Good deals at the moment?

[Bogmonster666]

Have been planning to install a kit on my bike for a few months, done a load of research, prepared the donor bike. Supply chain issues keep delaying availability of the kit and events are overtaking me. Just smashed up my ankle and will be desparate to get exercising it gently as soon as I can (hopefully a couple of weeks). It's too hilly here ride unassisted whilst recovering and it's very important I get exercise to help recovery - cycling is recommended.

So I may be forced to change my plans and get something available now. I was set on a high torque rear hub due to hills around here and lack of faith in the aftermarket mid drive kits.

If I end up buying a whole bike then I get access to more mainstream mid drive options. Conceptually I prefer the idea of a mid-drive. My original need was to also lug a lot of kit about and have front and rear panniers on my bike. Tbh, I can probably use my existing bike for this duty as not really cycling too far loaded up with all the kit. Also, won't need to cycle heavily laiden for some months (the kit is caving kit and I won't be underground for 8+ weeks given extent of injury). Can't really spend more than £2k mark though so limited choice. Crossfuse is an option. What else is good value at the moment?

I have a blue light card but Halfords exclude ebikes from the discount scheme - bummer.

 

[guerney]

If I'd known about the ETM BBS01B, I would have driven to Brighton and bought that instead. Not that my BBS01B is lacking torque, so far.

Bafang BBS01B-ETM (MM G430.250) 36V 250W motor kit

Bafang BBS01B-ETM 36V 250W mid-drive complete conversion kit including LG MH1 cell battery

www.brightonebikes.co.uk

They don't deliver.

 

[Nealh]

An uncommon mid motor in general in the west is the Gospade mid motor 2.46kgs with 36v bottle battery £435 on AliExpress.
No battery details but expect it to be only about 200wh.

 

[guerney]

I have a blue light card but Halfords exclude ebikes from the discount scheme - bummer.

There do seem to be a lot of Halfrauds ebike problems on this forum. I think you may have dodged a bullet there.

What saves you money costs you time. There's always something available at short notice. I'd suggest the seller I bought my kit from on Amazon, but you'd have to send faulty items to China - he sometimes has kits in his "UK Warehouse".

 

[Bonzo Banana]

Have been planning to install a kit on my bike for a few months, done a load of research, prepared the donor bike. Supply chain issues keep delaying availability of the kit and events are overtaking me. Just smashed up my ankle and will be desparate to get exercising it gently as soon as I can (hopefully a couple of weeks). It's too hilly here ride unassisted whilst recovering and it's very important I get exercise to help recovery - cycling is recommended.

So I may be forced to change my plans and get something available now. I was set on a high torque rear hub due to hills around here and lack of faith in the aftermarket mid drive kits.

If I end up buying a whole bike then I get access to more mainstream mid drive options. Conceptually I prefer the idea of a mid-drive. My original need was to also lug a lot of kit about and have front and rear panniers on my bike. Tbh, I can probably use my existing bike for this duty as not really cycling too far loaded up with all the kit. Also, won't need to cycle heavily laiden for some months (the kit is caving kit and I won't be underground for 8+ weeks given extent of injury). Can't really spend more than £2k mark though so limited choice. Crossfuse is an option. What else is good value at the moment?

I have a blue light card but Halfords exclude ebikes from the discount scheme - bummer.

I have the complete opposite viewpoint to you, the third party mid-drive motor kits I find very desirable as parts are often cheaply available and the products are less proprietary typically i.e. you can use your own batteries and not be locked in. The reliability of Bosch, Brose etc is questionable with the huge failure rate of Specialized ebikes using Brose and known problems with Bosch. I'd personally avoid such motors like the plague. I realise there are some third party repair agents for Bosch motors who seem to do a good job but mid-drive motors are technically much more complicated and based around a smaller motor system that runs at higher rpm some of them have internal belts and nylon cogs and have a huge amount of power put through them, not just the motor but the riders own power goes through the crank and has to be factored in. I personally take the view that for general commuting it has to be a hub motor but for an e-mountain bike really it has to be mid-drive. This means for me the more intensive use off-road at least is typically less frequent and the 1000s of miles you may clock up on the road is more suitable for a hub motor especially as the hub motor works independently of the drivetrain so can massively extend the lifespan of the drivetrain not prematurely wear it out.

 

[Bogmonster666]

Maybe this is a different thread but some questions on the bafang mid drive 250w kits.

My bike has 26inch wheels and a 11-28 cassette. The rear derailleur may cope with a couple more teeth, possibly 30t but I doubt 32t or bigger. The current chainrings are 36 and 22.

I see that 42t chainring is a common size.

However, 42t and 28t at 60rpm gives a speed of ~7mph. Will this motor get me up a gradient of 15% with say 150w rider input at 7mph - I suspect that my bike will be over geared. A wider cassette range would help but won't work with derailleur, or I could try and source a smaller chainring.

What cadance is this kit most efficient at and what is a good working cadence for this kit. Do people successfully use it with a 11-28 cassette in hilly areas?

 

[guerney]

On my particular bike, 42T is hard to ride - folding Dahon Helios P8. I regularly tow a trailer with total weight of 83.6kg up steep hills with a 52T chainring to 11T-32T cassette - managing about 5 to 7mph. I weigh less than 10 stones now, and my converted bike weighs 22.1kg. I keep meaning to time my cadence, but always forget.

