Another thru-axle hub motor

[bdole]

Not sure on the specifics of how it avoids rotation, but they mention a torque arm. But interesting to see a thru-axle hub on the market! But 135mm spacing is odd, because I don't think that would work with many thru-axle MTBs, which have wider spacing?

http://www.electricbicycleworld.com/750-thru-axle-750w-motor-with-135mm-drop-out-and-thru-axle/

 

[markz]

Thru axle motor with a thru axle rear dropout or front fork, would add strength and rigidity. Other then that I dont see a value.

 

[Hillhater]

I dont see how a 12mm thro axle on the rear is going to add much over a 14/16mm solid clamped axle ?

 

[ScooterMan101]

There are a number of , Good , Reasons that most Mountain Bikes, and many Road Bikes are now days using the Through Axle Front and Rear Drop Out Design.

Stronger
Better Handling
Front fork is stronger with more precise steering, and for the rear the Rear Swing Arm or triangle for hard tails , has less flex .
No chance of a wheel falling off because the someone forgot to tighten the quick release or it hit a rock/downed tree branch, etc. or,
in the case of a Rear Hub motor, the motor will not fall out of the frame.
( And in the case of a Rear Hub Motor with a through axle , Fixing Flats/Changing Tubes and Tires are now much quicker and easier ! )


The Only , Problem is that the Chinese still, even in 2017 , are making old style parts, and older style bike frames for their domestic market , with a slotted drop out so they have little interest in designing a modern rear hub Motor. there are only a couple of through axle hub motors , 1 front and 1 rear that I know of, and both are expensive at that .
So we see many people who want to buy one that are not buying because of the price.

 

[Hillhater]

I can see the benifits of for a front through axle hub/motor
But How does a thro axle at the rear make changing a tube or fixing a flat , any easier ?
....and i dont recall ever hearing of a rear hub falling out of the bike !

 

[ScooterMan101]

Fixing a Flat on a Through Axle Hub Motor will be easier because , for one you do not have to carry a big wrench around with you. On a small motor like a 4.5 pound 350 watt motor you might , get by with a small wrench, but on the bigger hub motors with big nuts you really need a bigger wrench that is heavy and takes up more space than your little tool bag will hold . The wrench for my Mac is 8 inches ( 200mm ) long , and it is the smallest , lightest wrench I could find that would work for tightening the nuts when out for a ride.

For a Regular Pedal Bike, even though you might not have any friends or know anyone that had a rear quick release come loose and cause a crash,
It only takes a couple , for very expensive Law Suits that the Bicycle Companies have to spend allot of money on defending, or settling out of court.
And you can bet your paycheck that most all bike companies have had to go through that .
So putting on Through Axle Rears as well as Fronts is Time and Money Saved .

Then of course with a rear through axle you have a bike that has a stronger rear triangle ( frame , especially at the dropout area ) as a side benefit . So less chance of a Law Suit, and less chance of a Warranty Return , which both cost bike companies allot of money, that gets passed on to , You and I , next time we buy a bike.

I can see the benifits of for a front through axle hub/motor
But How does a thro axle at the rear make changing a tube or fixing a flat , any easier ?
....and i dont recall ever hearing of a rear hub falling out of the bike !

 

[Chalo]

I have to wonder about a "product" that is only shown in computer renderings.

I'm happy for any hub motor developments that get us away from flatted axles and shabby torque retention.

 

[MadRhino]

I build my bikes with through axle torque plates that are bolt-on mount to the swing arm. Changing a tire, I just undo the torque plates off the swing arm, they stay with the wheel. I am speaking of standard axle flats, the torque plates are tight fit to the motor axle and stay on it for it's entire life.

A motor that is made for the through axle of MTB bikes must be round axle with a torque arm added. This may be good only if the torque arm is strong enough and can be secured solidly to the swing arm. If so, it does simplify building since there is no need to make custom torque plates. Yet, I am not sure this will stand high power as good.

