Hi - I have a few questions about what to choose?

thelarkbox

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 23, 2023
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oxon
My kit was via Yose-Power (chinese with uk based web site and eu/uk wharehouse so complient with eu/uk regs mostly) , and a good rep for batteries (welcome to critisism on this point), and was complete with a 36v 17ah battery. rear wheel 700c size the 700mm again.. 28" to most 29" to some but 700 to all afaik ;)

they did also sell an unrestricted 350w kit with an unrestricted controller f/w. The motor hub etched with 350w so a sticker from ebay?

Features hidden controller under the battery sled and 'waterproof' connections to sensors/motors etc for an easy tidy finish (but features that hamper. limit or complicate upgrading with aftermarket parts too) (cutting off plugs resoldering etc..)

Easy fit but i fell foul of the standard pedal sensor being too snug on the crank issue and needed a 2nd £15 sensor (next day delivered via yose) I would suggest opting for the harder to fit held by bottom bracket pas sensor ;) if your crank diameter is a fraction over 17mm beware!!

And i fitted the wheel upside down on my 1st attempt too (cheers @saneagle )

the display/controller interface is limited allowing only the selection of mph or km/h in settings, you can also change the wheel size but that only effects the speed display not power output,
For riding there are 5 x speed based power levels or 'gears' easy to change /select with up down buttons on the display.

It took a while to get used to how it all works, 1st ride back from shopping loaded up i sailed up the last climb that usually would have me panting in 2nd gear at the top creeping along, and turned into the next road at a speed i had never been at before and almost lost all my shopping running over a pothole at 15mph..

Didnt take me long to buy a kt controller and headset, and i have not fitted it, and Its on the back burner until i find an actual need.

These days i ride out without epower (most travel starts off down hill.. ) turning on when required on longer and return trips, Max distance I have gone in one trip was 22miles return and i had no problems bringing 20kg back with me.



oh the other thing about brakes is RIM WEAR!! if an ally wheel rim with ridges to aid braking, say good bye to the ridges i rode my bike for 3 years without a motor less than 2 months with a motor and no front wheel rim ridges anymore, thats a smooth surface now!!
 
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saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
4,352
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Telford
oh the other thing about brakes is RIM WEAR!! if an ally wheel rim with ridges to aid braking, say good bye to the ridges i rode my bike for 3 years without a motor less than 2 months with a motor and no front wheel rim ridges anymore, thats a smooth surface now!!
Are you talking about the black line around the rim in the middle of the zone where the brake clamps? They're the wear lines. If they disappear, it meaans the rim is too thin and you should get a new one fairly soon, otherwise it might split with disastrous consequences.


 

thelarkbox

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 23, 2023
706
222
oxon
With my old back wheel hung up on the shed wall I only noticed the ridged profile of the braking surface ( 1mm triangular ridges running the circumference of the wheel) after changing the front wheel brake blocks and had to double check as i recalled that as being smooth rimmed. , Its not eating the rim wall away just yet but i am keeping an eye on it, Aluminium is soft and I have been braking significantly harder and longer since the conversion, and google has failed my half hearted effort at pulling out an example pic of the wheel rim ridges i refer to perhaps its just a feature of the cheapest rims?
 

Woosh

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May 19, 2012
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Southend on Sea
wooshbikes.co.uk
they did also sell an unrestricted 350w kit with an unrestricted controller f/w. The motor hub etched with 350w so a sticker from ebay?
all the Chinese kits are unlocked, the LCDs are set at 25kph by default. You are the 'manufacturer' in the eye of the law, you can break the law and change the speed limit if you so wish, it's your responsibility. The instructions of how to do that is in the LCD manual.
 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
10,298
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With my old back wheel hung up on the shed wall I only noticed the ridged profile of the braking surface ( 1mm triangular ridges running the circumference of the wheel) after changing the front wheel brake blocks and had to double check as i recalled that as being smooth rimmed. , Its not eating the rim wall away just yet but i am keeping an eye on it, Aluminium is soft and I have been braking significantly harder and longer since the conversion, and google has failed my half hearted effort at pulling out an example pic of the wheel rim ridges i refer to perhaps its just a feature of the cheapest rims?
The front rim seems fine on my bike, but the rear looks worrying. Nightmare trying to find wide enough rims for 1.75" tyres in 20". Big pics for zoom-in horror detail.

56031

56032
 

saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
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guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
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Is that the motor wheel? 1 3/4 should be no problem. That's the normal size. Any 18, 19 or 20mm rim should be OK.
Not the motor wheel, I've got a mid drive.


Thanks for the link - I've looked at those before, but using them would involve wheel building, with new spokes of a different length. I've always used double walled on the Dahon Helios, haven't tried single walled since the 1980s. Unsure if they'd be worse or what - probably not, as it's a small wheel?


