Bacchetta Giro 20 and in wheel motor

[nobby531]

Hi all I've been a member here awhile but really have a need for help.
I have three bikes with Bafang 36v mid drives. Tried one of the motors on my SWB Bacchetta Giro 20 and didn't like the weight up front.
I am thinking of fitting an in wheel motor but am not sure whether a front (20") or rear (26") would be better for uphill assistance?
The bike has SRAM 3 by 9 derailleurs if that makes any difference.
Any thoughts, please?

 

[flecc]

A bit surprised it didn't like the weight up front since Bacchetta's own electric version uses a Shimano Steps motor up front:

LINK

A wheel hub motor if fitted would be best in the rear wheel for traction on that recumbent. Ideally you'd need a motor that took a cassette rather than freewheel.

However the spacing on that quite short rear fork would need to be wide enough and that will restrict the motor choice. If you let us know that space between the rear forks at the spindle point, others may be able to suggest a motor to go with that 9 speed cassette.
.

 

[Deleted member 33385]

A bit surprised it didn't like the weight up front since Bacchetta's own electric version uses a Shimano Steps motor up front:

LINK

A wheel hub motor if fitted would be best in the rear wheel for traction on that recumbent. Ideally you'd need a motor that took a cassette rather than freewheel.

However the spacing on that quite short rear fork would need to be wide enough and that will restrict the motor choice. If you let us know that space between the rear forks at the spindle point, others may be able to suggest a motor to go with that 9 speed cassette.
.

The Shimano Steps motors seem to be only about 1kg lighter, than Bafang motors of equivalent power:

E-Bike Systems

The beauty of our premium e-bike systems is that they come pre-installed on your favourite brands and models. This means you have a fantastic range of bikes to choose from.

www.shimano-steps.com

...must try a recumbent...

 

[nobby531]

A bit surprised it didn't like the weight up front since Bacchetta's own electric version uses a Shimano Steps motor up front:

Thanks for the advice.
When I had the Bafang on the front I had a Shimano Alfine 8 or an 11 hub gear in the back so I think the spacing is 135mm.
On the weight up front. I don't know that the bike had a problem so much as me but that picture is making me think again.

The Shimano Steps motors seem to be only about 1kg lighter, than Bafang motors of equivalent power:

E-Bike Systems

The beauty of our premium e-bike systems is that they come pre-installed on your favourite brands and models. This means you have a fantastic range of bikes to choose from.

www.shimano-steps.com

...must try a recumbent...

I see from my ride notes that I only rode the Bacchetta twice with the Bafang. The first day it was very high winds and I was buffeted about the road and the second I fell off at a slow speed blind junction trying to turn right. At the time I was carrying a spare battery in a sidepod on the seat and I'd had trouble with the weight moving in the sidepod. Maybe that was the problem.
Interested in your Dahon. I have a Speed TR and thought about fitting a motor but in the end bought a Moulton TSRA8 and fitted a Bafang to that instead. Age has made it easier to carry the weight split in two parts. The Speed TR is now on semi permanent loan to number two daughter.

 

[flecc]

I see from my ride notes that I only rode the Bacchetta twice with the Bafang. The first day it was very high winds and I was buffeted about the road and the second I fell off at a slow speed blind junction trying to turn right. At the time I was carrying a spare battery in a sidepod on the seat and I'd had trouble with the weight moving in the sidepod. Maybe that was the problem.

A crank motor at the front has always been a popular solution for powering a recumbent and I think it's the optimum for you once you've sorted a good position for a fixed battery.
.

 

[vfr400]

Hi all I've been a member here awhile but really have a need for help.
I have three bikes with Bafang 36v mid drives. Tried one of the motors on my SWB Bacchetta Giro 20 and didn't like the weight up front.
I am thinking of fitting an in wheel motor but am not sure whether a front (20") or rear (26") would be better for uphill assistance?
The bike has SRAM 3 by 9 derailleurs if that makes any difference.
Any thoughts, please?

It'll be much better with a rear hub-motor. You need a cassette type. There are a lot of options with different powers speeds and weights. Without knowing anything about you and your rides, it's not possible to say which exact one is best.

I can understand what you're saying about the weight up front. It'll act like a pendulum every time you try to change direction.

 

[Deleted member 33385]

Thanks for the advice.
When I had the Bafang on the front I had a Shimano Alfine 8 or an 11 hub gear in the back so I think the spacing is 135mm.
On the weight up front. I don't know that the bike had a problem so much as me but that picture is making me think again.

