January 31, 20179 yr Not wishing to appear thick - but could someone explain in simple terms exactly what is a Bafang Max Drive and what does it do that is different to "standard" motor. My brother and I are looking for a new bike for our dad whose Kalkoff Aggatu packed up (motor) and would like to get a replacement machine for him.
January 31, 20179 yr thank you Cyclebuddy. I honestly can't see how they can price it at £1,000 even if it were on a cash and carry basis. Me neither. If as zack@byocycles estimates they're making a paltry £76 on each sale, you'd just switch the lights off and go home, wouldn't you? Maybe they're cross-subsidising or (more likely) writing it off as a bad experiment and simply trying to clear stock at cost. A bike of this class just doesn't belong in Greenway's current portfolio.
January 31, 20179 yr Not wishing to appear thick - but could someone explain in simple terms exactly what is a Bafang Max Drive and what does it do that is different to "standard" motor. My brother and I are looking for a new bike for our dad whose Kalkoff Aggatu packed up (motor) and would like to get a replacement machine for him. The Bafang max drive motor is a centrally frame mounted crank drive motor, in experience the Bafang motor is absolutely bullet proof, I've been running one for around 9 months now as a test bike for our latest model. Here is some more info on different types of crank drive motors: http://electricbikereport.com/mid-drive/
January 31, 20179 yr thank you Cyclebuddy. I honestly can't see how they can price it at £1,000 even if it were on a cash and carry basis. And 18.5 € shipping to France!
January 31, 20179 yr Not wishing to appear thick - but could someone explain in simple terms exactly what is a Bafang Max Drive and what does it do that is different to "standard" motor. My brother and I are looking for a new bike for our dad whose Kalkoff Aggatu packed up (motor) and would like to get a replacement machine for him. The Bafang Max Drive looks very much like a first generation Bosch crank motor knock-off, it even shares the slightly unusual choice of an ISIS bottom bracket. Nothing wrong with that, the Japanese and latterly Koreans and Chinese have been copying older European products for years. Other Bafang crank motors are known for unreliability, usually put down to poor quality control. If you get a good one, they're fine, but your chances of getting a dud are much higher than with a Bosch or Yamaha. Power delivery is the other unknown factor. Your dad's Kalkhoff - and most Bosch motored bikes - are known for their smooth power delivery which makes them very agreeable to ride. Chances are the Max Drive will be OK in this regard, although other Bafang crank drives are known to be less refined than the Bosch motor. It would be safer for dad to have a whirl on a Max Drive bike before buying to avoid possible disappointment.
January 31, 20179 yr I received my Greenway Cross today. Unboxed and started the setup. I can confirm: 1) Shimano CS-HG-200-9 9 Speed cassette 2) Shimano Altus BR-M355 Hydraulic Disc Brakes 3) Feels pretty good quality throughout 4) One cable from the motor which is perilously close to the rear wheel 5) Front hydrualic hose looks a bit long - looks like it could easily end up in the spokes of the front wheel - I will have to either look at adjusting it to make the hose run shorter, or go back to cable ties (Arggh!), or re-route outside the fork lower. I see different views on whether the hose should be routed inside or outside the fork leg. I will post a review thread up soon with some photos but at the moment I'm pleased with the way it looks like it will turn out. Edited January 31, 20179 yr by redcup1999
January 31, 20179 yr Author I received my Greenway Cross today. Unboxed and started the setup. I can confirm: 1) Shimano CS-HG-200-9 9 Speed cassette 2) Shimano Altus BR-M355 Hydraulic Disc Brakes 3) Feels pretty good quality throughout 4) One cable from the motor which is perilously close to the rear wheel 5) Front hydrualic hose looks a bit long - looks like it could easily end up in the spokes of the front wheel - I will have to either look at adjusting it to make the hose run shorter, or go back to cable ties (Arggh!), or re-route outside the fork lower. I see different views on whether the hose should be routed inside or outside the fork leg. I will post a review thread up soon with some photos but at the moment I'm pleased with the way it looks like it will turn out. Number 4 the speed sensor is close to the tyre, that's the one I mentioned I had to cable tie as the fixed cable position is in poor location. Hope weather picks up over next few days so you can have a little fun
January 31, 20179 yr Author And 18.5 € shipping to France! Shipping costs are quite amusing, did they throw it out the back of a plane as they passed over?
January 31, 20179 yr Did I read correct RobF, that the Bafang Max Drive uses the ISIS interface for the cranks. I am a big fan of ISIS and my current none ebike bike, runs ISIS Ti Cranks, using SKF XC-600 Bottom Bracket, that is still running sweet after 13 years! Bosch of course also use the ISIS interface, far better than Square Taper imho.
February 1, 20179 yr Author Did I read correct RobF, that the Bafang Max Drive uses the ISIS interface for the cranks. I am a big fan of ISIS and my current none ebike bike, runs ISIS Ti Cranks, using SKF XC-600 Bottom Bracket, that is still running sweet after 13 years! Bosch of course also use the ISIS interface, far better than Square Taper imho. The Max Drive unit uses square taper crankset, the spider locates on the freewheel drive section by way of spline drive only looking similar to Isis, but secured by a heavy duty circlip,
February 1, 20179 yr One of the spec sites mentioned ISIS for the Bafang Max Drive. This link isn't clear to me. Matters not, if anything square tapers last longer. http://www.szbaf.com/en/components/component/motor/mm-g33250.html
February 1, 20179 yr Matters not, if anything square tapers last longer. Uh? wobblier more like and kills your crank arms more quickly.
