Anybody recommend a Front Hub Motor for 27.5 Salsa Blackborow?

[Berserker26]

Hey all - going down the rabbithole with this a bit. Researching the Salsa Blackborow and converting to a Geared Front Hub Motor.

Doesn't have to be a 50kph monster, just something that would help get it moving up to maybe 25-30kph.

Can't seem to find anything that fits the 27.5 rim (tyre is a 3.8) that is a geared front motor. Anybody got any recommendations? What sort of rim width do I need for this tyre?

 

[TimJohn]

That looks like an off road bike and maybe you should consider a rear mounted motor. Better weight distribution at the rear of the bike for traction. I would suggest going to Ebike.ca and looking around and maybe even contacting them with their recommendations. It maybe not the best because you are in Australia but there is a wealth of information on their site.

They designed their very own MAC motor for rear mounted motor ... l use a G311 Bafang geared front hub that was easy to install and it comes in different windings...standard, fast and very fast. Its just the rpm output that changes with the type of winding they installed. Lots of choices.

 

[Berserker26]

That looks like an off road bike and maybe you should consider a rear mounted motor. Better weight distribution at the rear of the bike for traction. I would suggest going to Ebike.ca and looking around and maybe even contacting them with their recommendations. It maybe not the best because you are in Australia but there is a wealth of information on their site.

They designed their very own MAC motor for rear mounted motor ... l use a G311 Bafang geared front hub that was easy to install and it comes in different windings...standard, fast and very fast. Its just the rpm output that changes with the type of winding they installed. Lots of choices.

Many thanks TimJohn, I have emailed them now for advice!

 

[JRA]

The problem with hub motors is that I only know of one of them and that is the AnyAxle by Grin, that come in 32h drilling which is what the majority of the tubeless ready rims manufactured today are. This can be an issue as the selection of wider rims, especially in 36h drilling, are few and far between. The AA is a 100m spaced front hub direct drive motor however and I am not sure if the Blackborrow is 135 or 150 up front but either way you would need a rear type motor.

For a 3.8 tire you would need a minimum of an interior width of 40mm, maximum of 60mm. Most manufacturers list their outer width and that can be confusing.

 

[Dmitri]

I own the Blackborow, though I have not made it electric. The front fork is carbon, so I would not use it for a hub motor. Rear hub motor is very difficult too because the Blackborow rear is 12/197 thru axle, not QR.

A mid-drive like BBSHD is also not a great idea because the way the tubes are bent. I've been thinking of putting a Cyclone in the space between the seat tube and the rear wheel, that is probably the most viable strategy one can come up with. That said, Cyclone is really fugly in my opinion.