I have a mid 90's 21 speed tandem mountain bike that keeps telling me it wants to become an e-bike. Right now, it's just wispers, but they grow louder with every e-bike conversion video I watch. If I mount the motor on the front crank, put a bigger chain ring on it with a smaller chain ring on the rear crank, and I should be able to hit 45 mph easy. By myself, of course.
Dude, I’m still waiting on the application approval…….13 months. In the mean time I’ll continue to kill some time watching these frolicky, (not a word) funky, fun videos some nerd is doing. 😜
I've got a tandem that I don't use too often because it's made of steel and heavy. However, thinking of the BBS01 (since local regulations here limit to 250W only), but wasn't sure whether I should put it on the rear crank instead of the front. Can't work out how it'll fit until I get the motor. Perhaps it won't fit in the rear because of the frame.
I've been cleaning up a similar old tandem lately, where the one stearing is the person in the back, so that is the primary seat. Could the mid-drive electrical motor have been mounted in for the back-most pedals somehow? Could both people using the tandem have the free wheel option somehow?
Sup duder! PDXevgrin here. I’m going to be making a react video to your mid vs hub drive videos. You’re wrong, obviously 😜 All in good fun regardless. All ebikes are awesome. 35,000 miles into my DIY hub motor ebike that I love dearly and toured on and commuted on for 8 years, I have some things to say. Smooches.
Cool build - if you have a tandem with the sync chain on the left side, can you just mount the crank arms on the motor on opposite sides to have the powered chainring on the left?
That is a really cool build. Props for building the first e-bike I've seen with a mid-drive and coaster brakes. I have a hybrid bike I converted with a BBS02 and you just showed me how to save the chain guard I removed, thanks! I already used the Kool-Stop e-bike rim pads and love them (for rim brakes, anyway). With the small chain ring up front & no free wheel on the back ring, how fast will that middle ring spin when riding? Seems like the person in back would have to take their feet off the pedals to use the throttle. I'm not quite sure how the tandem set up works, am I wrong about the effect of the 1st ring on the second?
I submitted my application for the subscription. I am wondering, is there may be a fee I should have included to speed up the process? I am also wondering if there is a way to predetermine what the offset should be for a lekkie chain ring. I plan to put a bbs02 on to a Norco Storm 2. The storm 2 has a 1X drive train. 30T front ring, 10 speed cassette 11- 46. I am thinking of going for a 36T lekkie. I would go 32 if the made one.
I have a "vintage" (circa 1990) tandem but I have never gotten the rim brakes right on it. I'll have to put new brakes on it. I have really wanted to convert it but I keep hesitating. I'd love to know how those brakes perform with all that power!
I can't speak to how they'll perform hauling that much weight but I have large Kool-Stop e-bike rim pads on a light hybrid conversion with a BBS02 and can lock the wheels up at 20 mph (if I'd like).
If you are putting a 3 speed on you could go with a Sturmey Archer 3 speed with drum brakes instead of coaster brakes. Make sure you use a short pull brake lever.
Hi, I'm planning to convert a tandem frame I have knocking about, I am curious as to why you didn't put the motor in the rear bottom bracket, so that both positions are able to free wheel. I can't see any reason not to do this, but your thoughts would be appreciated. Thanx
Did you build the back wheel with the IGH or did you have it built? If someone else built it would they build it with a different hub like drum brakes or rim brakes? I would not want coaster brakes on the back. Sounds dangerous.
Had it built. This bike frame was built with no tabs for mounting any kind of brakes to it. So unless we did custom mounted something on this was it. I’d like to replace the fork with one that has disc brakes
I think I would have gone with the Sturmey-Archer 3 speed with drum brakes. That way the person in front would control all the braking. I don’t like the idea of one person controlling the front brake and another person controlling the back brake. Plus with a drum brake that has hand levers you can have brake sensor to shutoff the motor when you brake. The levers must be short pull/cantilever lever to work properly. Sturmey Archer sell some that would work properly. Others also sell short pull levers.
This whole bike is a disaster! Pedals that maim the passenger and the driver has control over 1 sub-optimal brake. This bike doesn't have to go, but it must stop!
I normally like your ideas on bike mods BUT this time not having the same size chainring for the front and back person it'll be all out of wack ( huge different in peddling speed for each person) taking the fun out of a true tandem riding bike what they are all about. Fail sorry
That would be a concern. Could use a different Sturmey-Archer 3 speed that is made for hand brakes for the rear (drum or rim IGH). Would have the handbrake up front for the person pedaling the motor. Would be a very long cable, they make special cables for Tandem bikes (3500mm). Would be a major change now since the wheel would need to be rebuilt.
