Mid Drive OR Rear Hub?
- Thread starter Joecool
- Start date
parajared
10 kW
Hub on the flatter stuff. Mid-drive on the windy, steep stuff...
Mid-drives feel a bit wimpy, what happens is that when you start to exceed about 1200watts or so they wear out the components in your drivetrain. Other users report snapping chains but for me personally the biggest issue was gears starting to bend inward. Mid-drives are lighter so the bike rides better and the battery is lighter on your back. 48 volts 10 ah is reasonable for mid-drive and 48 volts 20-30ah is more reasonable with a hub motor.
Hub motors overheat too fast on the windy technical stuff, namely steep grindy singletrack. The "boat anchor" on the tail makes the bike ride a bit wonky but they really excel in the flat open Arizona desert. My 3kilowatt hub will leave my mid-drive in the dust every time in such conditions, plowing straight up a hill at speed compared to the inevitable granny gearing pace I do with my mid.
Personally I like the mid-drive better. Its lightness feels more like regular mountainbiking. You feel like superman flying over hills with ease and 1200 watts is plenty to get the job done if you have some leg power to accompany it. Mid-drive will still cruise you down the backwoods and country roads at a decent-ish 1200 watt clip but not as aggressive as a 3 kilowatt pace.
Mid-drives feel a bit wimpy, what happens is that when you start to exceed about 1200watts or so they wear out the components in your drivetrain. Other users report snapping chains but for me personally the biggest issue was gears starting to bend inward. Mid-drives are lighter so the bike rides better and the battery is lighter on your back. 48 volts 10 ah is reasonable for mid-drive and 48 volts 20-30ah is more reasonable with a hub motor.
Hub motors overheat too fast on the windy technical stuff, namely steep grindy singletrack. The "boat anchor" on the tail makes the bike ride a bit wonky but they really excel in the flat open Arizona desert. My 3kilowatt hub will leave my mid-drive in the dust every time in such conditions, plowing straight up a hill at speed compared to the inevitable granny gearing pace I do with my mid.
Personally I like the mid-drive better. Its lightness feels more like regular mountainbiking. You feel like superman flying over hills with ease and 1200 watts is plenty to get the job done if you have some leg power to accompany it. Mid-drive will still cruise you down the backwoods and country roads at a decent-ish 1200 watt clip but not as aggressive as a 3 kilowatt pace.
parajared
10 kW
oops, I misread that.
I was comparing "right hand" mid-drive to hub.
You are interested in a "left hand" mid-drive I think. I don't think you would want to run 7.5 kilowatts down a bicycle chain. Sorry, I have never used a "left-hand" mid-drive so I can only speculate.
I was comparing "right hand" mid-drive to hub.
You are interested in a "left hand" mid-drive I think. I don't think you would want to run 7.5 kilowatts down a bicycle chain. Sorry, I have never used a "left-hand" mid-drive so I can only speculate.
Wolfeman
1 kW
Just my 2 cents would be to go with a geared rear hub motor, for the ease of use, no wear on your drivetrain, and the ability to completely freewheel when coasting without the drag of a DD hub motor. Combine that with a high aH battery pack and you've basically got a 2 wheel jeep that'll take you just about anywhere. Enjoy your project.
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