Bosch Performance Line versus Bafang Max Drive motor

[trex]

I have been zeroing in on getting a BULLS SIX50 E2 Street bike which uses the Bosch performance line motor. One concern I have is the weight as I take the bike on mass transit and you have to lift it up onto a hook and this bike I believe is 55 pounds (based on EBR review and my test ride)

Another bike that I am interested is the FLK roadster which claims to weigh 46 pounds and uses the Bafang Max Drive.

Im trying to understand how these two motors compare from real rider experience and not comparing their specs. Court reviewed the Bulls bike and Brent reviewed the FLX. said: "Its not weak, ... it gives you enough power to get up modest hills". This statement seems to be in context of the Blade. And I have read one other motor review that wasn't impressed with the Max drive.

Court/Brent or anyone that has tried these two bikes: Are you able to give me your feeling about how these two motors compare from actual riding.

Thanks,

Rex

 

[rich c]

1 option to reduce lifting weight is to put the battery in a back pack. That's almost 6 pounds off the weight of the Bulls bike. I'd feel better about the security of the battery with this as well.

 

[trex]

Hi Rich. I am considering that. I just don't love the idea of the wear and tear on the latch of doing this 4 times per day (train trip to work and train trip from work). Thanks for bringing this up and it is a good idea.

 

[rich c]

Bicycle curls, twice a day, is going to build some muscle, LOL. I have two Haibikes with the Bosch system. I take the battery off to charge it. Just my personal preference, but I sure don't see any wear. Over 2,000 miles of each bike. I don't snap the battery in, I keep the strike open with the key, slide on the battery, then lock with the twist of the key. I have a strong preference for the Bosch system. The only Bafang experience I have is with a geared hub motor. It's out of commission with 1,700 miles on it. Sent it to a repair guy for Sondors, he resoldered some cold joints, and it failed again after 10 miles.

 

[John from Connecticut]

Bicycle curls, twice a day, is going to build some muscle, LOL. I have two Haibikes with the Bosch system. I take the battery off to charge it. Just my personal preference, but I sure don't see any wear. Over 2,000 miles of each bike. I don't snap the battery in, I keep the strike open with the key, slide on the battery, then lock with the twist of the key. I have a strong preference for the Bosch system. The only Bafang experience I have is with a geared hub motor. It's out of commission with 1,700 miles on it. Sent it to a repair guy for Sondors, he resoldered some cold joints, and it failed again after 10 miles.

Bosch Power Systems is my personal choice well...very smooth, powerful, quality. I have two Treks bikes with 2700 combined miles and zero
problems. I remove my batteries as well to charge, with apparent wear.

 

[trex]

Bicycle curls, twice a day, is going to build some muscle, LOL. I have two Haibikes with the Bosch system. I take the battery off to charge it. Just my personal preference, but I sure don't see any wear. Over 2,000 miles of each bike. I don't snap the battery in, I keep the strike open with the key, slide on the battery, then lock with the twist of the key. I have a strong preference for the Bosch system. The only Bafang experience I have is with a geared hub motor. It's out of commission with 1,700 miles on it. Sent it to a repair guy for Sondors, he resoldered some cold joints, and it failed again after 10 miles.

Rich: Good information about the robustness of the lock and Bafang. Thanks, Rex

 

[trex]

Bosch Power Systems is my personal choice well...very smooth, powerful, quality. I have two Treks bikes with 2700 combined miles and zero
problems. I remove my batteries as well to charge, with apparent wear.

John : Thanks very much for your experience with Bosch. My son also chimed in and pointed out that you can use your knees to manage hefting your bike onto the hooks. I tried this today and it helps.

JayVee: I dont have sttep grades. I would say there are some 3-4% grades. Thanks for your experience with the steep grades. Just out of curiosity, what do you recommend for those steep grades?

 

[Trail Cruiser]

John : Thanks very much for your experience with Bosch. My son also chimed in and pointed out that you can use your knees to manage hefting your bike onto the hooks. I tried this today and it helps.

JayVee: I dont have sttep grades. I would say there are some 3-4% grades. Thanks for your experience with the steep grades. Just out of curiosity, what do you recommend for those steep grades?

The BULLS SIX50 E2 Street has 15 tooth count at the chain ring. That is already in the range for serious mountain biking, so you should be fine even on steep hills.

https://electricbikereview.com/bulls/six50-e2-street/

It has the same range as the Fuji Ambient 27.5+ 1.3

https://electricbikereview.com/fuji/ambient-27-5-plus-1-3/

 

[trex]

You’ll be fine with the Bosch Performance Speed then. It excels on rolling hills with a moderate grade.

For steeper grades, the Bosch CX, Yamaha PW, Shimano MTB drives, as well as the Max all do better. I like the CX personally. It’s very harmonious and has plenty of grunt no matter what your cadence is. Unfortunately in the EU it’s limited to 25km/h.

Thanks a lot JayVee

 

[Rakku]

You’ll be fine with the Bosch Performance Speed then. It excels on rolling hills with a moderate grade.

For steeper grades, the Bosch CX, Yamaha PW, Shimano MTB drives, as well as the Max all do better. I like the CX personally. It’s very harmonious and has plenty of grunt no matter what your cadence is. Unfortunately in the EU it’s limited to 25km/h.

Fortunaly though, we have some ways to bypass that limit in europe, lol.
Not legally but at least able to lift that limit with a few extra bucks.