Let's see your ebike conversions?

[Dude]

I have a 5 year old and another on the way. Would love a tern GSD but can't afford one. I'm looking for a kid hauler and errand runner with pedal assist. Thinking of one of the bafang ebike conversion kits but they look so janky. Anyone have a solution that's less than $1k and can be retrofit onto a bike? Or is the bafang good enough to justify the jank?

I know there are dedicated bikes (specialized, trek, etc) out there that aren't that much more expensive but I'm concerned that long term software/hardware support won't be there. Thanks!

[vqdriver]

the jank is fine, and to a certain extent unavoidable due to the wiring involved and differing clearances on frames suitable for retrofit. i had the same impression but once installed, i'm not sure how i could have done it differently to accommodate all the different frames and sizes. for me a full suspension 26er was a great candidate due to its standard bb, great ride, and low market value.

i use this kit https://lunacycle.com/bafang-bbshd-1000w-middrive-kit/ and honestly, it's overpowered for anything on road. on trail, it's great :eek: i could have been perfectly happy with the bbs02 kit. fwiw, lunacycle is somewhat local to me so i did will call. all the folks i saw there were 20 something hippies and all seemed super into the ebike thing. i was happy to support a company where the employees seemed invested in the product.

i don't have any glamour photos but can take a couple later on.

fyi, don't cheap out on the battery. a powerful battery with huuuge capacity is somewhat awesome.

just reread your post. if you plan on pulling a trailer, it'll be quite welcome whenever the road turns uphill, but even on flat land, the motor would see a constant load so expect the motor (and maybe even the battery) to warm up

[jm714]

I did the same bafang mid drive kit from Luna Cycle. I used a Giant Toughroad and it has been great. For the road it is too much speed. I have been thinking of doing another kit with a hub drive motor to clean things up a bit.

[vqdriver]

yes, depending on intended use, i think a hub drive could be more suitable. it would at least eliminate any chainline issues.