The rear is 28H. Last time I enquired about those rims (I think), I was told they were too thin for 1.75" tyres. Might have been 16mm wide. I'll enquire again, as it's been over a year and those might not be exactly the same rims.
 

thelarkbox

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 23, 2023
706
222
oxon
all the Chinese kits are unlocked, the LCDs are set at 25kph by default. You are the 'manufacturer' in the eye of the law, you can break the law and change the speed limit if you so wish, it's your responsibility. The instructions of how to do that is in the LCD manual.
My experience is limited to a single supplier with a eu/uk 'shopfront' the 250w kits are restricted by a custom f/w on the controller unit for the eu market. thats a rabbit hole im comfy in and have threads on pedelec.de with their f/w gurus on the subject ;)

"The exception that proves the rule" as my ol mam was fond of saying..
 
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saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
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Not the motor wheel, I've got a mid drive.




Thanks for the link - I've looked at those before, but using them would involve wheel building, with new spokes of a different length. I've always used double walled on the Dahon Helios, haven't tried single walled since the 1980s. Unsure if they'd be worse or what - probably not, as it's a small wheel?




The rear is 28H. Last time I enquired about those rims (I think), I was told they were too thin for 1.75" tyres. Might have been 16mm wide. I'll enquire again, as it's been over a year and those might not be exactly the same rims.
You might be able to find a whole wheel ready built for less than the price of the rim.
 
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guerney

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Sep 7, 2021
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You might be able to find a whole wheel ready built for less than the price of the rim.
Thanks for searching @saneagle ... it's that time again, when I go Googling all over the place for a matching 28H wide dual walled rim, or entire wheel for 8 speed cassette. Or I might simply chuck the mid drive on the Espresso, because wide 26" rims are much easier to source.
 

guerney

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Sep 7, 2021
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Last edited:

Cadence

Pedelecer
Feb 23, 2023
181
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all the Chinese kits are unlocked, the LCDs are set at 25kph by default. You are the 'manufacturer' in the eye of the law, you can break the law and change the speed limit if you so wish, it's your responsibility. The instructions of how to do that is in the LCD manual.
That's not quite correct. The current Yosepower 250w. kits are restricted to 25kph max. and the instructions for the Lishui C500 display do not include any max. speed settings. Their 350w. kits are unrestricted, and although the display looks the same, the instructions do include max. speed settings. I managed to derestrict my 250w. kit, but only by buying a replacement 18A controller (same as supplied with their 350w. kits) and another C500 display. Both are needed.
 
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saneagle

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Oct 10, 2010
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And I still don't understand what the difference is between 46T and 42T?
Pedal speed. Check the number of teeth on your top gear. The Bafang BBS**s have optimal efficiency at about 75 rpm and max out at about 100 rpm. You have to work out what that means to speed by calculating the ratio of the chainring teeth to top gear teeth, then multiplying by your normal pedal speed, say 60 rpm, then by the wheel circumference. Something like 60 x 42/14 x 28 x Pi inches per minute, then divide by 36 and 1760 to get miles per minute, then multiply by 60 to get miles per hour, which is about 15 mph. max spee would be 25 mph. With the power from 52V and 25A and gearing that low, the bike would flip in the low gears and be extremely jerky if you didn't smash the gears during attempts to shift.

You have to do that calculation for whatever gears your donor bike has and the chainwheel you choose.
 

Peter.Bridge

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 19, 2023
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To anyone who knows, I ask whether such a kit in relation to the price is OK?
There are Bafang BBS02 mid drive kits on eBay, including display and suitable 48v 20ah battery for £600 . That bbs hd is slightly more powerful (default 30 a peak CF 25 a peak) but work out quite a bit more expensive with a suitable battery

At the risk of nagging, the rim brakes on your bike may be ok stopping from 20mph now but a) in the wet, b) on a steep downhill c) with some wear d) add the weight of the conversion e) the extra speed (bbs02 would easily do > 30 mph with 48 or 52 tooth chain wheel, the HD faster still).

Look on marketplace for a better donor bike
 
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goral

Pedelecer
Jan 20, 2024
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From what I've read, you can set the power and max speed, via the programmer, by driving on a public road and then take the restriction off on a non-public road.
 

saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
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From what I've read, you can set the power and max speed, via the programmer, by driving on a public road and then take the restriction off on a non-public road.
If you're not on the road, you can't go fast anyway, so no point in doing that. You cannot make a 350w, 500w, 750w, 1000w or more motor legal by restricting it. Neither can you use it off-road unless it's on private land and you have the landowner's permission.
 

thelarkbox

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 23, 2023
706
222
oxon
From what I've read, you can set the power and max speed, via the programmer, by driving on a public road and then take the restriction off on a non-public road.
Yes but a bike thats not upto handeling the power on rd isnt going to perform better off rd.

Its not a case of "dont be a bad boy and obey the regs" its more of a case of Sure you can pick up the milk and paper from the corner shop in a 7 ton truck, do you want to?
 
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thelarkbox

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 23, 2023
706
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oxon
Any bike/ebike shops/showrooms near you @goral ? A quick test ride on any 250w bike mid drive or hub will give you instant appreciation of the power available and the wee factor involved.. Failing that strike up a conversation at the bike racks, Ive been asked a few Q's outside tesco.. Im not suggesting a stranger will let you ride their bike but im sure many would be happy to tell you about it if they have the time and inclination..