TongSheng 500 Watt Torque Sensing Mid-Drive Ebike Kit Review!!

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Timecodes
0:00 Intro
0:30 specs
6:35 display
9:42 range results
11:14 riding
16:32 hill climb
18:55 acceleration
19:16 wrap-up
Kit Specs as Tested:
TongSheng 500 watts motor, 80nm torque, 90 rpm limit, 7.9 lbs
42 tooth chainring
Hailong Battery, 48v/12ah=576 wh, Samsung cells
2amp charger = 0.8 lb
Controller output, default is 16a, adjustable to 30a
Donor Bike
Surly Long Haul Trucker
Bike Weight: 34.9 lbs, with kit 48.4 lbs
9 speed, 11-34t drivetrain
Range Tests:
Average 27.8 miles using 500 watt hours = 18.0 wh/mile
Display ~ 5% optimistic
Acceleration Tests (100 feet, 175lb rider):
16 amps = 7.4 sec
14 amps = 7.57 sec
18 amps = 7.47 sec
20 amps = 7.57 sec
Decrease in acceleration likely due to battery drain and throttle limitation

[@kalef1234]

Lot has improved in 4 years. I have a Toseven DM01 kit coming in two days, so excited!!

[@ElectronSurfer]

I have been interested in that same kit, I was hoping they would come down in price. Let me know what you think of it.

[@myleswillis]

Great video. Love the instrument overlay in the mid part, very professional.

[@anglerbalazs592]

Yet another video in which you provide all the info i've been curious about! Great work again! Thanks!

[@ElectronSurfer]

Hey right on, that is music to a reviewers ears...mine anyway, cheers!

[@hhy2k]

A real person... wow, thanks...

[@ElectronSurfer]

Hahah, thanks! Have you tried this particular mid-drive kit?

[@DragonFly3184]

Excellent review really enjoyed watching it A few times.

[@lazmotron]

One of the best ebike kit reviews I have ever seen with In debt and first hand experience. Thanks.

[@ElectronSurfer]

I appreciate that. I try to really ride these kits before reviewing them. The TongSheng is pretty solid if you are looking for that torque sensor experience! Thanks!

[@land7776]

yes, we're all in depth..

[@budwhite9781]

Great video. I like the dual handlebar look. Cheers👍

[@lazmotron]

Great product review.

[@kaywoodparsons1874]

Great video. I would love to see it in it best performance other then stock settings. I am ordering 5 units but not until I see its performance optimal.

[@enricio]

Thank you. 😊. Nice. 😎

[@passepartout7509]

Well done, and good explained.

[@kelownatechkid]

Great video. I use this kit and had a very similar experience.

[@ElectronSurfer]

Thank you, it's a good kit. How many miles have you put on yours?

[@kelownatechkid]

@@ElectronSurfer At this point, I'm not sure. But it made it through the winter without too much corrosion so I'm rather impressed for the low cost

[@mehmetbagmanc1753]

Nice video 👏🙂 do you have shift sensor in this kit?

[@daytriker]

Using the throttle the way you are in a high gear & on a high assist level will be the reason you are generating heat, consuming high amps & will be the cause of early blue sacrificial gear failure. You are better off using your power in level 2 or 3 & relying more on your bike gearing for accelleration & then once up to speed in your high gear switching to your highest level of assist to maintain that speed.

[@ElectronSurfer]

@daytriker, Thank you for that input, I don't typically use throttle at all on this style of a kit but wanted to show it for the review. Cheers

[@mrc1436]

Long term, mounting your battery upside down is a big mistake. You have a plastic part holding the lock mechanism with a few screws if you go over some rough territory at speed you will crack the battery case. And the battery will come off

[@elnasty555]

I had to mount it upside down but joined 2 jubilee clips together and used it to clamp it to the downtube. Much more rock solid than the 2 screws to bottle mounting.

[@snorttroll4379]

Wgat is a jubilee clip?

[@koolvids8894]

Nice video. It would also have been nice to see you unpack, setup the hongfeng and install on bike.

[@markkus1134]

I have the same kit on a 29” wheel bike love it just ordered the throttle how well does the throttle work?

[@boboliver2259]

Thanks for an excellent review. Just purchased a 250w kit for my recumbent trike from same company. I'm in UK so that is max over here. It sounds ideal for me, lets hope it is.

