Converting a Birdy Folder

[5threeone]

Birdy is a good machine to convert with a Bafang mid drive putting battery on the rack. Bought my kit from Brighton E Bikes.Splendid service. Took me just over four hours. Works 100%.

 

[Croxden]

Excellent, well done you.

Something to think about in the spring perhaps.

 

[Croxden]

Have you had to replace the large chain ring?

It would make the gearing very low, that's what put me off the idea of using that motor.

 

[5threeone]

I have fitted a Lekkie 42T ring. Not too low on gearing for me. I have a three speed hub with 8 speed cassette. Before 'electrocuting' it I had a 56t chainring. Far too high a range so I changed that for a 48T. Even then I still never used the high gear in the hub. I thought I might with Bafang fitted, but no, its still middle hub gear most of the time and just slip onto the low for the inclines. Maybe one day on a long descent that top gear........... ...................................will come into its own!

 

[anotherkiwi]

You can put the chainring you want/need on the motor with a spider. I have put one on the GSM (Bafang spider is compatible) and the chainline is quite good. Not as perfect as it might be but not presenting any problems.

I have a 42 tooth on my 28" wheel bike, I think on a small wheeled folder I would be running a 50 tooth narrow wide chainring with maybe a 38 for the hills.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

42T for 20" wheels would be much too low for most people. It gives a speed of 13 mph in top gear (11T) at a cadence of 60, where the Bafang motor is working most efficiently. 48T is about right for a non-electric bike with 20" wheels, so I'd go with at least 52T on an electric one for comfortable pedalling at 20 mph with a cadence of 73.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Looking good! I will send images to RM.

All the best, David

 

[5threeone]

Limited fold of course. The rear wheel will come around and stops against the motor about 180mm short of complete fold. So its a compromise. Made do with just the front wheel fold for the photo experiment. In the back of a Freelander as shown here .I could live with that.
I rode conventional bikes for 60+ years....so never thought about folding. The partial fold is sufficient for my space needs nowadays.

 

[Croxden]

Shame about the fold, I suppose it's one of the problems in trying to adapt such a bike.

Still, it's doing what you want and long may it do so.

 

[Osirius]

My Birdy Blue folder wants me to convert it to a FWD ebike! There are, however, some complications and I was hoping I could get some advice here. I don't want to compromise the folding ability if at all possible.

1. The front wheel is an 18" one. I have a new rim and was wondering if you could recommend a motor only deal that I could then have laced into a wheel. Are there certain windings that suit a small wheel better?
2. Is there anyone who specialises in making these wheels?
3. Once I have the wheel, what controller, display and wiring do you recommend?
4. Panda have a kit for a Brompton that includes an 8ah battery with controller in a bag that goes onto the 'bars. That would be ideal, but I'm not sure if they'd sell me just the battery and controller. Are there any other such options out there?

Any other tips or guidance welcome.

TIA

Hi I have just noticed your request.
I was looking for something similar, but I needed to travel with the bike across the atlantic and occasionally across europe.
I chose a Birdy Mark 3 Rohloff rather than converting the bike to an e-bike because travelling with the batteries by air seems no longer possible :-(

I got an approximate £1100 upgrade quote for the DIY kit to convert my Birdy if I still wanted to go head with the upgrade at a future date.

I used these as reference links:

BVB Birdy

http://www.ebike-solutions.com/en/current-conversion-projects.html


If you are interested the company was:

Electric Bike Solutions GmbH
Carl-Bosch-Str. 2
69115 Heidelberg

Tel: +49 6221 871060

info@ebike-solutions.de
http://www.ebike-solutions.de

 

[5threeone]

My Birdy Bafang has now done just over 600 kms since the conversion 25 days ago. No problems, no regrets. Fitting was about four hours pleasurable project with no snags at all. I did experiment with putting the battery in a bag on the rear rack. Found that a little lacking in 'streamline' so simply bolted it on the rack and took to relying on my small front panniers for carrying whatever was needing carrying on the day. Or......went back to no bags at all and just a mussette.

 

[Osirius]

Thanks for the insight. This is very good progress, but I would like to keep the full folding capability.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

What gearing do you have? Is it OK?

 

[Osirius]

Looks like another candidate has arrived ....

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1204216132933489&id=142190292469417

 

[Osirius]

Birdy cannot fully fold with the Pendix mid motor :-(

 

[raymee]

Electricbike conversions in Hertfordshire will lace their 250 watt kit into any supplied rim, 24 hour turnaround.

 

[Osirius]

Hello raymee, this looks interesting do you have a link with more details ?
thanks

 

[signwave]

Hello raymee, this looks interesting do you have a link with more details ?
thanks

http://www.electricbikeconversions.co.uk

 

[Osirius]

thanks

 

[Nenad Jovanovic]

At 2008 Eurobike, Riese ind Müller offered their folding model in "electrocuted" edition: http://road.cc/content/news/326-new-birdy-electric-folder
They gave it up due to portability issues with increased weight, nevertheless "eBirdy" was folding as originally intended. With electrified Brompton surfacing shortly, I wouldn't be surprised if R&M revamp their decade old prototype.