Waiting for my Bafang BBS01

[flipsypaw]

Hi all I hope this post is in the proper place.
I've finally made my mind up and place an order for the BAFANG BBS01 250W with the Downtube battery. We are still tossing up which bike would be best suited to it but I think my Giant Rove 2 (2013) will win the lottery.

While waiting for the kit to arrive I have ordered some tools for the conversion:
Bike Crank puller
3in1 Bicycle Chain Repair Freewheel Bike Whip Bottom Bracket Wrench
Bike Bicycle Shimano Bottom Bracket Removal Remover Tool

And after realizing that I would need a new gear shifter as mine is integrated with the breaks I went and ordered this one: Sunrace Dual Lever MTB 9 Speed Shifter (my bike has 27 gears)

While we are waiting for all these parts to arrive I am wondering if I need any other specialized tools/items for the conversion. There is a excellent YouTube video showing how to convert a bike to the BAFANG BBS01 (it looks straight forward enough )
Although it looks easy enough it does leave me with some questions:
Do I need a stronger chain?
Can I use the front chain ring supplied or do I need to use a different one too?
Do I need to adjust the chain later?
Can I keep my crank arms?

Here is a pic of my bike in action sans conversion (will post one when it's converted Yay!)


Munda Biddi North-Lake Brookman

 

[anotherkiwi]

And after realizing that I would need a new gear shifter as mine is integrated with the breaks I went and ordered this one: Sunrace Dual Lever MTB 9 Speed Shifter (my bike has 27 gears)

While we are waiting for all these parts to arrive I am wondering if I need any other specialized tools/items for the conversion. There is a excellent YouTube video showing how to convert a bike to the BAFANG BBS01 (it looks straight forward enough )
Although it looks easy enough it does leave me with some questions:
Do I need a stronger chain?
Can I use the front chain ring supplied or do I need to use a different one too?
Do I need to adjust the chain later?
Can I keep my crank arms?

You can keep the brake lever the 3 speed shifter will not be connected that is all. Keep your front derailleur as a chain guide.

Yes stronger chain. And be gentle when changing gears.
Yes chain ring should be kept in most cases.
Probably the chain might need adjustment
Nope the crank arms supplied with the kit. You could keep the left one if it is square crank mount and you don't mind having different crank arms.

 

[flipsypaw]

You can keep the brake lever the 3 speed shifter will not be connected that is all. Keep your front derailleur as a chain guide.

Yes stronger chain. And be gentle when changing gears.
Yes chain ring should be kept in most cases.
Probably the chain might need adjustment
Nope the crank arms supplied with the kit. You could keep the left one if it is square crank mount and you don't mind having different crank arms.

Wow quick reply thank you! Sooo what chain/brand do you recommend and do I need a special tool for it?

 

[Nealh]

I don't think you will be disappointed with it once up and running with 9 assist levels plenty of options to add power when you need it or other options are to change gearing front or rear or both. Also reprogramming is an option and you could change some parameters to add power.

 

[anotherkiwi]

Wow quick reply thank you! Sooo what chain/brand do you recommend and do I need a special tool for it?

I'm on holiday

Australia don't know. Maybe the Shimano special e-bike chains will be the easiest to find.
Shimano STePS CN-E6070 E-Bike Chain 9-speed

We have some German options here as well.

 

[DuncanDK]

Can the BBS01 250W 36V 15A motor handle, that I reprogram the controller and up the amps to 18A?

What is the result of this?
Can the motor tolerate it, or will it destroy something?

 

[Nealh]

The 250/15a & 350/18a are identical the only diff is the amp setting, upping the 250 will still keep it with the legal laser printing.
Why they didn't just rate the 18a model as 250 I don't know, the GSM is 250/18a and feels more powerful in my opinion and I have both.

 

[Fordulike]

Can the BBS01 250W 36V 15A motor handle, that I reprogram the controller and up the amps to 18A?

What is the result of this?
Can the motor tolerate it, or will it destroy something?

You will feel a little more torque in each gear setting at 18A, but don't expect too much. You will probably find that it can hold speed on hills a little better.

There's a hidden parameter called 'Keep Current', that you can only access with a special cable and Bafang software. This is usually set from factory, and its function is to lower the maximum current available once the motor is running. It helps protect the motor/controller from overheating and potential damage.

I guess that you might already own or are in the process of receiving the programming cable, as your main question is about upping the maximum current.
A word of warning, don't go changing other parameters, unless you know exactly how they affect the way the controller works.

So the answer to your latter questions are, yes the motor can tolerate it, and no you won't destroy anything if you just stick to changing the maximum amps.

The key to protecting the Bafang BBS01/02 unit is to always be in the correct gear. If you are in a gear that you couldn't normally pedal under human power, then change down a gear or two

 

[filboov66]

Quote from em3ev.com "The 350W motor is a different motor, with different motor winding than the 250W."
According to eclipsebikes.com the 250w motor is 3.82kg and the 350w is 3.85kg, so it seems the 350w motor/controller is slightly beefier than the 250w motor presumably to cope with the extra 3 amps.
I set my 250w motor to 18 amps and on a very short trial run the casing on the side where the controller is got noticeably warmer than before. The adjustment made such a small difference to the power that it wasn't worth running the risk of leaving it at 18 amps