Thank you for the information. I was about to write ✍️ to you asking precisely about the chainrings when I found this video which answered all my questions. Thanks again. All your videos are top notch. I enjoyed the ELRCTRIC BIKE CO very much.
Wow, I really found this really informative. Thanks. I've seen chain rings that seem to hold the chain inside a groove. I've been thinking about that since I accidently kick my chain off alot.
30-36t is the sweet spot IMO for comfortable pedaling on a mountain bike with PAS. The stock Bafang rings (even the smallest) will be basically useless on steep hills without using a ton of battery power.
@Yute Hube I have probably 300 miles on my BBS02 and Luna 30t ring. Chainline on a 10spd drivetrain is a little crooked in the lowest 2 gears but they're still usable. I haven't really had any problems with it (excluding a broken chain the other week, which I'd attribute more to 5+ year old chain that had stretched ~1/2").
I still have a stock chainring on my bbs02b, I just used my old front derailleur and set the limit screws to keep it on the chainring... Now I can rock a 9 speed on the rear
I own a full suspension recumbent trike with BBSHD drive. I recently swapped out the drivetrain to 10sp 11-48T cassette. I’ve been running 42T lekkie, but I’m now going to mount a 28T lekkie. I’m in a hilly area (SF Bay Area) I want to ride dirt fire roads that are very steep like harkin’s ridge near half moon Bay, CA. My trike is full suspension and does moderately bumpy fire roads awesomely. With a 28T ring, and 48T cog, I should be able to handle steeps, even if my electrical system fails.
Here's Johnny...! I chose the chain ring based on the demand. Here is what i have: Towing a heavy load = small chain ring to keep the BBSHD spinning fast keeps the motor from lugging down to keep it from overheating.. Smaller chain rings give more torque, spin faster, reduce motor heat and increase range. Lugging a motor down reduces range. I have a Rohloff on the back of my 26" rear end of my recumbent trike. The trike is heavy. The trailer is heavy. Yet, because of my 36T Narrow/Wide Lekkie chain ring, i get great range. I still get 20=mph. Now if i had a light weight trike, no panniers, stripped down model, i would choose a 42 T or 52T Narrow/Wide for speed. The gearing in the back and the Hub vs Mid-drive motor, weight of bike, (are you towing..?) that determine the size of chainring... I always choose the Narrow/Wide so i don't drop a chain. And routinely check the chain stretch and replace when needed. Love your channel.. Let's meet up and compare notes.. Would love to meet you in person.
@@greveeen Hello Greveeen.. Narrow/Wide revers to the teeth on the chain ring.. most inexpensive chain rings are simply stamped out of a flat piece of steel.. A Narrow/Wide has been milled from a thicker piece of metal so that every other tooth in the ring is narrow and every other tooth is wider.... Your chain it's self has narrow and wide links.. So with the narrow/wide ring, it fits the chain more precisely and because of that, you won't have the chain jumping off the ring. It is intelligent design. I haven't dropped a chain since i put on Narrow/Wide rings.. You can get them on ebay. Generally, you buy a 5 hole spider that is designed to fit the Bafang, then get a N/W ring for the number of teeth you want.. *just make sure they are the same spacing: ie 130 or 104. I tend to look for the smaller tooth for more torque to climb: ie 30T-36T. Smaller chain rings add range to ebikes because they keep your motor spinning faster. That also keeps the motor cooler. Lugging down a motor with a large chain ring will drain a battery quickly.. Hope that helps..
@@scarfbandit177 If you have questions, John is very good with specking out ebikes/etrikes to make your ride very efficient.. Ask him for a consultation. That will save you money in the long run. Bring information about what you are planning to do and if you are planning to tow, weights, and range you are looking for John can help.
Thanks for the heads up. I live in the mountains outside L.A., and nothing here is flat. Almost everything I'm interested in riding involves 2-5 miles of constant uphill, rocky, fire roads (then back down). Good to see there are chainring options for me. I really don't care about top speed (at 60, I'm kind of an old fart), I just want to get up those 8-15% grade fire roads w/o killing my knees, so maybe something in the 28-34T range would be best. BTW, Johnny, love the hundreds of zip-tie ends on the floor!
i'd go with a BBSHD for climbing! even with a 42T chainring, it can climb crazy grades and you barely have to pedal. Whereas BBS02 climbing with a 42T requires some heavy pedaling
Just get a 52tooth rear sprocjet xasette with the right derailleur and shifter. Some of the kits of casettes come with an extender. That might be enough, but long arm deraillermur is apparently the thing. Find somethibg that matches. The point is that you want to ve able to leasurely pedal up any kind of hill light gears does that. Now if you want to climb quickly and flatten the hills so to speak, get a an ebike system too. Get the rear hub motor i am working on. Its small, light, cheap and very powerful. Like 2000 watts are possible. And regen braking so no burning through brake pads. Hit me up if you are interested
When I did my first one for the oh I used a online cadence calculator and you can put tyre size and cassette range and change your chain ring size, and I went for 90 cadence and the top speed my OH would possibly go (20 mph) and as its hilly around here she would appreciate the lower end more than top speed of 30 mph. So I went with 36t for her 9 speed, but mine was a 42 lekkie because that one has a big offset to get chain line better on 12 speed.
Good video. You dole out sound advice in the few videos I've seen. I'm a new subscriber & just checked out your site. Thumbs up on both. Wish I could get my kids to listen to anything about bikes;) Why not carry the 42t Lekkie? Does the ring 2nd from the left offer some offset? I ran my stock BBSHD ring for 1 block, NOT A FAN. My experience with the chain line on my 2 BBSxx conversions was that small rings are great if you want torque and acceleration and not change gears. If you want a chain line that allows safe use of all the gears you need a ring with some offset like the larger Lekkie rings which can fit around the motor instead of off to the right (bringing the chain closer in to the frame). A wide ratio cassette can allow wheelies even with a 42t ring. I'm running a 42t Eclipse on my BBSHD with an 11-42 in the back and don't dare touch my throttle in the lower gears or my bike will wheelie out from under me. I've never converted a fat bike though and imagine the offset of the chain ring isn't as important.
Lol - all the zip-tie clippings - nice to see you're busy. Since you're @ Sandy UT do e-bike trips with some of your customers to show off your builds and user reviews. Do a Moab video or Food run down State Street to "Pie Hole" or "Albertos". Discuss road safety tips, safety gear - maybe rate turn signal vests, various turn signal gadgets. Bluetooth Communication devices, etc. Have a shag van so they can film how visible gadgets are. Van also used for extra batteries and tired/drunk rider care. That would be a fun video and beware sunken manhole covers, light rail tracks, glass and inattentive drivers.
My Giant Talon ebike is 8 gears. In the lowest the chain falls off so I bought an offset chainring from China. It was $45 with shipping. I think the Lekkie 42T cost probably twice as much or more. The one I have is 42T and is narrow wide. So far works and the chain doesn't jump off anymore. Not saying that it is better as the Lekkie, I don't know but it works fine. The stock ring was 44T. I have a BBS02.
@Yute HubeI used a 32 t on the wife's 9 speed and it has plenty of speed and climbing power, like you say a big front cog isn't really needed but you can get your chain line better with a bigger front cog. If you want to assist with the top speed 90-100 cadance is tops. I used a online cadance calculator and used 90-100 to work out top speed but as you say the motor will go faster than you can pedal.
