Ebikes need to be simpler for many people

[ebike4healthandfitness]

I like lots of gears and hydraulic disc brakes but for lots
of people this is just a bunch of unneeded complexity and maintenance.....not to mention making the bike easier to damage.

For many people a single speed bike with a (clutched) low geared hub motor for climbing hills would be sufficient.....yet nobody makes such a bike yet.

This one I linked below comes close, but the geared hub motor isn't optimized for the low speed range.

Babymaker II

Our best selling stealth electric bike is back and assembled in the USA. Features include a single speed Gates belt drive, compact LCD display and sleek polished frame. Powered by an integrated battery and quiet rear hub motor, this bike is great for your daily commute or urban adventure.

flx.bike

 

[docw009]

RAd had their RAdmission single speed, but no one wanted it so it was cleared out at $499. LEctric is has Lite 3.0, which is a 20" folder with single speed plus geared motor. I hear it's very popular. One of my golf buddies, who used to laugh at my bikes, now has one to ride around at his winter home,

 

[99t4]

These are pretty dumbed-down but seem to be hanging in there:

I see lots of non-bike types riding these daily, in an acutely hilly environment.

 

[ebike4healthandfitness]

These are pretty dumbed-down but seem to be hanging in there:

I see lots of non-bike types riding these daily, in an acutely hilly environment.

Here is a link to that one:

Cosmo | Veo Micromobility

Vehicles Cosmo Go the distance. With large tires, a throttle, and a low center of gravity, the Cosmo is a favorite among riders of diverse ages and abilities. The Cosmo is ideal for riders who want to travel longer distances. Balanced frame Cushioned seat Throttle 18-inch alloy wheels Veo Voice...

www.veoride.com

500 watt gear hub with no pedal drive train.

15 mph top speed.

 

[ebike4healthandfitness]

RAd had their RAdmission single speed, but no one wanted it so it was cleared out at $499.

Radmission had fairly tall gearing for a single speed. With it's 27.5" 1.9" wide tires and 50T chainring with 16T cog it was capable of 23 mph at a cadence 90 rpm. That means if the rider had to drop speed to 7.5 mph (for example) the cadence would only be around 30 rpm. At 10 mph the cadence would still only be 39 rpm. That means for any slow speed work (like climbing a hill) the rider would potentially have to push very hard on the pedals and depending on the gearing of the hub motor it very likely would not be in it's efficiency zone.

For a bike like radmission I would like to see a geared hub motor optimized for very low speed so it could still be in it's efficiency zone when climbing at 5.0 mph to 7.5 mph.

 

[99t4]

Here is a link to that one:

That's the scooter version. The one I showed was pedal (making it an ebike). The most common rental share ebikes in my area.

 

[ebike4healthandfitness]

P

That's the scooter version. The one I showed was pedal (making it an ebike). The most common rental share ebikes in my area.

Thanks for clearing that up. According to the link below the version of the Cosmo with pedals is called the Cosmo-e:

Veo Successfully Debuts Industry First Throttle-Assist e-Bike in Five Markets

/PRNewswire/ -- Veo, the first profitable micromobility company, has successfully launched the North American micromobility industry's first Class 2 e-bike...

www.prnewswire.com

Do you see folks riding this ebike using the pedals? Up hills?

 

[99t4]

Do you see folks riding this ebike using the pedals? Up hills?

Yes, it's pretty much all hilly around here, unavoidable. The pedaling cadence is relatively low, and, combined with almost all of them riding with the (adjustable? not sure) seat height set way low, knees splayed out, never helmeted, it just looks comical.

Evidently the motor is more optimized for low speed torque than the crank gearing.

One of their better features is the water resistance they were able to achieve. These bikes are out in the wet weather unprotected 24/7. They also don't seem to get damaged from getting knocked over continually.

 

[ebike4healthandfitness]

Evidently the motor is more optimized for low speed torque than the crank gearing.

To me that is the ideal arrangement for a simple ebike.

With 18" tires that could be accomplished with a slow motor winding coupled to a pedal drive train with a large chainring and small cog out back.

But what about the same gearing arrangement for a large tire bike? Especially one where the geared hub motor is running efficiently at 5 mph? So far nothing like that exists.

 

[ebike4healthandfitness]

The Bafang wheelbarrow motor hypothetically connected to a 28" tire looks like a good choice:

Motor Simulator - Tools

Our ebike motor simulator allows you to easily simulate the different performance characteristics of different ebike setups - with a wide selection of hub motors modeled, and the ability to add custom batteries and controllers and set a wide variety of vehicle parameters you'll be able to see...

ebikes.ca

With a 160kg (352 lb) total bike and rider weight if still has 70.2% efficiency at 4.7 mph when going up a 15% grade.

Of course GRIN would have to unlock the clutch and allow the use of spokes on the hub shell.

With that noted, I actually like the idea of keeping the locked clutch provided the RPM capability of the motor could be increased by replacing the motor's surface permanent magnet arrangement with an interior permanent arrangement as well as the use of FOC controller (for field weakening).

 

[Chalo]

One major problem with e-bikes is, the less experience people have with them, the more performance they want and expect. Try to talk n00bs into accepting a 10 mph power assist and you'll probably be dismissed out of hand. They think they want to go 50 mph on a department store turd, and only observed experience will dissuade them.

They also think they want 100 mile range, but that's a separate issue.

 

[ebike4healthandfitness]

Bafang's answer to the problem:

零部件

Bafang description

bafang-e.com

250 watt, 50O watt, 750 watt and 1000 watt versions.

Single rear cog for pedal drive train.

Two speed automatic transmission. (Edit: Originally I thought this was for the hub motor as this older article on the H700 indicates ---> Bafang unveils electric bike motor with 2-speed automatic shifting and torque sensor but looking at this
article it appears the two speed transmission is for the pedal drive train ----> Bafang Unveils the New H720 Rear Hub Motor eDrive with Automatic Dual-speed Shifting – ebikes Int'l)

IP66 rating. (This should help with reducing the need for maintenance which is always a good thing.)