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| The conversion process has started on a Surly Wednesday |
I picked up a lightly used 2015 Surly Wednesday.. size Medium.
Probably had less than 200 miles on it.
It is a 2x10, and with the 80mm Surly My Other Brother Daryl Rims with Surly Nate tires. The bike is fun, but yet so slow and loud to ride. The purpose of this bike will be for trails, rail-trails and a little more hilly trails that a fat tire bike can do well.
A Bafang BBSHD motor will be used for the conversion. That should make the trail rides a lot more enjoyable, by adding a few more miles done a little more safely.
1st step: Convert the tires to Tubeless.
The Rims holes were cover with black gorilla tape. Two strips of 2 inch tape to the edge of the rim. This provides a good surface for a layer of tubeless tape to adhere to.
78mm Sim Rim tubeless tape was then placed on the top of the gorilla tape. The tires placed back on the rims and a compressor used to inflate the tires to attach/seal to the rim. Stan's sealant (1/2 pint each wheel) was put in place and the tires re-inflated. No leaks!
2nd step: Change to Jones H-Bar
The Jones H-Bar are my go to bar for upright position, comfortable wrist feeling and hand position.
I added a more forward stem to better fit.
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| (before image with flatbar) |
3rd step: Research and order the motor and components.
The Wednesday has a 100mm 'standard' threaded bottom bracket. But the Wednesday chainstay and the 100mm Bafang BBSHD motor is reported to be 'too close' for an easy installation. The 110mm Bafang BBSHD motor would be the obvious choice it appears, however it is hard to find. The 120mm Banfang BBSHD is common and is the recommended option. It will just require the needed 20mm of bottom bracket spacers.
Order checklist
1) BBSHD 120mm Bafang Motor
2) Mechanical Brake Levers with Bafang shutoff
3) Speed sensor
4) Shift sensor shutoff
5) 20mm of Bottom Bracket spacers
6) Chainring
The Wednesday 2x10 big ring is 34t. The top normal pedal speed is about 14mph.
The low range is extremely low, to the point of too slow to stay up. The needs of the conversion
I decided to go with a 42t chainring and keep the existing cassette. With the motor, the low end
should be ample and the high end sufficient - maybe holding to assist about 20mph.
I order a LEKKIE 42t offset chainring for chain stability and chainline alignment.
7) Lekkie onenut - a easy securing nut to mount the motor.
8) Cable sleeve (to manage cables)
Note:
I chose NOT to order the LEKKIE Buzz Bars. I will start with the Bafang Cranks. The Buzz Bars and great for installs and uninstalls without a crank puller. But if the Bafang Cranks and tightened down enough, they might be strong enough (I did install Buzz Bars on my Surly LHT conversion).
I did NOT order a battery and will be using the three 48w 10ah batteries that I use for the Surly LHT E-Bike. The small batteries work great for my shorter (less than 20 mile) rides. When I need to go further, I just put another battery in the pannier.
Watch the Video for the first walkaround of the conversion.
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