Have no intention of installing this, but enjoyed watching this due to the excellent presentation, no unnecessary waffle, just clear straight talk. Well done. Learnt something too. 👍
Great video very informative especially as I am looking to get a Bafang mid drive, and this video has given me the encouragement try and do it myself Thank You from the UK 🇬🇧
Thanks for covering off the larger cable guide issue under the bottom bracket. So many others just gloss over challenges like that, leaving you to wonder what to do. I actually purchased a shorter one rather than cutting the old one and flipping it but that was a good idea! I just wanted to keep my old one just in case (chances are, I will never revert back anyway, but hey, you never know). Thanks for a great video!
Definitely one of the most helpful vidoes on installing a mid-drive unit. A lot of others don't explain the bit about the cable channels and the rear derailleur. Thanks
Thank you for the excellent tutorial, Rev-becca! Nobody ever mentions about the cable guide underneath the bottom bracket. This will affect a ton of modern bikes, including a Trek that I put a BBS03 on this weekend. But thanks to this video, I knew what to expect, and I did this same fix and it worked. Except on mine, the screw still stuck out about 3 mm too much even after modifying the cable guide, but it got me close enough to use a different fastener with a flatter head, and it worked.
Watched your video a few months ago to install my Bafang mid-mount and found it to be very helpful. Just wanted to say thanks. By the way, as soon as I rode it, I completely understood your comment about people saying they might take the motor off as soon as they got in shape. I only went about 10 meters before I thought "I am never going to take this motor off"
Rev-Becca- thanks so much for making your truly excellent videos. I just built my first e-bike, a Bafang BBS02B 750W on an Early 90s Nishiki MTB. It will make you proud. Have been riding my whole life and still a dedicated Roadie + Gravel Biker. My new e-bike is amazing thanks to your videos. Much appreciated.
The Nishiki Alien?I started mtbs in the 90s and that bike was one of the ones that caught my eye! Eventually bought an Alpinestars Almega DX as I couldn't find the Nishiki sold in Asia/Spore... :-)
A nice pleasant voice for a change with good instruction. And thankfully no cheesy music. I wanted to see what held the Bafang motor from rotating and you covered it beautifully, thank you.
Rev-becca, great video on installing the Bafang. I have watched all your Bafang videos and it gave me (a lady biker) the encouragement to install the bafang by myself on my bike. Your video are excellent showing all the steps needed for installation. I also watched other install videos made by other bike shops and they are not as good as yours. They skip some steps which I assume they consider too basic, but for folks like me who are not bike mechanics, I need to see how to remove the existing parts and then how to put on the new parts. I put the Bafang on myself using my husband's tools. The Bafang has made riding up hills a breeze and my overall rides more enjoyable. Thank you!! P.S. I replaced the stock Bafang ring with a Bling ring, have not had any problems with chain slipping, glad you suggested the upgrade.
It's pretty straightforward and fun! I have two Luna Banana BBSHD bikes, and I'm gonna convert a Trek my dad left in my garage with a 68 or 73mm Bafang middrive motor.
Great video ! The first one that actually explains mounting the correct angular position of the motor - and explaining that it is for torque reasons. I have seen videos by other "professionals" who mount the motor at the lowest point .
Thank you Rev-Becca ! This is without doubt the best video on how to install a midmotor Bafang. I esspecially appreciate you pointing out potential issues with the gear cable guide touching the motor and also in using a rubber shim to stop the motor touching the rear gear cable. Excellent stuff. Bafang 750W, 48v 12.AH battery on a specialized crosstrail. Loads of fun
Using a Specialized Sport 2008/9 going to purchase 750 kit soon, just trying to decide best battery. Any help appreciated? Live in West Virginia, USA and it can be pretty hilly. State Reg’s say I can ride a Class 2 in any park or trail/road with no license or insurance, etc.
Great video, very helpful, and I liked the improvisation with the derailleur cable. Incidentally, the reason I have a repair stand is to remove the need for me to grovel on the floor with a screwdriver! Keep your videos coming :)
Thanks for the compliment Robert. Glad you have a stand if that's what you like. We of course have several too, but it wasn't working with possibility available clear background area for the vid. Also, at times, more force is required than a stand might stand 😉
I noticed that whenever you apply torque to your tools, you pull. That is indeed the power direction for an excavator, but most techs, given the option, would use their body weight and lean into it. Not a push, but a controlled lean, using body mass versus muscle to apply force. Trying to decide on a type of conversion kit. This mid-drive takes a lot of work and changes the drive train. Thanks for the demo.
