darth_elevator
100 W
Thanks for the link. That is a very cool bag. 
Build of Bafang BBS02 from Greenbikekit
- Thread starter darth_elevator
- Start date
TourEZ1943
1 µW
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2015
- Messages
- 1
Is there a way to bypass the display and just use the motor and controller directly?
darth_elevator
100 W
Hi, TourEZ1943! Welcome to ES.TourEZ1943 said:
You mean to feed inputs directly from the throttle to the controller? I haven't heard of anyone doing exactly that. The closest I've heard is of people installing a Cycle Analyst in place of the display:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=60375&p=1019353&hilit=cycle+analyst+bbs02#p1019353
I don't think the controller will read simple input from the throttle. I think it needs data in a certain format from either the stock display or a third party device such as the Cycle Analyst. I remember seeing some discussion of this, but it's probably buried in the VERY LONG original Bafang thread. I'll see if I can find anything helpful.
darth_elevator
100 W
After seeing Kinninviekid's sweet bike bag, I started experimenting with frame bags and came up with several options that I'm very happy with. My main goal was to eliminate or at least reduce the amount of batteries on the rear rack.
I now have 10Ah (960wh) mounted on the frame, half in a bag that's strapped to the top tube and the other half down on the lower part of the frame (two batteries in the water bottle spot in front of the down tube and one battery tucked into the empty space behind the downtube.) The batteries are securely protected with some high quality foam that I removed from the lining of an old laptop bag.
This frame-mounted setup will be my standard configuration for most rides, except for the occasional short ride when I want to go super-light and then I'll remove the top bar bag and just run with the 5Ah (480wh) that's mounted on the bottom of the frame.
View attachment 2
View attachment 1
I really love how the bike handles with all that weight removed from the rear rack, and I worry a LOT less about breaking another seatpost or busting the rear rack. For longer rides, I'll still use the rear rack, but it now only has 10Ah (960wh), which is half of what it used to, and the batteries are in the front half of the bag, eliminating all that deadweight that used to be out on the back end.
I also wanted to explore options for an ultra-long ride, so I started looking into saddlebag-type options, like kinnieinvikid's bike bag. (And a saddlebag option is something I could easily move over onto my direct drive bike when I needed to.) Teslanv was kind enough to sell me one of his prototype Kilowatt Bags.
This prototype bag is longer than the production bags, so it can fit 6 (instead of 5) Turnigy hardcase batteries on each side, for a total of 12, which is 20Ah (1920wh). It fits over the top tube bag, so I can use it with the 10Ah mounted on my frame. So that gives me the option to run 30Ah (2880wh) WITHOUT having to use the rear rack at all. Wow! That's almost 3 killowatt hours! And if I ever wanted to go completely nuts, I could use the rear rack as well to give me a total capacity of 50Ah (4800wh) -- nearly 5 kilowatt hours. It's not likely I'll go that nuts in the near future (if ever), as I don't actually own that many batteries. LOL. I'm trying NOT to think about how sore my butt would be after a 150+ mile ride.
I now have 10Ah (960wh) mounted on the frame, half in a bag that's strapped to the top tube and the other half down on the lower part of the frame (two batteries in the water bottle spot in front of the down tube and one battery tucked into the empty space behind the downtube.) The batteries are securely protected with some high quality foam that I removed from the lining of an old laptop bag.
This frame-mounted setup will be my standard configuration for most rides, except for the occasional short ride when I want to go super-light and then I'll remove the top bar bag and just run with the 5Ah (480wh) that's mounted on the bottom of the frame.
View attachment 2
View attachment 1
I really love how the bike handles with all that weight removed from the rear rack, and I worry a LOT less about breaking another seatpost or busting the rear rack. For longer rides, I'll still use the rear rack, but it now only has 10Ah (960wh), which is half of what it used to, and the batteries are in the front half of the bag, eliminating all that deadweight that used to be out on the back end.
I also wanted to explore options for an ultra-long ride, so I started looking into saddlebag-type options, like kinnieinvikid's bike bag. (And a saddlebag option is something I could easily move over onto my direct drive bike when I needed to.) Teslanv was kind enough to sell me one of his prototype Kilowatt Bags.
This prototype bag is longer than the production bags, so it can fit 6 (instead of 5) Turnigy hardcase batteries on each side, for a total of 12, which is 20Ah (1920wh). It fits over the top tube bag, so I can use it with the 10Ah mounted on my frame. So that gives me the option to run 30Ah (2880wh) WITHOUT having to use the rear rack at all. Wow! That's almost 3 killowatt hours! And if I ever wanted to go completely nuts, I could use the rear rack as well to give me a total capacity of 50Ah (4800wh) -- nearly 5 kilowatt hours. It's not likely I'll go that nuts in the near future (if ever), as I don't actually own that many batteries. LOL. I'm trying NOT to think about how sore my butt would be after a 150+ mile ride.
KINNINVIEKID
1 kW
That looks a lot more stable than all hanging off the back :wink:
Just 27 miles short of 1500 now and the cassette and chain have had to be replaced as it started jumping in the top 3 gears.
