Bafang BBS01B 250W mid-drive eBike DIY conversion

Conversion of a Norco XFR1 hybrid bike to a mid-drive eBike using a Bafang BBS01B 250W motor and a Hailong 3 battery case.
Complete account with all the hiccups!

[@fodderstomper2305]

Nice one Richard! Your video is just what I need. There's so many videos with experts making it look easy. What we need is all the problems, solutions, and hindsight. Great work, many thanks. I'll be adding my bbshd kit to my Specialized Crosstrail as soon as I'm discharged from a long stay in hospital. You've given me a few things to think about. Hopefully it'll help me back into the saddle.

[@HomeBloodPressure]

I'm really pleased it might be helpful! I agree that it wasn't quite as straightforward as many other videos would have you believe. But still definitely doable and well worth the effort. Good luck with your conversion and feel free to message me any questions if you get stuck.

[@StormadoMan]

Did you convert your Specialized Crosstrail? I'm thinking of converting mine, wondered if that cycle has any gotchas?

[@fodderstomper2305]

I've been having problems completing the installation. I've been back in hospital, so haven't had the time or energy. However it's nearly there, I just need to tidy up the wiring, and I'm wiring in some lights. It's all running lovely, although I've only tested it in my flat. Looking forward to getting it out for some test rides, but I'm having to isolate due to a screw up immune system. The only problems I had were: 1) The plastic cable guide under the bottom bracket was too thick for the motor to fit. I bought a new slimmer one from ebay, but this was still a couple of millimetres too thick. So I dremeled it down to size. 2) Inside the bottom bracket there was some metal protruding from when the frame was welded, this stopped the motor sliding in. I again used a dremel to grind them down. Apart from them 2 small problems everything fitted like a dream. I bought my kit and battery from Electron Cycles, and because he didn't have the 20ah battery I ordered in stock he upgraded me to a massive 25ah triangle pack. Initially I didn't think it would fit. Thankfully it fits with only a few millimetres to spare. I'll try and post some pictures when I'm well. Good luck.

[@patrickwilson3d]

@@fodderstomper2305 Ah thanks for responding! I bit the bullet and ordered a kit so I'll be giving this a go myself soon enough. Hope you fix both the cycle and yourself very soon :)

[@remembertheporter]

Great vid! Gonna order the kit and no doubt I'll be in touch.

[@kamalascrustysheets]

Thank you so much for your video. I'm just about to do the Bafang installation. I've watched so many videos but yours is without doubt the most informative I have watched. 7

[@HomeBloodPressure]

Thanks for your feedback - I'm really pleased it was helpful. Good luck with your ebike.

[@kamalascrustysheets]

Thanks Richard. I'll let you know how it goes. I've got 2 donor bikes. One is a 26 inch wheel. The other a 29er. What do you think is best?

[@HomeBloodPressure]

@@kamalascrustysheets I can't think of many reasons why that would matter. The 29 inch is likely to be newer and may have more clearance from the ground... So that would probably be my choice.

[@kamalascrustysheets]

Thanks Richard. Didn't actually think about the clearance but that makes sense. Appreciate your advice. If you don't mind I'll come back with further advice? Thanks again

[@muffythevampirelayer]

Great video Richard! I'm researching doing a DIY e-bike conversion and your video has helped me understand the concept much better than anything else I've found to date.

[@HomeBloodPressure]

Thanks - good luck with your conversion.

[@denseljosephs9500]

Thanks for the excellent upload I'm waiting for the weather to improve over the weekend before I do my installation .

[@DragonFly3184]

Really enjoyed your review. Unlike other videos. You have pointed out crucial issues. I am planning of buying one from EclipseBikes. I have a Halfords Carrera crossfire Ebike which only did 2k miles only commuting to work has packed up, awaiting technician furloughed, still under warranty. But this kit Bagan are Soo tempting. Nice 1 mate thanks for your honest review.

[@HomeBloodPressure]

Thanks. That's bad luck with the Carrera. I've done 300 miles on this one so far. No complaints yet. I also bought from Eclipse bikes - good service and decent price. I'd recommend them (I'm not affiliated in any way).

[@HomeBloodPressure]

Another update. Over the last 2 years or so I've had about 4 spoke nipples break on the rear wheel. The spokes don't break - just the nipples at the neck where they seat in the rim. These are aluminium nipples. Pretty red ones on this bike. I'm replacing them with good old-fashioned brass nipples and so far none of those have broken.

