Will the Sturmey X-RF8 hub take the power ?

[E Watt?]

Hi all, I buy sell on ebay, restore or/and fit e motors on retro MTB plus other things, here a few pics, the frame cracked on my main e bike but i fancied a change anyway as im getting older so i brought a dutchie bike, was going to use my old 1000w motor but its big and would have to fit a disc brake which is very problematic so i thought ok a small geared 750/1000w hub in the front wheel........only could find a un geared 750/1000w large motor plus the expense and hassle of a new motor and wheel build.
So that leaves a 750w mid drive, my problems is will the Sturmey Archer X-RF8 hub take the power ?, i understand the first gear is 1 to 1 and i will fit a 20t at the rear with a 48t front to keep the torque down, i want to keep it as stock as possible, any help or ideas would be much appreciated, cheers. E Watt ?.

 

[Chalo]

If you overgear your hub that way, it will probably hold up just fine. It's input torque, and not gross power, that matters.

I think 48/20 will be an unsatisfying and not too effective bottom gear. You'll probably end up running it in low gear a lot of the time. There won't be a good climbing gear to drop down to, and the upper gears will be so high as to be useless. It's sort of missing out on the main benefit of a mid drive, while still having the drawbacks of a mid drive.

Just because a hub motor is able to use a disc brake doesn't mean you must use a disc brake. If the rim can accept a rim brake, use that. If the rim can't accept a rim brake, lace the motor to a rim that can.

I think the Dutch style bike would be a great candidate for one of the Bafang geared motors that's available super cheap right now:
https://www.batteryclearinghouse.com/products/26-bafang-dc36v-sturmey-archer-rx-rd3-electric-bike-wheel-with-tire-brake

You'd have to lace the motor to the right diameter rim, and source a controller, throttle, motor extension cable, and battery. It still works out very effectively and inexpensively. I've done four of these conversions so far, with three different wheel diameters and two different voltages.

 

[E Watt?]

Hi Chalo, thank you for your time and reply, a front hub motor would be ideal as i get to keep the gears and the weight would be more even but i want a small geared 750w + motor for the sleeper look plus speed but i cant find one, i dont want to pay for a large front ungeared hub when i already have a 1000w ungeared rear motor. You are right about the mid drive i think, if i change the gearing so its more usable then i fear the 8 speed hubs life maybe limited, plus i hardly ever pedal on my 1000w bike as i have a throttle, the bike came with a 8 speed hub with a drum brake with no lugs/mounts for v brakes and the eyelet is to high (80mm+ drop) to fit a normal side pull brake so a disc brake is my only option if i fit the rear hub motor.
So i think i have decided, mid drive with the 8 speed hub is risky plus £320+ without a battery is a lot for this beast.
Front hub yes, but cant find the right one.
So im going for the rear 1000w hub i have, with the disc brake and the torque bar it might look a bit messy but the chain guard will hide the motor a tad at least, i will lace the rim with 13g spokes and then will sell the hub on ebay, they go for around £100 ish which is nice as that's more then i paid for the bike .

Thank you again for your input and advice Sir.

Here is the motor/battery and stuff i will use i think.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/402568582305?hash=item5dbaf514a1:g:tu0AAOSwTahft5Eu

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/313316598015?hash=item48f31fe0ff:g:qiYAAOSwHeVfvpM1

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154367545665?_trkparms=aid%3D1110002%26algo%3DSPLICE.SOI%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20201210111451%26meid%3D087180356ee34e28ba3f6cfe7e214eaf%26pid%3D101196%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26mehot%3Dpf%26sd%3D152868563680%26itm%3D154367545665%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D0%26pg%3D2047675%26algv%3DPromotedSellersOtherItemsV2WithMLRv3&_trksid=p2047675.c101196.m2219

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264208426727?chn=ps&var=564528375722&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&itemid=564528375722_264208426727&targetid=1139674279347&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=1006907&poi=&campaignid=12125450102&mkgroupid=116380011106&rlsatarget=pla-1139674279347&abcId=9300480&merchantid=7213384&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrPnhoIbF8AIVVeJ3Ch1kgA25EAQYASABEgL_PfD_BwE


P.s this my ebay shop thing https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/jtur5411
the Dawes bike i will be selling soon i think.