Still cold and overcast so I decided to get a head start.
Weighed the Schwinn hybrid on a hanging scale with front rack, heavy Walmart pedals, fenders and water bottle cages at 31 pounds - not bad for a bike with a steel front fork.
I see that the rear Schwalbe Marathon tire is labeled as ebike rated, not that that matters. Front tire is a Specialized Armadillo with many miles on it but not showing any significant wear (lost the Armadillo on the back due to a nail that went thru the tread and out the sidewall a couple years ago).
OK, not to be contentious but as a reality check counterpoint to aggressively advanced opinions that a mid drive conversion is too complex or requires expensive special bike tools or a LBS to remove the crank assembly - without hurrying I removed the entire crank assembly with BB cartridge in less than 10 minutes, including looking for tools and spending some time giving attention to one of my dogs that came to investigate. The two bike specific tools to accomplish this task cost less than $15 combined. I'm not a mechanic but bikes like this one are extremely simple machines. I respect that some people aren't DIY types but IMO this is a novice DIY project for the right bike and someone with basic skills and confidence YMMV. It would be unfortunate if an able person with a compatible bike was deterred due to strong statements by naysayers. Unless I hit some unexpected snag I'm thinking that a complete installation will take less than an hour, easily. This is in line with installation time estimates by some sellers and some others who have done it.
Looking at the chainline maybe a dual front sprocket on the TSDZ2 might work but with a 42t chainring and 12-42 cassette I will probably start with the stock dished chainring and see how that goes before considering the dual sprocket setup.
EDIT:
bike weight is 28 pounds with the triple crank/cartridge/pedals removed.
DOUBLE EDIT:
almost 50 minutes for installation. I probably fiddled with the torque device for about 10 minutes of that to get it installed. I didn't use it on my Dahon Jack. Instead I let the motor rotate up to the down tube with dense foam pad between the motor and tube. I preferred the look of the motor rotated up like on the Dahon but went with the stock torque device instead.
I will still be clipping off the bullet battery connectors and replace with Anderson Powerpoles. And I have the chain off soaking in diesel and a couple other things not directly related to the TS installation. It isn't a race but I was somewhat slowed because I was working the driveway on a cold blustery day (snowed earlier today) and cold hands fumbled with the tools a bit. Anyway, for me time and difficulty of installation doesn't determine choice of hub vs TS mid drive, other considerations predominate by far. Looking forward to seeing how it performs later in the week when the weather improves.
ecocycles was temporarily out of the xh18 display so it was supplied with a C-3 which I'm told is an upgrade that provides 5 rather than 4 levels of assist and a more accurate battery gauge.