Which mid-drive will work best for an ICE - FULL FAT RECUMBENT TRIKE?

[BeesBaby]

My boyfriend has a 2016 ICE - FULL FAT RECUMBENT TRIKE and I want to purchase a mid drive Ebike Kit for it for his upcoming birthday. Since he is going to use it off roading through fields, on clay roads, sand, forests, and such - I want to get him the highest power / wattage kit that is available. I was looking at the both the Bafaang BBSHD Mid Drive Ebike Kit and the Cyclone Mid Drive 3000 watt Planetary Ebike KIT.

• Of these two kits, which one will actually work with his trike? Which one would you recommend? Any pros/cons that I need to know?
  
  
• Other than buying the kit and the much needed battery(s), what else will be needed? (such as additional cables, extension cables, gear sensor cable, etc).
  
  

Your assistance is much appreciated.

[Defjr333]

I have never owned or looked at trikes, but looking at the pic, I think the BBSHD would be the easier of the 2 systems to install. It appears the "bottom bracket" on the trike is no different than most bikes. So it would be a fairly straight forward install. The Cyclones are beasts for sure, but they are much more difficult installs with the owner/ builder needing to do a lot of research and thought into how to best mount and install it. As far as what parts would be needed in addition to the kit, you may or may not need some extensions for things such as display, throttle, etc. Those would require knowing measurements of parts on the trike to know if the included ones are sufficient length.
A few things to think over first. Legal use power limits.....if over 750 watts, he could get fines, or not be allowed in some places. Not an issue if used exclusively on private land.(or just not go 25+ mph in those places so as not to be noticed). Video of BBSHD on trike:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwJFfF9VdlE

Also search youtube for trike BBSHD builds. I didnt see any for the cyclone. Sorry.

I am not a LUNA employee and one of them likely have much better info for you. Wait for PAX or another Luna person to chime in before just taking my "opinions" tho.

Doug

[BeesBaby]

Thanks for responding....I think I am leaning towards the BBSHD for that was one I knew ahead of time but then saw the other one and figured I’d ask for advice.

[Muggsy]

I would echo what Doug had to say - all of it. I am presently completing building a trike with a BBSHD. Not an ICE FAT, but a Steintrike FAT. While I like power, I did not personally opt for the Cyclone route on the front end of a trike (it is a lot of power to manage through such a long - about 3 times a bike chain - drive chain. ) He is also correct the Bafang will be an easier, cleaner looking install, too.
The design on my trike of the BB / front derailleur post is very similar to the ICE (many trikes are), but the details of the cabling/oiling point fittings welded on them mean the ICE trikes are usually able to position the BBSHD motor below the main boom tube, whereas mine must be rotated to be above the derailleur support tube. You can see an installation on an ICE Adventure FS here (have not seen one on an ICE FAT, tho). ICE do use mid-drives (Shimano STEPS, tho) for their e-options.
His advice on the cable lengths is also likely needed for the ICE trike, I know I needed all of them - computer, brakes, speed, gear sensors. As he says, they will likely be hard to know precisely the length of ahead of time, tho, unless you already know many dimensions, how many sensors will be needed, and exactly where he will locate speed sensor, computer display, etc.
Another concern in fitting to his FAT trike may be the BB width and resulting BBSHD sprocket offset. On mine, I had to use spacers to get the pedal sprocket out to the correct offset for the FAT rear end sprocket offset. (I do not know for sure what it is on an ICE FAT, you will need to confirm the BB width - it may well not actually a FAT BB width - mine is not). Be sure to get at least one of the Luna installation helper kit options with these spacer bits in it. The standard sprocket everyone seems to hate actually is better in this regard (correct offset) than the nicer-looking and lighter Lekkie or Luna Eclipse add-ons. ( it has only a 7mm offset 'dish' to it). Luna does make a nice one-piece 40T that has just an 8mm offset, which I eventually used with some spacers. Anyway, be sure to confirm BB width.
So, I would also advise to start with just the BBSHD kit for your gift and wait until later in build for remaining bits required as they become better known. You still need to know which power level and which BB width to order.
Unless you know already the answer to Doug's question about 750W vs 1000W versions already, and what BB width is, you may need to 'let the cat out of the bag' ahead of time and ask him which he wants/needs.

[BeesBaby]

Oh this is superb advice...was planning on getting an extension cable for computer, brakes, speed, and gear sensors (if not used can easily return) and the spacers, y-splitter (to attach gear sensor cable to motor), and the stabilizing bar. As to the last part, he and I had already discussed this and he is wanting the 1000w version for it - he was going to wait till next year to get it so it’ll be a nice surprise come late June.

Do you have any info/knowledge on the Fat Ebike Kit 1000 watt Waterproof Connectors that Lunacycle sells? It looks like a hub drive where it is in the rear wheel.

[Muggsy]

I have not used them. However, if you are interested in doing a truly custom job of the cabling w/o making your own, I have purchased a range of custom-made waterproof HIGO connector cables from e-bike Technologies. That allows you to purchase cabling of exact lengths required without building them yourself. You do of course need precise measurements for them to work with, of course.
You should still confirm BB width and sprocket type needed. The available sprockets shown range about 20-22mm in offset. Unless you have a fat BB width, most won't work well. I was told by several folks at time I bought mine that most trikes, FAT or not, have a standard BB width. I am not sure about the ICE FAT BB, tho.

[Muggsy]

PS - note the Luna BBSHD comes with 2 brake, gear, and speed senor input connectors already. No need for splitter to add gears.
An example of custom cables I got from e-bikes - I have to send my brake sensor signals to a motogadget electrical controller as well as to the Bafang. That required some splitter adapters at one end, and then joining of the 2 front brake signals prior to sending in to the motogadget controller. This input works my brake lights.