 

[Hillhater]

Fixing a Flat on a Through Axle Hub Motor will be easier because , for one you do not have to carry a big wrench around with you. On a small motor like a 4.5 pound 350 watt motor you might , get by with a small wrench, but on the bigger hub motors with big nuts you really need a bigger wrench that is heavy and takes up more space than your little tool bag will hold . The wrench for my Mac is 8 inches ( 200mm ) long , and it is the smallest , lightest wrench I could find that would work for tightening the nuts when out for a ride.

For a Regular Pedal Bike, even though you might not have any friends or know anyone that had a rear quick release come loose and cause a crash,
It only takes a couple , for very expensive Law Suits that the Bicycle Companies have to spend allot of money on defending, or settling out of court.
And you can bet your paycheck that most all bike companies have had to go through that .
So putting on Through Axle Rears as well as Fronts is Time and Money Saved .

Then of course with a rear through axle you have a bike that has a stronger rear triangle ( frame , especially at the dropout area ) as a side benefit . So less chance of a Law Suit, and less chance of a Warranty Return , which both cost bike companies allot of money, that gets passed on to , You and I , next time we buy a bike.

I can see the benifits of for a front through axle hub/motor
But How does a thro axle at the rear make changing a tube or fixing a flat , any easier ?
....and i dont recall ever hearing of a rear hub falling out of the bike !

I suspect you are just postulating here !..
Wrench size ??..really !..if you are actuallyconcerned about it...find yourself a custom liteweight wrench.
Most punctures can be repaired without removing the wheel, but if you are prepared to change a tube or tyre, carrying the necessary tools is a minor issue.
If your powered hub becomes loose, you are going to have a few issues with chewed wires etc, way before its loose enough for the hub to drop out.
I have had 2 rear QR axles snap completely (2pieces) without the wheel dropping out ( chain hops, brakes drag, etc)
I have never had any of my hub motors work loose.
And...i still do not accept that a 12mm through axle will be any more rigid than a 14mm axle correctly installed.... (with a big wrench !)
..and law suits from weak rear triangles ??

 

[ScooterMan101]

Hubs/Wheels on regular bikes ( Quick Release , 9mm skewers ) have fallen off bikes enough times for a number of lawsuits , I could go back and ask the person I know who has been in the Bicycle Industry for over 20 years how many times,
But I do not really need to. He told me over a year ago that it has been a big enough issue / cost to bike Company's .

Also ... I never said that the lawsuits were from weak frames , I will not insert a roll of eyes here, Perhaps you just mis-read or did not understand , what I am talking about .

he / and now I , am taking about all the lawsuits from wheels dropping out of the fork/dropouts , and that is one of the reasons that bike MFG's are moving over to Through Axle's albit just one of a few reasons.
If you do not want to accept that , well what else can I say ?

But even if you like 9mm quick release axles , you are missing a very important Point , And that is that many of the bikes being sold these days have Through Axle Front and Rear Wheels/Forks and Rear Drop Outs .

So ... Since we here on E.S. convert bikes to e-bikes we , Need , to have available rear hub motors , Period !

Also in regards to wrenches and flats .

1) My last flat was from a drywall screw that was 2 inches in length , and went through not only the tire, but both sides of the tube and even scratched the rim tape. There was no way I was going to fix that by just taking off the one side of the tire and patching it up, there was such a big hole in both sides of the tube and tire, that I had to have someone with a truck take me back home. ( I did try to repair it without taking off the wheel, but when I got one side of the tire off, and saw how big the 2 holes were in the tube I knew that it was not possible , like I had done before when just a small industrial staple put a patchable hole in the tube , so I know all about patching a tube without taking off the wheel, unfortunately it is not always possible to do a simple patch repair)
2) After the last flat I decided to carry a wrench , at first a large spanner, and now I am using a Park Tool 22 mm Cone Wrench Tool. However it is still too big for my liking , I have to strap it onto the frame, yes it is possible, but not desirable.
3) You are missing the point about 12mm rear through axles, Bike MGF's don't make thier bikes for us to make into e-bikes, when I speak of the rear triangle of a bike being stronger with a through axle , it is in comparison to 9mm drop-outs .
I am speaking of the bike ... Frame , being stronger back there.

