Commuting on a BBSHD: report

[Hobble]

So, end of the year 2018 update follows.

I'm close to the magic 6000 mile mark now, the current odo reading is about 9500 km which means I put about 4000 miles on it in a year. BBSHD keeps working without issues and the noise and function seems exactly the same as when I first fitted it back in summer 2017. The durability of it has been a pleasant surprise. After to and froing I decided to sell my motorbike a few months ago so am 100 percent on the pedelec now rain or shine. And there has definitely been both.

The only issue in the past 3k miles was that the alloy chainwheel bolts I decided to use kept coming loose but that problem was successfully fixed with some ebay stainless items. No more issues for several thousands of kms since then. The chain and sprockets now have 4600 km on them and all the items look dirty but no noticeable wear unlike the original Bafang chainwheel that was totally shot after 4800 km. The 10 speed drivetrain seem to be able to take my commute with ease. Another star of the show are Schwalbe Marathon tyres which have already lasted for over 5000 km and show little wear and I had only one puncture in that time (and as it was a slow puncture it could have been the valve instead, had just added some air in the tyre the day before). Before Schwalbe I had some Vittorio tyre which wore out in less than 2000 kms and I had two punctures too in that timeframe. Apart from the chainwheel wanting to part the bike, new tyres and that one puncture, the only service on the bike has seen was a new set of brake pads and liberal application of WD40 and synthetic chain lube too keep the salt corrosion at bay. Not sure how long the drivetrain will last but so far so good.

The 17.5 Ah battery seems to be slightly down the capacity but easily lasts my return trip even when doing highish speeds and occasionally even reckless ones. And gale force headwind, don't forget the headwind. Apparently you do get fit riding an e-bike and it is good exercise as seen from the graph below when I decided to wear my polar chest strap the first time for a while. One the way back I actually hit 190 bpm at some stage which is a "tad" high for a middle aged guy but I feel fit and strong now.

So there we have it. Have a great Xmas folk and keep on cycling!

 

[egroover]

Hi Hobble,
great read. I also have a MX Comp like you that I'm toying with the idea of converting. One concern I have is the very thin downtube thickness and the shape of the tubing on the MX Comp. Did you have any issues mountain the (large) downtube battery ? Does it sit well and did you use the existing bottle cage mounts or did you have to drill additional ?
Thanks in advance
Paul

 

[anotherkiwi]

For about $10 a pair you can get these:

https://www.topeak.com/global/de/products/accessories/1093-versamount

They allow you to add mounting points for a battery holder without drilling your frame. If you use in combination with the existing ones you may have to use standoffs and a longer M5 screw. In many cases an industrial size cable tie through slots in the bottle mount will be sufficient to provide the extra support you need for the top end of the battery holder. Two screws have no problem holding the weight of a battery, you just want to stop any movement of the top end which will eventually lead to failure depending on how bumpy the terrain you ride is.

The new version Hailong battery holder appears to be better built than previous versions.

 

[russ18uk]

Hi Hobble,
great read. I also have a MX Comp like you that I'm toying with the idea of converting. One concern I have is the very thin downtube thickness and the shape of the tubing on the MX Comp. Did you have any issues mountain the (large) downtube battery ? Does it sit well and did you use the existing bottle cage mounts or did you have to drill additional ?
Thanks in advance
Paul

I'd read about issues with shark/dolphin batteries so I chose a triangle battery. No anxiety of the bolts snapping or anything like that. Even if it tears they are easily replaceable for £10-15. Without doubt there is a slight cost to stability during cross winds.

 

[Hobble]

Cheers. Those versamounts look like the beesknees. That being said my battery is mounted just with the two bottle holder screws and is holding well with very little flex. I have meant to put on some velcro straps around it for a bit less stress for the mounts but keep forgetting to do it. As a matter of fact I'll do it just now as I have have some suitable velcro in the garage.

If the bike was used offroad it would definitely need more a more secure battery mount.

 

[NI Phil]

Hobble,
Enjoyed reading this and will help me once I convert my Boardman Hybrid in the new year. Thanks for sharing your experience with your conversion

 

[Hobble]

Glad you find this helpful. I got lots of ideas and help from the others here and am really happy to give something back. Very impressed with both apparent and now actual Bafang build quality.

