Long Distance E-Bike Touring Build | 150 Mile Range

[@PumpkinVillage]

Nice tutorial on bike batteries. Now I can go into my favorite bike shop and confuse the heck out of them, Very well done..You really have come up with a nice setup. Looking at e bikes now and what a rabbit hole. Still pedaling my 520 but at 64 my time is coming up to go assisted. Thanks and take care, Al

[@bikingbrian]

Thank you! Hahah yeah totally. And yeah it’s a deep rabbit hole. 520’s are great, that’s good that you are still out there pedaling.

[@marcusrawls2125]

Now that your trip is done it would be great to hear your highlights, things you might do differently, and overall impression of your trip.

[@Pedalshift]

Your timing is perfect Brian… thanks for such a thorough tour of the build! Looking forward to the battery build video too.

[@bikingbrian]

Thanks for all the mentions on your pods Tim! :). Still debating the battery video as it might get into territory where I need some disclaimers.

[@LarryMullins111]

Glad to see you back Brian. Can't wait for your next bike tour!

[@livingsimplytosimplylive6817]

What a great explanation and video. Looking forward to some future videos where you talk about and show how you did your build.

[@bikingbrian]

Thanks for watching!

[@livingsimplytosimplylive6817]

@@bikingbrian it is my pleasure and I learn a lot. Prepping for my e-bike ride of the Erie Canal from Buffalo to Albany and back to Buffalo

[@thomash7573]

I had just checked your channel today to see if I had missed a video. Great timing and great video of your build! I would like to add a cycle analyst on my bbshd with eggrider v2. Good to see how it is connected.

[@bikingbrian]

Awesome! Thank you! Glad it was helpful.

[@ciliciaann3504]

Thanks Brian, for the in depth walkaround. While watching your videos I often wondered about some of you bikes features. 😎👍

[@bikingbrian]

Thank you for watching!

[@johnyork6955]

Great to see you again Brian! I think you have a great setup 😊

[@bikingbrian]

Thank you!

[@stevenhu202]

Man you really got that dialed in to be perfect for you. Friction shifting and all!

[@bikingbrian]

Thanks! I really do.

[@brandonlee5051]

I was just going through the Playlists and watching older tours patiently waiting for a new tour lol

[@bikingbrian]

Hahah nice. I still have a fall trip I need to edit. Wanted to finish the e-bike one first.

[@brandonlee5051]

@bikingbrian the e bike one was very helpful as well. My son and I have been talking about building e bikes for ourselves to extend our distance in bike touring. I'll be on the lookout for your future fall tour videos! 👍

[@pppjourneyonabike5992]

Thank you for creating this video. Be interesting to see a video of you making a battery adding the voltage/temp safety limits. Thanks again for taking time out.

[@bikingbrian]

It may be something I do. I bought some More batteries to make a smaller 52v battery.

[@prieten49]

You've got a Brook's saddle. I bought a Brook's saddle about twenty years ago. All the advertisements said the leather would get real soft and the seat would get very comfortable. Alas, the thing is still as rock hard as the day I bought it.

[@bikingbrian]

Hahah yeah mine is still rock solid too but it has conformed to me a bit.

[@waltersmithat70]

This was just what I was looking for . I have a bbs02 750w with only 750 mi on it. It rocks ! I have it programed to only 75% power and it assists my bike at 80lbs and me at 260lbs up the steepest inclines. I am using a 48v 20ah upp battery. 60mi range on flat peddling at 12mi per hour. I also have a reserve 48v 10ah in my pannier. I commute , some short tours in summer.

[@bikingbrian]

Awesome! Sounds like a great setup. Happy riding!

[@justinellingson4908]

Good to see you back would love to see videos on your local trails

[@bikingbrian]

Great idea. Thanks for watching.

[@rivnuts7398]

Brian: I had mentioned your South Bend to Boston trip to a friend looking to build an e-bike with his existing older Trek mountain bike. He was curious about your motor and battery choices and construction. Thus, I’ve forwarded this video to him for the details. I don’t think he’s confident enough to attempt to construct his own battery, but your selection criteria and charging methods and controls will surely be of interest to him. Thanks a lot.

[@bikingbrian]

Awesome thank you! I hope your friend will find it useful.

[@Walt1119]

Great video, really enjoy your channel. Thanks so much for sharing with us!!!

[@redsorgum]

Thank you for sharing your build. I’m impressed at how far you’ve traveled on your bike. ✌️

[@bikingbrian]

Thanks for watching!

[@54andBored]

You're back ! I've changed my name a few times since 😅 glad to see you again 😊

[@bikingbrian]

Hey, thanks!

[@willarn1]

THANK YOU!!!! Was just thinking about this yesterday!

[@bikingbrian]

Hope you like it! It took me a while to put this all together.

