Tonsheng TSDZ8 conversion kit.

Percypig

Finding my (electric) wheels
Aug 3, 2024
23
7
Has anyone fitted this motor recently and if so how are you getting on with it? What controller and battery did you choose? Did you have any fitment issues or other teething issues?
 

Bikes4two

Esteemed Pedelecer
Feb 21, 2020
1,016
436
Havant
Have a look through this thread - job done.
 

Az.

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 27, 2022
2,092
932
Plymouth
Has anyone fitted this motor recently and if so how are you getting on with it? What controller and battery did you choose? Did you have any fitment issues or other teething issues?
Controller is integrated in motor.
Samsung battery 48V 17.5Ah.
 
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Stewart44

Just Joined
Aug 12, 2023
4
5
I just competed my first mid drive conversion with a TSDZ8. I used a 48v 17Ah battery from EM3EV.

The main challenge I had was with the chainring and motor housing fouling the chainstay. I solved this with a chainring adapter from ebikestuff.eu and about 4mm of spacers for the bottom bracket. This meant the lock ring cover won’t fit so I used locktite on the lock ring. So far so good.

Another compromise with the chainring adapter is that offset compensation isn’t as good, so the chainline is fairly poor, although it’s usable with the 8 speed drivetrain I installed.


59372
 
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Ghost1951

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 2, 2024
1,662
679
I just competed my first mid drive conversion with a TSDZ8. I used a 48v 17Ah battery from EM3EV.

The main challenge I had was with chainring and motor housing fouling the chainstay. I solved this with a chainring adapter from ebikestuff.eu and about 4mm of spacers for the bottom bracket. This meant the lock ring cover won’t fit so I used locktite on the lock ring. So far so good.

Another compromise with the chainring adapter is that offset compensation isn’t as good, so the chainline is fairly poor, althought it’s usable with the 8 speed drivettrain I installed.


View attachment 59372

Looks good. Very business like machine from the look of it.

Just a word on my experience with the locking nut. I have found mine has to be VERY tightly done up. Mine has started creaking a couple of times and by re-tightening the notched nut, the noise went away. Mine started creaking about three hundred miles after it was first built, then after a tweak to tighten it, it did it again after about another five hundred miles. The symptom was a sort of creaking sound when I pedalled it.
 

saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
7,005
3,241
Telford
I just competed my first mid drive conversion with a TSDZ8. I used a 48v 17Ah battery from EM3EV.

The main challenge I had was with chainring and motor housing fouling the chainstay. I solved this with a chainring adapter from ebikestuff.eu and about 4mm of spacers for the bottom bracket. This meant the lock ring cover won’t fit so I used locktite on the lock ring. So far so good.

Another compromise with the chainring adapter is that offset compensation isn’t as good, so the chainline is fairly poor, althought it’s usable with the 8 speed drivettrain I installed.


View attachment 59372
If you don't have that bracket thing that goes at the front of the chainstays, you can use a torque arm to lock the motor in position and take the strain off the locking ring. See here post#63:
 
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Stewart44

Just Joined
Aug 12, 2023
4
5
Looks good.
...and? How do you like it?
I'm really happy with it. Plenty of assistance up hills when needed, and then makes itself barely noticeable on the flat, and the torque sensing makes me feel like I've got super youthful energy. The range seems to be very good as well.
 
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Stewart44

Just Joined
Aug 12, 2023
4
5
Looks good. Very business like machine from the look of it.

Just a word on my experience with the locking nut. I have found mine has to be VERY tightly done up. Mine has started creaking a couple of times and by re-tightening the notched nut, the noise went away. Mine started creaking about three hundred miles after it was first built, then after a tweak to tighten it, it did it again after about another five hundred miles. The symptom was a sort of creaking sound when I pedalled it.
Thanks for the tip - I tightened it as much as I possibly could and will keep checking it.
 

Stewart44

Just Joined
Aug 12, 2023
4
5
If you don't have that bracket thing that goes at the front of the chainstays, you can use a torque arm to lock the motor in position and take the strain off the locking ring. See here post#63:
That's a nice piece of engineering - I might see if I can replicate that
 

egroover

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 12, 2016
1,050
635
57
UK
I just competed my first mid drive conversion with a TSDZ8. I used a 48v 17Ah battery from EM3EV.

The main challenge I had was with chainring and motor housing fouling the chainstay. I solved this with a chainring adapter from ebikestuff.eu and about 4mm of spacers for the bottom bracket. This meant the lock ring cover won’t fit so I used locktite on the lock ring. So far so good.

Another compromise with the chainring adapter is that offset compensation isn’t as good, so the chainline is fairly poor, althought it’s usable with the 8 speed drivettrain I installed.


View attachment 59372
Nice clean tidy build that, I like it
 
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Percypig

Finding my (electric) wheels
Aug 3, 2024
23
7
Had anyone done anything to help prevent water ingress particularly with the cable from the battery to the motor? Heat shrink, dielectric grease, silicone sealant?

My kit arrived yesterday and I have different connectors on the battery and motor which means two cable joins to weatherproof. Alternatively, I could cut both cables and put them inside a new waterproof connector.

Are people using thread locker on the locking nut and crank arm bolts?
 

Az.

Esteemed Pedelecer
Apr 27, 2022
2,092
932
Plymouth
Had anyone done anything to help prevent water ingress particularly with the cable from the battery to the motor? Heat shrink, dielectric grease, silicone sealant?
Not me. I avoid rain if I can help it.

Battery to motor cable requires some waterproofing, but rest is not necessary. You can do it of course if you want to.

