If you are looking into building your first DIY e-bike, you will probably find that a lot of builders are using the Bafang BBS02 mid-drive motor conversion kit. You might wonder: “why are so many people using this kit?” and “is it really that good?”. In this review, I will give the answers to all these questions by giving an extensive review of the Bafang BBS02.
What’s included in the kit?
All different versions of the Bafang mid-drive motor kits include all the parts you will need to convert your bike into an electric bike. The only extra part you will need is a suitable battery. Some sellers even sell the Bafang BBS02 kits together with a battery in one package. If you go for such a kit, you will have everything you need for a DIY conversion. At the end of this review, you can find some of my recommended sellers where you can buy those kits.
A Bafang mid-drive motor kit will include the following components:
- A motor unit with integrated controller (500W or 750W)
- A display (DPC18, P850C, P860C, 750C, SW102, C965 or C961)
- A chainring (44T, 46T, 48T or 52T) + plastic guard
- Brake levers with integrated cut-off switches (or hydraulic cut-off sensors)
- Throttle (generally a thumb throttle style)
- Speed sensor + magnet
- Wiring harness
- Two crank arms (left and right)
- Mounting hardware
- Bafang lock ring tool (not always included)
You can see that with 4 components you have to make a choice: “How much power do I want?”, “Which display should I go for?”, “How big should my chainring be?” and “What kind of cut-off switches do I need?” The following 4 sections will guide you through these choices if you would decide to buy a BBS02 kit.
How much power do I need?
For the BBS02 there are 2 different power levels to choose from, either 500 or 750 watts. The power levels that are indicated, however, aren’t completely accurate. In practice, both versions, output more power than indicated. This is the case because of the controller that’s inside, which can handle more power but is sometimes limited by software settings. I will show the maximum power each motor version can output, assuming that it’s maximized in the software.
| Version | Maximum controller current | Maximum output power |
| Bafang BBS02 500W 48V | 18 Amps @ 48V | (18 x 54.6) = 983 watts |
| Bafang BBS02 750W 48V | 25 Amps @ 48V | (25 x 54.6) = 1365 watts |
As you can see, the actual maximum power of the motors is much higher than specified. You can increase the power even more by going with a 52V battery. I, however, do not recommend doing this, because the controllers are not designed for 52V batteries.
So which options should you go for? In my opinion, I would always go for the BBS02 750W version. This version has a beefer controller and can, therefore, handle more power. If you don’t need that much power, you can always lower the power in the software. If you ever need more power with the 500W version, you can’t do this. So the 750W version simply just gives you more overhead and flexibility.
Which display to choose?
Generally, it doesn’t really matter which display you choose. The difference between the displays is mostly esthetic, you just choose the one you think looks nice and displays the information clearly. All displays have the exact same functionality, the only exception being the USB port for charging. The P850C, DPC18 and 860C displays have a built-in USB port from which you can charge your phone for example. So if you really need this feature, you should go for one of them. My recommendation would be: If you want the cheapest option –> C965, If you want the nicest looks –> P850C or DPC18.
How big should my chainring be?
Choosing the correct size chainring for your bike can be a bit tricky. If you order too big of a chainring you can have clearance issues. The first thing you should do to determine which size chainring you need is: Checking the current biggest chainring size on your bike. Let’s say you have a 3-speed front derailleur, and therefore also 3 different size chainrings. You will now look at how many teeth the biggest chainring has. If you know how many teeth your current biggest chainring has, you will now go for the chainring option closest to that number.
So if your biggest chainring is a 42T, you will go for the 44T. If you are in doubt between two sizes, always go for the smaller option. The smaller the chainring, the less chance of clearance issues. If you still encounter clearance issues then there, fortunately, is a solution for this. In that case, you can order these spacers. Those spacers will bring the motor a little bit outwards so that the chainring will clear the frame.
Which cut-off switches?