42 tooth Luna on the front, 42-13 on the rear. BBS-HD. Trailer pulling. Rarely go over 18mph. Pulling a trailer (groceries). Note that I’ve used this setup before, only I’ll have better pulling power on the bottom. The Luna sprockets help the chain line.
I have an electric-assist (peddle-assist) cargo bike that, when I've got it in the lowest gear and I'm on the flats or going downhill or slightly downhill, I'm spinning the pedals like a madman. This drives me crazy, because I could be getting another 5 to 10 mph (may emore?) during my daily commute and not wasting so much of my battery having to rely on the electric motor instead of my muscles. My cargo bike is the Eunauro ... made in China. Heavily over-built, making it a heavy bike (with front and rear racks), it weighs in at around 85 lbs! But, it DOES perform well. I've had it now for about three years. It has an 11.5 Ah 52.3 volt battery, and I'm planning on purchasing a 14.5 Ah battery as a backup. I'd like to only replace a couple of the rear sprockets to gain more speed on the flats. Do you have any recommendations?
Also, before I did that switch what I was doing for my chain line to be better on the biggest gear in the back is I would put the chain on the outside of my front derailleur and have it barely barely 1 mm off the chain cuz it was at such an angle so that if it did try to jump off it would hit the derailleur and just stay on and that seem to work very well
Thanks for the video. I want to integrate BBS02 mid drive motor to my bike which has hub gear in rear wheel (like fix chain) with 36T chainring. I searched 36T chainring options. lekkie 36T for BBS02 doesn’t have deep offset (only 0.8 mm) it is similar with alternatives in aliexpress such as regular BBS02 compliant 36T chainrings. if I use 36T chainring without offset, does it cause a problem for chain line because BBS01 introduce 1-2 cm offset ?
Isn't that 42t chain ring one that comes in Bafang kits? It has a standard 5 bolt 130 BCD pattern. Assuming it offsets enough to line the chain up you can cheaply swap front rings.
My ebikes 3 of them, one has a 18 tooth chain ring the other 2 has a 20 tooth. I do a lot of long distance riding 85 to 110 miles. I ride 25 to 75 miles without the motor. A bigger chain ring would make it way to difficult to do this? My top speed is 28mph. Average speed 17mph.
I use the 46t hill climbing using a 750w mid drive and it gets uo hills better than my 1kw midrive. 1kw motors are great but since using my 750w ive gotten better mileage per battery caharge and climbing up most hills has become a lot easier. If i had to buy another i would definetley go with the 750w
one more criteria: how big and heavy your e-bike is: for instance if you running 120 pound trike delivery hauler with a container in rear, I'd go for for the smaller diameter chain ring with a 11-46t rear cassette (or hub equivalent).
I can't seem to get my bike to shift onto the easier gears. When I increase tension on the gear cable, I can't get it to go in to the harder gears. Could this be because of the offset? Would a Lekkie help?
Hi man. I have a question. I have BBS02 on a Trek 7.5fx which is a 700c bike. 46t ring. I love the efficiency and speed I get but I also have A BBSHD kona 26 hardtail with a 46t on it. The average speed per I get is nothing close to the bbs02 on the 700c using similar ampage. Would a 52T help emulate that bigger wheel speed?
I have only completed one project before. I just matched the tooth count of the front chain ring (single) that was on the bike before the conversion because it had an internal rear hub gear box and no rear derailleur (Taga 2.0 cargo bike) and I was concerned that I matched the chain length. Was that a legitimate concern? I am getting ready to order another bafang kit for a cruiser style Specialized step through. It has 3 front chain rings and again my thoughts are that I want to match the largest front ring (46). The rear cassette is geared low - there is a granny gear that has as many teeth as I've ever seen so I'm not worried about hill gearing (I can actually get into the granny gear when it is on the existing front 46 ring). So can you please comment on chain length? For example if I wanted more speed and added a 52 front ring I might not have enough chain and I would have to use a longer one? Also, would you consider a video discussing brake adequacy on converted bikes? Have you ever added disc brakes to a conversion bike? I would think that rear disc and front v brakes would work for me. I haven't looked at the size of the rear frame opening nor investigated how to add the discs and I'd like to hear your comments (which might help me to better discuss it with my kids!) I do appreciate your expertise!
Have been watching your videos recently and just built my first e-bike. I started with an XL Trek 7200 donor bike and added a BBS02 kit to it. It came out really nice. However, I noticed almost immediately that I was having issues with the chain bouncing off the chainring. As I researched this, I realized it seems to be a VERY common problem, but I hadn't seen it addressed in any of the build videos that I'd watched. There seems to be two different approaches to fixing it. One is moving to a Lekkie chainring, and the other is adding a chain guide right above the chainring. (I've also seen chainrings with taller teeth that seem to help). A couple questions. 1) Why doesn't Bafang just use taller teeth on their chainrings or include a chain guide with each kit? 2) In your videos, why don't you just put a chain guide on each bike you build since it seems to be a very common problem?
The Lekkie chainrings always fix it by themselves in my experience. Usually the 40-42t chainrings are the magic bullet. Check out my custom build videos and talk about them often 👍
Ive used both standard bafang chainwheels and bling ring chainwheels. Ans i dind the best and quietest ones to be rhw 46t chainwheel. Ive run a bling ring 42t and it has worn more faster than the 46tone and is noisier. Lining up the front chainwheel can be difficult on certain new model mountain bike frames like my specialized and my Marin. My Giant mountain bike is probably easier but when i run the 42t stock chainwheel the chain keeps falling off when used on all three bikes. Very frustrating as the chain needs to be almost perfectly lined up with the rear cassette
I think the 42 tooth Lekkie is about perfect. The BBSHD has so much torque.... My new cassette is a 11-32. I did not get the 34 because Why ? I just don’t need it and I hardly use the lowest gear. Bike goes 20mph in first and 35 mph in 9th...and I weigh 168 today...
Hey Johnny, I'm currently running the 46t stock for my commuter. Wanted to go with a 52t lekkie chainring for more too speed. How would I know if I need spacers. And if not or if so how many would you recommend I buy just in case I need or don't need.
I've got a 46 tooth stock steel chain ring but I get all my 9 gears but I want to change to a bling ring coz my chain keeps falling off which bling ring is the same size as the stock ring for the depth and help please would be appreciated
My tongsheng mid drive came with a 42 tooth chain ring. I ride on pavement & wanted a little faster commute, so I swapped a 50. It flies downhill, but not really an upgrade. I have to downshift way too much to find a comfortable pace on level ground. I might try a 44, but probably end up on the original 42.
What’s the lowest tooth count on the back as that may be the golden ticket. The lowest tooth count made is it a 9, or maybe have one custom made if possible that is a single tooth.😉 And then the highest tooth count reasonable to what the front is, and that is the goal. You get super speed with good assistance from you, and climbing ability that’ll have you pulling 500lbs up a wall depending on your wattage of motor. 😁
Also the Tongsheng are strictly torque based, so that can be a killer depending on what sort of effort you want/need to constantly be putting in to get an enjoyable riding speed.
Your videos encouraged me to do my own conversion. I have an. urban commuter steel frame bike made by Pure Cycles. A pub crawler. I did a Bafang 750w conversion. It runs great.
Maybe a 2X chainring can cover both bases. I'm looking for a one-bike solution that covers both speed and climb - commuting and adventure riding, but still want to tackle some hills and single track.
