safetyfast

Hi Bill, I've got a (reprogrammed) BBS01 on my hybrid. I'm 16 miles north west of Okehampton and about 50 minutes from Exeter. You are welcome to try mine, though there may be someone nearer. Paul

Quite possibly, time will tell on that one, though I expect to have replace the chain and cassette somewhere along the way. I do think, however, the way that it is ridden has a huge bearing. I always cut power when gear changing and there is no crashing. I remember in 1992 when I fitted a 1275cc engine to my Morris Minor but continued to use the original 1100 gearbox. Some people said the 'box wouldn't last two minutes. Twenty three years on it doesn't feel any different... Thanks for all the comments on this, very interesting and useful.

Evening all, A friend of mine is considering a Big Bear after I made him aware of Woosh bikes. We are in rural mid Devon and it is quite varied, hilly terrain. I have BBS01 crank drive on my bike. By all accounts the Big Bear is pretty powerful and copes with hills well. Just wondering what experiences are with mixed terrain. I considered a Big Bear myself so would be intrigued to see how one performs. Cheers, Paul

Yes, I had my previous Golf GTTDI remapped and still remember coming out with some expletives when I first drove up the road (not to mention the smile on my face!) I've kept my current one standard as the budget won't stretch to non essentials like that since the three little ones have come along. I did manage to wangle converting the bike though, so all is not lost!

Mine was from Eclipse, so I am assuming it is set to 60%. I guess reprogramming to 100% makes it ride the same as using full throttle as well as pedalling. Now that does sound appealing... I wish I lived nearer to you mfj197!

I thought I would do a quick summary of how the BBS01 is performing now that it has had some use. Those that have read my other post will know that I went for the legal 250w version (from Eclipse) and fitted it to my Gary Fisher Monona hybrid. The converted bike weighs in at about 18kg including the 14.5ah bottle battery. I have been very fortunate in that the weather here in Devon has been very dry most of the time since doing the conversion, fuelling my desire to get out and use it. Most runs have been 15-20 miles at a time in the evening. Today I decided to attempt a partial commute to work. I work in Bude in north Cornwall, which is about 17 miles from home. The thought of doing the entire distance on my bike is still a bit overwhelming, and there are also time constraints to consider, especially first thing in the morning. Instead I left my car in Holsworthy, removed my bike and cycled the 9 miles or so to Bude. It was a stunning morning and a real pleasure. I did about 5 miles on the main road, which had a bit of traffic but nothing major. Initially I panicked about being late and probably wellied the bike more than I needed to. I couldn't believe how rapidly I made progress. After a while I relaxed and enjoyed the stunning views, especially for the last 4 miles down quiet country lanes. I am delighted with how the BBS01 is performing. It is very quiet and just makes a very pleasant whistle/drone when running. Being a crank drive the bigger hills can require lots of changing down and steady progress, but the torque is phenomenal. At no time have I considered getting off and pushing, and some of the hills have been pretty serious. It cracks on nicely on the level. As others advised, it does require more input at the pedals from me, but I still feel that the bike is giving me a workout, with all the added advantages. The bike feels 'right', not like something I have cobbled together, which is what I hoped for. I rode home a more rural 11 mile route, avoiding main roads entirely, and still showed full battery despite upping the power several times just to have some fun! I think the full distance commute will be on the cards soon. I was actually quite gutted to have to return to my car the afternoon; I just wanted to keep going and ride all the way home. The photo below was taken this morning approaching the village of Marhamchurch, the views are stunning looking over the bay towards Bude.

EX21 for me as well please.

I haven't ridden anything else to compare it to, but it certainly runs very sweetly and has been a pleasure to use in the last couple of weeks. A work colleague with a Claud Butler Glide 2 has tried it and is gutted - he now wants my bike!

