Nice tutorial on bike batteries. Now I can go into my favorite bike shop and confuse the heck out of them, Very well done..You really have come up with a nice setup. Looking at e bikes now and what a rabbit hole. Still pedaling my 520 but at 64 my time is coming up to go assisted. Thanks and take care, Al
Brian: I had mentioned your South Bend to Boston trip to a friend looking to build an e-bike with his existing older Trek mountain bike. He was curious about your motor and battery choices and construction. Thus, I’ve forwarded this video to him for the details. I don’t think he’s confident enough to attempt to construct his own battery, but your selection criteria and charging methods and controls will surely be of interest to him. Thanks a lot.
I had just checked your channel today to see if I had missed a video. Great timing and great video of your build! I would like to add a cycle analyst on my bbshd with eggrider v2. Good to see how it is connected.
@bikingbrian the e bike one was very helpful as well. My son and I have been talking about building e bikes for ourselves to extend our distance in bike touring. I'll be on the lookout for your future fall tour videos! 👍
You've got a Brook's saddle. I bought a Brook's saddle about twenty years ago. All the advertisements said the leather would get real soft and the seat would get very comfortable. Alas, the thing is still as rock hard as the day I bought it.
Biking Brian! Just to let you know, this is our first comment for you! We LOVE your adventures! We are always checking our subscription list and hoping to see a new one from you all the time! Thank you!
Thank you for creating this video. Be interesting to see a video of you making a battery adding the voltage/temp safety limits. Thanks again for taking time out.
This was just what I was looking for . I have a bbs02 750w with only 750 mi on it. It rocks ! I have it programed to only 75% power and it assists my bike at 80lbs and me at 260lbs up the steepest inclines. I am using a 48v 20ah upp battery. 60mi range on flat peddling at 12mi per hour. I also have a reserve 48v 10ah in my pannier. I commute , some short tours in summer.
Nice description of your equipment, I learned a few things. I would've personally gone with a smaller battery, it would reduce weight and other components that goes with such a large battery, not to mention cost. It would basically give up speed, if you cruised at 15 mph, instead of 20 mph, it'd save a lot of power (drag ~= speed squared) No need to go so fast while bike touring, and waste all that energy into the wind.
Thanks for watching. Glad you found it useful. I could have done that, but the object was to cover as much ground as possible in a short amount of time but still be able to smell the roses at a bike speed. I have my regular bike for touring when I want to take my time and cover less distance.
Thank you for the video Brian, was always curious about your whole setup, from bike to motor and battery...How much routing prep do you do before a trip, I realize you take charging along the way into account since the places you stop have working electricity.
Thanks for watching. It’s definitely a bit more involved than non e-bike touring. I do basically need to find a place to charge every night. I also make sure midway through the day there is a place to charger too just in case. The only easier thing to plan is food or rest stops because going another 10-20 miles is not a big deal unlike on an acoustic bike. Luckily all hotels have electric and RV sites definitely Do too.
I love that you built your own ebike and you know it inside and out. I was curious about the handling with the battery weight being on the bike and if you had considered pulling a small cargo trailer instead that could hold the battery or maybe even more batteries to increase your range? Also just curious if moving the current battery to a small trailer and how that may simply improve handling? I still have a Schwinn mountain bike from when I was 14 hanging in my garage and always had thoughts of getting it road ready again or perhaps turning it into an e bike like you did.
it doesn't have to. go to battery hookup and buy some automotive packs already assembled for under 100 dollars per kilowatthour, these are of course used so there's a certain risk here and the configuration of the pack will almost certainly have to be changed, but we are talking under 100 dollars per kilowatthour so it's all worth it. get a sturdy bike with welded-on racks like a dutch bike or european postman's bicycle, i'd say cargo bike, but they're ridiculously priced now as the new in-fashion item. this last part is needed because then you're less restricted about the shape of the pack(s) than with regular panniers.