Out of interest, could someone tell me if the Hemiway Cruiser has a 123 mm square taper bottom bracket? I am thinking of buying one, and if I did so, would like to add a 46/30 double at the front. In the UK we only get the 250w version of the bike and in my area the average elevation gain is 1,200ft for every ten miles traveled. My own road has a gradient of 14%. I am not so much interested in top speed, but do need hill climbing ability.
Unfortunately, I'm really bummed out. My bafang midrive drive motor would not fit on my new gravel bike frame because it has that new weird hump fork where the one side of the fork rear fork is like different height than the rest of it but then it meets at a point I guess so you can work on the chain better. I don't know why they have that stupid thing so it won't slide in which really made me mad cuz I didn't want to. I don't know what to do so I had to go with a hub motor well because the hub motor practically is the gear I modified my bike instead of having the seven gears in the back. I only have my 48 tooth gear in the back and then I have my I decide to go with seven gears in the front so that I could shift that and have the back on stay the big one. So when I'm at a stoplight I just shift down to the smaller gear in the front and then I just rev. My motor in the RPMs just pulls my bike ahead and I don't have to worry about shifting to a higher gear from the back. I can just do it from the front and minimizing how many gears I have in the front. You can still pedal so it looks like you're pelling but then it's also a lot smoother. It kind of looks stupid and awkward cuz nobody makes something like that yet. But that is the best idea I could come with with a hub motor. Since the hub motor you can't really shift gears when you're accelerating with it. It's hard to do from the back, but if you know how I could fit a mid drive on my weird gravel by bottom and you'll know what I mean. They're all of them are doing it now with that weird rear forkl one size higher than the other than it meets down level at the end. But
To bad that no ebikes seem to have two rings and front derailler, one big one for high speed, so your not air peddling and a smaller one for off-road or hill climbing. Though one could switch a ring and chain for dif conditions, one that's between is easier.
I ride a recumbent trike quite fast. I like to pedal at least to 50-60 kph downhills. The only way I know of doing that is to use a 65T chainring which, of course, does not fit my Bafang BBSHD crank? Why do Bafang chainrings stop at 52T-that will only allow pedalling up to about 25kph. Well, surely a 1000w motor can do better than that? It seems very difficult to even find a chainring adaptor which can connect a BBSHD to a 65T chainring?
Hey many thanks for this video! I want to convert my MTB to a ebike via chainring. I thought that the size of the chainring affected the number of holes for screwing onto the frame? Is this not the case? Also I live in a VERY hilly area and you made me consider a lekkie chain ring, however it looks tiny compared to my actual chainrings. Will I face any problems when screwing on? Or are all bike chainring holes generically fitting? Many thanks again for your help! ❤👌💯
I got a 52t for a 48v 500w 29er bafaang build. Is that going to be stupid fast? Like faster than I really want? 😅 Just ordered a 46t in case but it'll take a couple weeks. Worst case I can use the 52t for my cruiser Bike when I get a tongsheng for the 29er.
I'm using gravelbike with 11-32 cassette using 44t chainring means on high speed in using smaller sprockets I'm thinking getting a 46t and that means use slightly higher up on cassettes to use bigger sprockets more
what about the different bolt patterns? i am trying to upgrade my 18 year old mountain bike front big chain ring from 42t to what ever, but i am having a hard time finding bolt patterns that match up. great video as always, my build is almost done
I’ve been converting my Lectric Xp lite into a wheelie BMX bike and I wanna gear down my front Front 52tooth chainring any suggestions ? I can still use my throttle to get to top speed if I lose top end .
My Bafang 1000W came with the 46T, I decided to give up some speed so I could climb better. I have notice during my online search that the 42T seems to be the one that is sold out the most. I went with a 42T Lekkie.
So my 1000w BBSHD bike has 46 x 12/28 and my wife's bike a 500 watt hub bike has 44 x 13/34 and she leaves me in the dust on a steep hill and nearly as fast on flat ground. Gearing is everything
I have a 30 tooth on my bbshd. My bike tops out at 30 mph and get there rather quick. 30 mph on a 700c bike is fast enough for me. The pedals are useless at 30. I have the stock chain ring but I'll never use it.
I need your advice Johnny. I have a Rambo Pursuit 750w SSO2 with a 3 speed gear hub. The motor is acting up and Rambo is going to replace it with a Bushwacker 750W SSHD and my choice of either a rear 11 or 8 speed. I'm 69 about 250lb. I use this bike mostly for hunting. I have one steep gas line that my old bike had a hard time with making it up. sometimes I had to use the walk assist mode. Trouble with that 3 speed enclosed gear hub was that you could not shift as you were peddling with power assist. So I had to take a run for it at the bottom in 1st gear. Now with the newer bike that they offered me and the SSHD motor I would like to ask you your opinion on the 8 or the 11 speed? But maybe what I need to find out is the number of teeth on the peddle gear vs the number of teeth on the rear gears of either the 8 or the 11speed. Hope I didn't confuse you. 🤔
I would not be as concerned about the amount of gears as I would the amount of teeth on the lowest gear (which is what you were getting at I believe). Generally a 1:1 ratio from front chainring to lowest gear in rear will get you good hill climbing results depending on your weight.
Very good video, thats what i was looking for! Also i would be very thankfull if you could make also a video about chains. Like what chain should i get for my e-mtb? Like in this video with examples. This is awesome. Becasue I heard there are people using some weak chains like from simple bicycles on electric bikes which break very fast. But i cant really find any guidance on how to learn to find whats a good chain. Could you help us all. :)
If you are using proper riding techniques (being in the correct gear) even a standard bicycle chain of decent quality will be fine. It’s when you put crazy strain on it by being in an incorrect gear and applying too much power is when things break.
my mt bike sits mostly at 34T for trails and road both...so i think i might have to get a 34T chainring along with a bafang 750w when i eventually can get one.(covid messed up shipping rates to my country...costs $400+ just to ship to me)
@@kaikart123 I'll ride with the stock 44T for the beginning to see how it goes. I usually need the torque for trails where the terrain is hard to pedal and hills. and yeah i'll be on PAS mostly....
The taga 2.0 didn't have a front derailleur so I didn't need to break the chain. Correct me if I'm wrong but you only need to break the chain if you want to save the derailleur. This bike will probably never need the 3 chain rings again even if I take the motor off. Sorry to bombard you with comments but I'm pretty excited about this next conversion.
Unfortunately you can’t use the front derailer with a mid drive. It gets changed into a single speed up front and whatever gears you have in the rear which is more than enough though in my opinion
@@JohnnyNerdOut I agree. Do you agree that you only need to break the chain if you are going to save the derailleur for future use? It's old and I'll probably never use it for anything else.
@@JohnnyNerdOut I think he was asking if you could get the front derailur off without taking the chain apart or cutting the derailur. Which to answer that bit, one or the other is going to have to come apart. I put a TSDZ2 on my Al Comp and just left the Derailur there, locked in place as a chain guide because I couldn't be bothered to pull it.