[@dondonner1095]

Thanks, I always wondered what was in those bags, ha. Very informative.

[@bikingbrian]

Hahah! Thank you.

[@ronmit-p5g]

at 14:15 your chain is not sitting on ur front sprocket right...looks like its about to skip a tooth or something then goes on all the way might just be the lighting i donno

[@pascalj4331]

smartest guy on the internet over here! Good setup/gear.

[@AB-kg6rk]

Thanks brotha i new you wouldnt let us down ❤

[@bikingbrian]

Thanks for your support

[@jayziac]

Nice description of your equipment, I learned a few things. I would've personally gone with a smaller battery, it would reduce weight and other components that goes with such a large battery, not to mention cost. It would basically give up speed, if you cruised at 15 mph, instead of 20 mph, it'd save a lot of power (drag ~= speed squared) No need to go so fast while bike touring, and waste all that energy into the wind.

[@bikingbrian]

Thanks for watching. Glad you found it useful. I could have done that, but the object was to cover as much ground as possible in a short amount of time but still be able to smell the roses at a bike speed. I have my regular bike for touring when I want to take my time and cover less distance.

[@samhavholm]

Thank you for the video Brian, was always curious about your whole setup, from bike to motor and battery...How much routing prep do you do before a trip, I realize you take charging along the way into account since the places you stop have working electricity.

[@bikingbrian]

Thanks for watching. It’s definitely a bit more involved than non e-bike touring. I do basically need to find a place to charge every night. I also make sure midway through the day there is a place to charger too just in case. The only easier thing to plan is food or rest stops because going another 10-20 miles is not a big deal unlike on an acoustic bike. Luckily all hotels have electric and RV sites definitely Do too.

[@PCBallz1]

Can’t wait for the assembly video

[@dennisyoung4631]

Note *Grim Satiator* chargers are now closer to 400, once you get them “all tooled up” and get them shipped. (Mine was, bought last summer.)

[@bikingbrian]

Nice!

[@SuperJohnfoster]

Nice one Brian. It is very helpful

[@bikingbrian]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kendallparish5611]

How many watts do you draw on level ground no wind no peddling at 20 MPH? It's interesting you use throttle to rest sometimes instead of stopping.

[@bikingbrian]

18-20 probably 350-450w range without wind or hills.

[@jasonhenza]

Awesome video. Great build!

[@pppjourneyonabike5992]

I hadn't thought about how many cells. Each Cell $4-9 . Cost adds up.

[@bikingbrian]

Yeah sure does. I found mine right around $3/cell on cyber Monday deal.

[@dennisyoung4631]

Yes, need to get some of *those* myself…

[@markifi]

it doesn't have to. go to battery hookup and buy some automotive packs already assembled for under 100 dollars per kilowatthour, these are of course used so there's a certain risk here and the configuration of the pack will almost certainly have to be changed, but we are talking under 100 dollars per kilowatthour so it's all worth it. get a sturdy bike with welded-on racks like a dutch bike or european postman's bicycle, i'd say cargo bike, but they're ridiculously priced now as the new in-fashion item. this last part is needed because then you're less restricted about the shape of the pack(s) than with regular panniers.

[@BobWilson-pf1fn]

Love your videos. I have a 52 volt 28 amp battery. Can I use a 10 amp charger using it in the same way you use your. Just charging for an hour at a time while touring?

[@hdtravel1]

Thank you Brian - we have been wanting this video for a long time. Is there a reason why you built the battery from scratch - rather than buying a stock off the shelf battery ?

[@bikingbrian]

I hope it was helpful. I built it from scratch because what I wanted wasn’t available.

[@hdtravel1]

@@bikingbrian Can you be more specific ? Did you built it because you needed a specific physical size - watt hours - combination of things or what ?

[@bikingbrian]

@hdtravel1 yes, I wanted to be able to go about 150 miles at 18-20mph and be able to fast charge during the day. I wanted to do 2-3 days on a regular bike in a single day touring to be able to go further in less time and cover more territory.

[@hdtravel1]

@@bikingbrian awesome capability - makes sense - most stock e-bikes can't do that - excellent features

[@SalaiThangte]

Comparing to manufactured ebike is it worth to build? Some say its cheaper to build. Other than the cost, how is performance and handy compared to manufactured?

[@dennisyoung4631]

More “you can get what you want or need.” (Built both of mine from parts.) The commercial offers tend to *NOT* be set up for real range, or pulling power, or much else. It *CAN* be cheaper, especially if you have done your research and want something out of the ordinary - what the big manufacturers sell.

[@bikingbrian]

It’s hard to say, I have honesty not rode any commercial ebikes and this one is a result of many years of changes and upgrades. I will be doing some new e-bike tours with a buddy of mine that has a store bought e-bike so should be good comparison.

