For my 80th birthday I bought a new Pinarello Dyodo. As a newcomer to ebikes I was surprised to learn that when I engage the electrical assist, even at the lowest level of assistance, I can hear a distinct but low level hum emanating from the motor. Since the bike is brand new I assume it cant be from wear to the motor and, since no review I've read mentioned that ebikes can be noisy, I'm surprised at this. Is this a Pinarello problem or is it common to other ebikes as well?
Noisy motor?
- Thread starter Norris
- Start date
rich c
Well-Known Member
Every electric motor makes a sound. From the one in your furnace to the one on your bike. I have no idea what the drivetrain is on your bike, but absolutely none of them are silent. The only silent ones ever invented where the tiny ones used for mechanical doping in road racing.
TMH
Well-Known Member
And definitely some brands of motors make more noise than other brands, and some different motors within the same brand are noisier than others within that brand.
Your bike seems to have an Ebikemotion X35 motor. It has internal gears (see somewhat exploded view below). I don't know what the gears are made of, but if they are metal (for durability) they are going to make some noise. Probably the quietest e-bike motors are the Brose mid-drives since they use a belt between the drive gears, or a gearless hub motor (although these still make an electrical whine).
Sometimes the motor noise is amplified somewhat through the bike's frame. I'm not an engineer, but we want pretty stiff frames and it seems to me that the stiffer the frame, the higher the potential for noise amplification. I don't know whether your Pinarello has louder, quieter or equivalent frame noise amplification as compared with other similar road e-bikes.
You might check with your dealer to find out whether this noise is normal, or an issue with the drive system (it can happen). Otherwise it might just be that your expectations might have been incorrect. Most bike reviews will mention if the motor is unusually loud (in the reviewer's opinion), but it seems less often that they comment on an e-bike which is 'unusually quiet'. Most of us expect some level of noise from the motor in our e-bike from our e-bike experience - it is the nature of the beast. This sounds like it might be your first e-bike, so you may have had inappropriate expectations.
Your bike seems to have an Ebikemotion X35 motor. It has internal gears (see somewhat exploded view below). I don't know what the gears are made of, but if they are metal (for durability) they are going to make some noise. Probably the quietest e-bike motors are the Brose mid-drives since they use a belt between the drive gears, or a gearless hub motor (although these still make an electrical whine).
Sometimes the motor noise is amplified somewhat through the bike's frame. I'm not an engineer, but we want pretty stiff frames and it seems to me that the stiffer the frame, the higher the potential for noise amplification. I don't know whether your Pinarello has louder, quieter or equivalent frame noise amplification as compared with other similar road e-bikes.
You might check with your dealer to find out whether this noise is normal, or an issue with the drive system (it can happen). Otherwise it might just be that your expectations might have been incorrect. Most bike reviews will mention if the motor is unusually loud (in the reviewer's opinion), but it seems less often that they comment on an e-bike which is 'unusually quiet'. Most of us expect some level of noise from the motor in our e-bike from our e-bike experience - it is the nature of the beast. This sounds like it might be your first e-bike, so you may have had inappropriate expectations.
This is a geared motor. They are louder than Direct-Drive motors, but DD are heavier, bigger and have a "drag" - resistance to pedaling when not powered.
Low and medium-wattage DD (say, up to 500W) have their place in cruising and commuting where there are no major hills.
Low and medium-wattage DD (say, up to 500W) have their place in cruising and commuting where there are no major hills.
AHicks
Well-Known Member
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I have a gear driven motor as well, and I can hear it no doubt, but it's nothing I find objectionable. It's a very muted noise. Not like the sound of an aggressive tire tread on pavement for instance, or a rattle.... I doubt anyone over 10' from the bike can hear it.
Noise is pretty subjective though. What I'm fine with, others may not care for at all. That said, I've had both direct drive (not always as quiet as some make them out to be) and gear drive, and I don't hear an awful lot of difference between them. The wife's bike is a direct drive and it's no quieter than mine when riding side by side.
Noise is pretty subjective though. What I'm fine with, others may not care for at all. That said, I've had both direct drive (not always as quiet as some make them out to be) and gear drive, and I don't hear an awful lot of difference between them. The wife's bike is a direct drive and it's no quieter than mine when riding side by side.
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