Brake lever cut-off switches 
Hydraulic cut-off switches
Determining which type of cut-off switches you need is really easy. If you have cable brakes, go for the brake levers with built-in cut-off switches. You will just replace your current brake levers with these. If you have hydraulic brakes, however, then you will need to go for the hydraulic cut-off switches. These switches can be stuck to your existing hydraulic brake levers. You, therefore, don’t have to replace the entire brake levers, which would be really hard on hydraulic brakes. Sellers on Aliexpress often replace the brake lever cut-off switches for hydraulic cut-off switches for free if you ask them.
Installation and compatibility
The Bafang BBS02 mid-drive kits can be installed on bikes with 33.5 mm diameter bottom brackets with a width between 68 and 73 mm. These are common dimensions on bikes, the kit will therefore fit most bikes perfectly. Your bike does have to have a removable bottom bracket, this means that the bottom bracket can be unscrewed. Some bikes (mostly expensive bikes) feature pressed bottom brackets, which can not (easily) be removed. If your bike has a bottom bracket of this type, this kit can’t be installed on it. If you are not sure if your bottom bracket is removable, ask your local bike shop, they can tell you just by looking at it. The other requirements that your bike has to meet are pretty obvious like:
- The bike should be chain driven (not belt driven)
- Disc brakes are recommended so that you can stop quickly
- The bike shouldn’t have a chainguard
- Derailleur systems are preferred over IGH systems (derailleurs can handle more power)
Removable bottom bracket 
Bafang lockring tool
There are lots of really detailed installation guides that can help you install this Bafang BBS02 kit. I can recommend this installation video, which also mentions which tools you will likely need.
Buy the Bafang BBS02 @Aliexpress – Global shipping:
Reprogramming ability
The Bafang BBS02 mid-drive motor’s parameters can be changed using a programming cable and special free-to-download software. This programmability function makes the Bafang BBS02 even more versatile, you can really tweak it to your liking. You can alter settings like: maximum power, PAS behavior, throttle behavior, and more. Reprogramming a Bafang BBS02 motor should be done with care though since it can harm your motor if done incorrectly. The stock settings out of the factory are excellent most of the time and don’t have to be changed. If you however do want to change some settings, please following a detailed guide. I can recommend this guide.
Programming cable 
Programming software
Performance
The BBS02 motor really is a small little beast. It can output a lot of power and will get you up to speed really quickly. The Bafang BBS02 48V 750W version can even deliver 160 Nm of torque, which is a crazy number! This is enough torque to get you up any hill.
The fact that you can still use your gears makes it even more versatile. You can use a low gear for climbing and a high gear for high top speeds. If you are planning of using your gears a lot, I would recommend installing an additional gear sensor. This sensor will cut off power when the gear switching action takes place. This will prevent your derailleur, cassette, or chain from breaking when you accidentally would switch gears under high load.
A stock 750W version most of the time is set on 18 amps maximum out of the factory, this will give you roughly 900 watts of power. These 900 watts will easily bring you up to speeds of 50km/h (31mph), which is truly stunning!
Ride and feel
The Bafang BBS02 mid-drive motor really provides a stunning ride. The pedal assist uses a cadence sensor to determine how much power to assist with. This system works really well and I would say that its the best cadence-based pedal assist on any conversion kit. You can also control the motor with the thumb throttle. This can be very convenient when you want to be the first off the line at a traffic light for example. You will find that you will mostly use the throttle in such a way: to give you that initial push when you want to accelerate from a standstill position. It really makes cycling such a breeze. The throttle could be better however since the controllability isn’t all that refined. It will mostly either go or not go, with not a lot of control in between, therefore making it hard to precisely control your bike using only the throttle. But if you use it together with the pedal assist, it’s an absolutely awesome and fun feature to have! You will have the best of both worlds, which will give you a really versatile bike.
A mid-drive motor, in general, is positioned in a nice way on the bike. The weight of the motor is low down and centered on the bike. This gives the bike a great balance which will result in excellent corner handling. The motor also runs really smooth and quiet, which makes it feel like a more expensive motor than it actually is. All in all, it’s just a really well-put-together system. You will be amazed by how excellent this conversion kit rides.