[@tomopie4296]

Good job...your quite clever and knowledgeable. To go 60 to 100 miles a day on an ebike requires considerable weight in batteries. Looking forward to new battery technology to reduce that weight so ebike touring can improve greatly. Even with two standard factory made ebike batteries...how many miles is that? Sixty maybe Seventy. With all the new bike trails being built we will need the better battery systems!

[@bikingbrian]

Thank you! I can’t wait for better battery technology too.

[@michaelshireman9075]

I love this video. Thank you!!

[@bikingbrian]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@pppjourneyonabike5992]

How do u know when to shift to not bog down or burn the motor?

[@bikingbrian]

I usually have a high cadence so the motor loves me. Really it’s just like regular biking if you are getting bogged down so is the motor.

[@TheRickurb]

I definitely dig and respect what you're doing. Do you have any best practices for safe charging?

[@bikingbrian]

Thanks! Just keep an eye on things and make sure to follow any mfg guidelines.

[@COYSMike]

Very interesting, never realised you had to lug around quite as much battery weight. What is the oblong item attached to the bottle cage on your downtube?

[@bikingbrian]

Thanks for watching! That an AirTag for gps tracking.

[@pppjourneyonabike5992]

So with all e-bike motor, chargers, battery, you probably add 65 extra pounds to the standard bike weight?

[@bikingbrian]

Probably about 30-40

[@enjoylife7030]

I love that you built your own ebike and you know it inside and out. I was curious about the handling with the battery weight being on the bike and if you had considered pulling a small cargo trailer instead that could hold the battery or maybe even more batteries to increase your range? Also just curious if moving the current battery to a small trailer and how that may simply improve handling? I still have a Schwinn mountain bike from when I was 14 hanging in my garage and always had thoughts of getting it road ready again or perhaps turning it into an e bike like you did.

[@Salesdog0221]

Thanks for sharing Brian... I would love to have your knowledge regarding the electronics and mechanical aspecs of an e-bike. I have a little bit, but usually I just get on mine, turn it on and go👍. When you are fully loaded, ready to go on one of your trips, what is the total weight (including rider) you're dealing with??

[@bikingbrian]

Thank you! Great question. I would guess it is between 60-80lbs. And I have some lightweight camping gear like tent and sleeping bag, etc. would be pretty easy to eclipse 100lbs

[@peterhguk]

Great video, and I like your series. I'm trying to learn about this stuff: let's say you have two batteries, each with the same voltage but half the capacity of yours. Can both be charged simultaneously via a battery blender using one of your chargers? Would that take the same amount of time or am I completely off track? The idea here is to spread the weight of the energy store across two rear panniers

[@bikingbrian]

2 batteries would work but I don’t think just splitting them for charging would work the same. Probably best to just have 2 chargers with 1/2 the charge rate. That way you’d have a backup too if one failed. This is the way to go with commercial off the shelf batteries. The larger the battery the faster the charge it can take without damaging or killing the lifespan.

[@HackHunter1835]

One question, when is the next tour?

[@bikingbrian]

Good question. I have a spring acoustic bike tour in the early summer.

[@97JoMiller]

this is awesome. I'd love to see your battery build video because honestly my battery on my bike sucks... I'd love to get something better because I'm pretty sure it's cheap Chinese cells and it's only 10amp/hr so my range is kind of a joke. Other thing I was going to mention is that sadle doesn't look comfortable at all... what makes that so great? I don't see any padding on it.

[@bikingbrian]

Thanks for watching! Still debating on battery video/liability involved. The saddle is leather and is stiff but conforms to you more than a standard saddle. I still wear biking shorts so the padding is on me instead of the saddle.

[@97JoMiller]

@@bikingbrian I don't know how you wear those shoes, it feels like I have a pizza box between my legs when I wear them. I'd also really love to figure out a good battery solution, I want to make some of the longer rides maybe not as long as yours but a weekend ride would be a lot of fun.

[@Adventures4vida]

I got 2 500 wh Bosch batteries, and with a burley coho trailer, 4 panniers and a handlebar bag with random stuff on the racks, I can get 120 in perfect conditions. More like 80 to 100 though. Thats more then enough for touring. I have to ride eco mode 90 percent of the time to get those miles, so it ends up feeling like im riding a normal bike. Its just faster as I can keep up 17 to 19 mph in eco mode. I can even slap 2 more panniers on my burley trailer to make it 6 panniers.

[@bikingbrian]

Sounds like a great setup!

[@VE7QRZ]

Nice job!👍

[@bikingbrian]

Thanks! 👍

[@AB-kg6rk]

I wanted to know how do you create your routes? Thanks😎

[@bikingbrian]

I use ridewithgps and google street view and satellite to plan the routing. There is a heatmap feature too in rwgps that allows you to see where others ride on the map.