Did a nice ride around the town where I was born today looking at what has changed and managed to find a couple of bike tracks to have a litle play on
[youtube]qGsCSmT3Xdg [/youtube]
Just 27 miles short of 1500 now and the cassette and chain have had to be replaced as it started jumping in the top 3 gears.
Did a nice ride around the town where I was born today looking at what has changed and managed to find a couple of bike tracks to have a litle play on
[youtube]qGsCSmT3Xdg [/youtube]
darth_elevator
100 W
Wow! Impressive that you were able to get that many miles on one chain. I think I'm on my third or fourth chain, at just under 1100 miles. Although I'm hoping I'll break less chains now that I've significantly improved my chainline. I got a 7-speed cassette and installed it with a spacer on the hub side. (Originally it was an 8-speed cassette.) Also, the new cassette I got was 32T instead of 28T on the largest gear. So now my 28T gear -- which was my lowest climbing gear -- is two positions farther out from the hub than it used to be, making a nearly perfect chain line on that gear. And my top speed is still the same because the smallest gear on this new cassette is the same size as what I've been riding with. Not sure if any of that made sense, but I'll post some pics when I remember.KINNINVIEKID said:
KINNINVIEKID
1 kW
Actually its the motor thats done these miles, the Cannondale has done 850 since I swapped the motor onto it but still not bad mileage considering how much offroading it has done and lots of changing gear under power as well.
The teeth on the cassette are worn to almost half the size they should be compared to the new one
New cassette is an 11T-34T and only cost £7.49,I currently have a Clarkes chain (£3.19) on it but have ordered a KMC X8-99 (£11.99) for it as thats the same as the original chain.
The teeth on the cassette are worn to almost half the size they should be compared to the new one
New cassette is an 11T-34T and only cost £7.49,I currently have a Clarkes chain (£3.19) on it but have ordered a KMC X8-99 (£11.99) for it as thats the same as the original chain.
Just read your thread here, and want to thank you for sharing all the info and experience
Thinking about buying a BBS02 for my bike to commute. Just a quick question, if you run out of batteries, do you feel it's still possible to use the bike?
I can understand that the added weight, but is any harder to pedal with the motor? I would have to start with a limited AH of batteries and would love
to still be able to use the bike without the motor for flat surfaces and casual riding.
Thinking about buying a BBS02 for my bike to commute. Just a quick question, if you run out of batteries, do you feel it's still possible to use the bike?
I can understand that the added weight, but is any harder to pedal with the motor? I would have to start with a limited AH of batteries and would love
to still be able to use the bike without the motor for flat surfaces and casual riding.
darth_elevator
100 W
You are most welcome! Thank you for your kind words.ugn said:Just read your thread here, and want to thank you for sharing all the info and experience
Thinking about buying a BBS02 for my bike to commute. Just a quick question, if you run out of batteries, do you feel it's still possible to use the bike?
I can understand that the added weight, but is any harder to pedal with the motor? I would have to start with a limited AH of batteries and would love
to still be able to use the bike without the motor for flat surfaces and casual riding.
Yes, it's rideable on flat, although you can definitely feel the drag, but there's less drag than on my hub motor bike. I think you'd be fine if you got caught a mile or two from home and didn't mind chugging along slowly. I don't know that it would work for "casual riding." If you had several miles left to go, I think the better bet would be to turn PAS way down to 3 or maybe 2, and slow down your speed to the point where you are doing a little bit more work than the Bafang. That would maximize distance and minimize the chance of running out of battery completely.
How far are you normally hoping to ride and how many Ah are you planning on getting at first?
KINNINVIEKID
1 kW
To get the most range from your batteries you need to pedal unpowered as much as possible ie on flats and downhills and only use assist on uphills or with headwinds and then only use the minimum assist level that keeps you moving.
When I first got my bike and only 1 pair of batteries I just rode around the roads near home and kept going till they went flat and then at least there was not much pedalling involved.
After that you have a guide to work from.
Of course if you fit a wattmeter you will know exactly how much battery you have used.
When I first got my bike and only 1 pair of batteries I just rode around the roads near home and kept going till they went flat and then at least there was not much pedalling involved.
After that you have a guide to work from.
Of course if you fit a wattmeter you will know exactly how much battery you have used.
KINNINVIEKID
1 kW
Had a little ride out the other day to get some fish and chips from Stokesley as it was a nice,warm,sunny day.
Managed to get home with batteries still at 3.69 volts per cell so quite happy with that considering the speed I was travelling at.
(EDIT)23/04....Just topped the batteries back up and found I had only used 26Ah out of 42 so plenty more range available.
Managed to get home with batteries still at 3.69 volts per cell so quite happy with that considering the speed I was travelling at.