Build quality
The build quality of the Bafang BBS02 conversion kit can be called excellent. The motor and controller are enclosed in a sturdy black metal housing that feels expensive. The metal housing is painted nicely and doesn’t suffer much from rust over time. Only certain parts of the motor can become a bit rusty when damaged or scratched, but nothing crazy. The enclosure is also waterproof and holds up well in the rain, but it’s ofcourse still best to avoid the rain as much as possible. All connections are nicely waterproofed as well.
Reliability and problems
Unfortunately, reliability is not where the Bafang BBS02 shines. You could say that this is the only aspect where the BBS02 motor kits fall behind. The reliability issue has mainly to do with the built-in controllers. The built-in controllers tend to fail more often than you would expect. In my experience, 1 out of every 6 controllers would fail on average. These controllers were all run on the recommended 48V @ 18 Amps, so the controllers weren’t even maxed out to their 25 Amps potential. Still, these controllers that were configured conservatively would fail sometimes. So Bafang really has some work to do on their controllers’ reliability.
Bafang error codes 
Bafang BBS02 controller replacement
Broken controllers luckily can be swapped out relatively easily, there are a lot of instruction videos available on how to do this. Replacement controllers cost around 100 USD. Fortunately, a lot of sellers ship out replacement controllers for free if you are still in the warranty period (1 or 2 years). So most of the time you can do a replacement for free. I think these controller problems shouldn’t prevent you from buying this awesome piece of kit, but it’s definitely something to consider.
You can also experience problems with your drivetrain, this however can’t be blamed on Bafang. The motors are just so powerful that they wear out your chains and cassettes much faster. So periodic maintenance is a necessity for powerful mid-drive motors (> 500 watts).
If you want the best reliability and low maintenance, you should go for a Bafang hub motor conversion kit. Such a kit is really reliable and doesn’t require a lot of maintenance. You will, however, have to sacrifice the great versatility, power, torque, and convenience of the Bafang BBS02 mid-drive motors.
Buy this Bafang BBS02 conversion kit @Aliexpress – Global shipping:
- Bafang BBS02 motor kit + Battery (Complete conversion kit)
- Bafang BBS02 motor kit (Motor kit only)
- 48V 17.5Ah Hailong battery (Recommended 48V battery)
Conclusion
The Bafang BBS02 mid-drive conversion kit really is a great conversion kit. The motor has the best-in-class pedal assist, is build nicely, offers a lot of power and torque, is really versatile, and can be installed relatively easily. The only aspect where it falls a bit behind is its controller reliability.
So if you are looking for the best mid-drive conversion kit for your DIY e-bike, you shouldn’t look any further! The Bafang BBS02 offers amazing value for money and you will be amazed by its performance. It’s just an absolutely great piece of kit!
| Power: |  (5.0 / 5) |
| Torque: | (5.0 / 5) |
| Pedal assist: |  (4.5 / 5) |
| Build quality: | (4.5 / 5) |
| Low maintenance: |  (3.0 / 5) |
| Reliability: | (3.0 / 5) |
If you have any questions, want to start a discussion, or need some support, please use the comment section below. I will respond to you within 24 hours.
You say a 750W unit can give 160NM of torque but don’t mention what this can do to the rear cassette and chain! Also, using the throttle in a high gear from standing still you risk burning out the controller, with mid units you have to select the right gear as you would with a normal bike.
Hi Steve,
You’re right, I actually do mention exactly this on the website. But thanks for sharing your concern, you are right.
I am aiming for an ideal commuting by bike for low maintenance. For this it would seem that a gates belt drive and gear hub would be ideal. Can you elaborate on what the problems would be with using a bafang mid motor with such a combination. Since gates carbon belt drives pasta long time, this would seem to be better than a chain. Thanks
Hi Omar,
I completely agree that belts are better than chains. The problem is that it’s nearly impossible to fit belts to a bafang mid-drive, they are not designed for this. The belt needs to be exactly alligned, and you need custom sprockets. There are only a few people who successfully fitted belts to a Bafang mid-drive, because it is so hard. If you want to attempt it, you need to be very capable with bike parts and probably need to develop custom solutions for your bike. So it’s definitely not a plug and play thing. Good luck!
i have recently had a 750w bafang BBSOSB mid drive fitted to a bike, and it has been nothing but trouble ,with constant slipping and banging ,the tourney rear mech has been changed for an altus one the chain has been shortened ,and the freehub changed for a better quality one weve tried everything but nothing has changed ,im slightly overweight for the motor so whether that has any bearing on the matter ,but personally i wouldnt rate these kits and am going for a hub drive system instead.
