Does this sound OK kit to buy?

[RegularGuy]

Ok, after followng the forum for a couple of months I think I'm ready to take the plunge and buy a kit and a new bike to convert. Does this sound OK kit?

Bike : GT Avalanche 1.0. (like this becuase it has a 180mm front rotor and it's on offer, making it a bit of a bargain, It's Deore /XT gears, chainset and shifters and a rockshox Tora fork which has magnesium lower legs which should hopefully be OK for front wheel hub motor. Specifically want MTB style rather than hybrid as canal path can be a bit rough / muddy in places.

Kit: BMS Battery, Bafang kit. This one:
36V250W Front K5 Motor E-Bike Kit with LED Meter - BMSBATTERY

Will this work with disc brakes? Doens't say V Brake on it, so hopefully will.

Battery: little 9ah bottle battery.
bottle ebike battery

Would like to buy a second charger too to keep at work: This one:
Alloy Shell 240W LiFePo4/Li-Ion/Lead Acid Battery EBike Charger - BMSBATTERY


Does that all sound round about OK?

 

[Hugh]

Hi RG,

I'll be very interested to hear comment on this. I'm looking to do something similar myself and you seem to have rounded up a neat set of kit at non-eyewatering prices. Trouble is, I've no idea what else may or may not be needed, so await advice from the like of Flecc who will

 

[FJJ]

Hi RG,
The motor and controller are pretty good - up until very recently I was using the same front motor on a RockShox front fork with magnesium lowers and had no problems - just keep the nuts done up tightly.

I'm also using the 'new' BMS battery controller and have no problems with it, the peak draw according to my Turnigy meter is just over 13A so you might want to be careful with a 1.1C 9Ah battery if you are doing a lot of hill climbing.

What sort of distance are you planning to commute?

I use a hybrid on a canal path that's a bit rocky / muddy in places with no problems, I just swapped out the rigid fork for a RockShox and got a decent suspension seat post.

Cheers,
FJJ

 

[RegularGuy]

Yes I use a hybrid at the moment. It's fine in the summer, but I do find after the wet, particuarly in during winter part of the canal get so muddy that I'm slipping all over the place on those narrow wheels and I really don't like the idea of sliding about at night in the depths of winter next to the canal, so want chunkier wheels with chunky off road tyres and to hell with rolling resistance!

I'll keep the hybrid and use it in summer for the exercise, but for those days it looks a bit dodgy I'll get the MTB out. It also means I have a 'fun bike' too for the weekend.

 

[FJJ]

slipping all over the place on those narrow wheels

Should have added that I popped a decent wheel (Mavic XM 119 - thanks catsnapper!) on the back with my Bafang motor and the front wheel is 559x19c anyway so can get away with huge 2.35" Schwalbe Big Apple tyres They help a lot!

 

[smudger1956]

The picture of the kit does not show enough to confirm it is a 'disc brake' type, I would just fire an e-mail off to enquire,I found BMS are pretty quick at replying to e-mails.

 

[jerrysimon]

I have not used BMS, but someone was telling me that they have not been very good at turning round an order recently.

Maybe its a one off and others find them very reliable.

Regards

Jerry

 

[Scottyf]

I've had the opposite. In april they have been very good but prices have gone up considerably compared to last year.

However thats pretty much a standard kit you can buy from a UK vendor and still get the warrenty which they supply.

Up to you though. The battery is about the weakest part of the kit.
Bottle batteries are however very stealth like and amount to a very clean setup. With the weight in the correct place on a bike.

I had a hybrid and used it for road 90% of the time. I did use it down canals round birmingham but the bike was a bit combersome compared to a MTB. Fast though. and I'm sure a better set of tires could over come grip issues.

 

[paulhipwood]

Yes I use a hybrid at the moment. It's fine in the summer, but I do find after the wet, particuarly in during winter part of the canal get so muddy that I'm slipping all over the place on those narrow wheels and I really don't like the idea of sliding about at night in the depths of winter next to the canal, so want chunkier wheels with chunky off road tyres and to hell with rolling resistance

I have a front hub motor, after the recent rain it is very muddy on the Wolverhampton canal. Very easy to lose control. I think I will have to take great care in the dark.
I have Schalbe Marathon Plus tyre on the front. Do not want to change that, I like the puncture protection it gives me.
Will have to curb my need to get to work. Not too sure how I slow down when I am going home.

paul

 

[RegularGuy]

Yes, semi slicks are great on dry tracks, but in the mud they struggle, it's not what they are designed for.

I'm hoping a combination of off road treat, wider tyres and some assistance from the motor (not the motor taking over, but evenly spread will produce a 2 wheel drive effect and enough to keep me a bit more secure in the mud.

Try balancing your pedallng and motor on the way home, hope it helps!

 

[Hugh]

Did you manage to check whether the wheel in your proposed set-up is in fact disc brake compatible?

I reckon you're right about tyre tread and width - narrower ones tend to dig in to wet stuff and gravel while wider ones ride over it, and knobbles help, even if noisy on road.

 

[RegularGuy]

Did you manage to check whether the wheel in your proposed set-up is in fact disc brake compatible?

.

Yes I did thanks, it is according to the email I got back from BMS, very speedily they responded too. Just put my order in for the bike and all the other bits like a new jacket and lock on my bike scheme at work, as soon as it's confirmed that's going through I'll put my order in for the conversion kit.

If it all works as intended it should give me a lot of value for the money. The bike I've found on sale with a £200 discount taking it to £499. The bike scheme knocks another another £200 off so the whole lot should cost about £650 althought I suspect I'll need to change the odd brake or bit to get the break cut offs working.

Still at £650 I only need to ride it to work 81 times and it's paid for itself, I pay over £1500 in train fairs so it seems like a no brainer really, Should have practically paid for itself by autumn!

 

[Hugh]

Keep us posted with your progress - if it all works out as planned I'll be very tempted to try the same thing.

All the best, Hugh