73x65mm EBB on my Jones LWB steel frame gave me a run for my money. Ended up having a machine shop shave off the bottom tabs, weld the BB at the bottom and installing a Bushnell EBB. I now have a monster of a 750w ebike with H-bars, front and rear racks capable of sporting any pannier I like, and fantastic 2.35" tire handling.
Thank you for the info. I've heard some of this before but really didn't understand some of it until now. Must be in the way you presented it Good Job.
thank you so much! I was avoiding mid drive motors like plague because i was afraid i wouldn't be able to mount it but i think its quite easy now. We'l see ordering one now=)
Thanks so much. I have a Giant and I would have been lost without your guidance regarding the cable guides under the motor. I ran into that problem and didn't find the answer anywhere else.
Very informative. I just got my Bafang 750 watt motor and will be putting it on shortly. Rev-becca says..."Some people tell us they think they're going to take the motor off once their fitness has improved. Ha Ha Never seen it happen yet." I have to agree. I am sure mine will stay on!
Thank you so much for your tutorial, its empowered me to try this out on my own. Very clear and one of the best tutorials I've seen so far regarding Bafang installation.
I had exactly the same gear cable guide at the bottom, and made exactly the same modification. Now that I know this is the way it's done (probably the only way), I feel a lot more confident. Now to cable it up.
I got a Bewo but going to get a Bafang. 250W is max legal power in UK which is fast enough on a bicycle for me...22mph flat out. Pictures say a thousand words. Informative video.
Thanks, in the middle of my install I just waiting on the bottom bracket tool and a front fork that I broke previously w a hub motor. Can't wait to ride
A little bit Belt & braces putting Threadlock on with a locking ring! Good job you used the blue (semi permanent) type. Nice job with good explanations.
Great video. Clear, concise, no time wasted. Excellent explanations and improvisations. There was nothing wrong with the music...volume was fine and its intent during ffwd was obvious. People just like complaining when there is nothing to complain about. Your shop is literally 500m from my street!!!
I followed this procedure very carefully and it went together very well and looks great. One thing I did was to shorten the powercable and join it inside the battery holder using a terminal block. Very tidy. Is there a video on setting and/or tuning the unit?
Love this Video, I close my ears to the Music, this is the Best youtube film made on the Information to install the Wonderful Befang Cycle Electric Motors. At last, I now can convert my Scott 930 Mountain Bike into a Touring Cycle and recapture my Youth. Well Done the Lady from Down Under.
Rev-Becca I followed your video almost word by word for my installation and it was great for a while. The little joint that stops the motor swinging around is useless, I used a big ass hose clip/jubilee clip to secure the motor to the frame so it didn't smash against it when the little joint failed. The base plate for the battery is very slim too, if you go on bumpy or offroad areas, you'll end up getting the 70%-0% power very soon. The battery disconnects from the connector momentarily, it causes a short that fucks up the battery terminals. Looked at battery and receiver and black everywhere like a little fire happened! The solution I found? Q-Tips/cotton buds. Wipe the battery connectors as clean as you can, then...reconnect the battery, go for a little spin. If it's all good, then get on to amazon or whoever your nearest supplier is and get a hose clip/jubilee clip that holds your battery and connector tight together, and clip them good to your frame and you'll be cruuuuuuising.
Good job mate 👍🏽 My guess is you didn't tighten the motor enough, nor secure the cables well. These days we use a chisel to hammer in the notches on the fixing plate, so it bites into the frame better. Then use a torque wrench with a specially made socket, to torque the lock ring up to 80nm. It's very rare to have any movement after that! 😁
@@Revbikes Cables were fine, motor maybe less so. Did a retighten everything at my 1500km service when I had time off work. I'd be very wary about over-tightening anything on an aluminium frame without the exact torque wrench though, last thing you want is to be cruising into work at 40kph, hit a bump, then your frame buckles and you have your back wheel wrapped around your neck before you know it 🤯 Off work over Xmas so another clean up is due, there's a noise that may be a sticking clutch in the freezing weather😫 Plus maybe a paint job, Giant must have had blind people picking their colours in 2012 when my frame was made😑
@@dubcindub15 tightening the lock ring will only cause the fixing plate to indent the frame more, it will not be damaged.. I would put serious money on that!
thanks Rev, I happen to have a Giant bike w a hub motor I've been using for the last 6 years and am finally gonna transfer over to a mid drive from Luna, this really helped.
