36v bafang motor

[Kris88]

I’ve finally decided to take the plunge and go electric. I’m thinking of a bafang mid mount motor 250w . Which I was going to mount on my old pashley post office bike. But I might buy a newer s/h bike we’ll see. Anyway my questions are which are the best controller etc. Also I’ve been offered some valence 36v batteries cheap. I was wondering if these are suitable to be used as exstension packs with the bafang motor. Please take it easy with a newbie thanks in advance.
Regards kris

 

[Nealh]

Mid mount motor has integral contoller.

 

[flash]

I have an Elephant bike that is an ex postoffice bike with a Bafang mid drive motor. I have had it about 3 years. It is my daily ride for shopping etc. I have a couple of other Ebikes, a Haibike hardseven and a Emu front wheel drive, but the Elephant bike is my favourite

 

[saneagle]

Most mid-mount motors have the controller in them, so you only have to connect the battery and stick the LCD on the handlebars to make it work. The battery needs to be able to provide the current that the controller demands. For a BBS01, that's 15A. It's best to have a bit of heeadroom, so I'd use a battery capable of delivering 20A for a motor like that.

Can you tell us a bit more about what those valence batteries are?

Pashley bikes sometimes have weird bottom brackets, so mid motors don't always fit. If there's any doubt, show photos.

 

[Saracen]

My Bafang why? would you get a separate controller it is part of the kit

 

[chris667]

I’ve finally decided to take the plunge and go electric. I’m thinking of a bafang mid mount motor 250w . Which I was going to mount on my old pashley post office bike. But I might buy a newer s/h bike we’ll see. Anyway my questions are which are the best controller etc. Also I’ve been offered some valence 36v batteries cheap. I was wondering if these are suitable to be used as exstension packs with the bafang motor. Please take it easy with a newbie thanks in advance.
Regards kris

Hello Kris

I've got a plan to do this as well, at some point in the future - I have a similar Pashley that would be great for general transport.

What I I would say that the post office Pashleys are great bikes but you have to be realistic about having low enough gears if there's hills where you live. It's a heavy bike and legal electric power will only take you so far.

If I do a conversion on my Mailstar, I'm going to braze a disc tab on the front fork and canti studs on the rear so I can have a Magura hydraulic rim brake on the rear and disc front (I don't think you'd get a disc onto the rear triangle of a Mailstar). I'll then be converting the Pashley to a hub motor and fitting a triple ring up front. My Mailstar has a rear mech hanger - I think I could make it work!

Incidentally, this is all referring to the Mailstar/Elephant bike which was the last post office bike. The generation before might not be such a good choice for electrification.

Truth be told, a normal mountain bike would be a much easier conversion.

 

[matthewslack]

The Valence I have are LiFePO4, and from 2008 to 2010 Smith Edison electric Transit conversions.

Weight vs capacity might be an issue. Do you have pictures or model numbers?

 

[Kris88]

The Valence I have are LiFePO4, and from 2008 to 2010 Smith Edison electric Transit conversions.

Weight vs capacity might be an issue. Do you have pictures or model numbers?

I’ll find some 36v blocks they are quite big and heavy compared to newer batteries. But I have the chance of some cheap. So they do work with the bafang motor ? What Other electronics do I need? Sorry for the simple questions but I’m new to this.

 

[matthewslack]

I’ll find some 36v blocks they are quite big and heavy compared to newer batteries. But I have the chance of some cheap. So they do work with the bafang motor ? What Other electronics do I need? Sorry for the simple questions but I’m new to this.

BBS specialists can tell you for sure, but I think it will be fine with any generic two wire battery, the chemistry does not matter.

 

[saneagle]

The Valence I have are LiFePO4, and from 2008 to 2010 Smith Edison electric Transit conversions.

Weight vs capacity might be an issue. Do you have pictures or model numbers?

Generally, it's not a good idea to use old used lithium batteries in an ebike. LiFePO4 is relatively heavy, and in 2010 couldn't provide much power even when they were new. You're going to have to find a BMS for them and go to all the trouble of wiring it up and making some sort of enclosure that you can fix to the bike. Also, you're going to need a charger.It might work, but the probability is that you'll end up with an over-weight saggy battery.

I've experimented with reclaimed cells and made many of my own batteries. It's great as a learning experience, but fairly good new ebike batteries with chargers don't cost much, and if you want a useful ebike, it makes much more sense to buy a ready-made battery unless you have a source of lithium-ion cells to reclaim that you know are good.

LiFePO4 cells last longer than normal Li-ion but how much have they been used since 2008? Anyway, the weight will be terrible.

 

[Kris88]

So to summarise Lifepo4 blocks will work with a bafang motor. They have some disadvantages. I will need to find a charger. They have bms in them so should be alright. The weight to power ratio and physical bulk might be an issue. The a wear on the batteries is a consideration as with all second hand batteries.
Just to be clear I intend to use a bafang motor with a standard bike battery and then use these blocks as range extenders.
so if I understand right these might we worth ago if they are cheap, not too worn and I can cope with bulk weight issues?
Have I got it about right?

 

[saneagle]

So to summarise Lifepo4 blocks will work with a bafang motor. They have some disadvantages. I will need to find a charger. They have bms in them so should be alright. The weight to power ratio and physical bulk might be an issue. The a wear on the batteries is a consideration as with all second hand batteries.
Just to be clear I intend to use a bafang motor with a standard bike battery and then use these blocks as range extenders.
so if I understand right these might we worth ago if they are cheap, not too worn and I can cope with bulk weight issues?
Have I got it about right?

Are you sure they have a BMS in them? What voltage are they? What exactly are they?

 

[matthewslack]

All depends how cheap is cheap!

 

[saneagle]

All depends how cheap is cheap!

If you want some very cheap cells, I can give you a load - probably enough to make several useless batteries. It'll save me taking them to the tip. let's say 1p each. Is that cheap enough for you?

 

[matthewslack]

If you want some very cheap cells, I can give you a load - probably enough to make several useless batteries. It'll save me taking them to the tip. let's say 1p each. Is that cheap enough for you?

I have the same! A number of 4s99p lumps of LiFePo4 18650s, which await a suitable route to recycling.

For the OP I was just interested to know whether their 36V Valence option was £50 or less, which I might think of as worth a shot, or £100+ which I would probably avoid by going straight to a proper ebike battery.