What do you think is the best front hub motor for off-road usage?

[ebike4healthandfitness]

Or do you think there is no such thing as a front hub motor appropriate for off-road.

 

[fill]

It depends on expectations.

 

[scianiac]

Also depend on what you mean by off-road, like are we talking a groomed dirt path or a double black diamond. I would say no there isn't unless it's for a very specific use case. Or rather a rear motor or mid drive will always be better all things equal but a front hub would probably be fine for many use cases.

 

[neptronix]

What's the application? tell us more about what you are building.

 

[ebike4healthandfitness]

What's the application?

Two areas I am interested in:

1. Gentle off road/Light trail. Climbs and descents are involved.

2. General mountain biking. Imagine something that can handle the worst case scenario (or at least 99.9% of scenarios) without breaking or impeding handling or impeding the suspension too much.

 

[offGridDownUnder]

What they said, plus...

A front hub can be very good for saving brakes by providing regenerative braking for lengthy travel, like commuting off-road. My motors can bring my machines to a stop (although not as fast as the mechanical brakes, which are available for emergencies).

A front hub/wheel won't generally provide the most reliable traction going up hill, but for dedicated off-road work, I'd have (slightly smaller) front and rear or front and mid-drive.

Not everyone lives in the North America or Europe - some lives are off-road, and it's not all whoop-de-whoop. If I was living entirely off-road here in Oz, I'd consider adding front motors to my trike, as then I could go just about anywhere.

 

[fill]

Two areas I am interested in:

1. Gentle off road/Light trail. Climbs and descents are involved.

2. General mountain biking. Imagine something that can handle the worst case scenario (or at least 99.9% of scenarios) without breaking or impeding handling or impeding the suspension too much.

For the best experience in both 'areas' i would think 2 bikes.. one built for comfort and chill rides out, and the 2nd a more lean machine for the MTB sports activities. A front hub drive could easily drive the comfort focused bike, while imho (just a bloke here no expert or sports bike enthusiast) A mid drive would be more suitable for a sports bike especially for the uber steep climbs when full advantage of the bikes gears may be crucial.

 

[neptronix]

Well the problem with a front motor on an offroad bike is..
- you will probably want front suspension immediately
- more motor weight = less effective suspension, that's bad
- front suspension forks aren't strong and can't handle large sustained twisting forces, so a big DD is a really bad idea
- geared motors' gears die an early death offroad; most manufacturers warn about this

This is why most offroad bikes have mid drives. The removal of unsprung weight from the wheels is a huge plus when offroad.

 

[Az.]

Front hub motor for off-road is a mistake. I know, because I tried. Go for mid drive.

Edit: Safety would be the main concern.

 

[BiggKidd]

Two areas I am interested in:

1. Gentle off road/Light trail. Climbs and descents are involved.

2. General mountain biking. Imagine something that can handle the worst case scenario (or at least 99.9% of scenarios) without breaking or impeding handling or impeding the suspension too much.

This is why I chose my Ridstar E26 Pro. I ride mostly slow and easy but go everywhere. That big 26x4 powered front wheel climbs right over large obstacles, head sized rocks, logs, creek banks etc..

 

[hillslayer@]

For technical off-road you only need low power on a front hub to much torque makes it squrrily.

 

[hillslayer@]

All these dual 1000 Watt hub bikes are street bikes.

 

[BiggKidd]

All these dual 1000 Watt hub bikes are street bikes.

Guess my bike is the exception to the rule. It goes off road on every ride.

 

[rafalg]

With enough thrust even pigs can fly
Front wheel drive has been ruled out here, probably for good reasons. But i have a good offroad experience (trails, forest, sand bogs) with geared hub motor in front wheel. First of all, it can pull you out easily from sand or mud, much easier than rear wheel. And when you add pedaling you have a two wheel drive, then it's unstoppable
Third, geared hub gives you some nice low speed control and torque. I know, probably won't last long if worked too heavily, but still..

 

[2old]

Of the couple I've built, a Dillenger 36V, 350w kit with a Shengyi motor was the best in the manner the power was delivered. It didn't spin out on dirt terrain and I could ascend steep hills effectively by applying more weight to the front wheel by standing and leaning forward slightly while pedaling. Turned out the bike was a hoot to ride and the system lives on 10 years later in my daughters cruiser.

 

[MxusMick]

I wouldn't put a hub motor on a front wheel simply because it would easily lose traction and cause a crash. I have a few full suspension DIY ebikes with 20" rear hub motors, with 26" front wheels. The 20" wheel pedals uphill so much better than a 26" does, and doesn't get hot bogging. The ride is zippy side to side because of a shorter wheel base, I like it. I do have another ebike with a 26" rear hub motor and 29" front wheel, also full suspension, so I know how that rides, I have solid necks and BMX bars on all of them. The 36v lithium batteries go about 20mph, for 10ah which is 30 minutes usage roughly, but sadly when I hit hills my range decreases drastically. Another concern is how well you mount the battery, controller, and wires when you start getting Aggro, shit can fall off and break. I do have another ebike with no cranks, just pegs, it runs a 20" hub motor on the rear, but the hub motor is a FRONT hub motor with no chain rings, its full suspension with a 26" front wheel, etc. It works good on flat but no good for hills. A 750~1500w hub motor and brushless controller with 18 mosfetts on 36v or 48v is a good start!