[@rhyscorder6485]

i have a 1500 watt e bike and i live in uk

[@karlInSanDiego]

Thank you for the comprehensive explanation. Any feedback on how much drag it creates when not powered? My BBS-02 750W has drag, and combined with the extra weight of the system, it's pretty unrideable when the battery runs out. Does it also have a cadence mode, or do you really have work hard to maintain your high speeds? I sort of dislike the fact that it's very hard to contribute to the cycling with the BBS's cadence only, as it is far stronger than me and very binary. But I'd also hate the opposite problem of not being able to maintain 30 mph unless I'm applying great force to the pedals (greater than current speed). I guess on paper, it's a bit chicken and egg. To tell it you want to go fast and stay fast with torque sensor only , do you have to constantly exhibit the will exceed the current speed, or does it maintain a top speed with sub-leg draining effort?

[@ElectronSurfer]

@karlinSanDiego, unfortunately the TongSheng isn't much better when you run out of battery, about the same to me as the BBS02. There is no cadence only mode, that would be a nice addition. You do have to keep up with a high level of force if you want to keep at the top speed. If I had to pick I'd probably go with the BBS02 and tweak the programming to decrease the engagement delay time. I think they are both pretty solid mid-drive but they do both have some downsides. I hope that helps, thanks for asking.

[@duckey19083]

Thanks for the video, very informative.. Can a person pedal the bike with the motor off, like if battery drained completely or just not in a power-on state?

[@ElectronSurfer]

You can pedal any time, battery on or off, dead or alive. I would sometimes do short neighborhood rides after removing the battery to save a few pounds (or kilos) of weight. You do feel some resistance in the cranks but it is not too bad.

[@bibekgautam512]

Great overview! Thanks for the video. How has the motor held up? Have moved on to something else ?

[@ElectronSurfer]

I actually moved the motor to another bike for a friend and she is still riding it. The motor has held up great and has a few thousand miles on it.

[@bibekgautam512]

@@ElectronSurfer fantastic! I’m planning to get one for my build.

[@paulperlot8667]

Hi, if for health reasons I cannot pedal very strongly, can this system still provide good speeds ? Thank you, also for the nice video you made. 👍🏻

[@ElectronSurfer]

If you have health issues I think a cadence based system may be better where it doesn't always require as much pedal effort.

[@geeeeeeeezzzzzzzzzz]

Just realised after ordering & now dispatched that this battery probably won't fit the right way up on my bike also so I'm thinking maybe I can drill another hole in that heat sink section and then maybe it will go on the normal way but I'm expecting problems with this already. I see other people have made new brackets etc and also that the makers seem to have fixed this problem with newer batteries with a better bracket without the heatsink section. My mistake in not noticing this but it's my first try at this. Maybe they will send me one of the newer bracket versions but I'm not very hopeful and so expecting it to be an issue. Maybe look out for this if you are considering one of these batteries and go for the newer version.

[@land7776]

ES, I was wondering how your experience using rim type center/side pull brakes has worked out. Do you feel they have sufficient braking at 20MPH plus? Do the brakes ever fade or wobble/skip at higher speeds? It seems disc brakes would be better, I have 2 bikes that are good candidates for e-bike conversion except they have center/side pull brakes. The price/trouble to convert is too much for old bikes. What are your thoughts now that you have more miles on your e-bike? Thanks..

[@ElectronSurfer]

@land, I have no issues with rim brakes. From a physics perspective you can get very good braking if you upgrade your brake pads. If you think about the way brakes apply force related to the diameter of the rim vs. disc rotor, the real benefit of discs is for poor weather braking performance.

[@land7776]

@@ElectronSurfer I didn't think about the larger diameter aspect. I would definitely need some new and beefier pads and adjustment. That might do it. Thanks for your input.

[@RobertAdams-ly5ku]

Hi, Thamks for the review, as I'm tring to decide between the Tongsheng and the BBS02, 750 watt, one thing I would like to ask does the throttle work as a throttle should, or does it work like a switch switch, once pressed its on full power. Thanks

[@ElectronSurfer]

The throttle on both the Bafang and Tongsheng mid-drives works the same way. There is not a fine degree of control but it is not off or on. The Bafang system does allow you to adjust throttle settings more with the programming cable. I hope that helps!

[@RobertAdams-ly5ku]

@@ElectronSurfer Thanks. that helps a lot

[@tayloranderson456]

Are the bafang motors quieter than this? This is a helpful review, thanks.

[@ElectronSurfer]

The bafang mid motors are yes, if there is much noise coming from a BBS02 or BBSHD it is probably time to open it up and grease it. Bafang hub motors are also pretty quiet but louder than this mid-drive.

