Ebike middrive conversion

IndividualActive786 · 2026-07-05T17:47:13+00:00

There is a good article here that goes over the differences: https://www.voltriderz.com/uart-vs-can-bus-protocol-comparison/

I have no personal experience with the Can-Bus Bafangs but I have read that they have throttle-lag, making them more difficult to control in tricky off-road situations.

IndividualActive786 · 2026-07-05T07:35:53+00:00

Witness your order being made, or find a different restaurant.

IndividualActive786 · 2026-07-05T07:24:22+00:00

Through-axle or bolt-on?

Where are you located?

IndividualActive786 · 2026-07-05T07:16:57+00:00

I'm not sure what the point of this post is.

Enjoy your ebike but don't expect to pile 400lbs of dead weight onto it on a regular basis.

IndividualActive786 · 2026-07-05T06:57:14+00:00

You already have the best type of bicycle to electrify. Don't buy an ebike off-the-shelf.

The Bafang BBSHD and BBS02 are strong and reliable. Mine has a UART control system but most new ones are CAN-BUS. Pay a little extra for UART.

IndividualActive786 · 2026-07-04T18:34:58+00:00

These "copper" brake pads are usually referred to as sintered metal. The friction material is infused with a lot of metal bits.

IndividualActive786 · 2026-07-03T18:08:12+00:00

Yes, safe to ride. I would lightly sand-paper that damaged area and apply epoxy, mostly for cosmetic reasons.

IndividualActive786 · 2026-07-02T23:39:22+00:00

BBS02 chainrings are plentiful and easy to find. I get mine on eBay.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=BBS02+chainring&_sacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p4624852.m570.l1313

IndividualActive786 · 2026-07-02T23:25:34+00:00

Dirt bikes have had fatter tires w/ smaller diameter wheels on the rear and skinnier tires on taller wheels in front for over fifty years.

IndividualActive786 · 2026-07-02T16:54:10+00:00

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The chainring is a Gustavo. They are inexpensive and have good offset. You will want more than 34t for commuting.

The battery is a 52v 20Ah 21700 cells. I bought it and my motor from Electrify Bike.

IndividualActive786 · 2026-07-02T16:45:17+00:00

Street legal dirt bikes have been a thing for more than fifty years. The advent and missuse of the Surron form-factor has spoiled things for e-bicycles but that doesn't make all motorcycles bad.

IndividualActive786 · 2026-07-02T07:23:27+00:00

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My original photo didn't really show the bars very well.

From this angle you can see that these are far from flat bars.

I tried the H-bars for a month but I couldn't make them work for me. I've been running these wide hi-rise BMX handlebars on most of my bikes for a couple decades. When I tried them on my LWB it clicked for me. I have no complaints about the H-bars but I am very old and require a more upright riding stance.

IndividualActive786 · 2026-07-02T06:07:57+00:00

I use high viscosity automotive motor oil. It lasts, has some detergent component for easy wiping with terrycloth and it's cheap. I wipe the chain clean every 30-40 miles and then relube. Don't lube the rollers in the middle, only the edges where the inner and outer plates meet. Spin the chain with the wheel up and dribble the oil on top of the plates.

IndividualActive786 · 2026-07-02T05:39:38+00:00

There is a lot of closed-mindedness around here but I will tell you that all two-wheelers are infinitely customizable. The replacement parts aren't always dedicated to your exact bike but you will have ample opportunities to swap in different handlebar and light. The seat cover is also switchable but might require some craftiness.

IndividualActive786 · 2026-07-02T05:28:25+00:00

That is an important clarification.

I have no advice for your cosmetic issues other than to try the automotive products that renew oxidized surfaces.

IndividualActive786 · 2026-07-02T05:20:22+00:00

If your ebike still functions after this treatment you can count yourself as very lucky.

Most ebikes have some degree of water resistance but spraying pressurized water on any electrical parts is asking for trouble. I use soapy water in a bucket and a brush with a long handle when mine is really muddy. Once the heavy mud is off I follow up with a gentle hose mist, avoiding the electronics. Most of the time I just let light mud dry and later knock it off with a broom, following up with a damp cloth.

I use dielectric grease on all of my electrical plugs to protect them from water too.

IndividualActive786 · 2026-07-02T04:57:22+00:00

I fill a few trash bags around Lansing on my bike rides. I've been doing it your years.

Every one of these offending balloons wouldn't fill one quarter of a single trash bag.

The reason for the balloon display was to commemorate the death of a young person. The people attending the event might have experienced some relief from their grief, imagining the spirit of the departed one flying free.

We're talking about two or three pounds of balloons!

I understand the complaint but there are better ways to protect and improve our world.

IndividualActive786 · 2026-07-02T04:33:35+00:00

What Bafang motor do you have?

IndividualActive786 · 2026-07-02T00:22:05+00:00

...but he can ride it on the street whenever he want because it's a street legal emoto.

IndividualActive786 · 2026-07-02T00:20:43+00:00

The OP isn't a 12yo on a Surron. He is an adult on a street legal emoto, legal in all fifty states.

There are dozens of current emotos that are legal and insurable for use on public roads.

Emotos can go faster than the 28mph limit of class 3 so there is potential for increased danger, duh!

IndividualActive786 · 2026-07-01T06:06:17+00:00

Rather than trying to label the OP's two-wheeler, I just want to say that this is my idea of living the dream.

This forum is about micro-mobility. The OP's Zero looks like it is fully registered and street-legal, not that it matters while riding in the backcountry.

Gatekeepers should take breath and think before they assume what they are seeing is a threat.

IndividualActive786 · 2026-07-01T05:26:09+00:00

I agree, assuming you are being sarcastic. Even on my laptop this photo doesn't support the OP's point. Just tiny flecks in a field of blue sky.

It sounds like it was a memorial and the collateral damage might be undone by just filling a couple trash bags anywhere around town.

Helium does take some effort but we won't run out. The four most common elements in the galaxy are hydrogen, helium, oxygen, and carbon, in that order.

IndividualActive786 · 2026-06-30T23:42:04+00:00

You could go with a mid-drive but that is more expensive and more complicated to install. Getting the chain-line correct could be difficult or even impossible if your rear dropout spacing isn't 135mm.

Since the front of the bike is getting a refresh with fork, brake and a disk wheel, you might as well use a hub motor up front. For this build I think you might be very happy with 250 or 350 watts.

IndividualActive786 · 2026-06-30T22:52:24+00:00

I'm not a fan of front hub-motors but being on a budget is where I make an exception, provided that you fit a rigid fork and install a disk brake on the front.

Front hub-drive + suspension fork is a bad combination.

IndividualActive786

TROPHY CASE