Hi Richard,
It’s key to use the correct gear when accelerating. The smaller gears have only a couple of teeths that make contact, so slip is possible in these gears. A good quality chain and cassette or freehub are also key. In addition the derailleur alignment should be perfect. In most cases you shouldn’t have issues in that case. But the likelihood of it slipping ofcourse increases with rider weight. So in that case a hub motor system might be better suited for you.
Lookslike Rockrider 520 (any version) has been discontinued.
At this moment, on stock, candidates could be Rockrider ST120 , Rockrider 530, maybe even the Triban RC 500 flatbar.
Any comments? Experiences? Warnings on those models ?
I have read that bafang 750W doesnt fit 100% ok at model RR530.
Any other model to buy eyes closed without fear for incompatibility?
Thanks in advance.
Hi Jos,
It’s a shame that this model is possibly discountinued. I have no hands-on experience with the other mentioned models, so I unfortunately can’t tell you.
Fortunately, most mountainbikes will work without fitment issues. If you want to take no risk, the easiest way is to simply look at other people’s builds online. Simply look at the bikes they used and buy the same one.
A lot of people seem to use giant or trek bikes, so you can look at these models as well.
My Wife has a Milazo Trenton With BaFang 250 watt 36V motor I would like to upgrade this bike with the M500 Is this possible?
I also have a Merida HFS about 12 years old Full suspension, has a 73mm BB, i would like to fit the BBs02 mid drive too this bike 48v or 250, 500, 750 BaFang While this be OK? as this bike will be again useful again.
I Myself have a MTB with a Bosh motor(would like the latest 90 N) for the past 7 years and the best thing I have Bought being 70 years old!!!
Would the M500 also fit this MTB?
Peter Cook
Hi Peter,
The Bafang M500 can only be mounted to frames with dedicated mounts. Only bikes that are fitted with the M500 from factory have these mounts. Therefore non of your bikes can be fitted with a M500, they simply don’t have the mounts for it.
Your Merida bike can probably fit a BBS02 if you are able to remove the bottom bracket. There can however be clearance issues on full suspension bikes. I however can’t tell you if that would be the case for your bike. You would have to measure certain parts of the bike to know that for sure.
Great article, I’ve just bought a kit as i wanted to have a lighter e-bike without any drawbacks or huge costs. I’ve spent a year driving a Raleigh Motus which had a bosh active line mid-drive. It was a pleasant drive for the most part but of late has been giving me some pain in the knees hence the switch.
My question is how does the Bafang mid-drive differ from the cadence motors you would get in rear hub bikes. I did quite like the fact that in the Bosh as soon as you use the pedal you could feel the motor pushing you along. Ive had some experience with rear hub motors (Lime, Uber jump bikes and fiido) and they are not as smooth, giving you a bit of a kick start when you turn the crack about 45 degrees.
Hi Jonathan,
The Bafang mid-drive cadance system is more refined than most cadance based hub motor systems. So you can expect less “on-off” feeling from the Bafang mid-drive cadence system. It however won’t feel as natural as the Bosh system with torque sensing does. So to summarize, it feels better than most cadence based hub motor systems but a torque sensing system, like on a Bosh motor still outperforms it. Having said that, it does come close to feeling like a torque sensing system. Especially giving the fact that the Bafang mid-drives can be reprogrammed to the settings you like. You can look at my Bafang programming guide for this. I also understand what you mean with some systems being very harsh and not smooth. I would say that the Bafang mid-drives don’t have this flaw, they feel quite refined. But they can be programmed to be aggressive if you would want to.
Giel, Thanks for helpful review.
I am looking at the 750 W Mid drive 48 v Bafang BBSO2; I weigh 145 lbls and am older but still climb a lot of hills. My current big chain ring is 44T.
