kernow60

O.K. here we go will try to post some pic's.................... Disregard the date stamp, forgot to re-set the date after re-formatting the camera's memory card My Diamondback e-bike Bafang 8-Fun 250w http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo283/GTD_2008/CIMG0001.jpg 36T Corona Chain-ring http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo283/GTD_2008/CIMG0002.jpg 34t ~ 11t Shimano Cassette http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo283/GTD_2008/CIMG0003.jpg 27.5" (650b) Wheels Hydraulic Disc brakes http://i384.photobucket.com/albums/oo283/GTD_2008/CIMG0006.jpg

O.K. give me a couple of days and I will sort some pics

O.K. point taken apologies if I seemed a bit critical. In fact I can actually get all 8 gears with the 36t on but the 36t x 34t isn't an ideal chain line so I stopped it at 26t which still gives me a lower ratio than the 44 x 28 which is the best I could get with the 44 c/r, again couldn't get near the 44 x 32 ratio without the c/r coming into contact with the frame. Ideally if the 36 c/r was slightly dished it would be fine but it's flat and fixed directly in place of the 44 with the motor fully inserted against the b/b. I would say that if I played around with a spider with say a a 38t or 40t c/r I think I could easily accomplish the perfect chain-line for all 8-gears, which for now will be a future project. So at the moment I'm happy with my current set-up, and will look into a larger c/r once I'm fit enough to do so. I'm currently using level 6 everywhere I ride with the option of 3x higher levels if I really feel the need, whereas I was on level 9 all the time before changing to the 36t c/r

How can it possibly be a case of the wrong frame, different manufactures use different designs so it's unlikely that you would find any two frames alike. In any case when you add a mid motor kit to a standard road bike, mountain bike or whatever, if it wasn't originally designed to be an e-bike then how are you going to guarantee it's going to be a perfect fit in every case. I am more than delighted with my choice of bike and also the outcome that as transpired with it. Someone mentioned in one of my previous threads that most people who fit these kits can't always use all the available gears and therefore have to compromise by selecting the best set-up that suits them, which is just what I have done, I have more or less a near perfect chain-line for seven out of the eight gears which is pretty good in my book, I have also read on here that some people actually drop a gear altogether and use a 7-speed set-up, another option for me if I wish.

Well probably not, unlikely the 42 will be much different than the 44 in that I would have to space the motor off the b/b to avoid the c/r contacting with the bottom fork, obviously at this stage I can't be certain, but my current set-up works well for me personally in that I'm now able to use more gears that with the 44, and like I said getting my fitness levels improved is first and foremost at the moment.

O.k. both the Shimano HG41 - 11-34 - 8 speed cassette and the 36t Corona chain-ring arrived toward the end of last week. So yesterday I decided to fit the items to see how things were going to pan out, first off I measured the distance from the seat tube to the edge of one of the teeth on the standard 44t c/r to give me some idea of the difference once the smaller 36t c/r is fitted. The Corona 36t c/r is flat no offset or dish to throw it inward, so after I removed the standard c/r plastic guard and the 44t c/r, I then offered the 36t c/r in place of the 44t c/r, and then decided to remove the motor assembly along with the previously installed spacer which was to prevent the teeth of the c/r coming into contact with the bottom fork and with the smaller diameter 36t c/r there was plenty of clearance as the fork tubes taper in toward the bottom of the seat tube at this point. Once installed I remeasured the distance from the seat tube to the edge of the teeth on the 36t c/r and it was pretty much the same as the the 44t c/r with the spacer installed, no more 1mm difference. Next job was to remove the rear wheel and fit the replacement 34t ~ 11t 8-speed cassette. Re-installed the rear wheel made some fine adjustment to the rear mech and I now have 7-useable gears, the only one which was not going to work was the 34t gear, the chain line stretching things a bit. So I set the next one down the 26t gear as the lowest gear and it now changes really smoothly all the way up the the top 11t gear and back again the 36t x 28t giving me 38.1inch gearing which should be more than low enough for me. Went out to give it a try earlier and although top gear 36t x 11t is now obviously lower that the previous 44t x 12t it's still o.k. especially seeing I want to get my level of fitness up, and I may consider at some stage upgrading to a 42t c/r

Thanks Kinninvie Point taken, but I will see how things pan out once my 36t ring arrives, at the moment I also can't use the top two (lowest gear) rings, but the rest are fine.