Did the bike come with a motor or did you have to add it yourself? I like the setup. You seem to be a diy-er if I may say so. Well done! Your knowledge on batteries might pi$$ off the manufacturers lol!
Thank you Brian - we have been wanting this video for a long time. Is there a reason why you built the battery from scratch - rather than buying a stock off the shelf battery ?
@hdtravel1 yes, I wanted to be able to go about 150 miles at 18-20mph and be able to fast charge during the day. I wanted to do 2-3 days on a regular bike in a single day touring to be able to go further in less time and cover more territory.
Good job...your quite clever and knowledgeable. To go 60 to 100 miles a day on an ebike requires considerable weight in batteries. Looking forward to new battery technology to reduce that weight so ebike touring can improve greatly. Even with two standard factory made ebike batteries...how many miles is that? Sixty maybe Seventy. With all the new bike trails being built we will need the better battery systems!
Thanks for noticing. Yeah I never replaced the chainring it was pretty bad in this video. A week or so ago I replaced the entire drivetrain although the chain has been replaced few times. Rides like a brand new bike.
I got 2 500 wh Bosch batteries, and with a burley coho trailer, 4 panniers and a handlebar bag with random stuff on the racks, I can get 120 in perfect conditions. More like 80 to 100 though. Thats more then enough for touring. I have to ride eco mode 90 percent of the time to get those miles, so it ends up feeling like im riding a normal bike. Its just faster as I can keep up 17 to 19 mph in eco mode. I can even slap 2 more panniers on my burley trailer to make it 6 panniers.
Very interesting, never realised you had to lug around quite as much battery weight. What is the oblong item attached to the bottle cage on your downtube?
Love your videos. I have a 52 volt 28 amp battery. Can I use a 10 amp charger using it in the same way you use your. Just charging for an hour at a time while touring?
Comparing to manufactured ebike is it worth to build? Some say its cheaper to build. Other than the cost, how is performance and handy compared to manufactured?
More “you can get what you want or need.” (Built both of mine from parts.) The commercial offers tend to *NOT* be set up for real range, or pulling power, or much else. It *CAN* be cheaper, especially if you have done your research and want something out of the ordinary - what the big manufacturers sell.
It’s hard to say, I have honesty not rode any commercial ebikes and this one is a result of many years of changes and upgrades. I will be doing some new e-bike tours with a buddy of mine that has a store bought e-bike so should be good comparison.
this is awesome. I'd love to see your battery build video because honestly my battery on my bike sucks... I'd love to get something better because I'm pretty sure it's cheap Chinese cells and it's only 10amp/hr so my range is kind of a joke. Other thing I was going to mention is that sadle doesn't look comfortable at all... what makes that so great? I don't see any padding on it.
Thanks for watching! Still debating on battery video/liability involved. The saddle is leather and is stiff but conforms to you more than a standard saddle. I still wear biking shorts so the padding is on me instead of the saddle.
@@bikingbrian I don't know how you wear those shoes, it feels like I have a pizza box between my legs when I wear them. I'd also really love to figure out a good battery solution, I want to make some of the longer rides maybe not as long as yours but a weekend ride would be a lot of fun.
Are you familiar with the story of the Ship Of Theseus (or "Trigger's Broom")?😅 I'm just wondering about doing my first BBS02 build, and stumbled across your channel. This was very useful, thank you.
at 14:15 your chain is not sitting on ur front sprocket right...looks like its about to skip a tooth or something then goes on all the way might just be the lighting i donno
Thanks for sharing Brian... I would love to have your knowledge regarding the electronics and mechanical aspecs of an e-bike. I have a little bit, but usually I just get on mine, turn it on and go👍. When you are fully loaded, ready to go on one of your trips, what is the total weight (including rider) you're dealing with??
