PaPaSteve
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This is correctBear in mind that with friction drives its roller diameter that determines the MPH vs RPM relationship - bike wheel diameter is irrelevant.
A lesson learned from working with ZAP
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This is correctBear in mind that with friction drives its roller diameter that determines the MPH vs RPM relationship - bike wheel diameter is irrelevant.
Please share. I'm learning a lot from reading all this.T
This is correct
A lesson learned from working with ZAP
Are you sure about that? a tiny roller running on a huge tire, looks suspiciously like two gears moving against each other, i'd imagine the same mechanical thing is happening?
Would a 700c or 16" wheel operate under a friction drive more efficiently or the same?It is, but the larger diameter tire also travels further per revolution.
Would a 700c or 16" wheel operate under a friction drive more efficiently or the same?
This cycling blogger mentions using 3M flooring grip tape (vs what comes with the friction drive) to achieve what you are advising.The only thing that matters is how well the roller makes contact with the tire to transfer power. You don't want the roller to slip on a steep climb.
Sprockets or gears calculations are based on working from a center axis to the gear or wheel radius.That's interesting to know. How is the calculation made with the proper data? Thanks!
Yes, that's why i like geared hub motors. next best thing to a direct drive in terms of simplicity
I don't want my powertrain parts sharing thermal space knowing that all of them are sensitive to heat, i want a controller i can program, and i want a throttle or PAS instead of gimmicks like that.
Wrong place on the reliability, serviceability, and complexity axis for me.
And yet with a geared hub motor the ring, planet and sun gear all share the same thermal space as the motor.
I'll bookmark this one and find out the costs of the additional stuff. Though I have a feeling it'll cost more than a mid-drive and certainly more than the friction drive. I always appreciate your help.ps when buying a bare hub motor, if you don't know how to lace, line up a shop willing to do / also have the right equipment to do it first.
This one's very low power, so regular bicycle spokes or sapim butted 13-14ga would be fine.
Of course you also want a controller and throttle/pas/ebrake cutoff switch that matches that controller in order to turn it into a 'kit'
Based on this thread, mid-drive can be a nightmare if you simply want a reliable ebike conversion.
Yeah, it’s tricky to conceptualise. Might help to think in terms of leverage. If the wheel isn’t acting as a lever there’s no change in ratio, and therefore it’s merely a large idler.a tiny roller running on a huge tire, looks suspiciously like two gears moving against each other, i'd imagine the same mechanical thing is happening?
Interesting looking bike (battery & rear rack). What motor? Do you have a build thread on it?It is why it is important to buy from reputable local dealer.
Mid drives have reputation of being less reliable than hub drives, but keep in mind, mid drives usually must endure much more punishment. My mid drive takes me places hub motor couldn't even dream of and so far all is good (fingers crossed)
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As per Toseven you might be right. I can't comment on reliability of their motors as Toseven practically do not exist in UK. Their rep made a brief appearance on our local e-bike forum, but quickly disappeared and was never seen again.
Interesting looking bike (battery & rear rack). What motor? Do you have a build thread on it?
The battery in the original photo was long and flat, mounted on top of the downtube, which drew my attention. But now it does not look like that! Must have been some kind of optical illusion I was seeing.
Edit: I swear what I saw was a different photo, not an illusion. Too bad I did not take a screenshot.
Yeah, it’s tricky to conceptualise. Might help to think in terms of leverage. If the wheel isn’t acting as a lever there’s no change in ratio, and therefore it’s merely a large idler.
It's probably a dissenting view, but I'm going to suggest "look to Europe." Most European countries have a 250w maximum and pedal assist only (no throttle rule) and Australia, where I live, follows this as well. My tourer/commuter has a front wheel kit because I wanted to preserve my "mullet" gearing at the rear (1x9, 11 to 46 teeth. I'm a weirdo, I know, it's microshift and I love it) If you're happy with whatever gearing fits, the rear wheel is better for traction, but I can still gravel climb with the front doing more than me and don't lose traction, even on a 2m 50%er I have to throw the bike at flatout at the bottom and nearly stopped at the top. (Might be a 30%er, we Aussies are given to beer talk, even when sober.)I'm about 155 pounds, but I carry a lot of stuff roundtrip to work, and I'm surrounded by steep hills.
I am considering a friction drive like the QiROLL because I only need something for hill climbing, and I prefer not to have a bunch of extra 'ebike weight' just for hill climbing assistance. I'm in decent shape, but at the end of the day, hill climbing is not fun.
I have two bicycles, and I was hoping to have something to swap to either. However, my primary ride is the hybrid.
I've attached three images showing my commute of 10 to 12 miles and my two bicycles.
Any advice is appreciated!
Please let me know if I posted to the wrong category here.