Hi Johnny. Firstly thank you for making all the super informative videos. They helped me a lot and gave me the confidence to dive into my first e-bike build! Do you by any chance have any experience with the Gustavo (aliexpress) chain rings? They seem like a much more cost effective alternative to the Lekkie Bling Rings. I have an 11s cassette, chain (KMC X11) and shifter on my BBS02 build, but I'm currently unable to use the lowest 2 gears with the standard Bafang 44T ring - I need greater offset. The Gustavo 42T chain ring only seems to advertise compatibility with 6-9 speed chains, but I have seen elsewhere comments stating the geometry is identical to the Lekkie 42T Bling Ring which advertises compatibility up to 11s.
@@JohnnyNerdOut No worries, thanks for getting back to me. I took the callipers to my chain and I think it might just fit, so took the risk and ordered one. If the chain doesn't sit properly I'll try out a 9s chain and see if that works without rubbing adjacent gears in the cassette. Hopefully it's not complete garbage, I'll find out in about a week 🤣
What about the differences in chain width does the chainring have to match the speed of the chain, is the bafang chainring compatible with all speed chains such as 7 and 8 speed or how does it work?
Yes it will work up to 12 speeds in my experience. At 12 speeds the chain is really thin and hugs the stock chainring pretty snug. A 7-8 speed chain has no problem.
I literally have a total of 2-3 gears on the low end, as literally anything else my chain will pop off with the stock 44t chainring, it's scratching up the motor already. big sad
I watched several of your videos and see that you actually did one on a specialized step through which is similar to the bike I want to do next! I did hear your comments about the adequacy of rim brakes so you don't need to address that again. Also, in watching your tools to buy video I note that you promised an install video. Is that in the works? I probably don't need it but I wouldn't mind getting some tips! I have never considered the gear shift cut off and don't know what is involved there. What part of the country are you located in? I assume west coast? I would offer to help you with the camera work on the install video if you are located in the northeast.
Hi Johnny, you wouldn't happen to know what chainring I need for shimano shadow+ 1×12 drivetrain, it's on a Merida big 9 SLX Edition. Large frame Thnks
Those Lekkie chainrings are quite expensive. My chain has jumped a few times now over rough ground with the stock Bafang. Just ordered an aluminium chain guide for £13 from eBay a much cheaper option if it works. :)
So I have to ask please. I'm doing a build for a 8 mile commute to work and back. I'm only doing a top speed of 15 - 17mph. But I have to deal with alot of very long hills around a 10% incline. As I'm not bothered about top speed would the 36T be better on the motor and of the line quick start at traffic lights? I'm leaning towards the 36T personally
I have a 2020 Talon 2 with Alivio components, rockshox, 36t 2x9 and I'm going to buy a Bafang 750w mid drive 48v battery kit. Light trail and Commuting around 35mph. Chain line angle and versatility are important so my final decision is chain ring size. 42t to 46t seems best. What size would you suggest?
if youre trying to go 35mph with a bbs02, I'd go with 52v. and really probably the BBSHD. The motor offsets the chainline away from the frame. So for these conversions, you will often need a chainring with an offset like luna eclipse, or lekkie bling ring. BafangUSAdirect has print out charts you can hold up to the bike and measure how the motor will fit, ensure the chainstays clear your desired chainring size, and visualize where the chainline will be. I agree with johnny where he says start with a bafang stock chainring, which has some offset, and then see where your chainline ends up and go from there. 42T is great for all around, but if you are going for 35mph you probably want a bigger chainring.
So if you have a 40t in the front and its mostly commuting on flat grounds, what cassette should I get in the rear, 8 speed? 11 speed? and what gear range?
The Microshift Advent 9 speed - shifter, cassette derailleur - works well behind mid-drives. I got the full set for this build. BBS-Hd. Both the last - stolen - build and the current in-process build are using Luna 42 teeth chainrings. The cassette goes as big as 42 teeth. On the last build, I had 90% road, with two or more instances of trailer-towing per month. I rarely went over about 18 mph, and the rule was between 12 and 17. I’m getting on in years, and am chronically ill. (As well as disabled, e.g. deaf on one side, etc.) I typically had at least 1 non-electrified rider pass me most outings.
I'm converting a bike that comes with a stock chainring of 30T, I'll be using the bike for commuting mainly but there are a fair few hills on my usual routes, i was thinking of buying a lekkie 36T? Does this sound appropriate for what i need
Great' but the original chain ring is laying much deeper against the Bafang BBSHD motor (the right chain aliment for most of the bikes) so if you use the lekkie chain ring your chain aliment has a big problem because they are laying about 12 mm less deeper and you can't get the chain ring closer to the motor so you you gonna destroy your cassette and the chain ring. Conclusion keep your original chain ring that came with the motor
5min video, straight to the point, casual and sparkled with dad's jokes. Exactly what I needed.
Thank you for the information.
I was about to write ✍️ to you asking precisely about the chainrings when I found this video which answered all my questions.
Thanks again.
All your videos are top notch.
I enjoyed the ELRCTRIC BIKE CO very much.
Great explanation. I could not wrap my head around this until I watched this video.
42T Lekkie 7 -11 speed V3 , BBSHD ! Love it ! Good for climbing and speed !
Thank you for explaining that. I needed that tutorial and it will certainly help me out.
Wow, I really found this really informative. Thanks. I've seen chain rings that seem to hold the chain inside a groove. I've been thinking about that since I accidently kick my chain off alot.
Thank you so much for this video. I never knew why everyone wants the lekkis
Your videos are incredibly helpful an well done. Thank you for making these, you are a legend.
Awesome vid! Thank you so much for all the great content you post! Cheers!
30-36t is the sweet spot IMO for comfortable pedaling on a mountain bike with PAS. The stock Bafang rings (even the smallest) will be basically useless on steep hills without using a ton of battery power.
@Yute Hube I have probably 300 miles on my BBS02 and Luna 30t ring. Chainline on a 10spd drivetrain is a little crooked in the lowest 2 gears but they're still usable. I haven't really had any problems with it (excluding a broken chain the other week, which I'd attribute more to 5+ year old chain that had stretched ~1/2").
Johnny nerdout is the man to go to he is also an excellent professional counselor
I usually try to avoid uncomfortable conversations like this, so I'll just refer to the video. Thanks for doing the difficult stuff for me.
Thanks for raising awareness. Timmy!!!
"Do not fear! I posted here!" Well composed vid's. Good luck.
36T on my bafang 1000w motor.....fitted to an 2021 orange crush.....35mph pulls up banks beautifully
I still have a stock chainring on my bbs02b, I just used my old front derailleur and set the limit screws to keep it on the chainring... Now I can rock a 9 speed on the rear
I own a full suspension recumbent trike with BBSHD drive. I recently swapped out the drivetrain to 10sp 11-48T cassette. I’ve been running 42T lekkie, but I’m now going to mount a 28T lekkie. I’m in a hilly area (SF Bay Area) I want to ride dirt fire roads that are very steep like harkin’s ridge near half moon Bay, CA. My trike is full suspension and does moderately bumpy fire roads awesomely. With a 28T ring, and 48T cog, I should be able to handle steeps, even if my electrical system fails.
i got A 36T on order. how u like the 28T im in seattle with similar hill challanges haha
Great job Sonny👨🌾
Thanks Johnny! 👌🏽
Here's Johnny...! I chose the chain ring based on the demand. Here is what i have: Towing a heavy load = small chain ring to keep the BBSHD spinning fast keeps the motor from lugging down to keep it from overheating.. Smaller chain rings give more torque, spin faster, reduce motor heat and increase range. Lugging a motor down reduces range. I have a Rohloff on the back of my 26" rear end of my recumbent trike. The trike is heavy. The trailer is heavy. Yet, because of my 36T Narrow/Wide Lekkie chain ring, i get great range. I still get 20=mph. Now if i had a light weight trike, no panniers, stripped down model, i would choose a 42 T or 52T Narrow/Wide for speed. The gearing in the back and the Hub vs Mid-drive motor, weight of bike, (are you towing..?) that determine the size of chainring... I always choose the Narrow/Wide so i don't drop a chain. And routinely check the chain stretch and replace when needed. Love your channel.. Let's meet up and compare notes.. Would love to meet you in person.
