Mid drives vs Hub drives ???

[Captain Slow]

You mean you don't! I've worked with dozens of customers that do, and the least resistance is important to them. Especially popular with former lycra riders turned old farts that want a cushion to get them home. I'd say it's in the top ten customer service questions.

I am similar to your customers. I will pedal with the power off or at low levels. Yesterday I kept dropping my ride companions despite barely using the motor. I wanted the whole ride to see what Smart control would do, but if not for that I would have turned off my motor because even with it off I was riding faster than my group that day.

 

[EMGX]

You mean you don't! I've worked with dozens of customers that do, and the least resistance is important to them. Especially popular with former lycra riders turned old farts that want a cushion to get them home. I'd say it's in the top ten customer service questions.

I agree, I try to mostly ride without assist but use it a lot on hills where I want or really need it. A couple days ago I unexpectedly ran out of battery in very hilly terrain and barely made it back home with much suffering. On a heavier bike I would have called my wife to come get me. The stock weight on my BH Gravel X is 40# which is about as light as a mid drive with an aluminum frame and a comparable battery gets. I wouldn't want anything heavier, it would take the fun out of biking for me. Additionally I changed the chainrings from 48/36 to 44/32 (smallest that will fit on the spider) and the cassette from 11-28 to 11-34 (largest that will work with the derailleur), it makes quite a bit of difference and having a double chainring is a big advantage to me.

 

[tomjasz]

I agree, I try to mostly ride without assist but use it a lot on hills where I want or really need it. A couple days ago I unexpectedly ran out of battery in very hilly terrain and barely made it back home with much suffering. On a heavier bike I would have called my wife to come get me. The stock weight on my BH Gravel X is 40# which is about as light as a mid drive with an aluminum frame and a comparable battery gets. I wouldn't want anything heavier, it would take the fun out of biking for me. Additionally I changed the chainrings from 48/36 to 44/32 (smallest that will fit on the spider) and the cassette from 11-28 to 11-34 (largest that will work with the derailleur), it makes quite a bit of difference and having a double chainring is a big advantage to me.

A kit build? Which motor?

 

[EMGX]

A kit build? Which motor?

Not a kit, a BH/easy motion Rebel Gravel X with a Yamaha PW-SE mid drive. It was an impulse buy on Ebay for less than 1/2 MSRP ($1,500 including shipping). I like it a lot but there are compromises vs a regular pedal bike, mostly the weight. I was going to take it for a few days on a 174 mile route in eastern Oregon that has some long and steep climbs but after the last ride where the battery went flat in steep hills a couple miles from home I'm going to take a regular, much lighter, pedal bike instead. 3 bars (30%) showed on the display near the end of a 32 mile ride (I started with 73% charge) but when I hit some really steep stuff it quickly went down to flashing 1 bar which was 9% so I turned the assist off for the rest of the way.

 

[pmcdonald]

I'm sorry, I see that you have a yamaha. So I guess they made it to have two chain rings? I know as far as kits go I've read that you have only one chain ring.

Yes, multiple chain rings are pretty common pairings with Yamaha & SyncDrive motors. They've been a huge help for me a few times on rides with non-motorised friends.

There was a lengthy chain ring debate here: https://electricbikereview.com/foru...-bike-to-have-more-than-one-chain-ring.33180/

 

[lsnz]

"A lot of buyers interested in ebikes don't seem to be avid cyclists..." That's me, although I was commuting on my old mountain bike for several years before buying an ebike. The only problems I ever had were with my derailleur and rear sprocket. I bought a mid-drive ebike (Bosch performance line) because I could get a hub gear, which I thought would lead to less maintenance. I've just gone over 5000 miles with no problems so it's worked out so far. But - was my reasoning bad?

 

[Hubrex]

There are a couple of things going on here and I think it is easier to split them out.

Probably the biggest advantage to a mid-drive over a hub drive is that you will have superior hill-climbing ability. A smaller but still noticeable advantage for many riders is that you can get slightly more range, sometimes dramatically so if the route you are riding is at all hilly.

Mid-drive bikes have been under furious evolution the last several years. Upgraded component sets (which can better handle the higher torque from a motor) and frame designs specific to mid-drives have greatly improved the durability and reliability of mid-drives. So one reason there are lots of discounted mid-drive e-bikes is because they are like last year's iPhone.

Finally, as I've said multiple times, motor wattage figures are Not To Be Trusted. The manufacturers are all lying, and they are lying for different reasons and in different directions so it is impossible to make meaningful comparisons based only on wattage.