 

[Nealh]

Boardman MX /CX is a great base bike to convert my one I built up from just a CX frame and ncx forks, with a rear hub handling is great.

Rear panniers are no longer used and replaced with a top bag with drop down expandables, battery is now changed and has PF cells inside.



This bike has had three hubs in it. A Q128c not currently in use, 8fun cst now in my Norco 700c hub still going well with over 5k miles on it and now a Yose cst @48v.

 

[Hobble]

So, the BBSHD continues to work well and it was time to do a proper yearly service at 11800 km (just under 7500 mi) on the clock. This was due to the original rear wheel of the Boardman starting to disintegrate. The spokes had started to require frequent tightening and last week one spoke snapped and two or three spokes had started to pull through the rim so it was definitely time for a new wheel. Not too bad after close to 10 k miles on it in total I suppose.

I had already bought another Shimano Deore cassette and SRAM PC1050 chain in preperation of the eventual drivetrain replacement and now was a good time after 7000 kilometers since the last replacement. The Deore had lost an estimated 20 pc of material from the rings 8 and 9 and the chain turned out to have stretched a full links length, quite a lot really. No wonder the gears felt a bit sloppy. The front "Blackspire" chainring looked almost new in comparison which was as well as I had to reuse it (note to myself: Don't buy a track chain chainring next time even if it's cheap, lol). I also took a quick look and greased the secondary gearset of the Bafang (all looked good there) and also the headstock bearings first time ever. They looked a bit dry and with a hint of rust so glad I did. Love the Schwalbe Marathon tyres. Both front and the rear have lasted for a full year (so like over 4k miles) instead of a few months the previous tyres lasted. I didn't actually need to replace them yet but but as I had a spare just decided to mount the new tyre on the new rim and keeping the other tyre as a spare. I reckon it would have still lasted for a couple (or more) of thousands of miles more.

The California eBike torque arm had fractured near the top so I just drilled a new holes through it and the frame. It's quite hard material and lasted about 6000 miles or so of road use. Surprisingly the PreciAlps 130PCD adaptor also shows signs of fatigue and has a fracture almost going trough the alloy. Need to order a replacement, planning to go for a generic Chinese brand as not exactly happy with its short lifetime. Funny that the Blackspire ring might actually outlast the adapter. Bad form I think.

The bike felt amazing today after all the broken stuff was replaced. Hats off, the Boardman MX is doing really well and still looks good after almost 3.5 years and close to 10 k miles on the clock (of which 7500 mi as an ebike as mentioned). Oh the original grips wore though, replaced them with some fresh ones. The original ones had odd consistency and it always felt like there were grains of sand on your hands after a spin. Now fixed by the new set.

 

[Hobble]

So the precialps 130 PCD adapter almost left me stranded and I had to buy a temporary bike to keep me mobile. I contacted them about the failure but no response. As seen in the picture the adapter really began to come apart and started to heavily ride against the Bafang's body before I spotted the issue. I just made it back home applying only minimum assistance levels.



A hallomotor replacement arrived yesterday and I'm back on the beloved ebike today. The new adapter looks much beefier and doesn't have any sharp edges in its design so hopefully it will last longer than the previous one. The original chainwheel I fitted in the old Precialp continues to be usable.

 

[Hobble]

I'm down since mid-December with a broken collar bone following a hit with a bus stop sign at 25 km/h that was/is bang on the middle of a cycle lane. Spot the sign and apart from dark it was also torrential at the time of the crash. Didn't know what hit me at the time.

The crash happened on the evening on my last planned cycling day of 2019 two days before we had planned to take a ferry to France. So a slight change of plans it was then for Christmas. Anyway, I'm off the sling now and recovering well.

The bike survived with minor scratches and aside that have been working brilliantly since the issue with the chainweel adaptor. The BBS has now just over 10000 miles/16000 km on the clock and the bike itself has over 20k km. Can't wait to get back "on the saddle" hopefully no later than beginning of March.

The helmet definitely saved my head and apart from the collar bone not a scratch on me so lucky in a way. It could have ended much worse for example if the sign had deflected me under an oncoming car.

Wishing everybody belated safe and enjoyable 2020 and I'll be back.