I considered a hub drive because I could add a torque sensor to it - and I'd really like to have a torque assist motor - but I just don't know that I can afford the new kid on the block (BBS Ultra) or if the other one I've found (TSDZ2) would be strong enough to power my slowly shrinking self.
I also live in the same (hilly, pothole ridden) city as the author of the 10k miles video - so, yeah, hills are a concern. That's why I settled on a mid-drive.
1. Hills
2. I'm large - don't want to break spokes/wheels all the timem
3. Changing a tire would be a real challenge on a commute
I also have settled on the hard tail bike I bought for a couple reasons:
1. Larger triangle for larger battery
2. Less things to wear out
3. My commute is all bike path (old railroad line that has been paved) with a mile or so on the street
4. Cheaper to buy and maintain
Thanks to this thread (and also a duplicate post I made on reddit) I've decided to go with the (more expensive) Luna over em3ev and get the better battery tech (most likely a
24Ah w/ the Panasonic GA batteries)
I'm still hesitating on whether I should get a DD or Geared hub w/ torque sensor vs BBSHD... I'm visiting Seattle this next weekend and may go test drive a RAD bike to get a feel for the hub drive -- and to pick their brains on HUBs for BIG GUY riding. I'd still be interested to hear any feedback from you guys here regarding this or other aspects of my build.
To be clear - Yes, I'd like to have an average TOP speed of 24'ish MPH - and overall I'd like to be able to complete my 12.5mi commute in 35-45 minutes (which would be an average sustained speed of 21mph to 16.67mph).