[@rhysstatham7407]

I fitted this motor to my shopping bike which is a Elephant bike I decided to fit the battery on top of the rear luggage rack inside a top bag did this for stealth as I wanted to hide the battery worked out very well overall very pleased with it would recommend the Bafang bbs01

[@HomeBloodPressure]

Agreed. The bike's done a couple of hundred miles now and there have been no problems. I'd happily recommend the Bafang motor. I have found that the power delivery seems to tail off a little early relative to the maximum speed compared to other bikes I've ridden (esp Bosch motors/controllers), but adjusting the maximum speed easily rectifies that.

[@castawayuk]

Get yourself a programming cable and you can change that power delay when you stop peddling and also change the cut in power. Nice build 👍🏽

[@HomeBloodPressure]

Thanks. It's crossed my mind a few times to try reprogramming it. I've discovered that back pedaling cuts out the motor immediately so I can live with that. Otherwise I'd have wanted to alter the power delay when you stop pedaling as I was finding that really annoying. And potentially not very safe.

[@castawayuk]

@@HomeBloodPressure I think the stock delay is 250ms but it reality it's almost 2 seconds. Didn't know that about the back pedal. I'll give it a try. Cheers

[@jerzylalik3887]

You can adjust motor delay after you stop pedalling to zero you need bafang programming cable and pc.

[@HomeBloodPressure]

Thanks. Yes, I've never tried that. I might get round to it one day, as I've heard you can adjust a lot of other parameters which might improve other aspects of the power delivery.

[@BodyKnight]

You could slide the speed sensor from it's mounting slider and turn it so that the connectors point to the front.

[@HomeBloodPressure]

Thanks! That would be more tidy.

[@srenrosenbergchristensen6085]

Thanks for a good video😊 How much ground clearance is there under the motor, on your bike?

[@HomeBloodPressure]

Hi. There is 19cm clearance to the lowest part of the motor. There's 18cm to the chainring, so that is the limiting factor.

[@srenrosenbergchristensen6085]

Thanks, makes sense👍🏼

[@Thefakisgoinon]

Great video! I'm a poor student looking to convert my bike using bafang aswell. If you dont mind me asking what was the cost of the motor + the battery and where did you purchase them? Also those mudguards looks absolutely amazing, where did you get them?

[@HomeBloodPressure]

Hi, thanks for your kind words. I bought the motor kit and battery from these guys: eclipsebikes.com/ The service was good so I can recommend them. I paid about £600 for the motor kit and battery, but looking now I think the batteries have become more expensive so it would be a bit more. The mudguards are good, but I'm sorry I don't remember what they are or where I got them from. Good luck with your conversion.

[@HomeBloodPressure]

Just checked - the mudguards have a little badge that reads 'SKS Germany'. That might get you somewhere...

[@Thefakisgoinon]

Thank you! It seems to be SKS indeed. Cheers!

[@E_-_-]

Thank you!

[@edwardsjohnpaul]

I'm surprised you didn't investigate simply flipping the battery the other direction, instead of the drilling of new holes to adapt the mount. Was it really so awkward to just flip the battery mount 180 degrees to suit the existing water bottle cage mounts? Also, would you have considered drilling the frame and adding another rivnut (or two) higher up the downtube?

[@HomeBloodPressure]

Hi. It's a while ago now, but I remember looking at flipping the battery mount. I remember it didn't work, but not why. I think it may have run out of room at the top of the frame. As for drilling the frame, yes, that did cross my mind. I decided to canabalise the battery mount instead as if I screwed it up then that would be more easy to replace.

[@garybarker9139]

Oversize nut would be a good spacer and it would save the filing.

[@CM-1723]

Does it say on your Motor what watt it is ? I've just got a kit off ebay and there no sticker on it saying its a 250w 350w 500w etc . Is there another way of finding out ?

[@HomeBloodPressure]

Hi. No, there is nothing on the motor to say how many watts it is.

[@CM-1723]

@@HomeBloodPressure does it tell you on the software if you have a USB programming cable?

[@HomeBloodPressure]

@@CM-1723 I'm afraid I don't know about that - I've never hooked it up to a computer.

[@sgsuper1150]

Go for the 750 or 1000 watt motors. Em3ev have better batteries that mount lower.

