Hub vs. Mid Drive Motors: Why Hub Motors Suck and Debunking Common Myths with performance test

I am not anti- hub drive :) It's just not for me. the only time I would consider a hub would be if it had at least 3,000w but even then the unsprung weight in the back and the pain in the ass of changing a flat in the rear would probably make me change my mind again :) But that is just my opinion and everyone's preferences are different. My background is in motorcycles and dirtbikes, so I tend to like higher powered machines.

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Yes a 3,000 watt hub motor will perform the same if not better than a 750w mid drive. But that is no longer even close to legal. I am trying to make an apples to apples comparison. 😁

The point of this video was to show the difference in HOW the power is used and the importance of utilizing gears.

True. Mid drives are not for all. They are slightly more advanced and require more of a learning curve, but not much. Some people do not prefer to change gears, and that is fine. Personally I like to ride the bike like a traditional bike and find mid drives, when dialed down, offer me a more natural riding experience.

The intent was not to shame anyone who rides hub motors. There are good hub motors out there, you just need to pay a premium for them and at that point I would recommend a mid drive.

Hope this helps and feel free to challenge my views, just keep it civil✌️

Let me clarify a few points i made:
Hub motors don't inherently work spokes loose, however there are so many crappily made hub motors that do not have Quality Control over them and spokes are either not tensioned correctly on them or the wrong spokes are used or a poor lacing pattern is used etc. Sometimes all 3 on one wheel. Buying a higher priced/quality hub motor would presumably fix these issues.

Electric cars don’t use hub motors. However they do use the same single speed type of power transfer from motor to wheel (which is what I was trying to convey)

(All Ebikes are awesome in my book)

[JohnnyNerdOut]

Tesla’s don’t use hub motors! They use the same principle motor though. A single speed fed through a gear reduction.
Also. Hub motors don’t cause loose spokes. But cheap, poorly made ones do😀
Hub motors still suck 🙌

[stevenmccrickard]

Speaking as a 62 year old disabled person If anyone out there is confused or undecided on which configuration ebike to get I say any ebike configuration is better than riding a non ebike, don't fear jump in. I spent too much time trying to decide on the perfect one for me. I ended up buying a used one for a great price that doesn't meet the standards that I want in any way. The quality of my life has improved 100% by the mobility I now enjoy. I'm going to upgrade to a better ebike but in the meantime life is good. 😊

[mojolife]

I have both, practically speaking, I like redundancy with no down time, so my preference is hub. If my hub goes out I can still pedal, if my chain or gearset goes out, I have the hub. Two independent systems working in parallel. In my mid motor, if chain or gears go, I have to stop. Both have pros n cons as your video shows, I just prefer not to stop for my very ordinary rides.

[shiraz]

I like hub motor you don’t have to talk to the bank in order to buy an electric bike.

[kevinnielsen]

I've got both. The hubbers only fall short on the steep climbs. That's what the mid drive is for, tough single track. For exploring old tracks in the countryside the hubbers shine. The hubbers can negotiate high grass and overgrowth without getting the drivetrain entangled in grass. Just don't peddle and let the hub motor do the work. That is not possible on a mid drive or regular bike. Other advantages to a hubber is drive train redundancy, twice I've had to peddle and, once after bending the chain ring on a hidden stump at speed, rode out with just the hub motor. Also hubbers are cheap to repair. All in all I agree with Mr. Nerdout that mids out preform hubbers, but that doesn't mean hub motors aren't good. Just because a Ferrari will outpreform a Miata doesn't mean the Miata is no good.

[Magicinstalls]

I’ve had both. Although the mid drive does offer more torque via mechanical advantage of the gear system, I got tired of the chain getting whacked off because of the torque. Happy with my hub drive…

[mikepatton]

Hub motors are great. I have a hub drive 750w Himiway Cruiser. I don't need a lot of high end type performance. Im sure that mid drives are great, but that doesn't just simply discount all the benefits of a hub drive system. I weigh 230 lbs and my hub drive zips me up hills in my town no problems. I have almost 450 miles on my ebike and have zero complaints.