What do you mean with "narrow/wide"? Thanks for the info 👍
@@greveeen Hello Greveeen.. Narrow/Wide revers to the teeth on the chain ring.. most inexpensive chain rings are simply stamped out of a flat piece of steel.. A Narrow/Wide has been milled from a thicker piece of metal so that every other tooth in the ring is narrow and every other tooth is wider.... Your chain it's self has narrow and wide links.. So with the narrow/wide ring, it fits the chain more precisely and because of that, you won't have the chain jumping off the ring. It is intelligent design. I haven't dropped a chain since i put on Narrow/Wide rings.. You can get them on ebay. Generally, you buy a 5 hole spider that is designed to fit the Bafang, then get a N/W ring for the number of teeth you want.. *just make sure they are the same spacing: ie 130 or 104.
I tend to look for the smaller tooth for more torque to climb: ie 30T-36T. Smaller chain rings add range to ebikes because they keep your motor spinning faster. That also keeps the motor cooler. Lugging down a motor with a large chain ring will drain a battery quickly..
Hope that helps..
@@greveeen yeah he covers that in the video
@@rdkuless This is really great info, thanks for sharing!
@@scarfbandit177 If you have questions, John is very good with specking out ebikes/etrikes to make your ride very efficient.. Ask him for a consultation. That will save you money in the long run. Bring information about what you are planning to do and if you are planning to tow, weights, and range you are looking for John can help.
Thanks for the heads up. I live in the mountains outside L.A., and nothing here is flat. Almost everything I'm interested in riding involves 2-5 miles of constant uphill, rocky, fire roads (then back down). Good to see there are chainring options for me. I really don't care about top speed (at 60, I'm kind of an old fart), I just want to get up those 8-15% grade fire roads w/o killing my knees, so maybe something in the 28-34T range would be best. BTW, Johnny, love the hundreds of zip-tie ends on the floor!
Look up knees over toes guy on youtube, your knees will thank you I promise
i'd go with a BBSHD for climbing! even with a 42T chainring, it can climb crazy grades and you barely have to pedal. Whereas BBS02 climbing with a 42T requires some heavy pedaling
Just get a 52tooth rear sprocjet xasette with the right derailleur and shifter. Some of the kits of casettes come with an extender. That might be enough, but long arm deraillermur is apparently the thing. Find somethibg that matches.
The point is that you want to ve able to leasurely pedal up any kind of hill light gears does that. Now if you want to climb quickly and flatten the hills so to speak, get a an ebike system too. Get the rear hub motor i am working on. Its small, light, cheap and very powerful. Like 2000 watts are possible. And regen braking so no burning through brake pads. Hit me up if you are interested
When I did my first one for the oh I used a online cadence calculator and you can put tyre size and cassette range and change your chain ring size, and I went for 90 cadence and the top speed my OH would possibly go (20 mph) and as its hilly around here she would appreciate the lower end more than top speed of 30 mph.
So I went with 36t for her 9 speed, but mine was a 42 lekkie because that one has a big offset to get chain line better on 12 speed.
You can also see what speed each gear will give you and that give a good idea how well it will pull uphill.
I looked at the chain ring yesterday and it is a 34t not 36
Good video. You dole out sound advice in the few videos I've seen. I'm a new subscriber & just checked out your site. Thumbs up on both.
Wish I could get my kids to listen to anything about bikes;)
Why not carry the 42t Lekkie? Does the ring 2nd from the left offer some offset? I ran my stock BBSHD ring for 1 block, NOT A FAN.
My experience with the chain line on my 2 BBSxx conversions was that small rings are great if you want torque and acceleration and not change gears. If you want a chain line that allows safe use of all the gears you need a ring with some offset like the larger Lekkie rings which can fit around the motor instead of off to the right (bringing the chain closer in to the frame). A wide ratio cassette can allow wheelies even with a 42t ring. I'm running a 42t Eclipse on my BBSHD with an 11-42 in the back and don't dare touch my throttle in the lower gears or my bike will wheelie out from under me. I've never converted a fat bike though and imagine the offset of the chain ring isn't as important.
Hey thanks! I will carry that probably on my next order. Generally people just want a more extreme change than 4t (46>42).
Lol - all the zip-tie clippings - nice to see you're busy.
Since you're @ Sandy UT do e-bike trips with some of your customers to show off your builds and user reviews. Do a Moab video or Food run down State Street to "Pie Hole" or "Albertos". Discuss road safety tips, safety gear - maybe rate turn signal vests, various turn signal gadgets. Bluetooth Communication devices, etc. Have a shag van so they can film how visible gadgets are. Van also used for extra batteries and tired/drunk rider care.
That would be a fun video and beware sunken manhole covers, light rail tracks, glass and inattentive drivers.
Thanks brah, all clear now
My Giant Talon ebike is 8 gears. In the lowest the chain falls off so I bought an offset chainring from China. It was $45 with shipping. I think the Lekkie 42T cost probably twice as much or more. The one I have is 42T and is narrow wide. So far works and the chain doesn't jump off anymore. Not saying that it is better as the Lekkie, I don't know but it works fine. The stock ring was 44T. I have a BBS02.
I gotthe knockoff too (Gustavo). works great. Lekkie is overpriced, and I dont want no silly jigaboo words associated with a damn sprocket.
I like your spin!
Also you can get a wide range cassette on the back that will give you fast top speed and decent hill climbing.
@Yute HubeI used a 32 t on the wife's 9 speed and it has plenty of speed and climbing power, like you say a big front cog isn't really needed but you can get your chain line better with a bigger front cog.
If you want to assist with the top speed 90-100 cadance is tops. I used a online cadance calculator and used 90-100 to work out top speed but as you say the motor will go faster than you can pedal.
42 tooth Luna on the front, 42-13 on the rear. BBS-HD. Trailer pulling. Rarely go over 18mph. Pulling a trailer (groceries). Note that I’ve used this setup before, only I’ll have better pulling power on the bottom. The Luna sprockets help the chain line.
I have an electric-assist (peddle-assist) cargo bike that, when I've got it in the lowest gear and I'm on the flats or going downhill or slightly downhill, I'm spinning the pedals like a madman. This drives me crazy, because I could be getting another 5 to 10 mph (may emore?) during my daily commute and not wasting so much of my battery having to rely on the electric motor instead of my muscles.
My cargo bike is the Eunauro ... made in China. Heavily over-built, making it a heavy bike (with front and rear racks), it weighs in at around 85 lbs! But, it DOES perform well.
I've had it now for about three years. It has an 11.5 Ah 52.3 volt battery, and I'm planning on purchasing a 14.5 Ah battery as a backup.
I'd like to only replace a couple of the rear sprockets to gain more speed on the flats. Do you have any recommendations?
