Which ones are quality made with good customer support from vendors? Which ones PROPERLY fit Cannondale mountain/hybrid/comfort bike frames to boot?

Some claim BAFANG are made well and fit well but have lousy customer support. Should I just consult with my Cannondale dealer about electrifying my new Quick CX 3 should I decide to buy one? I should think many bicycle dealership service departments should be heavily into electrification this day and age.

From what I hear, bike shops prefer to sell an entire bike, rather than confront the liability and nuisance of converting for you.
This group covers the topic in great detail across many threads. A mid-drive - for a DIYer - will prove fairly complicated.
Personally, I prefer a front hub conversion, with a throttle and PAS. Easy to turn off the system to rely on pedal power.
Good luck!

Some people here have expressed that front hubs have traction issues that can be dangerous. I live in Iowa where we get winter snow and ice. A rear hub has better traction, but the wheel won't match the stock front wheel. How does one deal with the stock disc brake rotor if one goes with a rear-hub motor?

I have a history of being a motor vehicle mechanic by trade. I figure if a mid-drive kit is made by a good company with good support, it might not be too daunting to undertake.

Perhaps, the world of electric bicycles has some advancement left to achieve in order to become really consumer friendly. They should offer something for everybody. If e-bike companies were American-based, that would be a boon for American e-bike consumers. We need the practical Model T Ford of electric bicycles. Or an attitude like Honda's: "We make it simple". In the world of motorcycles, nothing is more customizable than a Harley-Davidson. Many older persons, as I, could benefit from the aid of a motor while out enjoying cycling. Something to get us back home safely should we get winded from pedaling. I just don't want an e-bike that looks as dull or lackluster as a typical old-foggy's power chair or scooter.

I would like a high-quality, sharp-looking electric bicycle customized and accessorized well to my individual tastes, special needs and riding style and purpose.

Many shops won't be willing to do a conversion, but if you ask around enough you might find one willing to do it. I've been pretty happy with my Bafang mid-drive kit. It actually makes riding in the winter feel a bit safer, as it is quicker to get up to speed, making it easier to plow through snow drifts that inevitably get pushed into the bike lanes. 5 years of use, and it is still working fine, though I'll be opening it up soon to clean it out and get fresh grease into it.

If you are sure that a rear rack is how you want to mount the battery, then I would grab a rack that fits your Cannondale, a battery, and a slab of wood that sits between the rack and battery mount. Remove whatever material from the wood you need to make it mesh well with the rack and the battery mount, then bolt them together. A rack that has a plate of metal on top will be a bit easier for this, but you can make other racks work too with a bit of extra hardware.

There are already specially designed rear racks on the market with a lockable removable battery system already built in.

I could ask my local Cannondale dealer if they do e-bike installs for customers and what their opinion is about the various conversion kits on the market. I would like to speak with qualified bicycle mechanics and technicians in the shop about this. Bike World in central Iowa sells all models of Cannondale and several other makes. They sell factory boxed e-bikes and many non-electric bicycles.

I can go to amazon and custom order a custom BAFANG mid-drive kit. A rear battery rack is even one of their options. I can pick and choose various components. I will have to know the dimensions of a Cannondale's bottom bracket in millimeters for fitting a mid-drive unit. A Cannondale shop tech should be able to provide me those specs. Then there is the matter of selecting the proper chain ring for the derailleur and cassette already installed on the bike. Since I want throttle control, I need a motor under 750 Watts to be Iowa compliant. I think I can forgo the PAS, can't I?

I've installed (and ride) three of the popular mid drive kits. Bafang BBS02, Tong Sheng TSDZ2B, and ToSeven DM02. The bafang is cadence sense while the other two are torque sense. If you only want to use throttle, the BBS02 is quick, reliable, and powerful, allowing you to start in any gear and fly along at crazy speeds. The other two are not well suited for this type of use, but they are great motors for riders who want to pedal.

