Best hub motor ebike that’s not a Stromer

[Marrduk24]

Hey guys

After having driven probably 30+ electric bikes from many many manufacturers I have come to a conclusion (let’s call it personal conclusions so that I don’t stir the pot) that both hub drive and mid-drive motors have their place and each is a better fit for certain use cases.

Given the use case I have, I feel a hub motor is a better fit for me.

On one end of the spectrum you have bikes from Aventon, Juiced, Ride1up and on other end you have Stormer (loved ST3). I was wondering if there is something in between. Love what @Ravi Kempaiah is doing at Zen Bikes. But Shakti won’t be available until year end. So was wondering if there is any bike meanwhile that meets the following criteria
1. Good hub drive motor with > 40 nm torque
2. Shimano Deore + drivetrain
3. Good to great front suspension
4. < 65 lb ideally
5. < $3000

Thanks a lot.

 

[AHicks]

I like the Bafang motors, and personally, also like a lot of power. It cost nothing when not being used, and it's great to have it on tap if/when you do.

My vote- RipCurrent S or CrossCurrent X

 

[indianajo]

The surface rook has 45 nm, 9 speed shimano or sram rear sprocket cluster, front suspension. $2300 with 14 ah battery, 20 ah available. electricbikereview.com/surface-604/rook/ Has a throttle, may be confiscated in NYC. Could be unplugged & removed I suppose.

 

[m@Robertson]

If I were to buy a hub bike rather than building one, it would be a Sondors MXS. Hands down. I do like the fact that Juiced uses 52v, but a true 750w motor, a 25a controller, a 17.5ah battery, decent hydro brakes, 3.0" Maxxis shoes, a post-tarriff-markup price of $1799 and in-stock ships-now? That and the tidy triangle that hides all wiring sins.

I love the bike. If I were to pick nits I'd change out the drivetrain but - being a hub - who cares since the drivetrain is just for me and doesn't help the motor?

SONDORS MXS Review | ElectricBikeReview.com

Price: $1699.00 | Model Year: 2020 | The MXS is a bold and powerful mountain bike spin on the classic SONDORS design, standing out from the crowd with bright colors and the iconic triangle battery compartment, available online-only in North America and covered by a one-year comprehensive warranty

electricbikereview.com

 

[Marrduk24]

If I were to buy a hub bike rather than building one, it would be a Sondors MXS. Hands down. I do like the fact that Juiced uses 52v, but a true 750w motor, a 25a controller, a 17.5ah battery, decent hydro brakes, 3.0" Maxxis shoes, a post-tarriff-markup price of $1799 and in-stock ships-now? That and the tidy triangle that hides all wiring sins.

I love the bike. If I were to pick nits I'd change out the drivetrain but - being a hub - who cares since the drivetrain is just for me and doesn't help the motor?

SONDORS MXS Review | ElectricBikeReview.com

Price: $1699.00 | Model Year: 2020 | The MXS is a bold and powerful mountain bike spin on the classic SONDORS design, standing out from the crowd with bright colors and the iconic triangle battery compartment, available online-only in North America and covered by a one-year comprehensive warranty

electricbikereview.com

I should have mentioned that Class 3 is a must. Seems Sondors is capped out at 20 mph.

 

[m@Robertson]

I should have mentioned that Class 3 is a must. Seems Sondors is capped out at 20 mph.

No it isn't. In the box is a set of instructions on how to change it to a Class 3. They even have a sticker for you to dutifully put on the bike I googled "Sondors MXS Class 3" and got this link. This is the factory instruction video.

If you forget to remove the throttle the bike will still work just fine with it despite what the sticker says.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=251805662722990

 

[GenXrider]

You will have to spend a lot more for a great front suspension. For most use, the need for a great suspension is over-rated. Of course, you can always add your own for some extra $$.

 

[Quick514Biker]

Hey guys

After having driven probably 30+ electric bikes from many many manufacturers I have come to a conclusion (let’s call it personal conclusions so that I don’t stir the pot) that both hub drive and mid-drive motors have their place and each is a better fit for certain use cases.

Given the use case I have, I feel a hub motor is a better fit for me.