Since most bikes now have frames that use Through Axles, I want a Through Axle Hub , even though you might think the little amount of difference in fixing a flat is small, The Fact is ... All the Bikes Frames that I want to use in the near future, including a F.S. Frame I have not build up yet , is a Through Axle Design .

I can see the benifits of for a front through axle hub/motor
But How does a thro axle at the rear make changing a tube or fixing a flat , any easier ?
....and i dont recall ever hearing of a rear hub falling out of the bike !

[/quote]
I suspect you are just postulating here !..
Wrench size ??..really !..if you are actuallyconcerned about it...find yourself a custom liteweight wrench.
Most punctures can be repaired without removing the wheel, but if you are prepared to change a tube or tyre, carrying the necessary tools is a minor issue.
If your powered hub becomes loose, you are going to have a few issues with chewed wires etc, way before its loose enough for the hub to drop out.
I have had 2 rear QR axles snap completely (2pieces) without the wheel dropping out ( chain hops, brakes drag, etc)
I have never had any of my hub motors work loose.
And...i still do not accept that a 12mm through axle will be any more rigid than a 14mm axle correctly installed.... (with a big wrench !)
..and law suits from weak rear triangles ?? [/quote]

 

[LewTwo]

Not sure on the specifics of how it avoids rotation, but they mention a torque arm. ...

Note the flats (or more correctly the flat on top) of the disk side of the axle tube. There is also a special large diameter torque nut listed. I suspect this is NOT a simple quick disconnect wheel. Other question: where does the cable exit --- obviously NOT though the end of the axle?
$1,115.99 (single speed) plus shipping

 

[MadRhino]

$1,115.99 (single speed) plus shipping

If I still have a good math logic, this means my torque plates are worth almost 800$ 8)

I think I will give them a nicer polishing, maybe gold plating.

 

[Hillhater]

Hubs/Wheels on regular bikes ( Quick Release , 9mm skewers ) have fallen off bikes enough times for a number of lawsuits , I could go back and ask the person I know who has been in the Bicycle Industry for over 20 years how many times,...
... he / and now I , am taking about all the lawsuits from wheels dropping out of the fork/dropouts , and that is one of the reasons that bike MFG's are moving over to Through Axle's albit just one of a few reasons.
If you do not want to accept that , well what else can I say ?

.....sure i can accept that , and said so in an earlier post..but you are talking about front forks again...so not relavent to this rear hub situation.

..Also ... I never said that the lawsuits were from weak frames ,.........

...Then of course with a rear through axle you have a bike that has a stronger rear triangle ( frame , especially at the dropout area ) as a side benefit . So less chance of a Law Suit, and less chance of a Warranty Return....

:?

.So ... Since we here on E.S. convert bikes to e-bikes we , Need , to have available rear hub motors , Period !...

..not necessarily, you could always adapt the TA frame to suit a conventional hub motor axle.

.Also in regards to wrenches and flats .
.....
3) You are missing the point about 12mm rear through axles, Bike MGF's don't make thier bikes for us to make into e-bikes, when I speak of the rear triangle of a bike being stronger with a through axle , it is in comparison to 9mm drop-outs .
I am speaking of the bike ... Frame , being stronger back there. ...

..?? why compare to 9 mm ?.. we are discussing hub motors, most of which are 12, or 14mm rigid bolted axles,..which must be as stiff if not more so , than a 12mm TA ( which are often still cam locked !)

.Since most bikes now have frames that use Through Axles, I want a Through Axle Hub , even though you might think the little amount of difference in fixing a flat is small, The Fact is ... All the Bikes Frames that I want to use in the near future, including a F.S. Frame I have not build up yet , is a Through Axle Design ....

Well either you are going to have to seriously restrict your choice of hub motors, wait to see if a suitable motor becomes available, pick a different frame, ..or modify a frame to suit your preferred motor.
Since most hub motor installations require a certain amount of frame/dropout mods, and i simply do not see a significant benefit to a TA rear hub motor system..i know which way i would chose to go.