(EDIT)23/04....Just topped the batteries back up and found I had only used 26Ah out of 42 so plenty more range available.
darth_elevator
100 W
I'd love a nice order of fish and chips. When I lived in Gorleston, I had fish and chips at least 3 times a week! Yummmmm!KINNINVIEKID said:
Wow, 100+ miles and still had 12Ah left!KINNINVIEKID said:...only used 26Ah out of 42 so plenty more range available.
KINNINVIEKID
1 kW
Slight miscalculation!!!
48Ah of batteries so 22 Ah left
Additive bag has been taken off now as using it more for trail riding now things have dried up a bit.
Back tyre is now bald after nearly 900 miles so got a Panaracer hardpack tyre to go on next week.
Latest ride here https://www.strava.com/activities/293575912
[youtube]iVW09yUS_U0[/youtube]
48Ah of batteries so 22 Ah left
Additive bag has been taken off now as using it more for trail riding now things have dried up a bit.
Back tyre is now bald after nearly 900 miles so got a Panaracer hardpack tyre to go on next week.
Latest ride here https://www.strava.com/activities/293575912
[youtube]iVW09yUS_U0[/youtube]
darth_elevator
100 W
Beautiful scenery. I thought you were going to ride right into that pond!
KINNINVIEKID
1 kW
Thats the second time I was up there ,the first time I was going a bit faster ,had to yank the brakes on and dump the bike or I would have been in
I wonder how many folks have actually ended up in there?
At least its only a couple of feet deep near the edge.
I wonder how many folks have actually ended up in there?
At least its only a couple of feet deep near the edge.
darth_elevator
100 W
Still running strong at 2000+ km, although I'm hearing a slight growl from the gears. I think I'll open it up and lubricate the gears, as described in the main bafang thread.
I picked up some of the multistar packs mentioned in this thread: https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=61672
They are small enough I can mount 20Ah on my frame in the same space currently taken up by 10Ah of the hardcases.
Here's a shot from a ride that hie2kolob and I went on the other day, to a nearby peak that's just under 10,000 feet altitude. This particular trail is open to motorcycles. You can't really see the Bafangs very well so I marked them with an arrow.
I picked up some of the multistar packs mentioned in this thread: https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=61672
They are small enough I can mount 20Ah on my frame in the same space currently taken up by 10Ah of the hardcases.
Here's a shot from a ride that hie2kolob and I went on the other day, to a nearby peak that's just under 10,000 feet altitude. This particular trail is open to motorcycles. You can't really see the Bafangs very well so I marked them with an arrow.
darth_elevator
100 W
darth_elevator said:
Hie2kolob and I tore down our bafangs the other night and regreased them. After a short test ride around the neighborhood, my bike seems to be as quiet as when I first got it. I'll test it further on a hard trail climb later this week. All the components inside were in great shape. The o-rings were all intact. The bearings all looked good. The nylon gear looked brand new. Not even a hint of wear on it.
We re-greased everything with the nylon-safe aircraft grease (Mobilegrease 28) recommended in this excellent tear-down article: https://electricbike-blog.com/2015/12/23/mobilgrease-28-bbshdbbs02-because-a-good-mid-drive-is-better-seen-and-not-heard/
There was still some grease on the helical gear, but a lot of it was on the casing instead of the teeth:
The large gear still had some grease, but it wasn't pretty:
Removing the plate that covers the nylon gear was difficult since some of the screws were EXTREMELY tight.
Finally down to the nylon gear:
The nylon gear was still in perfect condition. That's with 2500km on it. Here's to another 2500km, hopefully several times over.
All gooped up and ready to go. This aircraft grease has clay in it that helps it stick to the gears better, rather than getting flung onto the casing, like most of the white grease had done.
??? You can order the same kit for a little more money from suppliers in the US and get excellent support. EG: Luna, Empowered and California E bikes. I bought two BBS02s and experienced a 100% failure rate in the first year. Doug at Cal-Ebikes took care of them promptly under warranty. Be sure to install a temperature gauge and keep it below 140 degrees or you WILL melt the plastic gear. See website:
https://electricbike-blog.com/2015/06/07/installing-a-temperature-sensor-in-the-bbs02-unit/
https://electricbike-blog.com/2015/06/07/installing-a-temperature-sensor-in-the-bbs02-unit/
darth_elevator
100 W
sather said:
Thanks for the advice, sather, but there's no way I'd buy another BBS02 now that the HD is out. If this BBS02 eventually fails (it'll be 3 years old next month, knock on wood), I'll be getting the HD.
And sorry to hear you had a 100% failure rate in the first year. I had a 0% failure rate from the BBS02 I got from greenbikekit.com. The regreasing I did at the 2+ year mark was purely preventative maintenance, not because the unit failed. Warranty would have expired by then anyway.
Also, if you had bothered to read the thread, you would have seen I installed a temperature gauge long ago: https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=63166&start=100#p958851
But thanks (I guess) for the advice.
darth_elevator
100 W
Found a good deal on a full suspension Motobecane, so I decided to retire my old bike. Kudos to hie2kolob for helping me pull the BBS02 off the old bike and install it on the new bike. This BBS02 is now into its fourth season (and on its third bike) and still going strong.
