Pete

Hello all, I have a Halford's Carrera bike that I converted with a Bafang BBS02 crank drive. I am reasonably happy with it except for the gears which I just can't get adjusted right. I have obviously removed the front 3 chain rings but left the rear 8 speed cassette, but they gears are noisy and slip easily and the setup feels quite flimsy and I don't think they are handling the power very well. I only actually need to use 2 or 3 gears for the riding I do and wondered if it would be possible to replace the rear derailleur with an old 3 speed hub gear. A friend has a old bike I can have which has a 3 speed hub on a 26 inch wheel and my question is whether I could swap out my rear wheel and cassette for this wheel and gear hub? You can change gear on these hub gears without pedalling so there would seem to be a lot of advantages if it would work. Am I right in thinking that such a setup, if possible, would be more robust than a derailleur? I'm sure someone must have thought of this and maybe tried it and it would be useful to have your views. Many thanks

Sorry I haven't posted back here, but was unexpectedly taken back into hospital, out again now but straight into isolation as in a vulnerable person! Still haven't got my tester from China, just hoping that the time it will be in transit will mean there are no contamination issues. Who would have thought that would ever be an issue! Anyway, just to confirm, now that I have seen the additional posts I missed when away.....I am absolutely a novice with electrics and I think Andy is right in assuming getting a tester was my best bet at understanding things. Using a non-intelligent meter would be no good at all to me as I would not be able to interpret the results, but thank you anyway for your input Nealh. Good to see that bike shops are exempt from the closure order and I found that my local bike shop, Roots cycles in Doune, Perthshire, is prioritising work to deal with those who need their bikes to commute rather than just for leisure, even though it has meant turning work away to make sure he can keep the capacity available. I thought this was brilliant and well in keeping with the community spirit we now all need. I would imagine a lot of local shops are doing this, another plus for the biking community. Keep Safe everybody Peter

Thanks for the reply Andy, and the Brilliant links. As I am 73 with a heart condition I am soon going to be confined to Barracks! so it is a pity I will have to wait a couple of weeks, at least, for the tester from China, I could have filled my time playing nicely! I will certainly post how I get on for the benefit of anyone else that is like me, one strand short of a 3 core cable!

Hi Pete, thanks for that, but yes the battery voltage is OK - about all I know how to check! - though I am learning courtesy of Andy. 4 into 1 cable has been renewed. Power gets to the controller but then nothing happens.

Hi Andy, thanks for your encouragement and information about the tester. The motor is currently off the bike and separated from the controller, will I still be able to use the tester as I think some things require the wheel to be turned? Following advice on this thread and elsewhere when my motor stopped working, the advice was that it would be the controller and very unlikely to be the motor itself. So I bought a new controller, from China, but using the programming lead to connect instead of the display doesn't do anything, the motor is still dead. If I connect in the display, that remains dead too. I have tested this on another setup and it is OK (a C961) and this is why I have ordered the tester, so I can hopefully check the motor itself. If that turns out to be the case I will have a dead motor and one maybe two controllers! While I wait for the tester to arrive any thoughts on the problem would be appreciated. Peter

Hello Andy, thank you for your very helpful reply. I am sorry for the delay in replying but have been in hospital and only just getting on my feet again. I have ordered a tester and hope it helps me understand at least a little!

Thank you, straight to the point! Another disaster avoided thanks to people being bothered to answer daft questions. Peter

Hi there, yet another simple question, for you, but not me! Can I run my 36V 500W BBS02 from a 48 Volt battery, or will it just fry something? By battery is getting a bit old and I have been offered a nearly new one from a friend, very cheaply. Thanks Peter

Old style or new style doesn't matter as long as it works. Desperate to get moving again while my parts order is stuck in the China coronavirus problem/Chinese New Year! Thanks Peter

Thanks, I didn't think!

Never even thought of that, they must have been telling the truth saying it wouldn't even be shipped until after the middle of February!