[@banksarenotyourfriends]

Are you familiar with the story of the Ship Of Theseus (or "Trigger's Broom")?😅 I'm just wondering about doing my first BBS02 build, and stumbled across your channel. This was very useful, thank you.

[@COYSMike]

ha Trigger's Broom may be a bit obscure to our American friends!

[@bikingbrian]

Hahah yeah. Glad you found it useful. Thanks for watching!

[@hisforhack]

Interesting build, I have installed a CA3 with a shunt to monitor AHrs used by my mid-drive on my recumbent trike. What is you Amphrs pre Mile usage on a long trip?

[@bikingbrian]

Unfortunately my speedometer on the CA only works intermittently so I am not able to track it.

[@joaomarveloso1049]

When you pedal without any motor support, does it move like a normal ( but heavier ) bicycle, or do you get resistance from the motor? I have a Bafang ( m400 250w ) motor bicycle, but it's factory installed and when I pedal without support it is really heavy to move. I would love to make a setup similar to yours. Thank you for sharing 🙂

[@bikingbrian]

It’s pretty heavy so it just feels like a loaded down bike. I can’t tell if there is any resistance from the motor.

[@joaomarveloso1049]

@@bikingbrian thanks

[@dennisyoung4631]

Re-Greased… with? Mobil 28 grease? (Used this on both of mine. Motor #2 is due for a serious re-greasing…)

[@bikingbrian]

Yeah, Mobil 28!

[@SonnyDarvish]

Your chainring teeth are very sharp, meaning it needs to be replaced.

[@boxsterpontus]

The chain does not sit properly on it. That 1200W motor must put heavy load on the drivetrain parts.

[@bikingbrian]

Thanks for noticing. Yeah I never replaced the chainring it was pretty bad in this video. A week or so ago I replaced the entire drivetrain although the chain has been replaced few times. Rides like a brand new bike.

[@bikingbrian]

Yeah it’s actually not too terrible on this bike and most of the time it’s about 300-500 watt range and 10k plus miles.

[@gravelcasualbikepacking5475]

Jones bars are great

[@bikingbrian]

I want to add them to my regular touring bike too.

[@gravelcasualbikepacking5475]

@@bikingbrian I just bought a new salsa journeyman as a new Bike packer i put surly cornerbar there in my last video

[@ReVolt_e-Vlogs]

Can you do a video on tips/tricks to stay powered up, as well as places to Stealth camp that's safe, & you won't get arrested for. Lol Thanks

[@eisvogel8099]

Did the bike come with a motor or did you have to add it yourself? I like the setup. You seem to be a diy-er if I may say so. Well done! Your knowledge on batteries might pi$$ off the manufacturers lol!

[@nathancereska8215]

Excellent

[@bikingbrian]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@yellowsheeps]

Rear rack is a Tubus Logo.

[@markifi]

10.77 watthours per kilometre

[@ThomasMcFarland]

Hey Brian what friction shifter are you using?

[@markifi]

looks like microshift sl-m11-r but the writing is out of focus

[@bikingbrian]

They are indeed Microshift. Not sure of the model.

[@stephenmorton8017]

excellent.

[@bikingbrian]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@skyl4rk]

How much $$$ to build one today, $5,000?

[@bikingbrian]

Hard to say but that would be a safe bet to start from scratch anywhere between $3-5k

[@DeonSouthall-e8m]

Can you send me the info on the battery

[@bikingbrian]

Thanks for watching! All the info I have is in the video. I built it myself.

[@sparkiekosten5902]

2500Wh+! no wonder you can get 150 miles out of a charge! Still you need be a little frugal as 20Wh per mile only gives 130 miles of range!

[@bikingbrian]

Haha yeah for sure. Extra capacity helps when conditions are less than ideal too. Headwinds, hills, etc

[@mikelivingston5772]

Do you have contact info

[@bikingbrian]

I’ll have to add my email to the description.

[@davidoliver6408]

Huh?

[@dkccdk]

Omg... this is the 3rd video I've watched trying to see what the bafang kit can do with a load... amd the 3rd video of listening to someone babble meaningless crap for eeeeeeeever just to never actually get on the fkn bike and show what it can do... I appreciate thewaste of my time..... here is a clue... anyone thats interested in doing an upgrade like this... Doesnt need you to walk them through every tiny little thing on your ghetto bike build... anyone with enough technical skill to do the bafang upgrade isn't a newbie to riding bro...

[@CLEt.v]

My bike has a 56AH battery with a 48V 500w hub motor with 212 miles of range im also in Cleveland lmao

[@bikingbrian]

Awesome!! You are the only other person I have heard of with that large of an e-bike battery! Thanks for watching.