Better engineered? I think they are better engineered and more sophisticated. But it doesn't mean they are better for every situation. If you are looking for an e-bike just for cruising and don't need to do lots of hill climbing then you don't need features that comes with mid-drive motors. A hub motor will even outperform a mid-drive motor.
Outperform in what sense?
Are we talking Brose, Yamaha, Bosch, Shimano, Mahle or the Chinese cr*p?
www.ebikes.ca
I found Grin's calculator to be an invaluable tool in selecting the hub motor for my DIY ebike conversion. The ebike climbed our local steep hills just as the simulator predicted, using just about the same amount of power. I, too, would recommend this to anyone that wants to make 'apples to apples' comparisons between motors.If you are serious about talking torque, I think it might be in your best interest to play with Grin's spreadsheet long enough where you can get some commonly accepted data to base future decisions on (without wading through uninformed opinions or agendas - just the facts). Find your motor, plug it in, and see what comes of it. Then compare it to whatever you want, including direct drive, geared drive, and mid!
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...
Are we talking Brose, Yamaha, Bosch, Shimano, Mahle or the Chinese cr*p?
P.S. As soon as I hear "Bafang", I open the fire!
Nope. Bosch is very weak, and it's interesting how many come in looking for Aventon Pace 350 and 500's after they've tried the more expensive Treks with Bosch on them. And they love the throttle, and no complaints about how it activated. Mostly they are just thrilled to have a throttle. And most don't mind the cadence sensing response, and those who do, aren't willing to drop another $ 1000 to get the smoother response from a much weaker motor. As always there are trade offs, and pros and cons on everything. They frequently cite the added power from The Aventon motors as most important to them. Although I have witnessed a few 70 and 80 something's prefer the Bosch and perfectly happy with slower speeds and staying on mostly flat terrain. We are also pretty flat here in Illinois.
Wow that's a lot more dough than the Aventon, eh ? . Hope you really enjoy it ! Definitely an upgrade over an Aventon. Over time I anticipate many first time ebike buyers/ riders will refine their tastes and graduate to more expensive ebikes like the Como's or Vados or Yamahas etc. They will likely find too, they didn't use or need the throttle all that much, and maybe even prefer the experience of torque sensing, and be willing like you to shell out more dough for it.
Where was this location? I want to do it!
the bosch has far more torque then then either aventon. it just sounds like people want a throttle and no really plan on riding the e bike like a bike. the quality evel between the two is night and day.
I think those bikes that use Bosch will be expected to be more refined and upscale since people pay so much for the motors! You can get away with cheaper components on a 28 mph ebike with a hub motor that has a throttle because the emphasis is the throttle and not the mechanics of user pedaling experience. Weight, rider's input, and maneuverability takes a back seat to ease of use and speed limit! As an example, the emphasis may be on providing a cushioned ride versus getting the best tires that will dictated how well a bike handles on curves, or its traction on gravel and wet surfaces!
exactly. the lowewr end bikes are geared towards causal riders. who knows if they will even keep riding them. I bet within a year there will be a ton of used bikes for sale.
