Which Electric Bike Motor is Best?

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0:00 The question many people ask is.....
0:38 Warthog Update!
1:33 How they work.
2:10 Check out the blackboard
3:00 Is one better than the other?
3:44 Torque sensor myths - busted!
4:31 Regenerative brakes? Hmmm..
6:52 IP Rating (for water) on both motors
7:22 What about efficiency?
8:20 But how do they really work?
14:55 The #1 thing that makes a difference
16:10 What's best for new riders?
16:22 Durability?
17:58 Is one heavier than the other?
19:02 How you can get more cool videos like this!

[Areaebikes]

Which is best for you and where you ride? The Mid-drive OR The Hub Motor?

[Themanfromglad]

Great explanation of the difference between both motors, very complete details. I drive a Stromer with an 800W hub motor and love it.

[Slaphappy]

Mid Drive all the way for me, another plus to the Mid Drive is the weight of the motor is central on the bike, greatly changing how the bike feels on the road.

[chargeriderepeat]

Ive ran a bafang 750w fatbike hub at 2000w peak on my DH bike for years and its has many advantages, constant power regardless of gear, no chain wear and the ability to hit climbs at speed then keep powering as the speed drops.
It works very well on fast single track and no clearance issues at the bb.

[jeffreyreicher]

I like the mid drive on the Bolton. The belt drive with no rear derailleur appears to have less maintenance. I got to have this bike. Excellent video. Thanks

[myscreenurs]

DD gearless all the way. It may be heavier, it may have a slower acceleration and it may be PITA changing a tyre but once it gets going, you can get into comfortable speeds. You don't have to worry about gearing, upkeep is easier and if you really need more torque when climbing, you can just help it out by cranking those legs of yours. I highly recommend getting a 50T+ chainring on the cranks. Climbing Hills becomes a joy as both man and machine😁

[reeread]

Great video, in my experience hub motors are just set it and forget it, but if you want more torque the mid drive will always be the winner. I run a dual hub motor system that is just great for commuting through Arizona. If I were doing mountains. I would use a mid drive, But also carry an extra chain. Thanks again for the video

[ernestsafe]

I have almost 4000 miles on my mid-drive ebike. I think my next bike will also be mid/fat tire. Thanks Kyle. Looking forward to meeting you in GV

[konaday]

Another thing to mention would be the cost difference between the two. Part of the reason I went with a hub motor was it seemed a little less expensive.
Can’t wait to get my ebike.

[bobpatty]

My answer to the “mid/hub” question is simply both. The hills I ride have developed my bike with a 72v Bafang mid drive and a Qs205 hub motor 72v 150amp on 29” wheels. Two 72v 25ah triangular batteries provide power. I know I’m crazy but try it! Heat and range anxiety problems disappeared .

[garyjohnson]

Two years later....I'm thinking about E, thank you YouTube for an overload of information. I'm 61, used to be a bike messenger in ancient history. I can still ride 50miles a day, but hills are taking me out! I ride the street with occasional urban off-road. I've decided on mid drive, I don't need speed, I need Hill Help. The torque sensor with no or low latency, not cadence. Good video!

[justicecenter]

Truly appreciate your videos. You are always non-biased and speak to inform.

[bobpatty]

I found the answer to the question of which motor is best. Simply put BOTH! On the other end of the chain from my Bafang sets a QS 205 hub motor. They are fed by two 72v 25ah triangular batteries. Using both at once turns bad hills in my area into jump ramps and problems with heat have completely disappeared even at highway speeds. Plus I am hard to beat across an intersection! The primary is a 52 tooth and the final is a 11 tooth. The hub keeps the Bafang from over heating at low speed and the mid drive acts as an afterburner for the hub. (I used to build the F15 fighter bomber)

[mythrusthelema]

Very informative, when the prices come down, I will seriously consider a mid-drive with a belt. Thanks Kyle!

[michaelarnold]

That belt drive is cool with no derailer- A hub motor is like driving a car with an automatic transmission and a mid drive is kinda like driving a car with a manual transmission.

[davidwolf]

Love that you used my bike in this video - you can ship it anytime, ALSO How did you make the UPS truck disappear at 6:10? That was an awesome trick!!

[SuperRogers]

The video explained many differences between the 2 types of motors but missed some important issues. Most hub motors have a stepped cog to shift gears. I never rode a bike with this gear system long before chain would jump gears under load and need adjusting which is a pain. I added a Bafang mid drive on the fat tire bikes my wife and I ride which has a Sturmy 3 speed rear hub. This 3 speed hub shifts flawlessly and when needed, is so simple to adjust. We have a thumb throttle which we always use as we start out from a stop. Any bike is hard to balance until it gets moving. We never peddle to get moving, just push down on throttle and get instant acceleration and control. Also a problem with hub motors is the torque from motor is transferred to the rim through the spokes. These can become loose and need adjusting which again is not fun. Another bike shop video stated that hub drive motors are like running your car in 3rd gear all the time, even from a dead stop. We have been riding our mid drive converted bikes for years on the beaches in Florida with no maintenance needed to this point which has sold me on the mid drive motors. We get the low end torque when starting out and all the speed we need after that.

[MrFurkettun]

Hub motor all the way for me, so much more reliable and easy/relaxed to ride! And a longer range! Oh yeah its cheaper too! And if the chain snaps you can still ride it home fully electric!

[MeerkatMotorBoards]

Good video! Regen brakes are great for reduced wear on brakes and hub motor gets the nod, if your chain brakes you can still get home.

[Altema]

Nicely broken down, and I was NOT expecting a hub motor to weigh less! Mids give more control, but motors have a wide range of RPM *if* the controller handles the stator coil pulse timing properly. But, most don't, and you lose efficiency as RPM climbs. I had an upgrade kit on my RadMini 4 (not yours), and the pulse timing was too long, actually hurting speed because the coils were still energized after the magnet passed the optimum point. Kind of like a relay runner passing the baton, and not letting go on time.

Mid drives can be tough on the chain and cassette, so belt drive and internal gears would help that.
If you need redundancy though, hub is the way to go. I had a situation last week: A water main broke and began flooding the small valley where I was riding. With the only way out turning into a river, I cut through an opening in the fence to escape into a parking lot, and a curbstone hit the jockey and idler pulley cage, bending it. Not wanting to damage it further in the dark, I rode two miles home on throttle only.