Most reliable mid drive kit?

[cwah]

Hello,

I had very bad experience buying few years ago 2 BBS02 kit. They both failed. They can't handle high mileage. They need to be greased as well.

I just can't be bothered to do any maintenance and decided to change to Direct drive.

But I wonder if progress have been made? Ideally I'd like a kit which would be maintenance free for 50k+ miles. And obviously easy to find part for maintenance.

Any idea? Or I stick to Direct drive?

Thank you

 

[vfr400]

For what you do, it has to be a direct drive motor or maybe a MAC.

 

[cwah]

For what you do, it has to be a direct drive motor or maybe a MAC.

Why can't it be a mid drive?

 

[Nealh]

They are to fragile Cwah as you know the controllers are very small and heat is an issue. You could try a TDSZ but most I doubt will last for your usage, has issue with nylon gear though you can buy a brass one to swap out = more hassle.

D/D motor you know well and are cheap, less to go wrong.

 

[vfr400]

Why can't it be a mid drive?

They're not even reliable enough when you use them as normal pedal assist. They're not robust enough to use full power all the time - as you already found out. It's not just the motor. The gears and chain won't last long either.

 

[Nealh]

My first bbs01 controller fried with stock settings, I never even changed any settings.
Died 1630 miles second controller I changed on PC, died 1320 miles.
Did try an ext kt controller but no joy may give it another try when I find time.

 

[Woosh]

The TSDZ2 is very good, the standard BBS01B is also trouble free.
if people don't play with the controller settings, CD kits can last reasonably well.
I recently fixed one that clocked up more than 10,000 miles.
The main issue with CD kits is you can abuse them inadvertently until they pop.

 

[KirstinS]

I have done around 8 or 9k miles on my bbso2 (actually a brighton ebikes 250w stamp high torque but same actual motor)

I did blow a controller by maxing it out and then being silly

I was able to source a cheap bbs01 controller and now use that with a slight tweak to settings. Been running that for last 3k miles or so.

So to be truly bullet proof you could just overspecc your mid drive motor system and then run it well under design specs. For example a 750w programmed down to 500w?

Just a idea.

And I am truly sorry for you and your stolen bike. I always on gumtree, spock , fb markets etc so will keep my eyes peeled

Cheers

 

[cwah]

Yeah overspec is maybe a good idea. Buy a BBSHD and run it at 500w?

 

[anotherkiwi]

There are no external controller motors on the market anymore which is a shame. I run the GSM at 660 Watt peak - 735 W hot off the charger and that motor is good for 45 kph on flat terrain. You do have to be in the correct gear but the motor will pump 500 Watts through the drive train all the way up till it can't push you and the bike through the air any more. The controller I have will have melted before then...

My chain is knackered after 4,500 km, haven't looked at the cassette yet but it may be tired too, the most used 3rd gear is starting to skip from time to time when I push hard on the pedals.

A BBSHD with twin chainwheels would work, gearing down when you are carrying your typical load of supermodels will be easier on the motor.

 

[jarob10]

Maintenance free 50k miles - no chance

Sadly all these Chinese sourced parts just aren't engineered to give that level of longevity.
Almost everything I use receive from China needs pulling apart & greasing, then waterproofing etc

The one advantage is that mostly the parts are super cheap, and all criticism needs must be viewed through this prism

To stay on the road, I've found it's vital to have a 2nd spare bike, along with spare motors, controllers, throttles etc

 

[Nealh]

Maintenance free 50k miles - no chance

Sadly all these Chinese sourced parts just aren't engineered to give that level of longevity.
Almost everything I use receive from China needs pulling apart & greasing, then waterproofing etc
ers, throttles etc

This also includes the likes of Bosch & Yamaha etc, as we have seen with bearing failures or water ingress.

 

[Nealh]

Maintenance free 50k miles - no chan

To stay on the road, I've found it's vital to have a 2nd spare bike, along with spare motors, controllers, throttles etc

Even more so when some idiot T bones you, and causes component damage.

 

[jarob10]

To be fair, reapplying grease to bbsxx I don't think is unreasonable. The alternative of using steel gears in an oil bath would add weight / cost / size

My 36v Bbs02 with external kt controller (22a max), displayless with 108x throttle & waterproofed external Pas has survived last winter & still going strong. It's driving a rohloff so the chain has an easier life in terms of chainline. Periodic gear regreasing will always be necessary though