Both hub-drive and mid-drive bikes are useful. If I lived in Florida or Nebraska it would be a no-brainer to ride a hub drive. But I live in the mountains so I want a mid-drive.

Really appreciate the info here and found ur comment to be especially helpful. My issue: was live in Florida however the only town with hills. I’m between a ride1 top model or motobecane mid drive that comes out September and am really torn which way to go. Not a long commute but several big hills and my main concern is reliability and value for my money. Not sure if you have thoughts or other options you would think could be a good option?

 

[FlatSix911]

Really appreciate the info here and found ur comment to be especially helpful. My issue: was live in Florida however the only town with hills.
I’m between a ride1 top model or Motobecane mid-drive that comes out September and am really torn which way to go.
Not a long commute but several big hills and my main concern is reliability and value for my money.
Not sure if you have thoughts or other options you would think could be a good option?

Welcome to EBR. I would recommend the mid-drive for climbing hills... which model MB are you looking at?

 

[Mr. Coffee]

.... My issue: was live in Florida however the only town with hills. I’m between a ride1 top model or motobecane mid drive that comes out September and am really torn which way to go. Not a long commute but several big hills and my main concern is reliability and value for my money. Not sure if you have thoughts or other options you would think could be a good option?

One of the problems is that what a "big hill" is is 100 percent subjective.

I recommend using Google Maps to evaluate your routes. You can choose the "bicycle" icon and directions and let it find routes and look at the elevation profile.

If most of the routes you ride, or the routes you will ride most frequently, show more than about 1000 feet of elevation gain over ten miles, or any continuous hills that climb more than about 300 feet, you probably want to consider a mid-drive.

That is just a rule of thumb and kind of arbitrary, but I'd consider it as a starting point.

 

[Manu]

if that hill is your home you have no choice but a mid-drive and with an 11-40 cassette or more depending on the gradient.

 

[Hubrex]

Welcome to EBR. I would recommend the mid-drive for climbing hills... which model MB are you looking at?

 

[rich c]

Really appreciate the info here and found ur comment to be especially helpful. My issue: was live in Florida however the only town with hills. I’m between a ride1 top model or motobecane mid drive that comes out September and am really torn which way to go. Not a long commute but several big hills and my main concern is reliability and value for my money. Not sure if you have thoughts or other options you would think could be a good option?

I thought the only hills in Florida were the interstate overpasses.

 

[Hubrex]

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[Hubrex]

I thought the only hills in Florida were the interstate overpasses.

Lol yeah I mean “hills” enough elevation that I am awfully sweaty when it’s 100 degrees out.

 

[FlatSix911]

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I like the Shimano mid-drive and integrated battery on the Elite Team ... the only downside is waiting 2 months for delivery in September.

If you can live with a frame-mounted battery (the same Shimano mid-drive) on the regular Elite then you can get delivery this month.

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[Hubrex]

Yeah I am not in a rush and prefer the integrated battery but will defer to the experts. But your opinion mid drive over the ride1up? I saw so much good feedback on the ride1up bikes and am super new to the community. Also afraid I spend 2k and the newest technology comes out the following month.

 

[FlatSix911]

The Ride1up is a nice bike, but I would wait for the Shimano mid-drive if it were me...

BTW, the Ride1up now appears to be back-ordered to the end of August.

 

[tomjasz]

If you have a favorite bike consider a kit.

 

[Hubrex]

If you have a favorite bike consider a kit.

I had thought of that; and thank you for the idea but am intimidated with the instillation and don’t have the money to screw it up

 

[Browneye]

The Ride1up is a nice bike, but I would wait for the Shimano mid-drive if it were me...

BTW, the Ride1up now appears to be back-ordered to the end of August.

^^This. After riding all the various bikes I would take a Shimano steps over any hub-drive bike. Period. It's a very nice assist system. My first mountain bike experience was with the Shimano drive and it was excellent - more like my Giant bikes than different.

A mid-drive uses your cassette gearing to best utilize the power/torque output. IMO it's a much superior configuration, although the hub-drive bikes outsell them. I think primarily that is due to initial cost/purchase price. Hub bikes tend to be the cheaper alternative, for a lot of various reasons, mainly because they make a bazillion of them in China.

Just choose a good dealer that can support you after sale. It can be the difference between joy and frustration in the overall ownership experience. And be sure to test-ride them all, so you know one from another, the differences, and your preferences. At least similar or like-for-like bike types.