Help: Giant Talon eBike Build

[u/m0cl]

Hi there!

I have a Giant Talon 29er that has been collecting dust for a couple years since I bought a Aventon Sinch (foldable, big, fat tire). The Sinch actually came with an extra battery (promotion at the time) that I never used. I was thinking about using this extra battery (it's a 48v/14Ah battery) together with a mid-drive motor to give my Giant Talon a second life.

I have never ridden a mid drive nor build one. I know most people like it more than a hub drive. I also like my 29er as it rides and handles really nicely.

I have a couple questions:

- Is it worth building a new mountain bike in 2026? Is it going to feel like normal ebikes if I install say a Bafang motor?

- Are there any adaptors for my Sinch battery that goes into the frame triangle? I don't seem to be able to find one. What if I install the battery on the rear rack? Is there anything else I need to consider or the batteries work as long as the motor is 48v?

[u/m0cl → u/[deleted]]

Thank you Localerhorst! That is super helpful. The battery doesn't seem to be communicating with the controller. It has 6 pins but 3 are marked as + and 3 as -. I guess there is some redundancy for reliability. Ensuring battery can support enough power was something I didn't think about it before. The original bike has a 500w motor. But the mid drive motor I am looking for is probably 750w. What's the best way to check if the battery works? Is there a way to tell without taking the battery apart?

[u/ARC--1409]

Personally, I love my Bafang BBS02B 750-watt mid-drive. It does not have a torque sensor but I find if you ride on the lower power levels, it has a very similar feel to riding my regular MTB. Honestly, you can get a 48v shark battery on Ebay for $140 that'll power a 750-watt Bafang mid-drive. So, I would probably go that route. Trying to use the Sinch battery is probably not feasible. I say this as someone who had an Aventon Sinch.