Are people using thread locker on the locking nut and crank arm bolts?
I was considering using threadlocker, but Seneagle said to whack spanner few times with a hammer, so I did just that.
 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
11,531
3,277
I don't trust waterproofing claims made about anything. I've left my Bafang BBS01B mid-drive conversion standing in rain on it's kickstand for hours many times while out gardening, I've also cycled in sustained heavy rain for hours and 43 miles, my motor has also survived complete submersion over both pedals for 13 seconds, when a pond appeared in the road after a sudden thunderstorm, and my bike created a bow wave pedalling through with assist - and that's the magic of silicone sealant between mating surfaces of controller and motor, between both sides of the gasket sandwiched in between. I admit it's not a perfect solution, but it certainly works for me. What also works for me, are liberal coverings of connectors and connections with marine 4:1 self adhesive heat-shrink and self-amalgamating rubber tape, and a rain hood for the display. 4:1 gets it over so many different connectors, and not just on the bike! I use the stuff for audio connectors too, to reinforce the exiting flexes, which otherwise usually fail first. It sets quite solid, but still flexes a bit if narrow, and can be set into a shape while still hot. I've soldered the battery wires to the controller directly. It's electric, why let water in? It's crazy.

That shock pool-like puddle took me completely by surprise - I was doing about 10mph around a bend and suddenly I was in it.... I had a bit of momentum after the rapid slowing after splashing in, and knowing that route, had already geared down in preparation for the long queue at the lights beyond the bend... so standing on the pedals (first time I'd done that on my Dahon, bit awkward on a folding bike)(there were cars behind me), managed to power through assisted by pedal assist.

And my display has a DIY rain hat.


59395

Are people using thread locker on the locking nut and crank arm bolts?
I wrapped a tea towel around the Bafang tool handle and used freakish brute strength. Overtightening led to increased motor resistance, so I slackened it off a tiny bit. After the nut loosened a few hundred miles later, I tightened it a tiny bit more than a did the first time, and it's been fine for thousands of miles since. No threadlocker.
 
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Ghost1951

Esteemed Pedelecer
Jun 2, 2024
1,662
679
I once read that over tightening the big notched nut on the BBS*** series can damage bearings in the housing. I think this would require silly amounts of tightening though. The torque wrench is your friend on things like that I suppose, though I have never used the one I bought, since 1990, when I was messing about with a kit car.
 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
11,531
3,277
I once read that over tightening the big notched nut on the BBS*** series can damage bearings in the housing. I think this would require silly amounts of tightening though. The torque wrench is your friend on things like that I suppose, though I have never used the one I bought, since 1990, when I was messing about with a kit car.
@vantage obliterated his balls:

https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/bafang-reliability-my-experience-overwhlmingly-positive.47333/page-3#post-715920
 

SkyMonkey

Pedelecer
Jul 28, 2024
51
18
Sheffield
I saw somewhere that the optimal torque for a Bafang inner lock ring is 80Nm (50-60Nm written on nut).
Maybe the same for Tonsheng.
@ 1:53

 
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Percypig

Finding my (electric) wheels
Aug 3, 2024
23
7
Just been out for my first ride after fitting this kit. Once I had realised that I had cable tied my derailleur cable to the frame (doh) it was like bringing a gun to a knife fight after taking a couple of lines of coke (or how I imagine that might feel).

Eco mode just about overcomes the mass of the motor and battery but I felt almost superhuman in tour mode. The best bit for me was the torque sensor. The more effort you put in the more power you get back and I was absolutely flying up hills. I overtook a bloke on a emtb and two guys on MTBs going up one hill like they were standing still. I did not use power modes 3-4 as I still wanted some exercise and suspect they might be overkill.

In terms of downsides the bike is now pretty heavy and I would not fancy lifting it over gates etc and I suspect this will affect the handling off road. May be I should have not bought a 20Ah battery!

I have nowhere to store a water bottle on my frame, so need to look at my options. I need to buy some glasses as I was getting hit by bugs at 35mph plus downhill. For a first ride I was very impressed. Let's hope it gets better still.
 

saneagle

Esteemed Pedelecer
Oct 10, 2010
7,005
3,241
Telford
Just been out for my first ride after fitting this kit. Once I had realised that I had cable tied my derailleur cable to the frame (doh) it was like bringing a gun to a knife fight after taking a couple of lines of coke (or how I imagine that might feel).

Eco mode just about overcomes the mass of the motor and battery but I felt almost superhuman in tour mode. The best bit for me was the torque sensor. The more effort you put in the more power you get back and I was absolutely flying up hills. I overtook a bloke on a emtb and two guys on MTBs going up one hill like they were standing still. I did not use power modes 3-4 as I still wanted some exercise and suspect they might be overkill.

In terms of downsides the bike is now pretty heavy and I would not fancy lifting it over gates etc and I suspect this will affect the handling off road. May be I should have not bought a 20Ah battery!

I have nowhere to store a water bottle on my frame, so need to look at my options. I need to buy some glasses as I was getting hit by bugs at 35mph plus downhill. For a first ride I was very impressed. Let's hope it gets better still.
Are you sure that the power is proportional to the pedal force from the torque sensor? The TSDZ2 doesn't work like that at all. As far as I can figure out, it has two power levels for each setting on the LCD. You get a low level of power as soon as you press the pedal, and a higher level when you cross some torque threshold. The higher the pedal assist setting, the more you can feel/see it. I would have thought that the TSDZ8 would be similar.
 

SkyMonkey

Pedelecer
Jul 28, 2024
51
18
Sheffield
I have nowhere to store a water bottle on my frame, so need to look at my options.
Time to buy a CamelBak.
Space for Lunch, tools, and a water bladder.
The M.U.L.E. or Lobo bikepacks are a great staring point.

 
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