BBSHD for Specialized crosstrail sport disc

[paulc1976]

Hi Guys,

I've recently purchased a Specialized crosstrail sport disc 2016 and I'm looking at fitting a bafang BBSHD mid drive kit.

Can anyone recommend a good retailer from China or uk, best battery to get and anything in particular I would need for this model of bike? I don't mind a bottle type battery or one that fits in a bag.

Any advice is most welcome. Thank you in advance

Paul

 

[tommie]

I got my BBS02 750W from BTN in China, good service there, remember FedEx etc will charge £30 or so.

for Battery it`s 52v for the HD, i`d go to Insat in London for that, you can be sure of premium cells there.

 

[Fordulike]

Why not go for the BBS02 instead. The BBSHD is heavier and you won't feel short changed with a 25 amp controller instead of 30.

I can recommend Eclipse Bikes in the UK. It's where I bought mine from. They've got battery packs with Samsung 30Q cells, which are ideal for the BBS02.

http://www.eclipsebikes.com/bafang-8fun-bbs02-drive-750w-motor-p-1100.html

http://www.eclipsebikes.com/12ah-lithium-frame-battery-samsung-cells-p-1123.html

Add some hydraulic brake sensors, as your bike is disc.

http://www.eclipsebikes.com/bafang-bbs01-bbs02-hydraulic-brake-sensors-p-1109.html

Be sure to search this site for threads relating to Bafang BBSxx chain line, as some members have had chain line issues with their particular bikes, and bought a custom chainring to correct the issue.

 

[Kinninvie]

\if buying abroad remember to factor in customs charges.
I recently bought a Cycle Analyst from Canada for £115 and was then hit with £28 customs charges(which I expected luckily).

 

[Fordulike]

Adding to what Kinninvie said, you've also got to factor in when buying from overseas, you might get a dud.

If you purchase a battery from China, only to find that it's either not the correct item, or that it's not working as it should, you will have a major ball-ache trying to get it rectified. As well as additional costs etc...

Buy from UK, and most reputable dealers will offer some form of warranty, for that extra peace of mind. There should be a much quicker turnaround too, if any parts needs fixing or replacing.

Sometimes people play the Chinese lottery, thinking they got something on the cheap, only to get bitten on the arse further down the line.

I'm not knocking China in particular. I've bought plenty of things from there and been pretty lucky, but there's a risk involved, and when you're spending at least 500 quid on bike parts, is it worth taking that risk?

 

[paulc1976]

Adding to what Kinninvie said, you've also got to factor in when buying from overseas, you might get a dud.

If you purchase a battery from China, only to find that it's either not the correct item, or that it's not working as it should, you will have a major ball-ache trying to get it rectified. As well as additional costs etc...

Buy from UK, and most reputable dealers will offer some form of warranty, for that extra peace of mind. There should be a much quicker turnaround too, if any parts needs fixing or replacing.

Sometimes people play the Chinese lottery, thinking they got something on the cheap, only to get bitten on the arse further down the line.

I'm not knocking China in particular. I've bought plenty of things from there and been pretty lucky, but there's a risk involved, and when you're spending at least 500 quid on bike parts, is it worth taking that risk?

Cool, thanks for the replies guys. The bbs02 option looks good and quite a bit cheaper. Yes you're right ford, it's a big risk if something goes wrong. So those 3 things you suggested would be all I need apart from possibly a custom chainring. Can you get these from the same place? Sorry for you he newbie questions!

 

[Fordulike]

Cool, thanks for the replies guys. The bbs02 option looks good and quite a bit cheaper. Yes you're right ford, it's a big risk if something goes wrong. So those 3 things you suggested would be all I need apart from possibly a custom chainring. Can you get these from the same place? Sorry for you he newbie questions!

Yes, the motor kit, battery and hydraulic brake sensors will be the main components to motorize your bike. Eclipse has the lot, as shown in the links in my previous post.