The most difficult part of the install, in my opinion, is taking out the existing BB, if you don't have the tools. I own four or five different BB wrenches. The BB styles change over the years. You may be better off having a shop take the BB off your bike, but you should buy a $10 crank puller so you can work on your pedals in the future. There are plenty of videos on youtube for the install. I doubt anyone bothered to write an install manual.

I also doubt any sellers are going to hold your hand and answer questions if you get stuck, If you pick a US vendor, they will get back to you if something doesn't work.

Do BAFANG kits come with any literature that an American can read at all? Any technical support telephone number? I will need not only to know how to install the kit CORRECTLY but also learn how to operate and maintain the system including any needed lubrication.

If I buy from amazon, I'm protected in case something goes really bad. I do have a bicycle specialty tool kit I bought for when I customized my Schwinn Discover. I was even able to replace a freewheel or cassette with that tool kit. I swapped out stock 24-spoke wheels for Schwinn 36-spoke replacements. If memory serves me correctly, I also put in a bottom bracket cartridge, that Schwinn sent me, to replace the original bearings that were shot prematurely. I put a beefier axle in the rear as well.

Aren't the BAFANG mid-drive units permanently sealed and lubed for life?

Since I plan on using this rig to regularly exercise my German shepherd since I lack athleticism as an older man, I've not interested in going like crazy but at slow to moderate speeds in a well-controlled fashion. When shifting a derailleur on a mid-drive, does one let off the throttle when shifting gears? What is the correct method for upshifting or downshifting a mid-drive under throttle control?

One shouldn't have a throttle on a bike and that throttle is not going to help you as someone lacking athleticism, use some assist to help pedal and get some strength and endurance back. Also as we have said multiple times dragging a dog along is a bad move for so many reasons.

Typically when shifting I will ease up on my pedaling but for a derailleur I want to be pedaling while I shift but the derailleurs on department store bikes cannot handle much torque so go easy they are barely designed to work on a normal bike so adding an electric motor means more issues.

I can pedal fine on flat, level ground. I can use the throttle to cheat when I come to a hill. My mind is made up about using the e-bike to give my dog sufficient daily exercise. A mid-drive unit will use the derailleur gears for gear reduction so I can move nice and slow keeping a comfortable pace for my dog.

The OP keeps moving the goalposts on his thread. What's next? Add a trailer to pull his child, in addition to a 2,000 watt motor?

Your dog should have a say in that decision and being dragged along a moped is not for them.

I have not used a front hub drive before, but have ridden lots in the winter. My expectation would be that a lower powered front hub controlled by a torque sensor could potentially be great in the winter, as you would have an AWD bike. On the other hand, if it puts too much power in at the wrong time, it could result in the front wheel sliding out from loss of traction, or suddenly shifting you to be in front of traffic.


My kit did not come with paper instructions, but the retailer has an instructional video.

With the BBS02, it is not permanently sealed, and cleaning it out and regreasing it can help prolong it's life. Replacement parts are available if you break something inside.

There are a few options for shifting. If you have brake sensors, they cut off power to the motor when squeezed, so you can give the brake lever a very light squeeze as you shift, so the motor doesn't add power while you shift. You can add a shift sensor that does the same thing, though it does add some resistance to the cable, so I would not use it with a drivetrain that is already picky about cables and housing being in perfect shape. Third option is to swap to a Shimano Linkglide drivetrain, such as CUES, which is designed to be able to shift under load, and happily shifts with a motor putting 500w into it.


Throttles on ebikes can be useful. Normally, I rarely touch the throttle. But this year, I've had knee issues that have made it quite difficult to pedal at times. Having a throttle lets my knees take a break when they need to. The throttle lets me ride a bike on days where the pain is so bad I can't pedal at all.

My thoughts on shifting are to completely let off on the throttle and then shift gears. You do this on a clutch automobile anyway. Of course, I still have to keep the pedals moving with my feet so the derailleur functions. This Quick CX 3 I'm considering probably has a freewheel. If I see a hill coming, I will downshift in advance anyway.