Thanks for that, I thought it might have not been literal, but you never know! I will have a mooch about the internet tonight and see what I can find......would the difference be huge? I am not concerned about speed, just pulling power up the hills. I am 73 and have a heart condition so although I put in as much effort as I can, it probably isn't that much. I am 15 stone so that won't help. Actually thinking about getting a rear hub motor but as far as I can understand, this would't be as good for me as the CD. I mostly ride very minor, poor condition roads, forestry tracks etc round where I live (In Scotland) I do have another bike my son donated to me so I could put a hub motor on that which uses the same battery as the Bafang, then I could just wait on delivery happening when China is back to normal. Any thoughts?Peter.

You are absolutely right there, both in theory and practice! I am OK mechanically, but I just seem to have a bit of my brain missing when it comes to electronics!

Thanks Tommy, I don't know what FETS are, but someone else told me that down at the bike shop. I just pretended I understood!

Thank you for the quick response. The main thing you nailed first - I can't do it ! Greenbikekit is where I have ordered the controller from, but I think everything is delayed because of the Coronavirus. I had an email back from Green bike to say shipping would be delayed until mid February "due to a national holiday" (Sounds like the Russians and Chernobyl) Don't understand what you mean about the BBS01 controller - you mean physically strapped on as it is a different shape? and what does the lower spec mean? I will try Brighton bikes as well. Thanks

Been a member of this forum since 2009 and got fantastic help on here which helped me get started in ebiking. I remember especially a chap called Flecc, who seemed to know absolutely everything and answered every question going, don't know whether he is still around. I have followed the forum over the years but have never felt competent to answer anybody's questions unfortunately. So, obviously I am here again to ask something! I have run a BBS02 with a 36 volt battery for about 4 years until it cut out on me and wouldn't work. I have been told that both the LCD display (C961) AND the controller are fried. I have a replacement C961 but the controller, from China, is going to take forever. What I would like to know is if there is any way I can test just the motor itself rather than wait months for the controller only to find the motor is gone as well. I have seperated the controller from the motor and disconnected everything and am left with 3 heavy gauge wires going into the motor YELLOW, GREEN and BLUE. Can I connect the two battery wires to 2 of these wires as a quick check that the motor is working? As you can tell I have zero electrical sense! Thanks Peter

Not really answering your question, but a quick word on Woosh. I first came into contact with them 10 years ago when they were very helpful, then again 5 years ago when I bought a kit and they patiently answered all my queries, then just again today. They went out of their way to source a piece of wiring harness for me, sent me a photo to ensure it was the right one, then said they sold it but I could get it cheaper on Ebay and even sent me a link. Now that is the sort of customer service you needed! Just comparing with your dealings with Cycle Republic...... Peter

Thanks for the extra information Rob, especially the advice about the brakes as I wouldn't have known that was necessary. I am quite handy with mechanicals so I could work under their advice, as it would otherwise have to be a return because I live in Scotland and it is a bit of a trip to their place! Electrics are another matter mind, I can do what I am told but I have something of a mental block when it comes to actually understanding them! Pete

Thanks Trex, but fortunately I am of an age where I haven't had to commute for a little while!

That's good information, thanks. I certainly wanted comparisons from those who had ridden both. I think the throttle on the BigBear is on the right which will suit me better being what I was used to with the Alien. It doesn't actually make any mention on the web page about off road use (light only) do you think it is robust enough Pete

Hello Trex, thanks for your reply. You certainly have the experience to compare having ridden all those. I haven't had the chance to ride the Krieger yet as they are not in stock. The Kalkhoff was a lovely bike, but I definitely want a throttle. This may mean I have to go back and think about a hub motor but then I noticed that the Krieger spec says it has a throttle. Do you know if this is a conventional throttle or is it just some kind of walk assist feature. If it isn't a proper throttle I think I would be looking at the BigBear, what did you think of that. Most of my riding will be on tracks etc and hence my need for a throttle. Thanks Pete