 

[Bogmonster666]

On my particular bike, 42T is overgeared - folding Dahon Helios P8. I regularly tow a trailer with total weight of 83.6kg up steep hills with a 52T chainring to 11T-32T cassette - managing about 5 to 7mph. I weigh less than 10 stones now, and my converted bike weighs 22.1kg. I keep meaning to time my cadence, but always forget.

Your total weight is more that mine, bike will be similar, I'm a little under 11 stone, but won't carry as much cargo. However, with the 42t I'm down to 42 cadence at 5mph, I suspect the motor will not be efficient at a cadence of 42rpm and will just get hot?

 

[guerney]

Your total weight is more that mine, bike will be similar, I'm a little under 11 stone, but won't carry as much cargo. However, with the 42t I'm down to 42 cadence at 5mph, I suspect the motor will not be efficient at a cadence of 42rpm and will just get hot?

I haven't timed my cadence on steep hills (20" wheels), and have never checked to see how hot the motor gets - battery sag is a bigger issue for me, but not if one has a big battery with a full charge. I stop my trailer hill haulage circuits when battery is low and the voltage sags excessively while going uphill, when it hits yellow (indicating low) on the display.

I believe you can fit pretty much any chainring of your choosing using a spider adapter - @Nealh linked one on a thread some time ago somewhere. Check sizing. Of course, it may change the chainline.

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Quite honestly, I'm amazed nothing has blown up. It's coping well, and I have a spare controller in case. In my experience at least, Bafang BBS01B motors are quite forgiving of abuse.

 

[Bogmonster666]

Well, I fractured my ankle Monday evening, and dreading a long weekend with no plans I decided to try a test bike ride tonight. Lowered the saddle a long way, put in my plastic boot, selected granny ring, and did maybe 1.5 miles with gentle hills. All went well apart from a bit wobbly as moving very slowly. Minimal pressure on bad ankle. I can't afford to need to put a lot of weight on bad foot but I can cycle at moderate cadence in low gear and get aerobic exercise (and slow forwards progress). Will encourage my non-cycling wife to join me on a little bumble about.

Planning a pub trip but need to work out how to strap crutches to bike as no use if I can get to pub carpark but not get to the bar. I can't walk without crutches and hopping gets tiresome real quick...

 

[guerney]

However, with the 42t I'm down to 42 cadence at 5mph, I suspect the motor will not be efficient at a cadence of 42rpm and will just get hot?

After a steep hill towing water ((2 X 25kg) + (10 X 2.26kg)) + trailer 15.5kg = 89.1kg last night, the motor exterior was slightly warm. Of course, it may have been much hotter within.

Well, I fractured my ankle Monday evening, and dreading a long weekend with no plans I decided to try a test bike ride tonight. Lowered the saddle a long way, put in my plastic boot, selected granny ring, and did maybe 1.5 miles with gentle hills. All went well apart from a bit wobbly as moving very slowly. Minimal pressure on bad ankle. I can't afford to need to put a lot of weight on bad foot but I can cycle at moderate cadence in low gear and get aerobic exercise (and slow forwards progress). Will encourage my non-cycling wife to join me on a little bumble about.

Planning a pub trip but need to work out how to strap crutches to bike as no use if I can get to pub carpark but not get to the bar. I can't walk without crutches and hopping gets tiresome real quick...

I'm no medical expert, but it sounds to me like the fractured bone needs to knit together first, before you stress and strengthen it.

 

[Bogmonster666]

After a steep hill towing water ((2 X 25kg) + (10 X 2.26kg)) + trailer 15.5kg = 89.1kg last night, the motor exterior was slightly warm. Of course, it may have been much hotter within.



I'm no medical expert, but it sounds to me like the fractured bone needs to knit together first, before you stress and strengthen it.

Well, the hauling capacity of the motor sounds impressive. I may well change my plans. Looks like fitting a 38t chainring would be possible if needed. I'm usually wanting to cycle at well over 60rpm.

On the healing front, the advice I got from hospital is that I do I need to exercise quite quickly. There are no load moving ankle about exercises (which are going slow due to swelling) and load based exercises. The fracture is on the inside of heal where a piece of bone has been torn away. My foot rolled outwards when I landed and the ligament didn't snap, instead it ripped a piece of bone off the side. I have to avoid exercise that risks rolling my foot over but exercises like cycling are encouraged - I do need to gently introduce putting weight on foot and can do that after a few days. Days 3 to 14 I am supposed to be doing short walks and weaning myself off crutches (there is absolutely no way I can attempt most of the exercises they are recommending - walking is a complete no go at the moment). Cycling is good as I can cycle in very low gear and put minimal load (much less than walking) and promote blood flow. Wearing support boot to minimize risk of turning ankle. Main concern with cycling is stopping and needing to put foot down quickly. Tbh the NHS advice appears very optimistic and people I know who have had similar injuries have not been able to progress as quickly as the advice leaflets suggest you should. I suspect the soft tissue damage I have is probably on the worse end of the scale for this type of injury - they don't usually set up physio appointments and don't always supply a boot. It's a balance, early exercise is supposed to quicken healing but hard to know how much is too much. Lots of swelling but limited visible bruising - in the words of my wife, 'Im disappointed about the colour, I was expecting a rainbow...'.

BM

 

[I893469365902345609348566]

Bone infection is a worrying possibility, more common with lower limb bones. If I'd had a bone infection in my wrist, worst case scenario would have been a hook instead of a hand. It happened 18th November 2021, I think I'm clear. Keep your eyes open for symptoms and get checked regularly.

Tendons take ages to heal, I think mine are finally almost there.

I hope your injury heals up well.