{"id":265,"date":"2020-01-06T16:37:49","date_gmt":"2020-01-06T16:37:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bendingtherules.co.uk\/home\/?p=265"},"modified":"2026-08-28T07:12:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T07:12:36","slug":"pino-e-conversion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bendingtherules.co.uk\/home\/pino-e-conversion\/","title":{"rendered":"Pino e-conversion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After coming back from a long tour of France<\/a> I decided it was time to put a motor on the Pino. I had mulled it over for some time and, because a new ‘e-pino’ is horrendously expensive, I decided to fit a Bafang ‘Fun 8’ mid-drive motor. In the UK we are legally limited to 250W maximum ‘continuous’ power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I bought the motor and battery together, from ‘Aliexpress.com’ in China, as it’s cheaper than using a European supplier, but delivery times are longer. If you are in a hurry for the kit, a UK or European supplier will get it to you sooner but it will cost you more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The battery is a 36V 17.5Ah. Cable brake levers come with the kit but sensors for hydraulic brakes are available. The standard chainring seems to be a 44T but at a pinch and with an adapter plate, a 38T could be fitted. Larger rings are not an issue.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The hardest part was getting the old BB out \u2013 it had been on the bike since 2011. I swapped the stock control display unit for a SW102 combined controller\/display<\/a> which is very small and sits neatly at the bar-end. I have since changed this for a newer control\/display after the mounting fractured. I also had to fit hydraulic brake sensors<\/a> (bought at the same time), as the Pino originally had Magura Louise hydraulic brakes. As hydraulic brakes are more complex for maintenance, I swapped the brakes for TRP Spyre cable operated brakes and then used the levers with built-in sensors that come with the kit. I fitted the plain, right-hand crank from a Thorn Tandem ‘Captain’s’ crankset from SJS Cycles<\/a>. The total bill was around \u00a3700.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The left-hand Hase crank with freewheel and the motor sitting under the BB shell. The original battery lost much of its performance after 4 years good use, so the one here is a new replacement, but 13Ah, not 17.5Ah of the original.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Hase crank has a square taper axle \u2013 in what I call a ‘square, square’ pattern. The Bafang cranks supplied in the kit are ‘square, diamond’ pattern, so, in order to retain the Hase freewheel, you need to source a ‘square, square’ right hand crank. These are available as a Tandem Captain’s crankset from SJS Cycles<\/a>. You will have to buy the crankset, as they don’t sell individual R\/H cranks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The ‘Square, square’ hole in the Thorn crank matches the hole pattern in the Hase Pino freewheel crank. Our Pino is 2011. Hase may now use a different crankset, so it’s worth checking before you buy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The Thorn, right-hand crank from SJS Cycles and the 44T covered chainring. You can specify different sized chainrings but we’ve found, coupled to a Rohloff with 15T sprocket, it’s a good size that allows us to climb well and keep pedalling up to 25-30mph.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The original SW102 controller\/display on the left bar. This is not the standard display that comes with most kits but there’s no suitable place for the stock display on the Pino, so I ordered this smaller unit. I added the lumps to the buttons, as selecting up\/down on the unmodified rocker switch was tricky with winter gloves on. Changing power levels is very easy using one’s thumb on the up\/down buttons. <\/em>The cable goes down the inside of the bars for a tidy look.<\/em> I used bar tape to cover the brake lever clamp as it was uncomfortable in its natural state.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The newer control\/display. The little mirrors are very handy too, with a good field of vision.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The right side controls. I fitted the throttle at the bar end, next to the mirror. I needed an extension cable which are available on eBay or Amazon. The connector is central and easy to get at should I need to disconnect the throttle \u2013 eg. when riding in London or elsewhere we might be targeted by over-zealous officials. I have limited the throttle to 15.5mph.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The Bafang brake levers with built-in sensors to cut power to the motor when operated. Once I replaced the hydraulic brakes that came on the Pino with cable-operated brakes, I could make use of the levers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The wheel sensor and magnet on the rear wheel. These need to be fitted and aligned well, as if they don’t work, the motor will cut out after a couple of minutes if it’s not registering any rotation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Extras<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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The Rohloff chain tensioner.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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TRP Spyre cable operated rear brake and Rohloff ‘click box’. I needed to fit the rear rack with a rearward extension to prevent my heals hitting the panniers when riding.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Karon uses a Topeak cross-bar bag to keep a few items that are easy to get to. Note the drilled cranks. The drillings are at 155mm.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The original Spinner Grinder forks on the bike needed a thorough service so I removed them and replaced them with new Spinner 300 forks now supplied by Hase. These are actually about 20mm longer than the originals. With plenty of time, I stripped the originals, cleaned and re-greased them then put them aside. Recently the 300s became very sticky and inefficient, so I put the originals back on and have cleaned and re-greased the 300s ready for the next swap. It’s a 20 minute job to swap the forks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Pino update \u2013 fitting a second battery<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After coming back from a long tour of France I decided it was time to put a motor on the Pino. I had mulled it over for some time and, because a new ‘e-pino’ is horrendously expensive, I decided to fit a Bafang ‘Fun 8’ mid-drive motor. In the UK we are legally limited to … <\/p>\n

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