the battery which only has X number of charging cycles. Another option is to see if we can specify a run of motors that have better bearings and seals, more grease and whatever, and pay an engineer to examine all the motors in the factory at the time our order is made. Alternatively we can either look at a different manufacturer or forget the whole thing.
So here is our question:
Can members of this forum please summarise all of what might be considered engineering or manufacturing weaknesses in the BBS line? How many miles or kilometers do these motors run before something internal breaks or wears out?
Please try to discern the difference between abuse and factory weakness and refrain from citing failures due to abuse, stupid programming or extreme conditions (riding in the ocean is not considered normal, even though some of the idiots who rent bikes from our local shop express surprise when the motors stop running after being submerged in salt water). Also please specify the serial number of the failure so it can be determined if this is something that has been improved since.
We have been in email communication with one of the owners of Bafang, although not recently, and we do find they are open to feedback. Obviously, getting the reputation for selling motors that wear out prematurely can turn the market away from Bafang, and there is more competition now than in 2013.
If the answers can then be summarised, perhaps a much shorter sticky can be created so the big picture long-term assessment is accessible. Reading 31 pages is opaque.
Thanking you all in advance.
PS: For those interested in the group buy, see
http://slowcycles.com
