New blog dedicated to BBS02 and fatbikes / 100mm BBS02 kit

Is Storm Sondors Making A Huge Mistake By Offering Free Pickup In So-Cal And A 30 Day Warranty?

https://electricfatbike.wordpress.com/2015/02/19/is-storm-sondors-making-a-huge-mistake-by-offering-free-pickup-in-so-cal-and-a-30-day-warranty/

Ride On.
 
ebikedelight said:
Did you have to cut down your bottom bracket ?

Hi ebikedelight,

No. I used an "extended shaft" BBS01, so it fitted easily in the 100mm BB of the Bigfoot. In fact, the extended shafts are now being produced about 10mm longer than they were originally, so this made it an even more comfortable fit. Using a small extra spacer (supplied) on the LHS enabled me to get a really good chain line which works nicely for all 9 cogs on the rear cluster. I was really pleased with that!

Emax ebikes in Sydney is now supplying these extended shaft Bafang mid drives at a very reasonable price.

Simon
 
leelorr said:
Simonism,

Have you got a "Build thread"?

Hi Leelorr

No build thread - it was really just an "install". Very straightforward and so-oo easy. The only hitches I had were:
- I had to dremel a small amount of material from inside the BB, where the chain stays were joined in, which otherwise fouled the free passage of the BBS01 shaft through the BB; and
- the battery was a tight fit so I installed it without using the mounting rack, with double sided foam tape (from Hobby King!) and cable ties.

I'm still waiting on one more cable, so no ride report yet ...

Simon, who was taught everything he knows about electric fat bikes by Karl!
 
Now here's an interesting question I haven't heard anyone ask yet.

Who Will Be Paying The $1+ Million In Taxes On The Sondors Electric Fatbike $3.5 Million Dollar Campaign?

https://electricfatbike.wordpress.com/2015/02/20/who-will-be-paying-the-1-million-in-taxes-on-the-sondors-electric-fatbike-3-5-million-dollar-campaign/

Also I'm under some pressure to join in the discussion here and not to just post links to my blog. To that end please help me by discussing my posts HERE not on the blog) and making sure I don't get banned for spamming ES with my links. Thanks a lot.

Ride On.
 
gridlok said:
Now here's an interesting question I haven't heard anyone ask yet.

Who Will Be Paying The $1+ Million In Taxes On The Sondors Electric Fatbike $3.5 Million Dollar Campaign?

https://electricfatbike.wordpress.com/2015/02/20/who-will-be-paying-the-1-million-in-taxes-on-the-sondors-electric-fatbike-3-5-million-dollar-campaign/

Ride On.

Oops....

As someone who experiences the "joy" of both NY & CA tax jurisdictions for personal income, I can attest to the Federal & State numbers in the article. And if team Sondors makes the mistake of using NYC proper for any of this activity, tack on another 3-4% NYC income tax.

I'm all for paying my fair share in taxes, and I do, but it's heart wrenching and depressing when the tax accountant explains how little money you actually get to keep from a significant income event. And then hand you the bill for their services...
 
I'm under some pressure to make my posts here look more like discussion since this is a discussion board and not a 'promote my blog' board. I'm going to ask that if you like my posts please post your comments here so I can look like I'm 'contributing' to the conversations here at ES. The last thing I want is to get banned.

This is the build thread that a LOT of people have been asking for, Larry finished it up this week. I hope you enjoy it, I enjoyed working with him on it.

https://electricfatbike.wordpress.com/2015/02/20/walmart-dolomite-and-a-bbs02-make-a-dirt-cheap-commuter-that-will-eat-up-hills/

Enjoy.

Ride On.
 
I just received me new $1000 fatbike called the gravity bullseye monster pro with bluto front suspension . Heres the link to my bike

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gravity/fat-bikes/fatbikes-monster-pro-bluto.htm


I took measurements and the chainstays come in far enough to allow the B.B. to be cutdown to 70 m.m.

Now I just have to decide if im ready to butcher a brand new $1000 bike with my grinder and plasma cutter to allow a BBS02 to fit it.

Well this is a revelation . The above fat bike I just purchased, will allow a common brushless hub motor , purchased off ebay for $193, to work on the rear dropouts . I may lose some use of all the gears , but thats not important to me . This means I wont have to modify the front " hole thru" dropouts nor use a BBS02 mid drive system .
 
Can you put up a pic of the BB. I can tell whether it will fit by the pic.

Also what frame size did you get? I'm guessing that the BB intesection is different for the different frame sizes because my Monster would NOT fit a BBS02.

Before you start grinding hold the BBS02 up under the BB and make an educated guess about whether it will fit. The big wheel has to clear the chainstay.

You will have a very nice ride when you are done. I recommend a 32 or 24T in the front.

Karl
 
gridlok said:
Can you put up a pic of the BB. I can tell whether it will fit by the pic.

Also what frame size did you get? I'm guessing that the BB intesection is different for the different frame sizes because my Monster would NOT fit a BBS02.