You may need some bike tools to remove the bottom bracket, such as a crank puller and a lockring removal tool. Depends on if you already have a bike toolkit.

Other things such as zip ties and glue for sticking the hydraulic brake sensor magnet on will come in handy too.

When you mention being a newbie, are you just a newbie to electric bikes or bikes in general? It will help greatly if you know how to tweak gears etc...

 

[paulc1976]

That's great, thanks Ford. I'm a newbie with both bikes and the electric side of things. I did have a tesco hopper a couple of years ago but that was just to mess around with. Luckily I have a brother who has built a few bikes and knows a lot so he would be fitting it. I guess I need to do some learning myself though.

 

[KeithMac]

BBSHD is bigger and heavier than the 02 but from all acounts it runs a lot cooler under load. It's a redesigned unit to improve reliability.

 

[tommie]

Then there`s the latest offering, the BBS02vB,

the same 48v 750w motor with upgraded internals.

 

[paulc1976]

Then there`s the latest offering, the BBS02vB,

the same 48v 750w motor with upgraded internals.

Decisions! Is the link on the eclipse website for the version 2? Will there be a significant difference between hd and v2?

 

[KeithMac]

The HD is significantly different internally, all new casings etc.

Would be interesing to know what has changed on the 02vb?, more than just the controller?.

 

[tommie]

Have a read here--> https://electricbike-blog.com/2016/07/12/bafang-completely-redesigns-the-bbs02-and-tells-no-one/

 

[Fordulike]

Decisions! Is the link on the eclipse website for the version 2? Will there be a significant difference between hd and v2?

Paul, be careful not to get caught up in all the 'more power is better' hype.

As long as you purchase a BBS02 with the upgraded controller, which Eclipse are selling, then they are good units.

I'd be more concerned in ensuring you have a good chainline and the brake cut-offs work effectively.

My BBS02 is coming up to 2.5 thousand miles and mechanically I've had no problems with it. The only problem I've encountered is a blown controller, but that is coz I had one of the older versions with rubbish MOSFETs.

Since changing to an upgraded controller, no issues, and I've reprogrammed mine for extra oomph too.

Remember, don't labour the motor internals and it should last a long long time

 

[paulc1976]

Thanks ford. Yes I think if the bbs02 is now sorted it would be more than enough for me. I will probably have to buy the kit first and battery later as its a bit much for me all together. Is the chain line issue only something you can test once you've fitted the kit?

 

[trex]

In my experience, 36V 25A BBS02 is about the most power you can put on a derailleur bike without much of the downside. High speed 48V kits simply accentuate chainline issues.

 

[Fordulike]

Thanks ford. Yes I think if the bbs02 is now sorted it would be more than enough for me. I will probably have to buy the kit first and battery later as its a bit much for me all together. Is the chain line issue only something you can test once you've fitted the kit?

Yes, unfortunately you'll only know once the kit is fitted. It doesn't make the bike unusable though, you may just find that the chain derails in the lowest or highest gear. If it does, then you can adjust the derailleur to prevent you from using that particular gear. Then you can decide if you can live without the gear, or buy a custom chainring to sort the problem.

When I fitted mine, I couldn't use the two highest gears without the chain dropping, but I had also made the mistake of completely removing the front derailleur cage, which didn't help matters.

I would recommend to keep the cage in situ. You can remove the shifter and associated cabling though.

 

[KeithMac]

What's it like to pedal with no battery?.

Might have to do the same (buy the motor first then battery later).

 

[paulc1976]

thanks for the advice ford, it's much appreciated. Yes, that's a question I was also going to ask, thanks Keith!

 

[Fordulike]

I'm not the best person to give a definitive answer to that one, coz I rarely ride without power, plus I'm running very low tyre pressures for off road grip.

I'd hazard a guess that you would have to be fairly fit to ride unpowered, due to slight extra drivetrain resistance and bike weight.

I would run tyres near the max too, to keep rolling resistance to a minimum.