My question is can I use my 9 speed rear derailleur on my Santa Cruz blur 26 inch mountain bike ( year 2005; aluminium frame; disc brakes). The installation photos seem to show only a 7 speed rear derailleur.
Secondly, I currently comfortably ride 16 miles mountain biking but would like to have the option of doubling this to 30 miles if possible ; Should I get the 17 MAH.
I do not want the power on going down hills – is there an option for power off downhill.
Thank you for your advice on this.
Hi,
I am happy to help, here are the answers to all your questions:
1) A 9 speed derailleur generally is not a problem. In some cases the chainline can be sub-optimal, but this can often be fixed with some spacers. In general it will work fine with the default installation hardware though, so I shouldn’t worry about this too much. You will have to reallign your derailleur for sure, but this is something that you always need to do with a Bafang mid-drive installation. There are lots of great videos available on YouTube explaining how to do this.
2) I would say that for a 30 mile trip with medium assist levels, 14Ah will do the job. But this is always hard to estimate. If you don’t want to suffer from any range anxiety, I would definitely go with the 17.5 Ah battery. It will be a slightly bigger investment, but definitely worth it because of the piece of mind in my opinion. You will rarely run out of battery with this size battery, which makes the bike so incredibly versatile.
3) You can definitely turn off the power going downhill. Simply set is to assist level 0, the bike will stay on but no power will be delivered to the pedals. It will behave exactly the same as a normal unassisted bike in that case.
Hi Giel / Admin, thanks for taking the time to answer our questions.
I just purchased the Bafang BBS02B 68-73 mm — this for my 2009 Trek Step Through Allant (700c x 35 mm wheels) along with the speed sensor with 44 teeth..
Do you recommend and even smaller tooth combination up front, the hills are very, very steep where I live.
If so, can you provide me a link.
Did I buy the right kit?
Thank you,
Josh
Hi Josh,
I think you will be fine with the 44T chainring, since the BBS02 will provide you with plenty of power. If you still find that your lowest gear, isn’t low enough, you can always get a larger gear on your rear cassette/freewheel. This way you can also decrease the gear ratio for your lowest gear.
And yes, I think you bought the right kit. It will perform really well in hilly areas because of the gears it can use in addition to the high torque of the motor.
If you still find that the 44T with a larger rear cassette/freewheel won’t be enough to get up hill you can always buy this chainring:
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_ACogUC
The 34T or 36T will definitely be enough.
Hi Giel,
I enjoyed your article – thank you. I recently ancounter a strange problem with my bbs01 250w – the controler, that is programed to give 18A, started to give only 12A.
I reprogramed it but it did not help. Do you have an idea what could be the problem?
Thanks, Oded.
Hi Oded,
Have you set at least one assist level to 100% current limit? And what is your keep current setting?
Hi Giel,
Yes, I have, and my Keep current setting is 80, like you recomendetion.
But the figure usually given for this motor is 80 nm. and you are saying it can give 160 nm?!
Hi,
Yes, the data sheet of the BBS02 states 160 Nm:
https://images.app.goo.gl/f1jWK2XLtiMyE43m9
HI. How do you get the motor to deliver 160 Nm of torque?
Hi,
This is just a property of the motor. You don’t have to do anything for this, the motor will simply output this (maximum) torque.
Hey, I just wanted to add that the BBS02B revision of the controller has more reliable mosfets. From what I hear reliability should not be an issue anymore.
I have a bafang 750w mid drive and very pleased, I have a 48v 12ah battery which last about 30 miles. Want to buy a back up carry battery to increase my range. Would a 48v 17.5 battery give me much more range? About 100 pound more cost. Idea to carry a charged one in my rucksack.
Hi Robert,
A 17.5Ah battery would definitely provide more range. Almost 50% more range! So yes, if you would like to get more range, I can definitely recommend a 17.5 ah 48V battery.
I have a Merida Speeder 400 flat bar. It does not have suspension, has a carbon front fork and is reasonably light, 9.5kg. Would such a bike be suitable for the 250w or 750w mid drive as I notice bikes with suspension seem to be the most common ones modified. Also in view of the weight of the bike would the 250w be OK, or conversely would the 750w be too much for it.