[@tayloranderson456]

@@ElectronSurfer Thanks!

[@18andlikeit]

My Luna Befang BBSO2 is absolutely silent, even in the highest PAS. The only thing I hear are the tires rolling against the street. But I really wish it was a torque sensor motor.

[@electricstrider2665]

I recently installed tsdz2 350w 36v, love it! but doesn't kick in until im going at least 6mph. Is there a way to have it start sooner ( 2 -3 mph)?

[@colincampbell4261]

Cahsino and marqoc et al open source firmware. Free program update.

[@somethingelse9535]

Should kick in as soon as you start pedaling. When you turn it on, make sure you aren't touching the pedals, the motor calibrates the torque sensor on every startup.

[@stevenmarquez4476]

Hey bro bought a used (broken) Dualtron Spider That i am restoring. Looking forward to it will update you if successful.

[@ElectronSurfer]

Best of luck with it Steven! I have another kit video i'll put up soon, it's fast!

[@stevenmarquez4476]

@@ElectronSurfer Awesome looking forward to it.

[@MrMountainHawk]

My torque sensor seems to only activate when I stand up, much higher force applied with my legs vs sitting down, in your video it the torque seems to activate while you’re sitting down. New kit, faulty torque sensor? I made sure to keep pedal unloaded when I start. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

[@ElectronSurfer]

Since the torque sensor is built into the motor I'd be surprised that it is faulty at this point. How big of a front chainring did you use? If you are in a really high gear the torque sensor could not be getting activated properly.

[@hai-hotranphotography1169]

The battery is too big for my taste. I am getting one kit like this. I am thinking of using a smaller bottle water battery. I know it will effect the range but do you think it's going to effect the power out put or not?

[@ElectronSurfer]

@Tangoman, sorry for my delay in responding. This is an excellent question and the answer is "kinda". What you do see with a larger battery is you dip off of the higher voltage later and stay in the flat section of the battery discharge longer. So in a way you have more power for more of your ride. How that works with your riding style is really your call.

[@paulmryglod4802]

I see this is 2 years old, but i run an 8.8 36v waterbottle battery and have two more in my pannier bag i change out in long rides. It provides all the power needed, just range is a little shorter.

[@colincampbell4261]

Why do you have two sets of handlebars?

[@ElectronSurfer]

A lot of touring bikes do this for extra accessories, for this bike it is mainly for a handlebar bag and the butterfly bars don't work for most mounts.

[@Insect0man]

Did this kit come with a temperature sensor installed?

[@ElectronSurfer]

I really don't know, I'll have to see if newer kits do, especially the 750watt version. I don't have the kit anymore to check.

[@klang180]

How do you ever stop all that weight on those crappy cantilever brakes?

[@ElectronSurfer]

Properly adjusted canti's do ok, especially with nice pads. I do live where it never rains though. The mid drives don't add a ton of weight to the bike since the bottom bracket and cranks are replaced. I usually see 7 to 10 lbs increase. Thanks for the comment.

[@arcsatt1]

Simply stated , the motor adds mussle to your legs!

[@KKhhoorrnniittee]

What were all those trash cans doing in the bike lane?

[@ElectronSurfer]

Its a annoying fact here in California, on trash day the cans block the bike lanes.

[@KKhhoorrnniittee]

@@ElectronSurfer I'm not suggesting anything, but if they were mysteriously kicked down and out of the lane, maybe next time there would be less of them?

[@tonielcock8891]

Just need 48t chain ring

[@ElectronSurfer]

With the torque sensor you have to make sure you have a low enough gear for take-offs if you jump up in the front chainring. It can work for some people but in my experience the larger front ring tends to reduce the range, these mid-drives seem to prefer spinning at higher rpms.

[@tonielcock8891]

I think runing 52t you may need a 10 speed cassette . Im running a 48t with a 7 speed and want to change the rear cassete to an 11t to something like 36+ 7 speed . My smallest is 13t or 14 . So i need a better rear gearing than change bigger at the front. I ghost peddal at 25 mph and it would be nice at about 28 mph just keeping up peddaling

[@SolarizeYourLife]

Everyone says a 52t chainring is way better at not pedal ghosting....for both hub and mid drive motors... You can add the controls to the handlebars stem....you have nothing there....

[@ElectronSurfer]

I have tried 52t chainrings, i think it just depends on what speed and cadence you like to ride and pedal at. I don't often ride over 20 mph so 44t or 46t works just fine. Also these motors are very happy to spin at higher RPMs. I have noticed higher battery consumption with the 52t setup.