[@remembertheporter]

My gear shifter for the cassette is part of the brake lever, so I'll just be using the bafang lever on one side controlling the rear brake, do you anticipate a problem there? I usually grab both brakes at same time unless I'm signalling

[@HomeBloodPressure]

All that the bafang brake levers provide is motor cut out when you brake. So, if I understand you correctly, the only implication of that arrangement would be that the motor won't cut out when you pull your front brake, only when you pull your rear brake. I bought brake lever sensors to add to the bike (as the supplied levers only with with cable brakes and mine are hydraulic). But I've not fitted them - although there is a lag between stopping pedaling and the motor cutting out, I found that moving the peddles backwards immediately cuts out the motor. So I've just got into the habit of doing that when I brake.

[@remembertheporter]

@@HomeBloodPressure ah, legend, thanks so much. I unconsciously back pedal when I cycle as I learned to ride on a Dutch bike with back pedal brakes. You're a gent

[@HomeBloodPressure]

The bike developed a fault (loose motor) after about 1 year and 500 miles of riding. Here's a follow-up video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/maHPp4ljhcZ3ZtU

[@jimmy106]

Hi Richard - can you provide a link to the spacers you used?

[@HomeBloodPressure]

The original listing from eBay has gone now, but these look about the same: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Anodised-Aluminium-Spacers-Black-Clear-Grey-Blue-Red-cnc-uk-M5-6-8-10-12-/274125782311 It's the M6 5mm high that I used.

[@jimmy106]

@@HomeBloodPressure thank you!

[@jsiedlecki5331]

Hi Richard. Total newbie to this and researching my first install. Couple of questions. Do you have to take your bottom bracket apart to know the size of it and where did you source your kit from? I would love to add some solar at a later date and I think with the diy kits this is more possible. Thanks for the vid🖒😊

[@HomeBloodPressure]

Hi - you can measure bottom bracket width by measuring the width of the frame between the crank arms. It'll almost certainly be either 68 or 73mm unless you've got a non-standard thing like a fat bike. I got my kit from eclipsebikes.com/. Price was fair, service was good. Good luck!

[@jsiedlecki5331]

@@HomeBloodPressure Brilliant!! Thank you. Just another question. I noticed that Bafang offer many kits In uk dealers, from 250w-over 1000w! Is it just the 250w that is legal in this country?

[@HomeBloodPressure]

@@jsiedlecki5331 on road, 250w is the max legal power in the UK, off road I'm not sure there's any limit. However, I've not found 250w to be at all limiting as this will still quickly take you to the 15mph on-road speed limit.

[@jsiedlecki5331]

@@HomeBloodPressure Thanks again for your help. Great! Looking forward to a bit of help on the big hills😊🖒

[@HomeBloodPressure]

I didn't use the bike for a couple of months and when I tried to ride it again the gear change sensor stopped working. Serves me right for being lazy... anyway - here's another video showing how I got it working again in case anyone else has a similar issue: kzbin.info/www/bejne/sGqxlGSjqM1pbK8

[@thomasjurd172]

This bbso2 is great but it needs cash put into the bike an spare parts kept. Limitless money motor .

[@zeubilamouche2896]

Is 250W enough power for 25kmh easily or not ? Thx

[@HomeBloodPressure]

Yes, easily enough. I'm only about 70kg but a friend who is about 90kg also found no problem at all. The bafang motor has high torque - rated about 80nm. This is more than double some other 250w motors that are being used in other ebikes and even they will still take you to 25kmh.

[@zeubilamouche2896]

@@HomeBloodPressure thanks to take Time to answer me, i just bough a 250W kit, i Hope it will be strong as Bosch motor i tried ^^

[@mrmayb1211]

Hi mate! Is it possible to connect throttle to this kit?

[@HomeBloodPressure]

Yes. The kit came with a throttle and necessary connections but I chose not to install it.

[@theartteacherdaniel5096]

What's the top speed of motor

[@HomeBloodPressure]

I've got about 25mph out of it on the flat. This might depend on rider weight though... I'm not very heavy.

[@trevorreeves5041]

Must be England with the need for water proofing.... ;)

[@nebe0719]

What size frame is on this bike?

[@HomeBloodPressure]

It's 'medium' which I think is 18 or 19 inches.

[@nebe0719]

@@HomeBloodPressure what ah and volt is the battery

[@HomeBloodPressure]

@@nebe0719 36v and 14.5ah

[@garybarker9139]

Should of put new fixings.

[@nfaaudio8412]

Cut through the front mech to save splitting the chain! Why was that even an option? What a wasteful society we live in! The grandparents would be shocked!

[@nfaaudio8412]

But thankyou for the video, very helpful.

[@HomeBloodPressure]

Ha, yes, agreed. I'm glad I didn't embarrass myself by following that through...