Intense Uzzi ('96) BBSHD conversion

[Harold]

My donor bike is a Intense Uzzi I bought in 1996. I quit single tracking about 10 yrs. ago and haven’t ridden the bike much since then. Here is a list of the bikes current set up,
Monitou Black front fork w/disk brake mount
Profile RS carbon fiber handle bars
Shimano Deore XT brakes
stock rear suspension shock
Scram 9.0 SL 8 speed
Shimano 10 speed chain
Mavic rims & Huchison Piranha tires.
If you see something that looks unsafe, or should be replaced, mention it.


The first change will be replacing the brakes with Avid single digit 7 V brakes with Kool-Stop dual compound pads. Once I’ve got some rides in I’ll see if I need to change other stuff out. Since the front fork has disk brake mounts (the rear frame doesn’t, though I could weld some tabs on) I could also go front disk and rear V brakes.

I ordered the Bafang BBSHD kit, 750w street legal kit with the following options:
standard bottom brake
Luna 42T sprocket
full color display
universal thumb throttle
Bafang brake levers w/ built in ebrake cut off
Bafang program cable
gear sensor for derailer
Mighty Mini 52v 30Q battery
52v advance 300w Luna charger.

I went with the Mighty Mini because the Shark battery won’t fit in the frame triangle, and I didn’t want to mount it underneath. I figured I could add another MM if I need too.

While I’m waiting for the kit to arrive I decided to go ahead and prep the bike. Having a bunch of tools I figured I could remove the bottom bracket myself. After about 10 minutes in futility, I took it to the local bike shop and had them do it. 20 minutes and $10 later they had it done, money well spend. The kit arrives today and will start the install tomorrow.

[Rodney64]

I just love the look of the older frames. Looking forward to seeing it finished.

[JPLabs]

Beautiful bike. That frame looks like it has enough room for 20 Ah or so if configured just right? Will it hold 2x mini's in the frame?

[Harold]

Yes, it willl hold 2 mighty minis. I made an aluminum tray to hold the battery, and I can mount another one in front. I cut up one of my wifes old stretch leotard and stretched it over the battery and frame, and added a couple of velcro straps to hold everything in.
Here are a few installation notes. The motor housing hit the lower arm pivot bolt (right behind the bb) on the chain side. I added a .080" spacer between the motor housing and bb. I also added a .060" washer between between dog eared mounting hardware and the bb to get the adapter to sit flush against the bottom bracket. I screwed the locking ring and black collar on so it was flush with the end and measured the distance to figure out how many spacers I needed. I used an old Park tool (which was too big) to tighten the locking nut down. Next, I mounted the computer, throttle and ebrakes on the handlebars, then ran the wires. I mounted the gear sensor on top of the bare aluminum pivot arm next to the bolt. The only problem I'm having is the chain is at such an extreme angle in 1st gear the chain comes off. Someone suggested moving the freewheel closer to the frame. After a few test rides this morning I don't think I even need 1st & 2nd. Below are some photos.

[Sneakers915]

I had a 95, they were way ahead of their time.

[Harold]

No kidding, adjustable wheel base, seat tube angle, multiple shock position. I removed the rear shock and front suspension fork, switched to road tires for awhile.
I switched to the Eclipse chain ring with a 2.5 mm spacer to get a straight line to 4th gear. A 5mm spacer also works. The chain hit the frame with no spacer.
I went on a 12 mile rolling hill road ride to check things. Constant pedaling with pas1, also tried the other settings. I used less than 1/2 the battery charge with the Mini Might 52v 30q battery.

[Harold]

A couple of up dates. I added the Bafang e brake sensors to my Kooka brake levers. Also swapped out the Bafang cranks for Shimano e cranks. The Shimanos are slightly heavier.

[Harold]

I removed the BBSHD about a year ago, did a bunch of up grades and rode it as a pedal bike. Decided to re-install the BBSHD.
The up grades included:
disk brake conversion ( I machined a disk brake adapter)
Shimano M975 calipers
Magura HS 33 single brake lever controlling both brakes using a brake line splitter with proportion valve
Shimano M975 disk brake hubs & 50mm Surly Rabbit Hole rims
WTB Vigilante 2.3 tires. Also have a pair of Maxxis Hookworm 2.5 on order
Sram xo 10 speed shifter & rear derailleur
Sunrace 42 rear cassette
Raceface carbon riser bars
Magura Duran 100mm fork
Manitou rear air shock
Ergon seat