Can't the BAFANG motor simply be replaced if I decide it is no longer serviceable? It probably will not get any hard wear the way I ride anyway. Mostly on relatively flat Iowa pavement and pu$$yfooted along slowly.

Since the kit will have a cadence or torque sensor, it will kick on the power when you pedal, so your idea will not work. You would either need a brake sensor or shift sensor to be able to cut power as you shift, or grab a LinkGlide drivetrain that won't care about shifting under load. If you haven't even bought the bike yet, I would strongly consider grabbing the Quick CX 2 or 1 to get a LinkGlide drivetrain stock. Or, if you aren't dead set on having a throttle or something more serviceable at home, grabbing a purpose built ebike is certainly worth looking into.

Sure, you can grab just the motor if you need. Even if you don't push it hard, it is still possible that the corrosive effects of salt in the winter could have a negative impact on it, just like any other bike part.

Can't I just simply omit the cadence sensor, PAS (pedal assist sensor) and/or torque sensor altogether during the BAFANG mid-drive install and have motor power strictly by throttle input? I am dead set on having throttle control on an e-bike conversion. If I were to buy a Cannondale Mavaro with Bosch mid-drive, I would have no throttle option.

I am now considering a more expensive Cannondale Quick CX 2 in Royal Purple paint.

That is not an e-bike it is a moped and not legal on a lot of trails

If you get the Cannondale you would have a bike with good power and torque and excellent support which you will want and need. Plus you will be cycling so you will get into better shape which you cannot do with a throttle.

In Iowa, Class 2 e-bikes are allowed to be operated on throttle-only and may operate on public streets, bike-ways or anywhere pedal bicycles are allowed. The motor must be under 750 watts and motor power is not permitted in excess of 20 MPH. They also must have the ability to be pedaled.

If you are a mechanic you will be able to figure out how to install a kit, however I would be careful using it to run your dog.

That is not ideal. Nobody should run on a public path with a moped.

Still stands that you will be happier with a Bosch equipped bike and dogs should not be dragged by bicycle.

Not actually sure if what you want is possible with a mid-drive. The cadence sensor on a BBS02 is built into the motor. It might be theoretically possible to open it up to remove a magnet to disable the sensor, but it seems much more likely that this would not work. Getting a programming cable and messing with the settings might be more likely to work, but not having a programming cable myself yet, I'm not really sure if what you are looking for is possible.

If the cadence sensor is built into the motor, then I won't mess with it. Hopefully, the manual will explain installation and operational theory of the electrification system as well. I suppose I will have a CLASS II e-bike with a BAFANG mid-drive kit.

Did a quick search, and here's the info that the owner's/service manual(s) seems to include (seems doubtful that they include any info that would be useful for modifying the controls):

• Installation: Step-by-step instructions for mounting the motor, installing components, and connecting the system.
• Operation: Guidance on how to use the system, including its features and functions.
• Maintenance: Information on routine checks and care for the motor, battery, and other components to ensure longevity and safety.
• Safety: Important warnings and precautions to take during installation and use to prevent injury or damage.
• Troubleshooting: Details on how to address common issues and error codes

The older bafangs could run on throttle only with pedal assist off. This often had to be set by the seller, but you could buy a program cable to (easily) do it yourself. You could also adjust PAS strength, which would be helpful for a dog runner,

Newer bafang BBS02B kits now use a CANBUS interface, so you need to buy a kit with the appropriate blue tooth compatible display and use a phone App to do these tweaks. I read some discussion that this is often needed to smooth out the low level pedal assist.

My personal experience is with the earlier bafang kits where I know the throttle and pedal assist levels are adjustable, as I have tweaked them to my preference. I am just relaying what I read about the current canbus kits

Here's an install manual. Looks legit,
https://atmparts.eu/support/Bafang_B...on%20Guide.pdf

One of dozens of install videos.
https://zeekpowa.com/pages/bbs-installation-guide

You will need a chain breaker. Chain has to be unlinked to get the front derailleur off.

I have a specialty tool kit for bicycles already with a chain breaker included.

yes, Cannondale Quick CX 3 is a good choice.