New guy with questions on mid drive or wheel power in Bacchetta Giro

[lentuk]

I was hopping to get some recommendations for electrifying my Bacchetta Giro.
I am 65 and mainly ride the local streets of our town, I have a Rans Stratus with a front wheel kit from E-bike kits in PA. but would be open to a mid drive on this also??

 

[RunForTheHills]

I think a rear hub motor would work best on that bike. Maybe a Grin All Axle or a GMAC kit.

 

[Epithemeus]

Depends on what you want. Want minimal assist power but have some massive hills to climb? Mid drive shines. Most other cases I'd choose hub.

What kind of power levels and speeds are you hoping to get?

 

[lentuk]

Just want it for occasional help with intersections and large hills, my main goal is exercise, getting in shape enough to maybe ride 20 miles or more without it.

 

[99t4]

Define hills-- steepness and duration.

 

[lentuk]

nothing very steep and maybe one mile at most in length.

 

[neptronix]

Just want it for occasional help with intersections and large hills, my main goal is exercise, getting in shape enough to maybe ride 20 miles or more without it.

If that's the case, and you are not the type of person who enjoys high amounts of speed, a small geared motor on the rear wheel is probably a great choice.

 

[crichman]

I had really good experience with a little G310 on the back of my Giro 26. I didn't need to climb steep hills but did want more speed, so I actually used the version intended for 20 inch wheels. It worked well, as would the standard winding, I suspect.

I'm not using a motor now, but if I were I might consider the slightly larger offerings. I don't really see the need for the bigger GMAC or Grin motors for this application.

Most important on these bikes: mount the battery low and centered on the frame, preferably under the boom.

Enjoy!

 

[Apartunis]

I will add that because you can not unweight the rear wheel of your bike while riding, it does not much matter how light the hub is, but only how reliable and efficient it is when delivering your planned power and speed. Bafang G020 is a very common hub that could be slightly more than necessary for what you want, but is proven in abusive applications.

A mid drive and more specifically a torque sensing mid drive would require much more maintenance than a hub drive, but also would give the subjective impression of a major upgrade in pedal power. That is not what I like, but you do you.

 

[neptronix]

Yeah if you don't have any serious hills to climb then a mid drive is just extra expense, and in some cases it will be less efficient
It is nice because it combines human with motor power better if you have torque sensing
It is not nice because it has a ton of internal parts and also wears chains faster ( above 500w anyway )

 

[Papa]

eI will add that because you can not unweight the rear wheel of your bike while riding, it does not much matter how light the hub is,

To the contrary - Absent of rear suspension, nearly the entire rear of the bike is considered unsprung mass. The heavier it is, the longer it remains airborne over rough surfaces - downright nasty when cornering. However, it can be partially mitigated by installing wider, rubber - preferably with supple sidewalls. Limited of course, by available chainstay clearance.

 

[offGridDownUnder]

$0.02

A mid-drive means no front gearing, with the idea that the motor makes up for some of that.

Grin's SX2 rear is a good motor, as another option, might be better than the smallest Bafang geared motor. My SX2 has a welded clutch to provide regen, but their current versions freewheel.