Best kit for mostly off road commute

[Sivy]

Hi I'm looking at converting either my gravel bike or my hardtail for a 23 mile commute which will have a mix of mainly canal and trail with a small section of road.im out in Shropshire so quite hilly. With the hills and distance in mind am I stuck with 250w in the UK and would this be enough, I weigh around 96kg and 6ft 2 . The hardtail would be the most comfortable riding position and with the front shocks and big tyres but heavier and more of a concern with just 250w the gravel bikes quicker and lighter but a rougher ride. Any recommendations on kits appreciated thanks sivy

 

[Fordulike]

If it were me, I would go for a mid drive like the Bafang BBS01 250w. You can utilize the gearing to haul you and the bike up the hills. I think a 250w hub motor would struggle!

Also, it is easier to repair a puncture with a mid drive, as you take the wheel off like any normal push bike. Hub motors can be a bit more tricky, especially if you're on the side of the road attempting a repair.

 

[Sivy]

Thanks for the reply, is it worth the risk of going over the 250w for the short bits of road what is the penalty for getting caught as I haven't really heard much about it. The thing is I do like hitting the trails but as I'm getting older 57, I'm finding the climbs more tedious and I'm sure I'd enjoy it more with help up the steep bits. Is the 250w enough or is higher better, I didn't really want to convert 2
Regards

 

[Nealh]

If you go over 250w it's not just the short bit of road on the route, likely all the rest of the route is public access space. It's not just road legality if that concerns you legality means any bit of land that public have legal access to.

 

[peter.c]

My bbs01 48v 250watt was quite a shock to the system out of the box the firmware is locked at 12 amps, with the original keep current set at 20% and 15.5mph .But once the pas levels are adjusted and the keep current set to 60% and the 36 t chainring fitted it has come to life. With great battery life and the weight saved over a bbs02, and the need not to lug a large capacity battery its a slower pace way of life

 

[sjpt]

what is the penalty for getting caught as I haven't really heard much about it.

Over the nominal 250w limit and it's classified as a moped, so you can theoretically get fines and driving licence points for driving uninsured, driving an unregistered vehicle, driving without plates, and I think something else; plus confiscation and destruction of the vehicle.. The risks of being caught as long as you are riding carefully is tiny. The biggest risk is if you are involved in an accident (your fault or not), in which case the police or the other person's insurance may look into the bike in quite some detail.

If you choose to go through the palaver of registering, insuring and plating it s a moped it is then not legal to ride on bridleways, bike paths, canal paths, or any land with public access.

Even a rider of such a vehicle who was riding extremely irresponsibly and killed a pedestrian didn't get charged on the bike technicalities.

 

[Sivy]

Just wondering apart from being involved in an accident are they going round checking bikes, checking power output, etc I'd take a guess unless you were being an idiot and got reported you would have to be extremely unlucky.

 

[sjpt]

Just wondering apart from being involved in an accident are they going round checking bikes, checking power output, etc I'd take a guess unless you were being an idiot and got reported you would have to be extremely unlucky.

Exactly. Power output practically impossible to check; though technically I believe it is what is engraved on the motor that counts (even if it's complete fiction ). Assistance beyond 15.5 mph is easier for them to check, but they've got more important things to worry about. Soundwave has reported several times that he goes out of his way to behave like an idiot and still can't get the police to take any notice.

 

[Sivy]

Yeah it seems crazy when you can get s better power specced unit for almost the same price,

Any how the 2 I have in mind are tongsheng tsdz2 or the bafang bbs01b would you go with the torque controlled unit?

 

[StuartsProjects]

Thanks for the reply, is it worth the risk of going over the 250w for the short bits of road what is the penalty for getting caught as I haven't really heard much about it.

If you get caught you can loose your driving licence, with possible significant implications on the costs of driving insurance in the future.

The risk of that happening might be 'small' or 'tiny' but the risk is there.

Do you feel lucky ?

 

[Raboa]

I have been riding the BBS01B in all weathers on roads / cycle paths and here is my impressions.