Also, before I did that switch what I was doing for my chain line to be better on the biggest gear in the back is I would put the chain on the outside of my front derailleur and have it barely barely 1 mm off the chain cuz it was at such an angle so that if it did try to jump off it would hit the derailleur and just stay on and that seem to work very well
Great video!
Another great video
Very helpful!👍🏼
Good info!
Thanks for the video.
I want to integrate BBS02 mid drive motor to my bike which has hub gear in rear wheel (like fix chain) with 36T chainring.
I searched 36T chainring options. lekkie 36T for BBS02 doesn’t have deep offset (only 0.8 mm) it is similar with alternatives in aliexpress such as regular BBS02 compliant 36T chainrings.
if I use 36T chainring without offset, does it cause a problem for chain line because BBS01 introduce 1-2 cm offset ?
Johnny, you speak the tooth and nothing but the tooth. Sir you are a man of tooth.
Isn't that 42t chain ring one that comes in Bafang kits? It has a standard 5 bolt 130 BCD pattern. Assuming it offsets enough to line the chain up you can cheaply swap front rings.
Luna also makes chain rings for the bafang motors
Can’t go stock chainring is too far off that’s a common problem so I opted for the Lwkkie 42 with a good offset
I have a very steep hill I can go 65 kph but when I go up I need that torque and want a mid drive so is there a 7 speed we’re that’s possible?
My ebikes 3 of them, one has a 18 tooth chain ring the other 2 has a 20 tooth. I do a lot of long distance riding 85 to 110 miles. I ride 25 to 75 miles without the motor. A bigger chain ring would make it way to difficult to do this? My top speed is 28mph. Average speed 17mph.
I use the 46t hill climbing using a 750w mid drive and it gets uo hills better than my 1kw midrive. 1kw motors are great but since using my 750w ive gotten better mileage per battery caharge and climbing up most hills has become a lot easier. If i had to buy another i would definetley go with the 750w
one more criteria: how big and heavy your e-bike is: for instance if you running 120 pound trike delivery hauler with a container in rear, I'd go for for the smaller diameter chain ring with a 11-46t rear cassette (or hub equivalent).
I can't seem to get my bike to shift onto the easier gears. When I increase tension on the gear cable, I can't get it to go in to the harder gears. Could this be because of the offset? Would a Lekkie help?
Hi man. I have a question. I have BBS02 on a Trek 7.5fx which is a 700c bike. 46t ring. I love the efficiency and speed I get but I also have A BBSHD kona 26 hardtail with a 46t on it. The average speed per I get is nothing close to the bbs02 on the 700c using similar ampage. Would a 52T help emulate that bigger wheel speed?
Best tutorial✔
I have only completed one project before. I just matched the tooth count of the front chain ring (single) that was on the bike before the conversion because it had an internal rear hub gear box and no rear derailleur (Taga 2.0 cargo bike) and I was concerned that I matched the chain length. Was that a legitimate concern? I am getting ready to order another bafang kit for a cruiser style Specialized step through. It has 3 front chain rings and again my thoughts are that I want to match the largest front ring (46). The rear cassette is geared low - there is a granny gear that has as many teeth as I've ever seen so I'm not worried about hill gearing (I can actually get into the granny gear when it is on the existing front 46 ring). So can you please comment on chain length? For example if I wanted more speed and added a 52 front ring I might not have enough chain and I would have to use a longer one? Also, would you consider a video discussing brake adequacy on converted bikes? Have you ever added disc brakes to a conversion bike? I would think that rear disc and front v brakes would work for me. I haven't looked at the size of the rear frame opening nor investigated how to add the discs and I'd like to hear your comments (which might help me to better discuss it with my kids!) I do appreciate your expertise!
For change the stock chainring 42T for a 34T in Tongsheng do i need an adapter or not? Tks
Have been watching your videos recently and just built my first e-bike. I started with an XL Trek 7200 donor bike and added a BBS02 kit to it. It came out really nice. However, I noticed almost immediately that I was having issues with the chain bouncing off the chainring. As I researched this, I realized it seems to be a VERY common problem, but I hadn't seen it addressed in any of the build videos that I'd watched. There seems to be two different approaches to fixing it. One is moving to a Lekkie chainring, and the other is adding a chain guide right above the chainring. (I've also seen chainrings with taller teeth that seem to help). A couple questions. 1) Why doesn't Bafang just use taller teeth on their chainrings or include a chain guide with each kit? 2) In your videos, why don't you just put a chain guide on each bike you build since it seems to be a very common problem?
The Lekkie chainrings always fix it by themselves in my experience. Usually the 40-42t chainrings are the magic bullet. Check out my custom build videos and talk about them often 👍
Ive used both standard bafang chainwheels and bling ring chainwheels. Ans i dind the best and quietest ones to be rhw 46t chainwheel. Ive run a bling ring 42t and it has worn more faster than the 46tone and is noisier. Lining up the front chainwheel can be difficult on certain new model mountain bike frames like my specialized and my Marin. My Giant mountain bike is probably easier but when i run the 42t stock chainwheel the chain keeps falling off when used on all three bikes. Very frustrating as the chain needs to be almost perfectly lined up with the rear cassette
I think the 42 tooth Lekkie is about perfect. The BBSHD has so much torque....
My new cassette is a 11-32. I did not get the 34 because Why ? I just don’t need it and I hardly use the lowest gear. Bike goes 20mph in first and 35 mph in 9th...and I weigh 168 today...
I agree. Some days I’m all about the 36t and others it’s the 42t
Hey Johnny, I'm currently running the 46t stock for my commuter. Wanted to go with a 52t lekkie chainring for more too speed. How would I know if I need spacers. And if not or if so how many would you recommend I buy just in case I need or don't need.
Thanks.
I've got a 46 tooth stock steel chain ring but I get all my 9 gears but I want to change to a bling ring coz my chain keeps falling off which bling ring is the same size as the stock ring for the depth and help please would be appreciated
My tongsheng mid drive came with a 42 tooth chain ring. I ride on pavement & wanted a little faster commute, so I swapped a 50. It flies downhill, but not really an upgrade. I have to downshift way too much to find a comfortable pace on level ground.
I might try a 44, but probably end up on the original 42.
What’s the lowest tooth count on the back as that may be the golden ticket.
The lowest tooth count made is it a 9, or maybe have one custom made if possible that is a single tooth.😉 And then the highest tooth count reasonable to what the front is, and that is the goal. You get super speed with good assistance from you, and climbing ability that’ll have you pulling 500lbs up a wall depending on your wattage of motor. 😁
Also the Tongsheng are strictly torque based, so that can be a killer depending on what sort of effort you want/need to constantly be putting in to get an enjoyable riding speed.
what is the offset on the BBSHD Steel/Aluminum Chainring Adapter and Sprocket?
Thanks!
Your videos encouraged me to do my own conversion. I have an. urban commuter steel frame bike made by Pure Cycles. A pub crawler. I did a Bafang 750w conversion. It runs great.
Maybe a 2X chainring can cover both bases. I'm looking for a one-bike solution that covers both speed and climb - commuting and adventure riding, but still want to tackle some hills and single track.
Out of interest, could someone tell me if the Hemiway Cruiser has a 123 mm square taper bottom bracket? I am thinking of buying one, and if I did so, would like to add a 46/30 double at the front. In the UK we only get the 250w version of the bike and in my area the average elevation gain is 1,200ft for every ten miles traveled. My own road has a gradient of 14%. I am not so much interested in top speed, but do need hill climbing ability.
