Forbestcy Bafang UART Display

All five show real-time, average and maximum speed alongside battery, distance, power and time. Units switch between kilometres and miles, and every screen reads the universal Bafang error codes, so a fault shows as a number you can look up rather than a guess.

• Small bar, few distractions: the 500C.
• More fields visible at once: the P850C or 860C.
• Phone link on an iPhone: the 750C-ble.
• Matching an existing DPC18 setup: the DPC18 backup.

Each ships with a screen protector already fitted. Peel it off before riding, or it will cloud the display in sunlight. The 500C's small face suits a stem-mounted layout on a trail bike, where a big screen would crowd a bar bag or a light.

Set these colour screens against Bafang's own DPC18 and the small C961 in the BBSHD display guide.

The IP65 rating covers dust and water jets, which is a step above the splash resistance of some compact displays. Rain, slush and road spray are part of its job.

• Cold: rated down to -20°C for winter riding.
• Sun: clear in direct sunlight, with automatic backlight.
• Water and dust: IP65 sealing.
• Scratches: a factory screen protector for transit.

A winter BBSHD, often a fat bike on snow, has more to worry about than the screen. Lithium packs lose capacity in the cold, and a battery that shows full in the garage may sag quickly on a climb in the snow.

Salt is the other enemy. After salty roads, wipe the display and the 5-pin plug with a damp cloth and let them dry, and add a dab of dielectric grease to the connector before the next storm.

Snow builds on 100mm and 120mm shells are in the fat-bike guide, and the battery guide looks at pack capacity and discharge ratings for cold-weather range.

Two limits matter. A CAN-bus BBS-HD needs a CAN display, and none of these is one; motors from other brands will not work either, even if the plug looks similar.

1. Confirm a UART Bafang motor: a 1T4 harness with a 5-pin display lead.
2. Unplug the battery.
3. Clamp the screen and its keypad where they suit your hands.
4. Line up the arrows on the 5-pin plug and push it straight in.
5. Power on and set wheel size, units and assist levels.

Check the pins before connecting; a bent one is the usual cause of a blank screen. Keep the lead routed with a gentle curve past the head tube so it survives full steering lock.

The 750C-ble brings a phone link, but only to an iPhone. Android users should pick one of the other four screens, which cover the same riding data without the phone link.

• Classic UART BBSHD: any of the five.
• Bafang hub motor: any except the 750C-ble.
• CAN-bus BBS-HD: none of them.

Display settings on UART systems cover basics such as wheel size and the speed limit. Deeper motor settings live in the controller and need a programming cable; the programming guide lists the values worth touching.

Riders who want a factory Bafang screen and a USB port for a phone will lean to the DPC18. Riders who want colour in a compact size, or a winter rating, have more choice here. The cold rating decides it for riders in northern winters, since none of the other displays compared here state a low-temperature figure.

Think about how you read a screen on the move. A rider glancing down on technical singletrack wants a few big numbers on a compact face, while a tourer watching battery and power over long days gets more from the larger 860C.

• Confirm the motor is a UART Bafang.
• Pick the screen size that fits your bar layout.
• Skip the 750C-ble unless you use an iPhone.
• Peel the screen protector before the first ride.

A second display in the tool bag is cheap insurance on a UART HD, which will not switch on without one. The small 500C packs easily for that job, and it plugs into the same lead as whichever screen rides on the bars.

For the factory alternative, see the Bafang DPC18 or the Bafang colour display range.