Thank you! Great question. I would guess it is between 60-80lbs. And I have some lightweight camping gear like tent and sleeping bag, etc. would be pretty easy to eclipse 100lbs
When you pedal without any motor support, does it move like a normal ( but heavier ) bicycle, or do you get resistance from the motor? I have a Bafang ( m400 250w ) motor bicycle, but it's factory installed and when I pedal without support it is really heavy to move. I would love to make a setup similar to yours. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Interesting build, I have installed a CA3 with a shunt to monitor AHrs used by my mid-drive on my recumbent trike. What is you Amphrs pre Mile usage on a long trip?
I use ridewithgps and google street view and satellite to plan the routing. There is a heatmap feature too in rwgps that allows you to see where others ride on the map.
Omg... this is the 3rd video I've watched trying to see what the bafang kit can do with a load... amd the 3rd video of listening to someone babble meaningless crap for eeeeeeeever just to never actually get on the fkn bike and show what it can do... I appreciate thewaste of my time..... here is a clue... anyone thats interested in doing an upgrade like this... Doesnt need you to walk them through every tiny little thing on your ghetto bike build... anyone with enough technical skill to do the bafang upgrade isn't a newbie to riding bro...
Nice tutorial on bike batteries. Now I can go into my favorite bike shop and confuse the heck out of them, Very well done..You really have come up with a nice setup. Looking at e bikes now and what a rabbit hole. Still pedaling my 520 but at 64 my time is coming up to go assisted. Thanks and take care, Al
Thank you! Hahah yeah totally. And yeah it’s a deep rabbit hole. 520’s are great, that’s good that you are still out there pedaling.
Now that your trip is done it would be great to hear your highlights, things you might do differently, and overall impression of your trip.
Your timing is perfect Brian… thanks for such a thorough tour of the build! Looking forward to the battery build video too.
Thanks for all the mentions on your pods Tim! :). Still debating the battery video as it might get into territory where I need some disclaimers.
Brian: I had mentioned your South Bend to Boston trip to a friend looking to build an e-bike with his existing older Trek mountain bike. He was curious about your motor and battery choices and construction. Thus, I’ve forwarded this video to him for the details. I don’t think he’s confident enough to attempt to construct his own battery, but your selection criteria and charging methods and controls will surely be of interest to him. Thanks a lot.
Awesome thank you! I hope your friend will find it useful.
You're back ! I've changed my name a few times since 😅 glad to see you again 😊
Hey, thanks!
What a great explanation and video. Looking forward to some future videos where you talk about and show how you did your build.
Thanks for watching!
@@bikingbrian it is my pleasure and I learn a lot. Prepping for my e-bike ride of the Erie Canal from Buffalo to Albany and back to Buffalo
Great video, really enjoy your channel. Thanks so much for sharing with us!!!
I had just checked your channel today to see if I had missed a video. Great timing and great video of your build! I would like to add a cycle analyst on my bbshd with eggrider v2. Good to see how it is connected.
Awesome! Thank you! Glad it was helpful.
I was just going through the Playlists and watching older tours patiently waiting for a new tour lol
Hahah nice. I still have a fall trip I need to edit. Wanted to finish the e-bike one first.
@bikingbrian the e bike one was very helpful as well. My son and I have been talking about building e bikes for ourselves to extend our distance in bike touring. I'll be on the lookout for your future fall tour videos! 👍
Great to see you again Brian! I think you have a great setup 😊
Thank you!
Thanks Brian, for the in depth walkaround. While watching your videos I often wondered about some of you bikes features. 😎👍
Thank you for watching!
You've got a Brook's saddle. I bought a Brook's saddle about twenty years ago. All the advertisements said the leather would get real soft and the seat would get very comfortable. Alas, the thing is still as rock hard as the day I bought it.
Hahah yeah mine is still rock solid too but it has conformed to me a bit.
Biking Brian! Just to let you know, this is our first comment for you! We LOVE your adventures! We are always checking our subscription list and hoping to see a new one from you all the time! Thank you!
Man you really got that dialed in to be perfect for you. Friction shifting and all!
Thanks! I really do.
