mid-drive torque-sensing FS options

[rtp]

Not that magical -- 2016 ND Sport stock -- though I exaggerated slightly. The best I've gotten is 37.8, but that was with some traffic and some a/c, and on Miata.net and other forums, there are credible reports of 40 MPG and even 41. Not bad for a car that gets 0-60 in 5.8 seconds. Mileage is VERY sensitive to a/c, traffic, and driving style... mileage can dip below 30 MPG in heavy traffic if it's over 90-100 degrees out. My last tank was fairly typical-- mostly highway but with several errands around town and spartan use of a/c, it gets 34 and change.

Should’ve guessed on that one. Nice MPG bump on the NDs, didn’t realize it although I took a 2016 used one out 3 different times for longer and longer test drives before deciding to wait on that, although my wife got her car there so they weren’t too put out.
I went into Miata withdrawals after a few years without one…since remedied. Will look to pick up a used ‘19 or ‘20 in a couple of years - they did a really nice job on the ND…even loved it in the white pearl and I don’t like white cars…

I have studied this problem extensively; most of the trannies that blew were both autocrossed and had mods, and were Club or Grand Touring. Very, very few stock 2016 Sports shredded their transmissions-- and believe me, the lovable nerds at Miata.net do have spreadsheets tracking them! The problems in later models, unfortunately, seem to be electronic-- one of many reasons I gravitated towards the bare-bones trim of the MX5 and CRX (which is an HF).

I’m familiar with miata.net..somehow for decades now, and I’m sure they do. Different people like different driving styles - auto cross is fun but insane time wise here - a full day for 3 ~1 minute run = nope. HPDE events, however…are a blast. Some tracks will run beginner events not requiring a roll bar - would recommend for anyone that likes to drive.
The single car out of 100+ I ever bought new…was a Miata, and it was forced induction before the OE tires started to wear, so definitely will check back into ND drivetrain strength once I’m ready, or put an NC transmission in it. It’s not a big deal for those content with the cars as is, but a fair amount of their popularity included the ability to modify them, with the original NA/NB motors deriving from the old 323 turbo engines, with the rest of the car including trans and rear end able to cope reliably with ~2x the OE horsepower…as well as the auto-x, HPDE, Spec Miata etc…so it’s still a shock to see a # of Miata transmissions blowing up due to auto-x use… Mazda also has the Mazda Motorsports program (believe its still around), so - yeah, just shocked, but I’m sure it has or will be addressed.

 

[Cstefan]

Love the fact there’s open source firmware for it, but also considering the reliability factor. Seems decent overall but not in current plan - I need this one to be reliable, and may consider something like this or Cyc Stealth in the future. Good callout and had done a fair amount of reading on the TSD unit, just not for this one..

I haven’t seen anything that would indicate the TSDZ2 is any more or less reliable than Bafang or even Bosch mid-drives. It seems like many of the stories of them failing were due to people pushing them past what they were designed for.

 

[rtp]

I haven’t seen anything that would indicate the TSDZ2 is any more or less reliable than Bafang or even Bosch mid-drives. It seems like many of the stories of them failing were due to people pushing them past what they were designed for.

Entirely possible. The good thing about the internet is anyone can post anything..somewhere. The bad thing about the internet...is anyone can post anything...somewhere, and those most likley are often those having problems.

Meanwhile, X2 received. I've got an issue in bluetooth controller connectivity but working to resolve, and otherwise very happy with the bike overall. Shakedown 20 mile ride was great. If someone's looking for something using throttle as primary driver, I'd get a Z1 over the X2, but even swapping back and forth with my wife's Bosch, and riding around on PAS 2 (of 9), I'm quite happy with it. The sensitivity to pressure applied on the pedals ramps up a bit quickly from a standstill (something I expect to be able to adjust over time - the firmware dev is pretty active), but once moving, comparable in feel to my wife's Bosch Active Line so far.

 

[Nomad]

Just a general comment, get a bike designed for mountain biking and just accept the limitations it has as a road bike. The fact that it’s an e bike will make up some of the drag and other negatives it has as a road bike.

