MikeSSS
1 kW
1975 Stirling City Sport 15 rigid steel frame and fork, front direct drive hub, 25 lb front wheel. 36v gel cell battery, then 48v, 13ah 18650 battery atop rear rack. This was a good riding bike, it was much like a Specialized Hard Rock. Handle bar shock was bad, same for seat shock, balance was good. Gel cells lasted a couple years, with decreasing range. The lithium pack from Luna lasted very well.
Jamis Hudson pedal forward, a rigid bike with alum frame, stiff steel fork. Same DD 25lb front hub motor and 48v, 13ah lithium battery on a rear rack. This was a really good riding bike and very easy to ride fast, even in turns and easy to deal with when stopping on uneven ground. Handle bar shock was very uncomfortable, worse than the Stirling. A suspension seatpost tamed seat shock. Riding position was upright and seat was a Cloud 9 wide seat.
1997 Mongoose full suspension mtn bike, from back when MG was a bike store brand. MAC rear hub motor and 52v, 20ah 18650 battery first on top of the rear rack but later mid mounted on the side of the frame. FS works much better than rigid, even with a rear hub motor. Set up for an upright position with the fat C9 seat rode well except the cranks were too far back to be comfortable, thigh contact slid me forward on the seat in just a few pedal turns. FS places the crank higher than rigid, to accommodate suspension sag over bumps, this caused several falls when stopped on uneven ground because I could only get toe contact and only on one side because of a Kawasakied ankle. Lowering the seat gave a little more stopped foot contact but insufficient leg extension when pedaling. Great handling bike though, fun in fast riding and cornering fast. Little handle bar or seat shock.
Townie 27D step through, pedal forward, suspension fork and seatpost. MAC rear hub motor. 52v, 20ah battery in a pannier hanging on the rear rack. This is the best bike yet, good ride and little handlebar and seat shock over the small stuff. Fast is nice and so is cornering. Upright seating causes only a little thigh contact with the seat and sliding forward on the seat. Proper leg extension for pedaling gives adequate foot contact when stopped, not flat footed but close to enough. This is a good bike for long rides. Frame is smaller for the step through than the step over.
Townie 7D, 24", step through, rigid bike, my wife's bike. Bafang G311 front geared hub motor, 36v, 10ah battery in a pannier on the side of the rear rack. The motor has 11:1 gear reduction so we keep the speed down to 15mph or so to avoid throwing magnets in the motor. Handlebar and seat shock are not too bad, we do run lower tire pressures. This is a good riding bike and much easier to lift on to the cars bike rack than the others. Climb on our street, with me riding, is very much like the DD front hub motor on the first two bikes. The tiny and light G311 is pretty amazing.
Conclusions:
I like an upright riding position and pedal forward bikes are better for this, especially with a wide seat. Footing when stopped on uneven ground is better on pedal forward bikes and allows better leg extension than on conventional bikes while still being able to get foot-ground contact.
I notice no difference between front and rear hub motors when riding on pavement, but front drive spins the front wheel often when climbing on rocky dirt.
A rear hub motor works well on a FS bike.
Battery in a pannier on a rear rack is better than battery in a bag on top of the rack. Lower center of gravity FTW.
Side mounting a battery mid bike rides well but interferes with pedaling a bit.
A mid mounted battery is easier to handle than a rear mounted, especially when stopped.
Gel cells are heavier than lithium, have less range, less power and much shorter life.
Range is much more when riding slow compared to riding fast, given similar pedaling effort.
Front hub motor, rear battery, gives a well balanced bike.
A cheap suspension fork and seatpost really improve the ride compared to a rigid bike.
FS really shines when you don't see a speed bump coming or ride off a curb.
Riding a variety of different type bikes is fun. Costco has good pizza, it's a good mid ride destination.
Hope this helps someone. Apologies for typos.
Jamis Hudson pedal forward, a rigid bike with alum frame, stiff steel fork. Same DD 25lb front hub motor and 48v, 13ah lithium battery on a rear rack. This was a really good riding bike and very easy to ride fast, even in turns and easy to deal with when stopping on uneven ground. Handle bar shock was very uncomfortable, worse than the Stirling. A suspension seatpost tamed seat shock. Riding position was upright and seat was a Cloud 9 wide seat.
1997 Mongoose full suspension mtn bike, from back when MG was a bike store brand. MAC rear hub motor and 52v, 20ah 18650 battery first on top of the rear rack but later mid mounted on the side of the frame. FS works much better than rigid, even with a rear hub motor. Set up for an upright position with the fat C9 seat rode well except the cranks were too far back to be comfortable, thigh contact slid me forward on the seat in just a few pedal turns. FS places the crank higher than rigid, to accommodate suspension sag over bumps, this caused several falls when stopped on uneven ground because I could only get toe contact and only on one side because of a Kawasakied ankle. Lowering the seat gave a little more stopped foot contact but insufficient leg extension when pedaling. Great handling bike though, fun in fast riding and cornering fast. Little handle bar or seat shock.
Townie 27D step through, pedal forward, suspension fork and seatpost. MAC rear hub motor. 52v, 20ah battery in a pannier hanging on the rear rack. This is the best bike yet, good ride and little handlebar and seat shock over the small stuff. Fast is nice and so is cornering. Upright seating causes only a little thigh contact with the seat and sliding forward on the seat. Proper leg extension for pedaling gives adequate foot contact when stopped, not flat footed but close to enough. This is a good bike for long rides. Frame is smaller for the step through than the step over.
Townie 7D, 24", step through, rigid bike, my wife's bike. Bafang G311 front geared hub motor, 36v, 10ah battery in a pannier on the side of the rear rack. The motor has 11:1 gear reduction so we keep the speed down to 15mph or so to avoid throwing magnets in the motor. Handlebar and seat shock are not too bad, we do run lower tire pressures. This is a good riding bike and much easier to lift on to the cars bike rack than the others. Climb on our street, with me riding, is very much like the DD front hub motor on the first two bikes. The tiny and light G311 is pretty amazing.
Conclusions:
I like an upright riding position and pedal forward bikes are better for this, especially with a wide seat. Footing when stopped on uneven ground is better on pedal forward bikes and allows better leg extension than on conventional bikes while still being able to get foot-ground contact.
I notice no difference between front and rear hub motors when riding on pavement, but front drive spins the front wheel often when climbing on rocky dirt.
A rear hub motor works well on a FS bike.
Battery in a pannier on a rear rack is better than battery in a bag on top of the rack. Lower center of gravity FTW.
Side mounting a battery mid bike rides well but interferes with pedaling a bit.
A mid mounted battery is easier to handle than a rear mounted, especially when stopped.
Gel cells are heavier than lithium, have less range, less power and much shorter life.
Range is much more when riding slow compared to riding fast, given similar pedaling effort.
Front hub motor, rear battery, gives a well balanced bike.
A cheap suspension fork and seatpost really improve the ride compared to a rigid bike.
FS really shines when you don't see a speed bump coming or ride off a curb.
Riding a variety of different type bikes is fun. Costco has good pizza, it's a good mid ride destination.
Hope this helps someone. Apologies for typos.