Hi Micheal,
Having no suspension isn’t that big of a deal. It just will be less comfortable at high speeds. So it definitely isn’t a necessity, but at high speeds it is really pleasant to have. Therefore a lot of people opt to convert a bike with suspension.
I think you will be better of with a 750W motor, this way you can always tune it down if you find it too powerful. So therefore you will have a lot more flexibility then with a 250W. You can’t “tune up” a 250W, so you will have a power limit. The 750W motor can be programmed as a 250W if you find 750W too much on a daily for example. But if you ever want yo have all the power, you can set it to 750W again.
The price difference between the 250W and 750W also isn’t that high. So definitely worth it to by the 750W in my opinion.
Hello, i’m french so excuse my poor english. I bought a Rockrider 520 ST and a BBS 02 kit after I saw your video. I have two problems : the inner diameter of the crankshaft tube is 33.8mm ,so bigger than needed and I need a spacer (5mm ?) between the motor and the tube (the motor touch the stay). And, enventually, the line of the chain is not good…
Do you use spacer ? Do you have chain Line problem ?
Thanks you, best regards.
Hi,
You shouldn’t have to use a spacer. The diameter of the motor should be the same as the bottom bracket hole. Have you received the bike and motor already? Does it not fit right now? Because it definitely should fit without a spacer. Ofcourse there can be a little difference in size, but generally speaking the tollarance is really small. I have made over 10 of such bikes, it fitted perfectly all the time, no spacers needed.
The chainline also should be good out of the box if you use a 44T or smaller chainring. If you have a bigger chainring, your chainline will be bad, so make sure that you use the 44T or less. But to answer your question: No I don’t have chainline issues with the 44T chainring.
i have fitted a 750 mid drive motor on a road bike and I note your comment regarding possibly not fitting the accelerator hand control. I find this control excellent for moving off particularly at pedestrian control lights ,negotiating barriers when power is a hazard at parks where one can be thrust into barriers ‘also a good aid to keeping up wright in slow tight traverse,
a great help in kicking in the power before turning the pedals.
Regards from Melbourne.
Hi George,
You are absolutely right, the throttle can can be really convenient in certain cases. I am going to rephrase my sentence. Because I meant to say that the throttle is a nice thing to have, but that it is unfortunate that it isn’t really incremental.
You indicate that the mid drive kit cannot be fitted to a belt drive bike. I am researching the possibility of converting a Trek Soho (belt drive) to electric and the Bafang mid drive looked promising – until I read your comment. Is it possible to either have a Bafung with a ring suitable for a belt or to fit my existing belt ring onto a Bafung drive?
Hi Neil,
Fitting the BBSxx system on a belt drive bike is possible, but it definitely isn’t an straight forward thing to do. Hence why I don’t recommend doing it in my article. Only a handful of people have successfully pulled it of (not a lot of pictures can be found with BBSxx motors installed on belt drive bikes).
The thing that makes it difficult is alignment. The rear belt sprocket should be exactly alligned (straight) with the front sprocket. Because the Bafang motor is aftermarket, it will never have the same alignment as the original sprocket (the front motor sprocket will be more outwards or inwards than the original sprocket). Belts simply just don’t allow the sprockets to be out of alignment. Chains allow for a quite a big alignment difference between the front and rear sprocket, that’s why this rarely is an issue with chain driven bikes.
You will also need an chainring adapter, since the Bafang mid drives can’t be fitted with a belt sprocket out of the box. This isn’t a big problem, but something to consider as well. If your existing belt ring will work, will depend on the mounting standard it uses and if adapters are available for this type.
So if you want to have a belt driven BBSxx system, you will need to make sure that your alligment will work. This will probably require lots of calculations with the dimensions from the bike and motor. If your motor sprocket will be too far outward, it will be impossible to fit the belt. A lot of bikes will have these alignment issues.
You also have to make sure that the IGH that is coupled to the belt, can handle the (sometimes) great amount of power of the BBSxx motor.