February 1, 20179 yr Uh? wobblier more like and kills your crank arms more quickly. I could have added a decent quality properly maintained square taper will last many years. The problem with ISIS is its relatively small diameter. My two have been fine, but I believe the small size of ISIS is one of the reasons why it has not been widely adopted on push bikes.
February 1, 20179 yr Can't remember the sizes but ISIS BB's are available in two different bolt sizes 12mm and 15mm or something like that, obviously the 12mm units are for Down Hill bikes and FreeRide etc, whilst 15mm is aimed at Cross Country and Touring. Just differing Spindle thickness. The SKF ISIS BB's came with 100,000 km or 10 year warranty which ever comes first, they were so good that they stopped making them, nothing to do with the interface as they were available in both ISIS and Square Taper, being SKF it was all about the bearings and seals used. From an engineering point of view, ISIS is sweet, and is probably why Bosch adopted it, being patent free no cost involved, and German of course. Whilst Square Taper, is like something from the dark ages, a bit like derailleur gears!
February 1, 20179 yr Some ISIS bottom brackets used small bearings which didn't last well. I've no idea of the quality of the ISIS bracket in the Bosch motor. Both square taper bottom brackets and derailer gears are cheap and durable which is why both are still in widespread use. http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/components/bottom-brackets/product/review-superstar-components-isis-bb-10-35491/
February 1, 20179 yr Not wishing to appear thick - but could someone explain in simple terms exactly what is a Bafang Max Drive and what does it do that is different to "standard" motor. My brother and I are looking for a new bike for our dad whose Kalkoff Aggatu packed up (motor) and would like to get a replacement machine for him. For me the USP is it's a torque drive on the max and cadence on the other BBS,s That's a huge point for me.
February 2, 20179 yr Author Uh? wobblier more like and kills your crank arms more quickly. Never mind the square or Isis, I remember bashing cotter pins in with a hammer to hold the crank arms,then the pins were threaded for a nut to go on the end to hold em in, as well as seeing folk going down the road with a loose one haha like a wooden leg going clunk.
February 2, 20179 yr As a kid I ended up in hospital needing stitches in my ankle area after a cotter pin/crank failure, the damn thing came came out along with the pedal/crank arm and I speared my ankle on the spindle. This all happened at high speed.
February 2, 20179 yr I couldn't resist a little eyeball. At the price it'd be difficult to home build a similar level bike. Not my usual style of ride, but hey! First impressions after ten miles, still prefer the bbs01 and my bike, but it's pretty darn good. After 6080 miles my original bbs01 is still going strong despite my efforts to test to the max in extreme conditions, let's see if I can do any damage here.... [emoji14] Frame measures 19". Battery charged to 41.7V. Programme cable works fine, just no action of the throttle tab, obvs. Sent from here to there with computer wizardry. Edited February 2, 20179 yr by brightonebikes
February 2, 20179 yr What's not to like for a bag of sand, my Rohloff igh is needing a new home, and one of these Bafang Max Drive ebike's would do the trick!
February 2, 20179 yr What's not to like for a bag of sand, my Rohloff igh is needing a new home, and one of these Bafang Max Drive ebike's would do the trick! Like your thinking... I've had designs on this Nuvinci that I've had knocking around for a while, but needed a more road orientated 700C bike. It might just fit the bill Sent from here to there with computer wizardry.
February 2, 20179 yr What's the best way to buy this bike - I here people talking about £1000 but when I got to their eBay site it's £1050?
February 2, 20179 yr What's the best way to buy this bike - I here people talking about £1000 but when I got to their eBay site it's £1050? It's £1000 if you buy/collect from their warehouse in East London. The extra £50 on ebay is to cover their listing and paypal fees.
February 2, 20179 yr Direct at the website, higher up the thread. Although if you pay with c/c or use Ebay either may cost a little more but offer some protection if you feel you need. It turned up mighty fast I must say! I'm not sure how any warranty stands, but it's all pretty recognisable kit and I wouldn't expect a problem; unless you were to get a Friday afternoon bike I guess. The hubs are a little ropey in my mind, so along with the headset I'll be opening the hubs and packing some decent quality and quantity of grease in. I'll see what's in there tomorrow sometime when I do so, but somehow I doubt it's much cop in there. Double wall rims, which is nice. And also, something I have NOT seen in a while, woods valves in the tubes! Never been a fan of Kenda tyres, but these are fine for the job, and reflective sidewall lines is a bonus. Mine'd taken a little ding on the top of the headset compression cap in transit, but it's not biggie. Forks are exactly what you'd expect of a basic Suntour. It's even got a proper czech. gear shifter cut out. Man about town pedals, could be nice to swap for some basic flats? Neeee bad Here http://greenwaycycles.co.uk/15-electric
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