Before you start grinding hold the BBS02 up under the BB and make an educated guess about whether it will fit. The big wheel has to clear the chainstay.

You will have a very nice ride when you are done. I recommend a 32 or 24T in the front.

Karl


Ill try and get a photo up . I measured the distance and I can get to 70 m.m. on the B.B. , which would bring me to the very top side parts of the welds that attach the chainstays to the B.B.

My big worry is the numerous problems people have been having with the reliability of the BBS02 { controller burning up , gears breaking , funny noises, etc} along with the concerns about the front 2 sprockets lining up properly with the rear cassette .

Even if I decided to go with a front hub motor, I still have to modify the front dropouts because they are a " thru hole " design , which would not allow the axle of the brushless hub ,motor to be mounted to the dropouts . I would have to use a cutoff saw and cut the bottom portion of the front - right/ left aluminum dropouts so the hub motor axle could be inserted , then I would need to fabricate a left and right torque arm .

So even though this is a nice fat bike for the money, if one wants to use it for a ebike , be prepared to do some modifications to the bike.
 
Dr Bass on the forums has premade dropouts for about $25 each that you could epoxy to the inside of the front bluto fork. It is 150mm (I think) which should make it so a 135 Rear Mac would fit on the front. I would only do this if you are planing AWD. Front hub only sucks, no weight it will just spin out.

I've had controller burnout and weird noises on many of my bbso2, there is a thread about upgrading mosfets. Buy it from Paul, he'll stand behind the BBS02 as long as you don't program it yourself.

https://electricfatbike.wordpress.com/bbs02-controller-mods/

Karl
 
gridlok said:
Dr Bass on the forums has premade dropouts for about $25 each that you could epoxy to the inside of the front bluto fork. It is 150mm (I think) which should make it so a 135 Rear Mac would fit on the front. I would only do this if you are planing AWD. Front hub only sucks, no weight it will just spin out.

I've had controller burnout and weird noises on many of my bbso2, there is a thread about upgrading mosfets. Buy it from Paul, he'll stand behind the BBS02 as long as you don't program it yourself.

https://electricfatbike.wordpress.com/bbs02-controller-mods/

Karl

I had read that the mosfets were upgraded from 6 to 9 mosfets, last year...which was suppose to make the controller more reliable. Did your controller have the 9 mosfet system ?

I really dont want to spend $600 on a mid drive kit, knowing that when I get it, I need to do electrical mods to make it last longer.
 
The first batch of 9 mosfet controllers had more problems than the 6. The newer ones seem fine. I have 5 BBS02 in operation and only the first one gave me trouble.

BBS02 is the only way to go for singletrack in my opinion.

Paul will stand behind his units.

Karl
 
A lot of people have asked me about my Bikes Direct Fatbike conversions, here is everything you need to know to do it yourself. Please post questions and comments about this article here on ES not on the blog. Thanks.

https://electricfatbike.wordpress.com/2015/02/21/converting-bikes-direct-fatbikes-to-singletrack-emachines

Ride on.
 
The Surly Lou Is The Mad King Of Rear Electric Fatbike Tires

Better traction and lighter than running chains, the Surly Lou costs a bit more than slipnot chains at around $130 street price and ~1528g. The treads are monstrous at 7mm deep and this tire is the best one I’ve tried yet in deep powder.

The best rear tire I have tried. No need for chains with this beast on.

A couple of weeks ago I did a review on the Surly Bud which is the 4.8 fat tire that is designed to be mated with its evil twin brother the Surly Lou on the rear. The treads are perpendicular to the tire in the rear (Lou) and parallel with the tire in the front (Bud).

Read more here

https://electricfatbike.wordpress.com/2015/02/22/the-surly-lou-is-the-mad-king-of-rear-fatbike-tires/
 
ebikedelight said:
I just received me new $1000 fatbike called the gravity bullseye monster pro with bluto front suspension . Heres the link to my bike

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gravity/fat-bikes/fatbikes-monster-pro-bluto.htm


I took measurements and the chainstays come in far enough to allow the B.B. to be cutdown to 70 m.m.

Now I just have to decide if im ready to butcher a brand new $1000 bike with my grinder and plasma cutter to allow a BBS02 to fit it.

Well this is a revelation . The above fat bike I just purchased, will allow a common brushless hub motor , purchased off ebay for $193, to work on the rear dropouts . I may lose some use of all the gears , but thats not important to me . This means I wont have to modify the front " hole thru" dropouts nor use a BBS02 mid drive system .


Well this is a revelation . The above fat bike I just purchased, will allow a common brushless hub motor , purchased off ebay for $193, to work on the rear dropouts . I may lose some use of a few of the gears , but thats not important to me . With the fatbike tire fully inflated , there is just enough room on each side of the rear frame so the tires dont rub.....if neccessary, im sure I could put a extar washer on each side of the inside of the dropouts, to get a few m.m.s more clearance if needed.

This means I wont have to modify the front " hole thru" dropouts nor use a BBS02 mid drive system .