More like it will make up for almost all the drag! Also it certainly not a drag to ride one if you get a good one.

 

[Tom@WashDC]

A few things- I'm 6'2/315/and 70 but in good health and ride daily. Into DIY big time, and have a similar lifetime experience on cycles of all types.

First, I've found there's no perfect bike for my purposes, which prioritizes good ride on mostly hard/paved surfaces. Instead of perfect, I've been looking to see how close I can get with a production bike, with the idea of fixing what I don't like about it. That in mind-

Using an aftermarket KT-22a controller and display, you CAN give a 500w-750w geared hub motor a fairly good poke of 1000w without hurting a thing. They get downright sporty on that kind of power. Noteworthy regarding the KT setup, their PAS system is very user definable, and uses a power based system where speed has nothing to do with what's going on, making it second to none PAS system in my experience. You just need to maintain some common sense regarding the use of that occasional 1000w "poke".

In that same light, I get what you're saying (big time) regarding pogo stick front forks. Those can be easily replaced by some inexpensive hyd. front forks (125.-150.).

Tires - Check out Schwalbe's Super Moto-X balloon tires. They can be run at fairly low pressure while maintaining outstanding rolling resistance. I've converted all of my city bikes to 27.5 x 2.4" and an Ultra powered ex fatty to 27.5 x 2.8". I've tried a bunch of tires in the last few years ($$$$), and these are the hands down winner - with nothing even close in my experience.....

Last, my latest project bike went on sale for about 500 less than what I paid for mine just recently. Think "solid bones", and yes the 27.5x 2.4" tires JUST fit!

Sport

FREE shipping on ebikes to the lower 48! 2-3 weeks delivery time Style, performance, and high-powered excitement. Does an aggressive riding style get you going? Then the Sport is for you. Its mountain bike inspired frame is perfect for your literally energized outing. Take those hills like...

www.espinbikes.com

I have 3 of these now, the 1 Sport and the wife's 2 Flows and all 3 have been prepared identically. -Al

A-Hicks - Took your advice and am waiting on a KT Controller and display for my wife's Aventon Level. I'll keep you posted.

 

[banshee28]

More like it will make up for almost all the drag! Also it certainly not a drag to ride one if you get a good one.

So I find myself also in this same dilemma: road vs mtb. I am ultimately looking for a good FS e-MTB, and so far something like the Luna Z1 ticks most of the boxes for me. However I also wanted a commuter bike for some light around town commuting, and was looking at models such as the Rize RX. Super nice, but do I really NEED 2, when I can prob use ONE with some small drawbacks on one side?? After all, the biggest difference between these two is simply the rear shock (FS).

So maybe for me getting the Z1, which is perfect for what I need, and being able to ride on the street occasionally with mostly everything I would need there (Except for road tires of course) and only paying for and storing a single bike!! Would this setup work fine for light commuting?

 

[JRA]

I would say yes.

 

[Nomad]

So I find myself also in this same dilemma: road vs mtb. I am ultimately looking for a good FS e-MTB, and so far something like the Luna Z1 ticks most of the boxes for me. However I also wanted a commuter bike for some light around town commuting, and was looking at models such as the Rize RX. Super nice, but do I really NEED 2, when I can prob use ONE with some small drawbacks on one side?? After all, the biggest difference between these two is simply the rear shock (FS).

So maybe for me getting the Z1, which is perfect for what I need, and being able to ride on the street occasionally with mostly everything I would need there (Except for road tires of course) and only paying for and storing a single bike!! Would this setup work fine for light commuting?

Check out some of the main stream pro bike brands and motors just my opinion.

 

[TrevorB]

So I find myself also in this same dilemma: road vs mtb. I am ultimately looking for a good FS e-MTB, and so far something like the Luna Z1 ticks most of the boxes for me. However I also wanted a commuter bike for some light around town commuting, and was looking at models such as the Rize RX. Super nice, but do I really NEED 2, when I can prob use ONE with some small drawbacks on one side?? After all, the biggest difference between these two is simply the rear shock (FS).

