Custom E-bike Build: Marin Rift Zone 1 FS w/ Bafang BBS02 750w 52v 17.5ah 

R.I.P ghost mic 👻👻

Yeah it's a great bike. Just can tell its age by the height of the seat post. Newer designs would have it a lot lower, to work with a dropper post.

I agree with this comment. Take pictures of cable housing on every bike.

Does the Velcro strap really do much? It seems like it wouldn’t help that much in my mind but I’m just curious what your experience is

@@clavicus It certainly can’t hurt having a little more support.

Honest total, how much are you into it. And how much if using new parts?

@@bindingcurve Not sure what your asking!

@@kmtnbike1117 What was the spend on the bike?

That is awesome!

Thanks Gerry! If you have an upgraded display it will show if your brake cut offs are activated. If the power stays on to the display, but cuts to the motor, I’d say it’s your cut offs.

That's the exact bike I want to build. I'm new to e bike conversion. What do you mean when you say you had to modify the cassette?

To be fair, on a steep slope the original gearing provides for that without a motor.

what ebikes are you comparing against? the Marin Rift Zone 1 is a proper trail mountain bike, although at the VERY bottom of the category. its 33.7lbs without pedals, 130/125mm travel, so clearly not the lightest and probably not the best choice if your going to convert it and make it almost twice as heavy/expensive. it would be more balanced to use a slightly better mtb to start with, and lighter/less powerful mid drive/battery kit. BBS02 is 12 pounds with the kit. battery is 9.4 lbs. that's 55.5lbs without even counting the rest of the kit and it's still a light duty trail mtb with a flexy 32mm fork, noname wheelset cost of the build is just slightly over $3k, so its cheaper than almost any known brand emtb budget emtb will be more expensive, around $4-4.5k, have less battery/torque/power, but are lighter around 50-55lbs, including more suspension travel, wider/stronger/better quality wheels, better components all around, a dropper seat. trying to match that on this build would bring a lot of additional weight. Also on prebuilt emtb, battery is properly fixed to or inside the frame, protected, and so is the motor, so they are just better for the job (dedicated emtb), will be faster and more reliable on mtb trails. but the elephant in the room is the lack of torque sensor wich is a big no for a proper eMTB. if you want to enjoy the best part of using an emtb (climbing) you need to be able to modulate the power very precisely, unless you are only climbing fire roads But if you want an hybrid bike that will be faster on the road/gravel, comfortable with full suspension, and can also tackle some mild trails with less commitment, then it looks great. my dream build would be converting my current all mountain mtb with a lightweight torque sensing mid drive, figure out a very sturdy battery mount, and have one lighweight battery with current strong trail/enduro wheels + downhill tires, for proper MTB and a second larger battery with more capacity/voltage/power for higher speed, with a lighter/cheaper set of XC/gravel/hybrid wheels mounted with better rolling hybrid tires, and a narrower range cassette. Ideally, motor could also be removed relatively quickly and simply for only pedal powered group rides, or even for a bike park with lifts ..unfortunately my bike is 2010 with 26 wheels, not using current standards(QR in the back, outdated non boost 20x110 in the front), and little room inside the triangle for a big battery, rear chainstay pivot point is only 1-2mm from the bottom bracket, etc also still trying to figure out if I really want to invest that much money, time and effort on a 12yo mtb, the choice for torque sensing mid drive kits is VERY small (mostly tongsheng tsdz2, sold on ebay or alibaba 😕) I was thinking small battery inside the frame and additional battery under the down tube for higher combined capacity. if it was possible to lock a battery, I could see myself ride to the trail with two batteries, remove one battery and lock it close to the trailhead, and put it back on my way home...

here a more MTB focused build ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9hGF3iGGJXU.html

​@@geemy9675 E-Caliber (get ready with the wallet). But really, your looking at Fazua powered bikes, and again, get that wallet ready

@@bindingcurve unfortunately not really considering prebuilt emtb at the moment because of the price but I appreciate how clean they are with internally routed cables, and battery integrated in the frame I'm not into XC either, so no e caliber for me, but in 2022 some really nice lightweight trail emtb under 40 lbs even using more "traditionnal" mid drives mounted around the bottom bracket, have been released like trek fuel EXe, although the harmonic gear reduction is. quite a novelty for lightweight and compact mid drive (under 2kg) . also, it's completely sold out at $11k....