So in short: It’s not impossible to have a belt driven BBSxx system. A lot of bikes will have alignment issues though. If you are lucky, some bikes can make it work, but you will probably always have to do some clever spacing/adapter work. Figuring out if the alignment will work just from pictures and dimensions can be really challenging as well. So research it if you are up for a challenge, but for most people it will be way easier and foolproof to go with chain drives.
With a Rohloff in the back, alignment is nearly spot on. I used thin spacers between between the spider (“chainring adaptor” from California Ebike) and beltring to make it perfect. This is on a regular trekking frame with 68mm BB.
The Trek Soho (I have one) comes with an Alfine 8, and alignment would be WAY off.
Thanks for sharing! It will definitely help others! 🙂
I read your statements on attaching a Befang motor to a road bike where you indicated it was not possible to have a motor cut out attached to the brake handle of a road bike.
I recently attached a center bracket 750 motor to my second road bike with drop bars and was able to use the existing hand brake cable as a guide for the attachment of the cut out cable ( the one now not being used for double chain ring changer) . Setting the magnet took trial and error and the cable being attached to the brake cable was
set at a gap to have full control. I have it set so the slight pull on the brake handle cuts the motor allowing for gates ,tight corners etc, Hope this is of some help from Melbourne Auatralia.
Hi George,
It is indeed possible to use the magnetic cut off switches. What I meant was that you can’t use the other type of cut off levers: the one that replace the entire lever. Road bikes have different kind of levers, so the only option is to go for magnetic. I could have explained this better. Thank you for sharing your experience! It is always much appreciated!
Thanks for the thorough review. I’m trying to decide between a mid-drive e-bike or using a Bafang kit to convert a conventional bike. I have a couple questions:
1) How easy is it to convert a drop-bar bike with this kit?
2) Of the two options I’m considering, which is probably more reliable and requires less maintenance?
Thanks.
Hi AlanK,
I assume that with the Bafang kit, you mean the Bafang hub motor kit.
1. Converting a drop-bar bike has a couple of implications for the conversion. A) You probably won’t be able to install cut-off switches for the brakes. This isn’t that big of a problem, but it is something to consider. B} You probably won’t be able to mount the display control buttons in an argonomic way. Apart from those two things, the rest of the conversion should be quite straightforward. You only need to be sure that you can remove the bottom bracket and that the bottom bracket size is correct. If you want to install the hub motor kit, you should check the dropout width and the type of dropout system.
2) The hub motor kit will be more reliable than the mid-drive kit and will require less maintain. I however think that for a drop-bar bike, the mid-drive motor is the better option. A mid-drive motor will keep the balance of the bike in check. A hub motor will affect the sporty characteristics of a drop-bar bike more. So that won’t be the best match.
Hope this helped you.
Thanks for the reply. I’m actually interested in the mid-drive kit for exactly the reasons you highlight. While they’re more maintenance, to me it’s worth is since they’re lighter and don’t fundamentally change the experience of cycling to nearly the degree mid-drives do.
Great review, I’m pleased i read it and grateful to you for your detailed review. I’m looking to buy this bafang motor but still researching around 36v 500w or the 48v 750w. I feel bad that the controller will give me issues now that you have mentioned it. Your B Twin MTB may i ask which model it is.
Hi Ali Shuhel,
I would definitely go for the 48V 750W, this way you can always set the power lower if you don’t need it. But if you ever want more power, you have it available as well. I listed great sellers in this post that sell the motors and batteries with tax free shipping. The controller can indeed give issues, but a lot of people will never have problems. It is just a relatively small chance, that you should keep in mind. But I think it shouldn’t keep you away from buying it. It still is an absolutely awesome piece of kit! The B-twin bike I use a lot is the Rockrider 520. It’s a great bike at an affordable price point. I have a video in which I explain how to convert this bike with the BBS02 with that exact bike. I can really recommend it, if you watch it, you can build it. The video:
https://youtu.be/lxSx33Ps_RQ
Hope this helped you.
If you have any questions, please leave them in this comment section. I will try to answer them within 24 hours.