Gridlock, heres something I also considered , if someone wanted to mount the hub motor on the front of the bluto rockshox.

Instead of cutting the aluminum dropouts on the shocks , a person who has a welder could do this :

" use a spare bike / spare front fork which is made from steel and isnt a " hole thru " design . { I have a giant brand bike for this purpose} . Cutoff about 4" -8" of the fork, with the steel dropout attached. Then measure the inside dimension of the dropout hole on the bluto rockshox. Then get a all steel bolt about 2" long that will fit snugly thru the rockshox thru hole dropout. Weld that bolt to the outside of the steel fork , about 1" inch above the steel dropout . Now you can slip that bolt thru the hole of the rockshox dropout , tighten it down with a locknut , and use at least 2 heavy duty steel clamps to fasten the upper portion of the steel dropout, to the rockshox fork tube.

This is just my own idea I came up with, and I am not suggesting anyone else try this....but I may try it eventually.
 
gridlok said:
I really like that idea. Try it and send me pictures and I'll do a writeup on it.

You'll be famous beyond your wildest dreams.

Karl


Fame is over rated and often a pain in the ass . :wink:
I like the idea of being wealthy and nobody knowing your real name.

The idea is something that came to me a few nights ago, laying in bed . I thought of it because I did not think these brushless D.D. rear hub motors had enough length in the axle to fit a fat bike rear dropout. On my dolomite, it would not work, so I had to mount it on the front forks...but for this monster gravity, there is enough space on the rear dropouts to mount the D.D. brushless hub motor...so I do not think I will need to do my front end mod.....the rear mount setup is gonna be tight...there seems to be just enough room for the tire/ rim to clear on both side of the 2 rear chasis downtubes that connect to the dropouts.

If it rubs a little, I should be able to use some washers and spread the rear dropouts a few millimeters more on each side, then bolt down the hub motor, and hit the trails.

My wifes dolomite is rigged with the 1000 watt hub motor upfront, but I did not want a front hub system for me, because I weight 240 lbs and plan on doing more harsh trails then she will. She can get by with a front hub system because she weighs 80 lbs less then me .
 
Deep Powder’s Insatiable Appetite For Watts

I’ve been riding an average of 90 minutes a day almost every day this season in the snow. Most of the time it is in powder that is 4-6″ deep. The snow at my wife’s house is over 2.5 feet deep now and impossible to ride on. I can still ride on snowmobile tracks and XC ski tracks that have been frequented. The only problem riding XC ski trails is that they are a lot like riding skinnies, as soon as you fall off the packed down trail which is often less than a foot wide your front wheel drops down a foot in the powder and you are stuck. Often you tip over in slow motion and fall into 2 feet of powder. Using the bike to push against the snow you slowly wiggle your way out and try to stand again in the powder to do it all over again. Ride\Fall\Getup\Repeat.

More here

https://electricfatbike.wordpress.com/2015/02/23/deep-powders-insatiable-appetite-for-watts/

Ride On.
 
Karl,

I saw a post here on EndLess Sphere within the last week by someone who just installed a BBS02 on a FatBike using a new 100mm BB extension kit from a bike shop in Australia he purchased for "a very reasonable price". I can't find the post now. Is this something you have heard anything about?

Thanks
 
leelorr said:
Karl,

I saw a post here on EndLess Sphere within the last week by someone who just installed a BBS02 on a FatBike using a new 100mm BB extension kit from a bike shop in Australia he purchased for "a very reasonable price". I can't find the post now. Is this something you have heard anything about?

Thanks

Hi Leelorr, it was me!

Ewan at emax eBikes in Sydney now supplies BBS01 and BBS02 drives modified for a 100mm BB. His service is excellent and friendly, and his prices seem very reasonable. I would recommend you google his shop. (I have no association with emax other than as a happy customer).

My Norco Bigfoot 6.3 was a very simple conversion with his kit. The fit was easy and I have full use of the 9 gears on the rear. And I must say it is an absolute joy to ride on the beach. It's twice as easy and as twice as much fun over rocky sections and seaweed, and five times better on soft sand, than my hard tail MTB with a BBS02 and tyres under 2" wide. It is really fantastic! I chose the BBS01 for this fat bike (with a 32 tooth front sprocket) and that level of power is a great match for my style of riding - mostly under 20 kmh.

Simon

PS: my build is pictured at the top of this page.
 
I suspect he is using Doug's conversion kit. You can get more info about it here. I've done several conversions, they are very easy and it takes about 2 hours to swap the axle.

https://electricfatbike.wordpress.com/2015/01/13/bbs02-fat-bike-conversion-kit/

You can 'rent' the tap kit for $50 and do it yourself.

Karl
 
I didn't see the info about the BBS adapter kit listed on the web site, so I sent them email. I received a very nice email answer almost immediately (2 minutes later maybe). You are correct that the adapter is provided by the same company in California. I was hoping that maybe there was another source for a product like this and the price for the adapter would be less than the one I found of $845 (au).
 
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