Ladies and Gents, by far the most difficult bit is to get the right tool for your bottom bracket; this is becuase there are a zillion so-called "standards" out there. Be aware also that some cheapo Chinese bottom bracket tools are correct for the job, but are so badly made they still don't fit(!) The second most difficult bit of the job is to get your tool to actually work, this is because bottom brackets are very often in *super* tight even when the bike is brand new. You will probably need to find a way of clamping your bottom bracket tool in place because, when you put serious turning pressure on it, it will want to "wring" out. Remember, remember remember, what she said here about which way the bottom bracket turns each side of the bike. You seriously do NOT want to make it tighter while you are trying to get it loose. Once you suss these bits of the job, the rest is generally a cinch. Thanks to the maker for the video.
About time a video tutorial for Bafang mid drives came out...Good vid as well.I recall there were some out before but it was in Chinese so unless you knew Mandarin it was mostly guessing what points were talked about in those vids... ;-)
Very good video: Not too fast, not boring. Congratulations! One question: Is the chain not too stressed with the added power of the motor? Wouldn't a hub gearbox be better? They use wider and therefore stronger chains.
Great video! Feel more confident to take the task on fitting the bafang! One question what bike do you recommend so I don’t have to modify the cable bracket?
Would you mind remaking every bicycle upgrade or repair video on RU-vid? You are a natural and a great roll model for half the population. Look forward to repairing half bikes I do now. Home improvement shows should have a bike improvement segment with you in it every show. Well done!
Well done instructional video, thanks for leaving out or speeding up the tedious bits. One thing I would like to know, why doesn't the kit come with some optional bits, rubber shims, wedges, etc. for the critical area between the motor and downtube? With my limited knowledge of elementary physics/mechanics I feel that the the torque applied to the frame requires more than a piece of hard rubber which will over time compress and become dislodged. Also, it would be prudent to check and possibly re-torque the motor lock ring after a short break-in period.
Rev-becca instead of using a piece of rubber or plastic to prevent the motor from blocking the cabled I used a piece of moldable epoxy steel (you know ; the clay like). I made little ball from it an pushed it in between the two cooling ribs that could touch the frame if there was no cable. After that I pushed the motor up till the clay touched the frame and secured the motor. Because of the cooling ribs and the round form of the frame tubing it can't go anywhere.
Rebecca, thank you for this is a very good and informative video. Are Shimano Steps cranks compatible with the Bafang BBS bottom brackets? Is it better to change the chain to a one that is especially for e-bikes, for example KMC e9? To going up steep hills, like 22 % grade, is it wise to take a cassette 11-50 and a chainring 28, 30 or 32 teeth? Thanks for replying.
hi thanks for video explaining! it better and safer to install the shift gear back or front? I meant to avoid malfunctions waters and others? it work better back or front?
Are the bottom bracket insert the same on all bikes? How do you know if the mid motor kit will fit on your bike? I never hear anyone bring this up when converting regular bikes to e- bikes.
Hello, thank you for your video. I am wondering about the adaptability of this engine with my bike. I have a distance of 78mm and not 73mm of length of tube in which to insert the bottom bracket mark. Can you tell me if I have to take a 90mm bafang motor or if the 73mm will be fine? Thanks in advance, Jean-Louis
I was ready to buy a bafang mid-drive motor but this video made me opt out of it. If my bike has to get any mofdifications to put the motor (for those gear wires) then I am not going to do it. I thought those motor companies figured out that every normal bike has those wires right below the cranker so they somehow should have made the motors fit there without the need to make such modifications. Thanks for the video. It saved me from a ton of hustle.
I now have a 27-speed hybrid bike. and I have 3 gears with my pedal cranks. now I wonder if those 3 sprockets are replaced by 1 sprocket and whether that is a disadvantage or not? So do you actualy get fewer gears then before the installation? Sorry for my poor englisch
Why removing the derailer can't it stay on? Another question is about the chain ring, I have seen numbers like T44 etc when buying bafang motors is that the number of teeth on the chain ring?
Hi! Question please, if I follow the instructions but I don't put the chain as usual, does the motor work when someone pedal? I mean I only need the crank and pedals moving with the assistence of motor. Strange question but it has to do with a therapy for Parkinson disease. Thanks
Two years anf now three mid drive 1kw later i just bought a 750w mid dtive. Between two motors i have done over 20,000 kms. I just did a full tear down of the two older motors and all i replaced was one pas disc. The ring magnet had broken. The gears look almost new.