Unfortunately, I'm really bummed out. My bafang midrive drive motor would not fit on my new gravel bike frame because it has that new weird hump fork where the one side of the fork rear fork is like different height than the rest of it but then it meets at a point I guess so you can work on the chain better. I don't know why they have that stupid thing so it won't slide in which really made me mad cuz I didn't want to. I don't know what to do so I had to go with a hub motor well because the hub motor practically is the gear I modified my bike instead of having the seven gears in the back. I only have my 48 tooth gear in the back and then I have my I decide to go with seven gears in the front so that I could shift that and have the back on stay the big one. So when I'm at a stoplight I just shift down to the smaller gear in the front and then I just rev. My motor in the RPMs just pulls my bike ahead and I don't have to worry about shifting to a higher gear from the back. I can just do it from the front and minimizing how many gears I have in the front. You can still pedal so it looks like you're pelling but then it's also a lot smoother. It kind of looks stupid and awkward cuz nobody makes something like that yet. But that is the best idea I could come with with a hub motor. Since the hub motor you can't really shift gears when you're accelerating with it. It's hard to do from the back, but if you know how I could fit a mid drive on my weird gravel by bottom and you'll know what I mean. They're all of them are doing it now with that weird rear forkl one size higher than the other than it meets down level at the end. But
To bad that no ebikes seem to have two rings and front derailler, one big one for high speed, so your not air peddling and a smaller one for off-road or hill climbing. Though one could switch a ring and chain for dif conditions, one that's between is easier.
I ride a recumbent trike quite fast. I like to pedal at least to 50-60 kph downhills. The only way I know of doing that is to use a 65T chainring which, of course, does not fit my Bafang BBSHD crank? Why do Bafang chainrings stop at 52T-that will only allow pedalling up to about 25kph. Well, surely a 1000w motor can do better than that? It seems very difficult to even find a chainring adaptor which can connect a BBSHD to a 65T chainring?
Hey many thanks for this video!
I want to convert my MTB to a ebike via chainring.
I thought that the size of the chainring affected the number of holes for screwing onto the frame? Is this not the case?
Also I live in a VERY hilly area and you made me consider a lekkie chain ring, however it looks tiny compared to my actual chainrings. Will I face any problems when screwing on? Or are all bike chainring holes generically fitting?
Many thanks again for your help! ❤👌💯
Lekkie makes specific chainrings for the specific Bafang motors so definitely make sure you order the correct one because they are not universal 👍
what kind of gears do i need on my Royce 8 speed electric mid drive mountain bike to commute 8 miles sometimes against 17-23 headwinds ?? thanks
I got a 52t for a 48v 500w 29er bafaang build. Is that going to be stupid fast? Like faster than I really want? 😅
Just ordered a 46t in case but it'll take a couple weeks.
Worst case I can use the 52t for my cruiser Bike when I get a tongsheng for the 29er.
I'm using gravelbike with 11-32 cassette using 44t chainring means on high speed in using smaller sprockets I'm thinking getting a 46t and that means use slightly higher up on cassettes to use bigger sprockets more
any update? I plan doing exactly the same on my 9 speed deore slx.
what about the different bolt patterns? i am trying to upgrade my 18 year old mountain bike front big chain ring from 42t to what ever, but i am having a hard time finding bolt patterns that match up. great video as always, my build is almost done
You need to find the same bolt pattern ie 4 or 5 bolt,then find out the bolt circle diameter,if you search wolf tooth components they have a guide
I’ve been converting my Lectric Xp lite into a wheelie BMX bike and I wanna gear down my front Front 52tooth chainring any suggestions ?
I can still use my throttle to get to top speed if I lose top end .
My Bafang 1000W came with the 46T, I decided to give up some speed so I could climb better. I have notice during my online search that the 42T seems to be the one that is sold out the most. I went with a 42T Lekkie.
How did it go? You happy with 42t?
@@greveeen I'm happy with my choice still, I did another bike with a 40T and like it better.
@@kengunnett2017 what's your top speed on flat?
@@anassz I'm 315 pounds, are results would be totally different depending on your weight.
Offset my issue I get the gearing part but chain alignment is hard on mine
I’ve got a 52 tooth chainring with the bafang, can I go any bigger? I’m having difficulty finding something like a 56
F'n'A, brother. Just what I was pondering. My bain is ~22% grade for 2 miles.
Wow! That's a formidable ride without E-assist.
So my 1000w BBSHD bike has 46 x 12/28 and my wife's bike a 500 watt hub bike has 44 x 13/34 and she leaves me in the dust on a steep hill and nearly as fast on flat ground. Gearing is everything
Your bbshd should be smoking hers on every terrain. If it’s not, there is an error somewhere
I have a 30 tooth on my bbshd. My bike tops out at 30 mph and get there rather quick. 30 mph on a 700c bike is fast enough for me. The pedals are useless at 30. I have the stock chain ring but I'll never use it.
Sweep your floor Johnny look at all them tight wires hahaha 😂‼️👍🏼
I need your advice Johnny. I have a Rambo Pursuit 750w SSO2 with a 3 speed gear hub. The motor is acting up and Rambo is going to replace it with a Bushwacker 750W SSHD and my choice of either a rear 11 or 8 speed. I'm 69 about 250lb. I use this bike mostly for hunting. I have one steep gas line that my old bike had a hard time with making it up. sometimes I had to use the walk assist mode. Trouble with that 3 speed enclosed gear hub was that you could not shift as you were peddling with power assist. So I had to take a run for it at the bottom in 1st gear. Now with the newer bike that they offered me and the SSHD motor I would like to ask you your opinion on the 8 or the 11 speed? But maybe what I need to find out is the number of teeth on the peddle gear vs the number of teeth on the rear gears of either the 8 or the 11speed. Hope I didn't confuse you. 🤔
I would not be as concerned about the amount of gears as I would the amount of teeth on the lowest gear (which is what you were getting at I believe). Generally a 1:1 ratio from front chainring to lowest gear in rear will get you good hill climbing results depending on your weight.
Very good video, thats what i was looking for! Also i would be very thankfull if you could make also a video about chains. Like what chain should i get for my e-mtb? Like in this video with examples. This is awesome. Becasue I heard there are people using some weak chains like from simple bicycles on electric bikes which break very fast. But i cant really find any guidance on how to learn to find whats a good chain. Could you help us all. :)
If you are using proper riding techniques (being in the correct gear) even a standard bicycle chain of decent quality will be fine. It’s when you put crazy strain on it by being in an incorrect gear and applying too much power is when things break.
You should have told us how to make sure a certain offset ring will have enough clearance to clear the chain stay.
my mt bike sits mostly at 34T for trails and road both...so i think i might have to get a 34T chainring along with a bafang 750w when i eventually can get one.(covid messed up shipping rates to my country...costs $400+ just to ship to me)
Go for bigger chainring if you are planning to always using PAS.
@@kaikart123 I'll ride with the stock 44T for the beginning to see how it goes. I usually need the torque for trails where the terrain is hard to pedal and hills. and yeah i'll be on PAS mostly....
The taga 2.0 didn't have a front derailleur so I didn't need to break the chain. Correct me if I'm wrong but you only need to break the chain if you want to save the derailleur. This bike will probably never need the 3 chain rings again even if I take the motor off. Sorry to bombard you with comments but I'm pretty excited about this next conversion.
