Hello everyone,
I have the same Bafang 500W Geared Hub Motor on the front, and it's been nice, but it's time to get one for the rear for many reasons I won't elaborate on. Let me give you some tidbits of evidence below about potential issues of trying to put an 11-speed cassette on the hub in a 135mm QR dropout frame. You are free of course to respond with your own experience. I can always do 9-10 speed if I have to but I already have extra 11-speed drivetrain stuff, so...
1. E-Bikeling has direct drive rear hubs that can take a cassette instead of a freewheel, but they say on their site that it's 10-speed max, or the 11th (or 12th) cog will either not fit on their hub spline or it will rub against the frame.
2. Some commenter from another site, who has installed a lot of these on the front and back, said they would recommend a front hub because they can never get the back hub drive installed right. That's a weird comment from someone who has installed them multiple times. I'm wondering if he's using 11-speed and that's the 'installation' issue.
3. I just read a different article saying the geared rear hub drive is great (I'm sure it is), but, unlike Bafang or 8Fun or Greenergia or anyone else, says it can only take a 10-speed cassette max, and just barely. Another thing I 'could' do is take out the 13t cog and make an 11-speed a 10-speed. If it's then a bit too short, put a spacer in the back of the cassette.
4. But the same article from (3) above then went on with a diagram that has me worried... This is online, it could be fake news so to speak, but either the diagram is right or wrong. I'm hoping it's wrong.
Link: https://edrivenet.com/bafang-hub-motor-review/
It said single speeds take up 120mm (plenty of room between 120 and 135 for spacers).
6-speeds (people still use those?) jump to 130mm.
7-speeds 138mm (already more than 135mm).
8-speeds 140mm
9-speeds 142mm
Extrapolating to 10-speed 144mm, 11-speed 146mm, 12-speed 148mm. That can't be correct can it??? I ran an 11-speed cassette in a 135 frame for 3 years and it was fine. But...it was not on a hub motor.
How much more does a geared (not direct) rear hub motor stick out compared with a standard 10x135 or 12x142 hub?
Again, I could take one cog out but if the chart is correct, I'd need to take 2-3 out if they are roughly 4mm each with the spacers. And that's too many to take out and have decent shifting. I also could try to buy a carbon 12x142mm bike with hard plastic axle acceptors and convert that to dropouts (and still have the 142 or even 148 mm spacing) but that's dicey and I would really prefer aluminum dropouts. And as you know aluminum dropouts are only 10x135, end of story because aluminum chainstays can't bend like a carbon chainstay can.
Has anyone here used a Bafang 500W Geared Rear Hub Drive with an 11-speed cassette?
I have the same Bafang 500W Geared Hub Motor on the front, and it's been nice, but it's time to get one for the rear for many reasons I won't elaborate on. Let me give you some tidbits of evidence below about potential issues of trying to put an 11-speed cassette on the hub in a 135mm QR dropout frame. You are free of course to respond with your own experience. I can always do 9-10 speed if I have to but I already have extra 11-speed drivetrain stuff, so...
1. E-Bikeling has direct drive rear hubs that can take a cassette instead of a freewheel, but they say on their site that it's 10-speed max, or the 11th (or 12th) cog will either not fit on their hub spline or it will rub against the frame.
2. Some commenter from another site, who has installed a lot of these on the front and back, said they would recommend a front hub because they can never get the back hub drive installed right. That's a weird comment from someone who has installed them multiple times. I'm wondering if he's using 11-speed and that's the 'installation' issue.
3. I just read a different article saying the geared rear hub drive is great (I'm sure it is), but, unlike Bafang or 8Fun or Greenergia or anyone else, says it can only take a 10-speed cassette max, and just barely. Another thing I 'could' do is take out the 13t cog and make an 11-speed a 10-speed. If it's then a bit too short, put a spacer in the back of the cassette.
4. But the same article from (3) above then went on with a diagram that has me worried... This is online, it could be fake news so to speak, but either the diagram is right or wrong. I'm hoping it's wrong.
Link: https://edrivenet.com/bafang-hub-motor-review/
It said single speeds take up 120mm (plenty of room between 120 and 135 for spacers).
6-speeds (people still use those?) jump to 130mm.
7-speeds 138mm (already more than 135mm).
8-speeds 140mm
9-speeds 142mm
Extrapolating to 10-speed 144mm, 11-speed 146mm, 12-speed 148mm. That can't be correct can it??? I ran an 11-speed cassette in a 135 frame for 3 years and it was fine. But...it was not on a hub motor.
How much more does a geared (not direct) rear hub motor stick out compared with a standard 10x135 or 12x142 hub?
Again, I could take one cog out but if the chart is correct, I'd need to take 2-3 out if they are roughly 4mm each with the spacers. And that's too many to take out and have decent shifting. I also could try to buy a carbon 12x142mm bike with hard plastic axle acceptors and convert that to dropouts (and still have the 142 or even 148 mm spacing) but that's dicey and I would really prefer aluminum dropouts. And as you know aluminum dropouts are only 10x135, end of story because aluminum chainstays can't bend like a carbon chainstay can.
Has anyone here used a Bafang 500W Geared Rear Hub Drive with an 11-speed cassette?