I see from my ride notes that I only rode the Bacchetta twice with the Bafang. The first day it was very high winds and I was buffeted about the road and the second I fell off at a slow speed blind junction trying to turn right. At the time I was carrying a spare battery in a sidepod on the seat and I'd had trouble with the weight moving in the sidepod. Maybe that was the problem.
Interested in your Dahon. I have a Speed TR and thought about fitting a motor but in the end bought a Moulton TSRA8 and fitted a Bafang to that instead. Age has made it easier to carry the weight split in two parts. The Speed TR is now on semi permanent loan to number two daughter.

The center of gravity on your bike when ridden, is closer to the back than the front, and it gets closer when you're going uphill, so I can see the advantage in opting for a rear hub for very steep hills - I've only ever had one ebike, and it's the first bike I've ridden since I gave up cycling on my racer, at the end of the 80s. I bought the Dahon Helios P8 from a friend many years ago, and never used it... but for work I needed a folding bike, and because of my total lack of fitness and chronic aged condition, I needed a bloomin great big battery, and all the folding ebikes I looked at were either terrible bikes and/or had puny little batteries - hence Bafang BBS01b. So I excavated the Dahon out of the loft, and although the bottom bracket took an epic effort to remove, the rest of the build took very little time at all, apart from the mounting of the battery, which had to be on the back pannier because I needed it to fold for buses and trains. The pannier wasn't quite long enough, so I drilled through a short pallet plank and mounted the battery to that with bolts, nuts, small plates and washers. Pallet wood doesn't rot, or rots very slowly: compressed wood and a load of nasty chemicals. I'm extremely pleased with it. My reborn Dahon Helips P8 almost rides like a real bike! The balance with the battery on the rear pannier is fine - my Dahon has a low center of gravity - I haven't noticed any difference in the ride handling, aside from a little extra resistance from the motor, which means that I have to go down a gear or two when not using the motor.






Check out this video by someone installing a 750W Bafang onto another lucky Dahon:

 

[nobby531]

Interesting conversion Pentium. I normally use aluminium for brackets; I like to drill and tap
I bought a Moulton TSRA8 last summer and fitted a Bafang to that. It was a little complicated because of issues with the swinging arm pivot bolt but they were overcome. The Pashley and Bradfon on Avon factories were quite helpful. My number two son in law is a principal chassis design engineer with a speciality in suspension systems. He checked that the stress tolerances were ok. I ride in some confidence
I rode the Moulton without a motor for a couple of months and it was a lovely light and stiff bike to ride. A ride on my motorised off road bike reminded me why I like motors. The Moulton is now a heavy and stiff bike but a joy uphill for my eighth decade legs.
My Dahon Speed TR has gone to my number two daughter.

 

[Deleted member 33385]

Interesting conversion Pentium. I normally use aluminium for brackets; I like to drill and tap
I bought a Moulton TSRA8 last summer and fitted a Bafang to that. It was a little complicated because of issues with the swinging arm pivot bolt but they were overcome. The Pashley and Bradfon on Avon factories were quite helpful. My number two son in law is a principal chassis design engineer with a speciality in suspension systems. He checked that the stress tolerances were ok. I ride in some confidence
I rode the Moulton without a motor for a couple of months and it was a lovely light and stiff bike to ride. A ride on my motorised off road bike reminded me why I like motors. The Moulton is now a heavy and stiff bike but a joy uphill for my eighth decade legs.
My Dahon Speed TR has gone to my number two daughter.

With a view to convert: I almost bought a Radnall Micro, the bike that the Pashley Micro was based on, before Pashley bought the design... Sadly, it didn't have enough gears, and had a lot of other problems, plus it was 300g heavier than the Dahon Helios P8:

1970s Micro portable bicycle

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http://www.foldsoc.co.uk/tincan0201.jpg

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I think "Build" is too strong a word... It's not as if people who "Build" computers are wiring together billions of NAND gates lol. I simply threw something together using what I had at arm's reach. The pallet wood was supposed to be a temporary fix, but it's light, rotproof, and steel bolt threads should be more durable than threads tapped into aluminium, unless that aluminium is thick with big threads... and the aluminium might warp when bolted tight with drilled holes and steel bolts, unless it's thick, which means it may be heavier than the pallet wood.

My number two son in law is a principal chassis design engineer with a speciality in suspension systems. He checked that the stress tolerances were ok. I ride in some confidence

A very useful guy to know!