Bafang Ebike conversion

[edkin]

I've being contemplating converting my commuter bike to an ebike for a while now and have decided to go for it,  but before I did I wanted to try another bike with the same conversion.

 

So I toodle off to my local LBS that sometimes does this kind of conversion and arrange to take a converted bike for a ride.

 

In all honesty I was a bit disappointed. I couldn't feel any pedal assist at all and no amount of tinkering with the settings solved my problem.

 

When I was on a flat road I could feel something there helping me (modestly) but when the road turned up it was as if the motor stopped working and the only pedal assist was coming from my imagination trying desperately to find some kind of boost.

 

Was I doing something wrong that the pedal assist wasn't working for me or was there an issue with the test bicycle?

 

Has anybody on this forum done this kind of thing and can give me some feedback because I'm in a bit of a quandary. If the videos on you tube and on the various websites are to be believed than doing this conversion is easier than making omelettes for breakfast and twice as tasty.

[madmarc]

Search for "Tony Loser" under members and PM him, he done a lot of conversions with kits he brought in from far east - may even have a kit to sell you

[edkin]

Thanks. I'll give him a try

[rorydewet]

edit

 

didnt know what a bafang e bike is

 

in my view better to just buy an e bike

Edited February 19, 2019 by rorydewet

[ChrisF]

EDIT - speak tot he guys at "Chilled Squirrel" at the River Club Observatory - https://www.chilledsquirrel.com/

 

 

PS - sure the battery was charged ?  When these things work, it WORKS !!

Edited February 19, 2019 by ChrisF

[Dirkitech]

edit

 

didnt know what a bafang e bike is

 

in my view better to just buy an e bike

It's a e-bike motor brand that has been around for at least several years and I've never heard anything bad about their motors. They are very popular with their DIY conversion kits, so not automatically better to buy an ebike.

[edkin]

EDIT - speak tot he guys at "Chilled Squirrel" at the River Club Observatory - https://www.chilledsquirrel.com/

 

 

PS - sure the battery was charged ?  When these things work, it WORKS !!

 

The battery charge was about 70% so no problem there. I would agree with you when you say when it works it works. 

 

If you look on you tube most of the clips are re the 750W or the HD which is 1000W. Those dudes are reaching 65-70km per hour which is ridiculous and dangerous in my opinion as bikes that are retrofitted just don't have the components for those kinds of speeds .

 

I just wanted a 250W or 350W motor for a decent pedal assist and thats why I wanted a test ride just to confirm what I expected. Unfortunately my expectations were seriously disappointed.

 

In theory I should have more than adequate pedal assist as the commercial ebikes available are only 250W. 

 

My intentions with the test ride was to compare the effect of the cadence sensor as opposed to the effect of the Torque sensor installed on the high end Ebikes. I didn't get that far as there was no pedal assist?????!!!

[johanhorak]

Hi 

 

I am considering importing an ebike motor from AlieExpress. And looked into the options. 

 

Leonard at http://www.relectro.co.za/ build batteries and do ebike conversions. He is amazingly helpful.  

[edkin]

Hi 

 

I am considering importing an ebike motor from AlieExpress. And looked into the options. 

 

Leonard at http://www.relectro.co.za/ build batteries and do ebike conversions. He is amazingly helpful.  

I totally agree. I filled in my contact details and within 2 minutes he was on the phone to me with great suggestions. 

 

Problem is he is in Jhb and I want to ride a bike in order to see if the the first time was an anomoly with the bike or if it was me not doing something correctly that was the problem.

 

I repeat. I need to ride a bike with the same size emotor to see if it would work for me. Anybody out there with a 350W Ebike that I can take for a 2 minute ride?

[edkin]

Hi 

 

I am considering importing an ebike motor from AlieExpress. And looked into the options. 

 

Leonard at http://www.relectro.co.za/ build batteries and do ebike conversions. He is amazingly helpful.  

When are you going to make a decision? Maybe we have a common interest and should take this conversation to the local coffee shop with a chat???

[Ryan Hawthorne]

Based on this thread, I bought a 250w electric motor and battery conversion kit from Leonard at Relectro. I have been using the system for a week now, and it is just great. Leonard was extremely helpful in answering all my questions, and I had my new motor, battery and torque arm installed on my racing bike in a matter of days (Dunkeld Cycles did the conversion). I am now able to get up the hill to Rosebank in the mornings without breaking a sweat, and use my car even less now. Thanks edkin and johanhorak!

 

I totally agree. I filled in my contact details and within 2 minutes he was on the phone to me with great suggestions. 

 

Problem is he is in Jhb and I want to ride a bike in order to see if the the first time was an anomoly with the bike or if it was me not doing something correctly that was the problem.

 

I repeat. I need to ride a bike with the same size emotor to see if it would work for me. Anybody out there with a 350W Ebike that I can take for a 2 minute ride?

 

[Zebra]

I converted a 26' Spez S-Works, the Alu model, about 4 years back; since that bike - as a 26'er - is hardly worth anything, it made for a fun project, I was recovering from major leg surgery, and it got me back to commuting, occassionally.

 

The Bafang products have lasted VERY well, not a day's problem, Chilled Squirell did the conversion (500w), and the 'power' is next level...

 

Originally, my controller was set to THREE levels (think low power, medium power and high power), but later i had the SMAE controlled reprogrammed for NINE levels of assist 1 - 9, much smoother increments, the bike has 'near' small- Motorcycle acceleration levels, useful for getting up-to-speed at major, multi-lane intersections...

 

Cost then around R22k, best money I ever spent/best fun I ever had!

Chris

Edited December 16, 2020 by Zebra

[ChrisF]

Thread revival ....

 

Any updates from those that were looking at upgrades ?

 

 

Practical question - what does it feel like when you exceed the speed assist level ? Smooth transfer, or a "breaking" feeling ?

[Alouette3]

My mate has one and is super happy with it still. Managed 55km/h on the level with it on an Giant Revel frame, think he has clocked it at 65km/h on the level now. Doesn't have the 25km/h cut off like some of the fancy purpose built e-bikes.

 

Personal I'm not a great fan of the initial power application when you start pedaling from a standstill and slow speeds. Fine for roads but wouldn't not be great for more technical type mountain biking.

[ChrisF]

My mate has one and is super happy with it still. Managed 55km/h on the level with it on an Giant Revel frame, think he has clocked it at 65km/h on the level now. Doesn't have the 25km/h cut off like some of the fancy purpose built e-bikes.

 

Personal I'm not a great fan of the initial power application when you start pedaling from a standstill and slow speeds. Fine for roads but wouldn't not be great for more technical type mountain biking.

With my Giant ebike the assist stops, but the transfer is 100% smooth, and you can take it to 50km/h (spping like crazy though) and the motor dont hold you back. Slight downhills I cycle just above the assist level ... helps a lot with battery management.

 

 

Wondering how the Bafang hub mount compares ..

.

 

 

 

Power delivery ... even with the Giant it took a few rides to get used to it .... now a normal bike feels all kinds of wrong ... hiehie.