@@geemy9675 Look at the DENGFU M600 bikes if you want a truly good build and not have it be a mess. A new Riff Zone and a full build up is close the same price as entry level E05 at $3700 shipped. You can also buy mid level M600 bikes from Luna. The E14 is also looking good.

Johnny does not cut. But you can get replacements for the primary harness cheep, so go for it. There are lots of videos on cutting the power lines.

Does BBSHD suits marin pine mountain? If yes, how big front gear you have?

Stay tuned…

@@JohnnyNerdOut i heard that newer M625 brother will get it, but that one does not fit my frame, it has larger main gear compartment I think. Did you hear anything about BBS02b line? I ask because I plan to order the motor, but if something will be done with it I can wait a bit longer. Please reply.

@@lokz9632 the new torque sensing bafangs will be arriving in a couple months

@@JohnnyNerdOut okey, but do we know anything more? Case of BBS02 or M625 or whole new design?

I'm pretty sure that's a trademarked riding position to show that there's no human power at play in the short hill climb demos.

​@@bjnslc thanks. I think I've seen it a few times, but still don't understand how you could power a bike by standing on the pedals if you're not actually spinning them, unless you're superhuman, had an infinitely quick engagement clutch and you could push the pedals back and forth 30 times/second 🤣, or maybe edit the video ? . I get it that its the signature and the whole thing is to emphasize the 0mph torque (and to sell mid drives). so if the bike can climb with no pedaling, it will climb even better when you pedal, plus it's repeatable. but it would be nice to see a bit more real-life situations and at some point, trying that hard to convince people that all hub motors are junk and that even non DIY mid drives are really inferior, sounds too biased. but its still a good source of information, and somehow entertaining!

@@geemy9675 Wow, have a beer or two.

You hook usb to computer or laptop, I think you have to get a app.

From what I was reading on line, your best bet if you already have the MT200 is just use the new levers. The calipers are weak point (they leak)

Check the description for the link

You are completely confused on the purpose of this build if you think turn indicators and a horn are involved. LOL!

~2-3#

that's what most ebikes have...at least in the US. pedal assist AND throttle

Size L. Can’t comment on chainline issues, it is possible.

And how it ended? Do you chenged marin rift zone to ebike with bafang mid drive? If yes, which one you have, bbs02 or bbshd? Any issues?

I think it’s actually my wireless mic on the fritz ☹️

Mine does. I mounted the battery underslung on the down tube. Mine is only 350 watt 36 volt, plenty of climbing power and long range. I do long backpacking trips.

Careful, if you hit a rock and crack housing on a long backpack, you could be stuck with a heavy bike to pedal out. Still trying to decide on converting my full suspension bike since the the motor will sit so low.

@@gerrykrippner5542 Larger tires ?

Fine unless you come across a fallen log

2x Amazon?! That’s hard to believe. Probably not apples to apples kits

@@JohnnyNerdOut Do the bafang kit in Amazon is good quality? Or Can I buy it from anywhere else for good price - can you suggest please

@@JohnnyNerdOut Golden are the type who charge for the stock chain rings and $20 for the bottom bracket wrench.

@@bpranav353 EM3ev if you want to buy from China. Getting "motors" on Amazon is safe if it is Prime and free returns to the Amazon warehouse. But the battery, I would not.

Absolutely

This frame would accept a much bigger battery

You’ll have to pedal for sure. But it helps some. Consider that maintaining 250w yourself over a long period of time is a good aerobic workout.

I’m sure it would. There is plenty of space

I’m sure it would

Large

Carbon frames are not suitable for conversion to ebike! They will broke! Carbon is not for any conversions to ebike except to frames designed as ebikes. Sorry.

You can. It is the Wild West on there though.

You can. It is the Wild West on there though.

Yeah I got mine from amazon

Yes but many people prefers mid drives due to many, many factors. Durability is a minor thing, for me HUBs are useless and give no balance and no fun at all. BBSHD no brake down at 40k kilometers. Chains, sprockets and gears - no problem to me, advantages of mid drive for me are huge. Yes a got both systems, and I prefer mids.