[richardnwilson]

Both mid-drive Motors and hub Motors transmit all the power to the tire through the spokes. And in fact if the mid Drive motor is more powerful and allows you to accelerate harder than the hub Drive motor it would be harder on the spokes then would be the Hub Drive motor which is weaker.

[jamessnook]

One kind of related comment: The hub motor shown here has a relatively small diameter, I've used one with a 10" diameter and the torque is enormous because the moment arm is longer. So a better comparison would be between a mid motor and a large hub motor with the same wattage.

[rick]

Thanks for the info, I’m happy with my folding 500 watt hub, bought it in 19 and have had no problems. I’m retired and use it to cruise around every other day, it’s great against the wind and will go uphill a bit, not like your bike but good enough on the prairies. The one problem I should mention is that in hot weather after a while the thermal switch kicks in and it shuts down. 5 minutes in the shade and it’s ready to go. I’ll try out your recommendation for my next bike.

[ionut]

the price is the real diferance i use hub every time 1500-5000w i love it

[gcvrsa]

As far as “transmitting power through the spokes”, that is EXACTLY THE SAME for mid-drive motors. Do you even Physics, bro? In fact, you just got done telling us that mid-drive motors have higher torque, so mid-drive motors are *even harder* on spokes than hub motors!

[henryatkinson]

Other thing to keep in mind on a bike with rear suspensions is that a hub motor is adding unsprung mass.

[Benjamin_Jehne]

I live in Europe and here, things are a bit more complicated. If you want to buy a new bike with a mid drive, you will pay a lot more, than with a hub drive. I drive both and for me, it's more a question of the riding style. I totally agree with you on the fact, that a mid drive is more natural, like a normal bike. I have a Bosch on my Cube, and yes it's really good. On the other side I have a totally cheap trekking bike with a 250W hub motor, just a cadence sensor, no throttle as it isn't allowed here, and I love it too.
As much as I love the Bosch, it is to loud and at 25km/h I get stuck in a to slow or fast gear. Thats frustrating and I don't get a Deore 10 speed cassette with a better ratio to fix that problem. Thats an unknown problem with my hubmotor, as it feels like you just riding a wave. I really love high cadences, and for that, a hub motor is the best, in my opinion. All mid drive motors I've tested, are getting very loud once get over 90 crank revolutions. When you hit 100 and more, you just have to love the sound of motors. My hub motor is just quit. I will never get up mountains with it, but if you live in a flat area I think, the hub motor is a very nice option.
And another thing, my Bosch bike needed a fresh wear set after 4000km, my trekkingbike with the hub motor is on it's first wear set without any problems after 12.000km.

So when someone ask me, what should I get, I wouldn't just say mid drive as I think hub motors can be very very nice.

[jamesmcintosh]

I will keep my hub. I'm very happy with it.

[mar]

Thanks for the comparison. I've broken a couple of spokes on my $200 ebay 1kw hub motor but it otherwise seems bombproof. I use it solely for commuting and errands but have over 3k miles on my 2nd hand kit, seems very reliable. Not having to pedal is nice when I take it to work so I'm not sweaty, definitely an advantage of the hub motor if that's your use case.

[bobbysmith]

I agree that mid drives are better but the thing you said about the spokes is true for a mid drive as well. When you peddle your bike on a mid drive the power will end up at your back wheel and if it making more power it should be harder on your spokes on that wheel.

[totoroben]

Hub motors are starting to be more mainstream, and by more mainstream, I mean cheap. Mid drive ebikes off the shelf did command a huge premium just a few years ago, and are only just now becoming comparable in price to hub motor ebikes. If I were to buy another ebike, I would consider mid drive for the points you mentioned. One thing that bothers me about this comparison is that the example videos you showed is for motor only, without pedaling. For me ebike is supposed to supplement my energy input, not replace it all together. I never coast just because I have an electric bike.

[michaelsprinzeles]

People just learning about e-bikes should take note of your advice.
Back in 2015, when I got interested in e-bikes, it took months of research to learn what you just covered in under 12 minutes.
Well done!

[gregluna]

Love my hub bike. I have not had a problem under 2, 000 dollars