Unfortunately you can’t use the front derailer with a mid drive. It gets changed into a single speed up front and whatever gears you have in the rear which is more than enough though in my opinion
@@JohnnyNerdOut I agree. Do you agree that you only need to break the chain if you are going to save the derailleur for future use? It's old and I'll probably never use it for anything else.
@@robertkribs9513 in my experience you need to break the chain to get it outside of that derailer cage in the front
@@JohnnyNerdOut I think he was asking if you could get the front derailur off without taking the chain apart or cutting the derailur.
Which to answer that bit, one or the other is going to have to come apart. I put a TSDZ2 on my Al Comp and just left the Derailur there, locked in place as a chain guide because I couldn't be bothered to pull it.
Hi Johnny. Firstly thank you for making all the super informative videos. They helped me a lot and gave me the confidence to dive into my first e-bike build! Do you by any chance have any experience with the Gustavo (aliexpress) chain rings? They seem like a much more cost effective alternative to the Lekkie Bling Rings. I have an 11s cassette, chain (KMC X11) and shifter on my BBS02 build, but I'm currently unable to use the lowest 2 gears with the standard Bafang 44T ring - I need greater offset. The Gustavo 42T chain ring only seems to advertise compatibility with 6-9 speed chains, but I have seen elsewhere comments stating the geometry is identical to the Lekkie 42T Bling Ring which advertises compatibility up to 11s.
I’m not familiar ☹️
@@JohnnyNerdOut No worries, thanks for getting back to me. I took the callipers to my chain and I think it might just fit, so took the risk and ordered one. If the chain doesn't sit properly I'll try out a 9s chain and see if that works without rubbing adjacent gears in the cassette. Hopefully it's not complete garbage, I'll find out in about a week 🤣
Im confused. I want to get more mileage from my 52v battery. If im correct thw 46t would be better rhan a 42or40t and i have a 9 spees cassette
Depends on your cadence pedaling. You want to keep a 60-80 rpm pedaling rpm if possible at all times so get a chainring that allows that
So you don't need the front derailleur anymore with this?
What about the differences in chain width does the chainring have to match the speed of the chain, is the bafang chainring compatible with all speed chains such as 7 and 8 speed or how does it work?
Yes it will work up to 12 speeds in my experience. At 12 speeds the chain is really thin and hugs the stock chainring pretty snug. A 7-8 speed chain has no problem.
I literally have a total of 2-3 gears on the low end, as literally anything else my chain will pop off with the stock 44t chainring, it's scratching up the motor already. big sad
I watched several of your videos and see that you actually did one on a specialized step through which is similar to the bike I want to do next! I did hear your comments about the adequacy of rim brakes so you don't need to address that again. Also, in watching your tools to buy video I note that you promised an install video. Is that in the works? I probably don't need it but I wouldn't mind getting some tips! I have never considered the gear shift cut off and don't know what is involved there. What part of the country are you located in? I assume west coast? I would offer to help you with the camera work on the install video if you are located in the northeast.
I am on the west coast. I already shot the install video. Definitely could’ve used a camera man! 😢
@@JohnnyNerdOut cool, on the edge of my seat.
Hi Johnny, you wouldn't happen to know what chainring I need for shimano shadow+ 1×12 drivetrain, it's on a Merida big 9 SLX Edition. Large frame
Thnks
My gut would say the Lekkie 42t PRO 👍
They stock was 30t and putting in a 34t.
I may have to spend a few bucks finding the sweet spot, but this points me the right direction.
Those Lekkie chainrings are quite expensive. My chain has jumped a few times now over rough ground with the stock Bafang. Just ordered an aluminium chain guide for £13 from eBay a much cheaper option if it works. :)
Did it work bro?
@@markweatherall7437 It sure did, hasn't jumped off since. 👍
@@irishrover63 Thanks, do you have a link for it please?
@@irishrover63 which chainguard did you buy? Anything special?
If I go from a 44 t to a 48 t will I need more chain? I'm using a Bafang Ultra G510 on fat tire Ebike.
Yes. Unless you already have too much slack….
What confuses me is that Bafang offers up to a T52 for their 750W, but only a T46 for the 1000W. Do you know why?
From which supplier are looking at?
So if I have 12/32 and 36/22 Stock a 44 would be fine - working on my first conversion - want to get the CYC Stealth... have you tried it yet. ?
havent yet :(
So I have to ask please. I'm doing a build for a 8 mile commute to work and back. I'm only doing a top speed of 15 - 17mph. But I have to deal with alot of very long hills around a 10% incline. As I'm not bothered about top speed would the 36T be better on the motor and of the line quick start at traffic lights? I'm leaning towards the 36T personally
Yes, 36t is probably your best bet
@@JohnnyNerdOut thanks buddy i knew it lol
I have a 2020 Talon 2 with Alivio components, rockshox, 36t 2x9 and I'm going to buy a Bafang 750w mid drive 48v battery kit. Light trail and Commuting around 35mph. Chain line angle and versatility are important so my final decision is chain ring size. 42t to 46t seems best. What size would you suggest?
if youre trying to go 35mph with a bbs02, I'd go with 52v. and really probably the BBSHD. The motor offsets the chainline away from the frame. So for these conversions, you will often need a chainring with an offset like luna eclipse, or lekkie bling ring. BafangUSAdirect has print out charts you can hold up to the bike and measure how the motor will fit, ensure the chainstays clear your desired chainring size, and visualize where the chainline will be. I agree with johnny where he says start with a bafang stock chainring, which has some offset, and then see where your chainline ends up and go from there. 42T is great for all around, but if you are going for 35mph you probably want a bigger chainring.
How you get 35mph with 36t and 750 ..but i can get 34 mph with 42t and bafang hd?
👊👊💪💪 my pacific northwest brother
Did I get your mind spinning on these gears? LOL what's up Johnny
So if you have a 40t in the front and its mostly commuting on flat grounds, what cassette should I get in the rear, 8 speed? 11 speed? and what gear range?
Id go anywhere from 7-10 speeds. 11-36t range
The Microshift Advent 9 speed - shifter, cassette derailleur - works well behind mid-drives. I got the full set for this build. BBS-Hd. Both the last - stolen - build and the current in-process build are using Luna 42 teeth chainrings. The cassette goes as big as 42 teeth.
On the last build, I had 90% road, with two or more instances of trailer-towing per month. I rarely went over about 18 mph, and the rule was between 12 and 17. I’m getting on in years, and am chronically ill. (As well as disabled, e.g. deaf on one side, etc.) I typically had at least 1 non-electrified rider pass me most outings.
I'm converting a bike that comes with a stock chainring of 30T, I'll be using the bike for commuting mainly but there are a fair few hills on my usual routes, i was thinking of buying a lekkie 36T? Does this sound appropriate for what i need
The stock chain ring is also narrow / wide
Yes I’d try a 36t
Great' but the original chain ring is laying much deeper against the Bafang BBSHD motor (the right chain aliment for most of the bikes) so if you use the lekkie chain ring your chain aliment has a big problem because they are laying about 12 mm less deeper and you can't get the chain ring closer to the motor so you you gonna destroy your cassette and the chain ring. Conclusion keep your original chain ring that came with the motor
Depends on the chainring. They all have different offsets.