On one end of the spectrum you have bikes from Aventon, Juiced, Ride1up and on other end you have Stormer (loved ST3). I was wondering if there is something in between. Love what @Ravi Kempaiah is doing at Zen Bikes. But Shakti won’t be available until year end. So was wondering if there is any bike meanwhile that meets the following criteria
1. Good hub drive motor with > 40 nm torque
2. Shimano Deore + drivetrain
3. Good to great front suspension
4. < 65 lb ideally
5. < $3000

Thanks a lot.

Still no news on the hub geared motor that will be used in the upcoming Zen Shakti bike. To my knowledge, it hasn't been made public yet.

 

[wabaseballfamily]

Still no news on the hub geared motor that will be used in the upcoming Zen Shakti bike. To my knowledge, it hasn't been made public yet.

That's the bike I'm waiting on.

 

[Johnny]

Still no news on the hub geared motor that will be used in the upcoming Zen Shakti bike. To my knowledge, it hasn't been made public yet.

I believe Ravi is going to use a high quality hub motor from Dapu, it also seems to have a through axle quick release design.

Honestly, when it comes out I am expecting it to be the best commuter on the market for the money.

 

[Marrduk24]

You will have to spend a lot more for a great front suspension. For most use, the need for a great suspension is over-rated. Of course, you can always add your own for some extra $$.

even if I want to spend more money, I haven’t come across an option. There are a few more options in the EU market (Eg Klever).

I like the thoughtfulness of Zen Shakti a lot but In best case scenario that bike will be available later this year.
Meanwhile Juiced CC and Ride1up lmtd seem to be the best options. Need to look into Sondors (don’t want tires > 2.5”) and Surface. But again I wouldn’t call any of these brands as high quality brands with good customer service.

 

[Ebiker01]

Love what @Ravi Kempaiah is doing at Zen Bikes. But Shakti won’t be available until year end. So was wondering if there is any bike meanwhile that meets the following criteria
1. Good hub drive motor with > 40 nm torque
2. Shimano Deore + drivetrain
3. Good to great front suspension
4. < 65 lb ideally
5. < $3000

There was the Great Masterpiece from Bh, the EVO Nitro City , but not any longer... 2018/2019 models .

Specs: 80nm, 32mph top speed, Dapu 860watts peak motor ,Shimano Deore XT, 55lbs, thru axle, 605wh , throttle up to 14mph limit, 4k only.
I am soo thankful that at that time i didn't get the Stromer as that was in vogue . I would gladly pay 6k for another Nitro used or not . Unobtainable.

Mine has almost 13k miles, just regular maintenance and i had changed the axle ends for the hub motor and the rear dropouts ends b/c were stripped. Simple to do , b/c they are both removable. That is some Nasa engineering.

You best bet is to wait for Ravi to get the Zen out. They will be fairly close to what BH had done.

 

[Ebiker01]

A mild toothache(4/10 pain) is keeping me awake so i divert naturally 2 Ebr
Forgot this one , Galiano from Canada is the best and most powerful right now. Good parts too.

Hilleater Galiano Phaserunner SE 52V

best value electric assist bicycles canada, speed pedelec canada, ebike, e-bike, Cirkit bike, Juiced bikes, hilleater e-bikes, e-bike vancouver, e-bike victoria,e-bike toronto, e-bike Montreal, e-bike Edmonton, e-bike Calgary, e-bike Winnipeg

hilleater.ca

 

[opimax]

Tried to buy this , wont ship o USA

 

[Marrduk24]

G

Tried to buy this , wont ship o USAt

That’s a bummer. I just sent an email to them asking about stock.

 

[Deacon Blues]

Since I live about an hour's drive from Hilleaters I went for a test ride before Covid hit.
The quality of the bike was just so-so, but the motor had tons of power. It really did flatten the hills, but I didn't think much of the torque sensor.
Considering what the components from Grin cost the price of the bike was decent.
If I hadn't gone with a Watt Wagons Helios I probably would have bought one.

 

[Ebiker01]

Tried to buy this , wont ship o USA

I emailed them also and ask them why.
I think it's because of the battery , it can't go on the airplane so maybe we need to find a person of contact in Canada to help us buy these ebikes from there.

 

[opimax]

Shipping was over 800 for him, and paper work

 

[Hintrod]

Wonder if they would sell without battery and if battery is a standard item, it could be picked up anywhere…Should solve and discount shipping

 

[Marrduk24]

Wonder if Bixtrix Swift with hub drive motor should be on this list too.