I bought the bike second hand two years ago in as new condition for £170 (the bike brand new being £550-£600) and the kit and battery delivered from Eclipse for £603. I now have a sub 18kg hybrid for just over £770. It also means my existing bike isn't just sat gathering dust and I can enjoy it more than ever before.

I must have just been unlucky then. I asked about the Krieger, and then about putting the BBS01 on my existing bike as an alternative. Certainly not planning on reprogramming the kit, deliberately went for 250w to stay within the law. Anyway, conversion done and bank balance less dented, so I'm happy!

I was right at the point of ordering a Krieger from Woosh. In the end my money went elsewhere, so they effectively did me a favour and saved me £300 by using Eclipse instead for the BBS01 conversion. I am sure they are a great company, but I don't think responding to 3-4 emails is too much to ask when planning to spend £900+.

I'm going to defend Eclipse here. I bought a BBS01 250w kit and 14.5Ah Samsung battery a few weeks ago from them. I had never come across Eclipse until then, but was very impressed by their prices. Yes, when emailing for advice there was little response, but I placed the order anyway (even Woosh stopped responding to my questions after the second email...) Five days after ordering the kit and battery arrived as indicated by the email confirmation. Everything was very carefully packed and an effort had clearly been made. I'm well pleased with my subsequent conversion. I really can't fault Eclipse, and would use them again. And no, I do not have any connection with the company.

Have done a 22 mile ride this morning at the crack of dawn. Lovely around the sunny Devon lanes. Everything is working well and I am pleased. Used PAS on 3 - 4 (is set to give 5 levels) with a occasional switch to 5 on the biggest of hills. There is some very varied terrain round here and the crank drive seems a good option. Battery was wavering between 3 and 4 bars when I got home, which doesn't seem bad given it is new and I used the throttle quite a few times for an extra push. Hopefully as my fitness comes up I'll be able to rely on less assistance.

Evening all, I received my 250w BBS01 kit from Eclipse on Tuesday and am now up and running. I did most of the conversion on Tuesday evening and it went pretty smoothly. The worst part was shifting the right hand bottom bracket nut, which eventually gave in to the large Stilsons and scaffold tube. I also had some hassle trying to get the BBS01 through the bottom bracket tube given the tight fit and the need to file away some welds inside (a Dremel is one of the few tools I don't have). I am pleased with the end result. The Gary Fisher Monona seems an ideal donor hybrid bike, with the final converted weight not too heavy at 18.4kg. I went for the 14.5Ah battery to give a decent range. My first ride was a brief 3 mile run at 10pm on Wednesday evening. It was pitch black (rural Devon) and the only light I could rig up was my phone LED flash, which resulted in a few arguments with pot holes. I got home absolutely frozen and not really able to evaluate much. This evening I did 12 very rural miles in the chilly sunshine in about 45 minutes. I broke the rules about trying before buying and opted for a crank drive having not experienced one (nothing available around here) but am quite impressed. I tackled a few pretty serious hills and got up them well through correct use of the gears. The brake lever blip technique when gear changing means it is no different to when the bike was previously unassisted. I topped 33.4 mph at one point on a brief main road stretch. Normal cruising speed on the level about 20mph. I went into the settings and played with raising the maximum speed to 40 kph and there seems to be no 15mph cut off. I would be interested to hear of the difference between the 250w and 350w versions to ride. I decided to stay legal with motor power by going smaller, though I gather only the controller settings make the difference between the 250 and 350w. What I do like about the crank drive is that my legs still feel as if I have done a bike ride (but I can still speak afterwards!) and am sure fitness levels will benefit as a result. I didn't want to make life too easy. I am very impressed at how quiet and refined the BBS01 is in use. A couple of times I whacked up the throttle to aid hill climbing (whilst pedalling) - will this do any harm to the motor long term? Gearing was kept low to maximise torque and not strain the motor too much. A couple of photos attached, before and after. I never got round to taking any during the conversion work.