I will see how things are once the 36t arrives and I can see how it lines up. I have quite a few shims I can use to move the motor in or out of the b/b so I can play with it, in fact I have a 3.5mm one in at the moment so the 44t chainwheel doesn't come into contact the bottom fork, if the 36t looks like it's not going to work I always have the option to return it and change for a 42t. At my age I'm not really interested in speed, just a leisurely ride where I can enjoy it and maintain a reasonable level of fitness.

O.K. thanks trex, yeah I assumed the speedo's on these kits probably are not the most accurate, but would like to get it as close as possible, so will go for the 28" setting.

Hi all Well I have been enjoying my Bafang 8-Fun installation it's going well, I have a few mods to see too so I can get a better chain line and a better range of gears. I have ordered a Corona 36t chain wheel to fit in place of the 44t, a couple of reasons to go for the 36t initially, instead of the 42t, firstly I need to get my fitness levels up and the 36t will give me that extra bit better assistance on the hills etc, also a higher cadence, with the view to maybe increase to 42t at a later time if I feel the need. Also I have purchased a Shimano HG41 - 11-34 - 8 speed cassette to replace my 12-32 again to give a better range, also the fact that it seems to be recommended on this site quite a lot, so once it's all arrived I will install and update. One question if someone could advise please, I have gone into my settings changed from kph to mph, I now have 9-levels of assistance instead of the default three, and increased the speed up to 40kph although I'm not sure it's made that much noticeable difference ? My query is the wheel size setting it has several choices in the menu but not sure which I should use I am using the 700c size at present but am wondering if I should be using 28"? I have 27.5" (650b) and wheels and tyres, the trouble is there is nothing in the settings menu to accommodate my size wheels, the tyres are marked 2.1 which I assume to be the width. Cheers. P.S. one other thing I have noticed I seem to be able to change gears up or down really smoothly, on the ones that I can use at the moment, without any problem whatsoever, no noises nothing, so is it really necessary to momentarily kill the power to make gear changes as suggested one should.?

O.K. thanks now I know that there aren't any available from Bafang, a "bling" ring looks to be my best, and only bet. Thanks all for your help & advice...........

Hi trex Yes I totally agree, so are these type of "bling" rings, for the want of a better word, all that are available, only I was hoping to get hold of a Bafang 42t chain-ring, assuming there is such a thing, also it should be a much cheaper option. Thanks..........

O.K. tried her out today, for two reasons the first to see if I'm comfortable with the battery, zip-tied and taped to stop it moving, on the sloping top tube and it appears fine so will fix it permanently with rivnuts once they turn up. Secondly, wanted to see how it performs and what the ratios are like with the only 6- available gears out of the 8, well I have to say really impressed with the Bafang 8-Fun motor, so smooth and quiet. With regards to the gearing using the 44t chain-wheel with the lowest possible gear I can use on my 8-speed cassette which is the 24t gives me 49.8 inches, sorry but I'm old school and inches it's the only thing I can relate too lol , whereas if I could have used the lowest (32t) it would go down to 37.5 inches so quite a loss really in terms of low down gearing for really steep hills which we have a lot of down here in Cornwall. So what I propose is to obtain and fit a 42t chain-ring which coupled to the 24t gives me 47.6 inches, it's obviously better but doubt if it's going to be enough.? So is there a Bafang 42t chain-wheel available as a direct replacement or do I have to go with an expensive custom jobbie.!!! By chance does anyone have one they want to get shot of.? One other point I'm going to address is I am going to try and get the chain-wheel closer to the bottom fork, there is at present about a 3mm + gap between the edge of the chain-ring and the fork, which I feel can easily be reduced down, especially with a 42t chain-wheel the smaller diameter will allow me to get closer because the tubes are tapering back toward the b/b shell. So I have ordered a few 32mm ~ 47mm x 0.5mm thick shim washers, 32mm being the bore size which will fit over the Bafang b/b shaft, these will replace the much thicker copper washer I have on at present and allow me to get much closer tolerances. So in conclusion quite happy with everything in general, just need to sort a few issues and go out and have some fun.

O.K. I have tried the gears with the bike hanging from my garage ceiling and I have 6-gears out of the eight and I'm happy with that, a little adjustment is needed but they are all there. So once my rivnuts arrive next week I can secure the battery to the frame and give it a road test. Will keep you posted after my first trial run. If I feel I need to go smaller with a 42T chain-ring I still have the added option to change the rear cassette ratio's if need be. Thanks again guys for the help & advice.

Oop's silly me, I have seen MB's with really small chain-rings and thought that is what you meant. So is 42T the smallest option.?