Pros

Weight in middle
Good hill climbing ability
Spare parts easily available

Cons

Crank arms not that good quality, they work though (people recommend thread locking pedals in crank arms).
Does not use standard chainrings
Gear changes can be crunchy even with gear sensor fitted (,in my opinion).
Extra bits needed to get best use of system.

I would recommend buying a gear sensor and programming cable.

If you can get along with the PAS then it's a great system, I run mine with the PAS system not connected. To me the PAS feels like a take is constantly slowing you down.

Many people have different opinions on this system, the only other kit I have tried is a rear hub motor.

 

[Sivy]

Thanks for your input, could you tell me what chain type is needed, is yours the 36v 250w or 48v and I've heard you can program it for more power is this right and have you tried it or have you found it powerful enough for your needs thanks sivy

 

[Nealh]

One only needs anormal bike chain for BBS01 ic an be a 7 - 10spd or even a 1/8th chain hub gear type chain, it doesn't have to be anything special.

 

[Sivy]

Oh okay thanks mines an 11 speed SRAM hopefully no worries

 

[guerney]

Gear changes can be crunchy even with gear sensor fitted (,in my opinion).

I haven't experienced that - I replaced gear cable sheathing at the same time -freer moving.

If you can get along with the PAS then it's a great system, I run mine with the PAS system not connected. To me the PAS feels like a take is constantly slowing you down.

I know what you mean, higher cadence works well for me. Plus it's easier on the battery.

Crank arms not that good quality, they work though (people recommend thread locking pedals in crank arms).

I haven't experienced this either - my pedals are very tightly attached. Perhaps rough off-road use would result in what you describe? I'm strictly an on-road pedelecer, although that does feel like I'm bouncing over open-pit coalmines at times.

Does not use standard chainrings

I've been lucky with the chainline on my particular bike, others haven't.

 

[guerney]

is yours the 36v 250w or 48v and I've heard you can program it for more power is this right and have you tried it or have you found it powerful enough for your needs thanks sivy

I've got a 36v 250W bbs01b: Personally, I haven't needed to increase the amps from 15 on my bike, though it's possible using the programming cable on my controller (after it throws a fit). But as I understand it, drawing more amps from the battery reduces battery lifespan. Also, sellers might object if they discover the controller has been programmed; can put your warranty at risk.

Thanks for your input, could you tell me what chain type is needed

I just use a KMC X8, but others here prefer ebike specific chains, which seem to cost more than twice as much and appear to last just a little longer than non-ebike specific chains.

 

[Sivy]

Thanks again for the great info

 

[guerney]

Actually, thinking back the right pedal did fall off after my bike hit a tree root sticking out of the tarmac, and I landed on my helmeted head headfirst. But that was down to not tightening the pedals enough while installing - I hadn't even touched a bike sine the late 80s/early 90s, and had not previously done much bike maintenance other than change an inner tube and attempt straighteing wheels with a spoke wrench. Despite my lack of basic bike knowhow, I was able to install the bbs01b kit within four hours, very easy to do, apart from the removal of the bottom bracket, which took two hours because it was stuck fast and needed rather a lot of hammering out over a metal spike embedded vertically into a plank of wood on the floor. Oil turns to glue eventually on some old bikes.

 

[jimriley]

I have a hybrid with bbs01b, 42t front cog, works ok on bridleways around me, some steep sections.
Easy to play with settings, using programming cable and Speeed Android App, eg upping the power to 350w/18a can be done while you are out riding in the private grounds of your mansion.
I have tried that but have reverted back to 250w, it's fine.

 

[Sivy]

Thanks Jim, well I'm slowly narrowing it down, I know now my choices are limited as both my bikes gravel, and MTB are thru axles so looking like only middrive hard choice now is between bbs01 and tsdz2 some say the PAS is hard to get on with but then the bafang seems to be s little less problematic. I'm leaning towards the bafang 250w 48v not sure if tongsheng do a higher model voltage