Had an email back from Eclipse yesterday confirming that my kit and battery will be sent out in the next few days. As my crank tools have arrived I might as well start some dismantling. Here is the bike that will be converted. Will start a new thread once work is properly in progress (don't want to hijack yours Sylvester!)

Yes I saw the note about back orders. Hopefully as there were 8 showing in stock when I ordered I should receive it.

Silver cable ties ordered (to match bike frame colour). Bike doesn't really need cleaning as it's pretty spick and span. I'm wanting to dismantle pedals and bottom bracket but just wish I knew for sure the that kit is on the way, so I don't just end end up with my bike out of action. Comments on here about Eclipse seem positive enough though, so fingers crossed.

I've taken the plunge and ordered the BBS01 for my Gary Fisher Monona hybrid from Eclipse. Slightly concerned at the moment, as there have been no updates about despatch, simply order 'pending'. There were 8 in stock when I ordered but none now, so hoping I receive it without problems. Can't wait to do the conversion! Will hopefully upload some pics when done.

Interesting... Just looked on the Eclipse website and it's in stock there. I'm assuming their kit is identical. It's also a bit cheaper at just a share under £600 with frame battery and charger. Anyone had dealings with Eclipse?

According to the Woosh website the BBS01 kit isn't in stock until late July (sigh)...

Thanks for your comments d8veh and trex. I really hope I can try out a crank drive soon. Is the hub motor the same as used on the Big Bear? I'm not sure I can wait 'til May!

Evening all, My dilemma continues, the more I ponder the options, the harder this gets. Having considered converting my immaculate Gary Fisher Monona hybrid, then deciding a complete ebike might be better, I then discovered the reasonably priced Woosh kits on their website. I would imagine my Gary Fisher to be ideal for conversion. It's as new, with virtually no wear, is nice and light (11.5kg), has steel front forks and disc brake mounts. Wheels are 700c. I don't really want to part with it so wonder if I should go for the convert option to enjoy it even more. What concerns me about the Woosh kits is the suggestion that the warranty will be invalid if I do the conversion myself. Given that I have many years experience in the motor trade, building and repairing bikes and currently teach electronics at GCSE as well as lots of engineering experience, doing the conversion to a good standard is half the fun and not something that overwhelms me. I am just wondering if anyone else has tried the same route with a Woosh kit. I have emailed Andy at Woosh with my thoughts, and sent a photo of my bike, and am hoping to hear back soon. I may call them for a chat tomorrow. Here in Devon I don't even know of any fitters, and can't face parting with £100 for something that I know I can do (fitting cruise control to my Golf and Passat, now that was a scary sight!). I would probably go for a front hub motor if I did it, though I like the look of the Woosh Krieger, which is crank drive. Unfortunately I have yet to find someone in the area that has a crank drive to try. Thoughts appreciated...

Interestingly, having emailed Woosh today, Andy from there seems to be encouraging me more towards the Big Bear, saying it has more grunt and is easier to ride. I am happy to take on a crank drive if it is possible to develop a non-brutal gear changing technique (I own several very old cars with little or no synchro, so am used to it!). I just can't get very excited about the Big Bear...

Thanks trex, that's interesting to hear. I find the Krieger a rather more interesting option and though I know you shouldn't judge a bike by its looks prefer the Krieger, especially the lower mounted battery. I haven't tried a crank drive, unfortunately in this part of the world Woosh bikes don't really exist. The range on the Krieger also looks good. I am assuming that the crank drive is of a decent quality. Nice to know you feel it is fast - would like something that will crack on at a good pace, especially as I am quite light.

I know the Big Bear is highly regarded, but prefer the look of the Krieger. Just wondering if anyone has one, or has tried one, and how the crank drive compares to the hub motor on the Big Bear? I am 41, 73kg, 5' 10", a bit unfit and want to use for hilly commuting sometimes but mainly pleasure use. Have already asked advice regarding Stealth and other low cost options. Woosh seem a good choice. Thanks in advance.