Thank you for sharing your build. I’m impressed at how far you’ve traveled on your bike. ✌️
Thanks for watching!
Glad to see you back Brian. Can't wait for your next bike tour!
Thanks brotha i new you wouldnt let us down ❤
Thanks for your support
Thank you for creating this video.
Be interesting to see a video of you making a battery adding the voltage/temp safety limits.
Thanks again for taking time out.
It may be something I do. I bought some
More batteries to make a smaller 52v battery.
This was just what I was looking for . I have a bbs02 750w with only 750 mi on it. It rocks ! I have it programed to only 75% power and it assists my bike at 80lbs and me at 260lbs up the steepest inclines. I am using a 48v 20ah upp battery. 60mi range on flat peddling at 12mi per hour. I also have a reserve 48v 10ah in my pannier. I commute , some short tours in summer.
Awesome! Sounds like a great setup. Happy riding!
THANK YOU!!!! Was just thinking about this yesterday!
Hope you like it! It took me a while to put this all together.
Good to see you back would love to see videos on your local trails
Great idea. Thanks for watching.
smartest guy on the internet over here! Good setup/gear.
Thanks, I always wondered what was in those bags, ha. Very informative.
Hahah! Thank you.
Nice description of your equipment, I learned a few things. I would've personally gone with a smaller battery, it would reduce weight and other components that goes with such a large battery, not to mention cost. It would basically give up speed, if you cruised at 15 mph, instead of 20 mph, it'd save a lot of power (drag ~= speed squared) No need to go so fast while bike touring, and waste all that energy into the wind.
Thanks for watching. Glad you found it useful. I could have done that, but the object was to cover as much ground as possible in a short amount of time but still be able to smell the roses at a bike speed. I have my regular bike for touring when I want to take my time and cover less distance.
Can’t wait for the assembly video
Rear rack is a Tubus Logo.
Thank you for the video Brian, was always curious about your whole setup, from bike to motor and battery...How much routing prep do you do before a trip, I realize you take charging along the way into account since the places you stop have working electricity.
Thanks for watching. It’s definitely a bit more involved than non e-bike touring. I do basically need to find a place to charge every night. I also make sure midway through the day there is a place to charger too just in case. The only easier thing to plan is food or rest stops because going another 10-20 miles is not a big deal unlike on an acoustic bike. Luckily all hotels have electric and RV sites definitely
Do too.
Nice one Brian. It is very helpful
Glad it was helpful!
I love that you built your own ebike and you know it inside and out. I was curious about the handling with the battery weight being on the bike and if you had considered pulling a small cargo trailer instead that could hold the battery or maybe even more batteries to increase your range? Also just curious if moving the current battery to a small trailer and how that may simply improve handling? I still have a Schwinn mountain bike from when I was 14 hanging in my garage and always had thoughts of getting it road ready again or perhaps turning it into an e bike like you did.
I love this video. Thank you!!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Nice job!👍
Thanks! 👍
Awesome video. Great build!
Excellent
Thank you! Cheers!
Can you do a video on tips/tricks to stay powered up, as well as places to Stealth camp that's safe, & you won't get arrested for. Lol
Thanks
Note *Grim Satiator* chargers are now closer to 400, once you get them “all tooled up” and get them shipped.
(Mine was, bought last summer.)
Nice!
I hadn't thought about how many cells. Each Cell $4-9 . Cost adds up.
Yeah sure does. I found mine right around $3/cell on cyber Monday deal.
Yes, need to get some of *those* myself…
it doesn't have to. go to battery hookup and buy some automotive packs already assembled for under 100 dollars per kilowatthour, these are of course used so there's a certain risk here and the configuration of the pack will almost certainly have to be changed, but we are talking under 100 dollars per kilowatthour so it's all worth it. get a sturdy bike with welded-on racks like a dutch bike or european postman's bicycle, i'd say cargo bike, but they're ridiculously priced now as the new in-fashion item. this last part is needed because then you're less restricted about the shape of the pack(s) than with regular panniers.