So maybe for me getting the Z1, which is perfect for what I need, and being able to ride on the street occasionally with mostly everything I would need there (Except for road tires of course) and only paying for and storing a single bike!! Would this setup work fine for light commuting?

I bought 2nd set of wheels and set them up with road tyres for commuting. Cheaper than 2 bikes. Use Jonny Watts for commuter tyres and you may find they work for some off your dry MTBing rides.

 

[AHicks]

I bought 2nd set of wheels and set them up with road tyres for commuting. Cheaper than 2 bikes. Use Jonny Watts for commuter tyres and you may find they work for some off your dry MTBing rides.

I agree that proper tires can make or break a dual purpose bike.

 

[Nomad]

I bought 2nd set of wheels and set them up with road tyres for commuting. Cheaper than 2 bikes. Use Jonny Watts for commuter tyres and you may find they work for some off your dry MTBing rides.

I swap to Ice spikerpros for the winter and ran nobby nicks the rest of the year. Works well for me

 

[rtp]

I bought 2nd set of wheels and set them up with road tyres for commuting. Cheaper than 2 bikes. Use Jonny Watts for commuter tyres and you may find they work for some off your dry MTBing rides.

Yeah, that's actually what I did as well - Johnny Watts turned tubeless on second set of wheels. I've still got the originals, and the JWs are a lot less knobby hum on pavement but are reasonable-ish on most non-crazy trails, probably the closest I've found so far to a 'dual sport' type of tire..

 

[banshee28]

Check out some of the main stream pro bike brands and motors just my opinion.

Yea so been down this road also. For me, I found I am not too interested in the typical 250W motors. I know its not only about Watts, but sometimes there will be a need for more power and with a Bafang, I think I will have plenty.
I also dont like the fact most of those mid's dont have throttle and for me I would prefer to have one. But yes I agree they are a very nice integrated setup, just pricey. They are prob the smoothest overall, but for what I need, I dont think I will notice the difference enough.

I bought 2nd set of wheels and set them up with road tyres for commuting. Cheaper than 2 bikes. Use Jonny Watts for commuter tyres and you may find they work for some off your dry MTBing rides.

Nice, I also thought of this at one point but was not sure if it would be worth it. Now that I am considering a mid-drive, this would be rather easy to swap out. I may JUST do something like this vs having 2 bikes, thanks!!!

I agree that proper tires can make or break a dual purpose bike.

Yep, thanks guys will continue down the "which eMTB is best for me" now and plan for a dedicated set of wheels and tires for the road. Yea!!

 

[AHicks]

Yep, thanks guys will continue down the "which eMTB is best for me" now and plan for a dedicated set of wheels and tires for the road. Yea!!

Not to poop on your parade, but unless you trip into a set of wheels and tires that will fit your bike, a second set, purchased bit by bit, is a pretty expensive proposition. In my case I had the wide (170mm) rear dropout, set up for 26x4" tires. To go to 27.5" tires, which usually have something like a 135mm width, I had to build a custom wheel with the correct width hub and rim width to run the tire size I wanted. That was just the rear, and it got expensive quickly!

 

[banshee28]

Not to poop on your parade, but unless you trip into a set of wheels and tires that will fit your bike, a second set, purchased bit by bit, is a pretty expensive proposition. In my case I had the wide (170mm) rear dropout, set up for 26x4" tires. To go to 27.5" tires, which usually have something like a 135mm width, I had to build a custom wheel with the correct width hub and rim width to run the tire size I wanted. That was just the rear, and it got expensive quickly!

All good, was kinda thinking they may be. I probably want to try to find a used set if possible. Prob looking at the Z1 so something to fit that. Anyways thanks for the advise so far!

 

[banshee28]

Use Jonny Watts for commuter tyres and you may find they work for some off your dry MTBing rides.

Yea reading up on these JW's now. I may do that first and see how they go before venturing into dedicated wheel sets.