Front hub system for hill assist

[LSaupe]

Happy 4th all. New to this forum and looking to upgrade my wifes 24V 250W Hilltoppper (from Clean Republic) from hub system to something at least 500W and 48V.

I was initially interested in the Bafang system, but initial indications are that they are not well suited for climbing?

I see the new Hilltopper systems are also using Bafang components (in this case the 750W system). The review seem to indicate hills not an issue.

Maybe the 750 is a better fit for hills than the 500? I know the 250 (we currently use) did great actually.

Any other manufactures to consider in this regard (front hub system with hill climbing capability)?

Maybe eZee?

 

[JRA]

If you want to save yourself some money just get a new controller and a 48v battery and hook it up to the existing motor. I recommend visiting ebikes.ca for what you need.

So many are against the idea of front hub motors in general and most specifically because they think they won't climb hills. I have many miles on front hub bikes and much elevation gain and it has not been my experience. The exception would be if you are climbing long steep grades trying for a fast pace. I find that I can climb just about any paved/gravel climb at about 350-400w doubling what I would expect to do without assist. I do however put in a decent effort in the proper gear ratio at all times. Much the same as I do with my mid drive system bikes other wise it doesn't work that well climbing hills.....

 

[Al P]

My front hub drive climbs hills very well on hard surfaces, but on dirt or gravel it’s a different story because there is a lot of tire slippage.

 

[Sierratim]

I've found the online motor simulator at Grin Technologies to be a useful tool to compare motor performance; https://www.ebikes.ca/tools/simulator.html . While they haven't modeled every available motor, a wide selection covers many combinations of power, torque, voltage, etc. Battery capacity and controller characteristics can also be selected. With rider weight, rider power, and grade slope the simulator will even model speed up just about any slope you're likely to encounter.

I used this tool to help select the hub motor for our first DIY ebike conversions. I was pleased that the motor/battery/controller combination I selected performanced substantially as the simulator had predicted.

 

[LSaupe]

All great feedback guys. Many thanks.

 

[JRA]

My front hub drive climbs hills very well on hard surfaces, but on dirt or gravel it’s a different story because there is a lot of tire slippage.

That hasn't been my experience other than a slight slip that occurs at the top and bottom of the pedal stroke, when I have the least amount of input into the cranks. I have climbed some seriously steep loose terrain and find that body positioning and human in put in the proper gear does the trick.

 

[Sierratim]

Our first DIY ebike conversions were aslo front hub motors with the battery mounted on the rear rack. I liked the idea of balancing weight front to back and having 2WD on gravel surfaces. The battery did make a 'top heavy' bike, but they got great traction, kost of the time. I could spin gravel at both tires at the same time if I cranked too hard and used too much throttle at the same time!