Did the bike come with a motor or did you have to add it yourself? I like the setup. You seem to be a diy-er if I may say so. Well done! Your knowledge on batteries might pi$$ off the manufacturers lol!
Thank you Brian - we have been wanting this video for a long time. Is there a reason why you built the battery from scratch - rather than buying a stock off the shelf battery ?
I hope it was helpful. I built it from scratch because what I wanted wasn’t available.
@@bikingbrian Can you be more specific ? Did you built it because you needed a specific physical size - watt hours - combination of things or what ?
@hdtravel1 yes, I wanted to be able to go about 150 miles at 18-20mph and be able to fast charge during the day. I wanted to do 2-3 days on a regular bike in a single day touring to be able to go further in less time and cover more territory.
@@bikingbrian awesome capability - makes sense - most stock e-bikes can't do that - excellent features
Good job...your quite clever and knowledgeable. To go 60 to 100 miles a day on an ebike requires considerable weight in batteries. Looking forward to new battery technology to reduce that weight so ebike touring can improve greatly. Even with two standard factory made ebike batteries...how many miles is that? Sixty maybe Seventy. With all the new bike trails being built we will need the better battery systems!
Thank you! I can’t wait for better battery technology too.
Your chainring teeth are very sharp, meaning it needs to be replaced.
The chain does not sit properly on it. That 1200W motor must put heavy load on the drivetrain parts.
Thanks for noticing. Yeah I never replaced the chainring it was pretty bad in this video. A week or so ago I replaced the entire drivetrain although the chain has been replaced few times. Rides like a brand new bike.
Yeah it’s actually not too terrible on this bike and most of the time it’s about 300-500 watt range and 10k plus miles.
excellent.
Thank you! Cheers!
Jones bars are great
I want to add them to my regular touring bike too.
@@bikingbrian I just bought a new salsa journeyman as a new Bike packer i put surly cornerbar there in my last video
I got 2 500 wh Bosch batteries, and with a burley coho trailer, 4 panniers and a handlebar bag with random stuff on the racks, I can get 120 in perfect conditions. More like 80 to 100 though. Thats more then enough for touring. I have to ride eco mode 90 percent of the time to get those miles, so it ends up feeling like im riding a normal bike. Its just faster as I can keep up 17 to 19 mph in eco mode. I can even slap 2 more panniers on my burley trailer to make it 6 panniers.
Sounds like a great setup!
Very interesting, never realised you had to lug around quite as much battery weight. What is the oblong item attached to the bottle cage on your downtube?
Thanks for watching! That an AirTag for gps tracking.
Love your videos. I have a 52 volt 28 amp battery. Can I use a 10 amp charger using it in the same way you use your. Just charging for an hour at a time while touring?
How many watts do you draw on level ground no wind no peddling at 20 MPH? It's interesting you use throttle to rest sometimes instead of stopping.
18-20 probably 350-450w range without wind or hills.
I definitely dig and respect what you're doing. Do you have any best practices for safe charging?
Thanks! Just keep an eye on things and make sure to follow any mfg guidelines.
Comparing to manufactured ebike is it worth to build? Some say its cheaper to build. Other than the cost, how is performance and handy compared to manufactured?
More “you can get what you want or need.” (Built both of mine from parts.)
The commercial offers tend to *NOT* be set up for real range, or pulling power, or much else.
It *CAN* be cheaper, especially if you have done your research and want something out of the ordinary - what the big manufacturers sell.
It’s hard to say, I have honesty not rode any commercial ebikes and this one is a result of many years of changes and upgrades. I will be doing some new e-bike tours with a buddy of mine that has a store bought e-bike so should be good comparison.
this is awesome. I'd love to see your battery build video because honestly my battery on my bike sucks... I'd love to get something better because I'm pretty sure it's cheap Chinese cells and it's only 10amp/hr so my range is kind of a joke. Other thing I was going to mention is that sadle doesn't look comfortable at all... what makes that so great? I don't see any padding on it.
