fasted58 said:
I'm considering a Bafang conversion for my old mountain bike. Bafang is usually rated at or near the top of internet and YT reviews, MMV.
I'd go 48V 1000W crank drive. Pedal and walk assist. Buy the entire kit vs piecing one together.
Think I'm gonna do this.
Did this ever happen? After reading this thread, I'm kind of thinking about it myself, but have not gone down the rabbit hole at all. Use case is similar to what Curtis described - occasional blasts around town for kicks and maybe a twelve-mile round trip commute once in a while. Reasonably spec'd 80s/90s hardtail MTBs are cheap and plentiful around here if I don't want to tear into my old Trek 7000.
It did! I got a Rad Bikes Rover. It's a fat-tire/mountain bike. Heavy as hell, but it's been bulletproof. Battery lasts a VERY long time. I use it a lot. I haven't ridden it to work yet (8 miles) but that's mostly because it involves mostly really heavy-traffic streets and I don't want to get squished.
The only thing I would change is that it's a 750w motor and it isn't always enough for my fat ass on longer hills. I think 1000w would have been a smarter choice for me.
I've been considering getting one of these for my much younger wife, mainly because she has trouble keeping up with me, so as a consequence, we never ride together.
Question: I see the term "semi-integrated" battery. What does that mean? What is the expected lifespan of the battery? Can it be swapped out for a new one if necessary? Or is this just another in a long line of disposable products that cost a small fortune?
We just bought an assisted bike for my wife so we can ride together. She's still working when she rides but now she's got the equivalent of a set of legs that match mine. We rented one first to try it out and for the first time, after climbing 1300' to get to our turnaround point, she wanted to keep going. According to our watches, we actually worked about the same amount and her new bike is actually a competent road bike when the assist is turned off. For our use, it's perfect. Drive system by Mahle and the battery/charger communicate over CAN, which has me wanting to pull out my logging tools :)
The batteries are almost always serviceable, at least on non-sketchy brands. They're not welded into the tubes. You may have to partially disassemble the bike to get to them (for example, removing the motor if it's in the bottom bracket) but that's okay for replacement as opposed to charging. Lifespan of batteries is usually measured in discharge cycles, and a full discharge is 100->0. If you only use 10% of the charge on a ride and charge after each one, it'll take 10 rides to get to the equivalent of a single discharge cycle. If you use half the battery, that's a full discharge cycle every two rides. This means larger batteries last longer. It's hard to get a lifespan out of manufacturers, but if you figure 500 cycles that's a very conservative number. It could easily be twice that.
I suspect "semi integrated" means the battery is in the frame of the bike but can be removed easily for charging or to drop in a fresh one - as opposed to having it hang off the frame like a water bottle. An integrated battery can't be removed without disassembly.
In reply to 1988RedT2 :
Not sure what semi-integrated battery means, but mine has a battery pack that snaps in to a thing on the lower bar, like where a lot of people would put a water bottle. It's about the size of a quart of milk. Totally replaceable, and some bikes offer a second base and battery option for longer rides. Mine is advertised to last 40 miles with the obvious caveat that is dependent on the assist level (1-5) and how much you're actually pumping your legs. I think the 40 miles advertised is BS... in a good way... because mine will last a couple weeks of riding 5-10 miles a day. I took it on vacation to Chincoteague Island this year for 10 days, and I didn't even take the charger.
Here is a picture of one like mine. The battery is circled in red.
That's good info. Thanks to you both! 