Thanks for watching! Still debating on battery video/liability involved. The saddle is leather and is stiff but conforms to you more than a standard saddle. I still wear biking shorts so the padding is on me instead of the saddle.
@@bikingbrian I don't know how you wear those shoes, it feels like I have a pizza box between my legs when I wear them. I'd also really love to figure out a good battery solution, I want to make some of the longer rides maybe not as long as yours but a weekend ride would be a lot of fun.
Are you familiar with the story of the Ship Of Theseus (or "Trigger's Broom")?😅
I'm just wondering about doing my first BBS02 build, and stumbled across your channel. This was very useful, thank you.
ha Trigger's Broom may be a bit obscure to our American friends!
Hahah yeah. Glad you found it useful. Thanks for watching!
at 14:15 your chain is not sitting on ur front sprocket right...looks like its about to skip a tooth or something then goes on all the way might just be the lighting i donno
So with all e-bike motor, chargers, battery, you probably add 65 extra pounds to the standard bike weight?
Probably about 30-40
How do u know when to shift to not bog down or burn the motor?
I usually have a high cadence so the motor loves me. Really it’s just like regular biking if you are getting bogged down so is the motor.
Thanks for sharing Brian... I would love to have your knowledge regarding the electronics and mechanical aspecs of an e-bike. I have a little bit, but usually I just get on mine, turn it on and go👍. When you are fully loaded, ready to go on one of your trips, what is the total weight (including rider) you're dealing with??
Thank you! Great question. I would guess it is between 60-80lbs. And I have some lightweight camping gear like tent and sleeping bag, etc. would be pretty easy to eclipse 100lbs
Re-Greased… with? Mobil 28 grease? (Used this on both of mine. Motor #2 is due for a serious re-greasing…)
Yeah, Mobil 28!
One question, when is the next tour?
Good question. I have a spring acoustic bike tour in the early summer.
When you pedal without any motor support, does it move like a normal ( but heavier ) bicycle, or do you get resistance from the motor? I have a Bafang ( m400 250w ) motor bicycle, but it's factory installed and when I pedal without support it is really heavy to move. I would love to make a setup similar to yours. Thank you for sharing 🙂
It’s pretty heavy so it just feels like a loaded down bike. I can’t tell if there is any resistance from the motor.
@@bikingbrian thanks
Interesting build, I have installed a CA3 with a shunt to monitor AHrs used by my mid-drive on my recumbent trike. What is you Amphrs pre Mile usage on a long trip?
Unfortunately my speedometer on the CA only works intermittently so I am not able to track it.
10.77 watthours per kilometre
I wanted to know how do you create your routes? Thanks😎
I use ridewithgps and google street view and satellite to plan the routing. There is a heatmap feature too in rwgps that allows you to see where others ride on the map.
2500Wh+! no wonder you can get 150 miles out of a charge! Still you need be a little frugal as 20Wh per mile only gives 130 miles of range!
Haha yeah for sure. Extra capacity helps when conditions are less than ideal too. Headwinds, hills, etc
Hey Brian what friction shifter are you using?
looks like microshift sl-m11-r but the writing is out of focus
They are indeed Microshift. Not sure of the model.
How much $$$ to build one today, $5,000?
Hard to say but that would be a safe bet to start from scratch anywhere between $3-5k
Do you have contact info
Huh?
Omg... this is the 3rd video I've watched trying to see what the bafang kit can do with a load... amd the 3rd video of listening to someone babble meaningless crap for eeeeeeeever just to never actually get on the fkn bike and show what it can do... I appreciate thewaste of my time..... here is a clue... anyone thats interested in doing an upgrade like this... Doesnt need you to walk them through every tiny little thing on your ghetto bike build... anyone with enough technical skill to do the bafang upgrade isn't a newbie to riding bro...