Why Hub Motors are Better than Mid Drive Motors

Which is better for ebike builds? Hub motors or mid drives? Today I give the pros of hub motor builds and why they are better than mid drive motors. In the future I may do a follow up on when mid drives are better than hub motors.

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[shophacks]

Middrive is generally better if you ride extended periods over a wide range of speeds because you can keep the motor near its most efficient rpm. I.E. mountain biking. Also, the weight of a hub motor in the back wheel makes it very impractical for bikes with a rear suspension that see a lot of suspension travel.

Hub drive motors work well for road bikes and commuters because they spend most of the riding time near the top third of the speed range where the hub motor is most efficient.

[Technician]

I seem to remember many years ago you could buy a Moped here in the UK that had an ICE in it's front wheel, so yes it can be done.

[rotary]

I have a 750W 26" Bafang DIY mid drive and and also a manufactured 750W 26" Bafang hub drive.

The DIY mid has a 40T bling ring and wide range cassette.

The torque going through the mid is putting lots of load on the chain, chainring and cassette at higher power and speeds. I can feel and hear it. It's a lot more than the stock bikes loading under my power. A nornal bike drive system was never designed for those kinds of sustained loads.

The mid doesn't have that concern and works fine. It's my wife's and she isn't an enthusiast like me. I like the experience and feel of the mid.

For this reason, I find myself wishing that we had two hub drives instead.

[georgekrpan]

I have both, mid and hub drive. I like the hub drive much better. That's purely from the perspective of riding pleasure.

[ChristmasEve]

I always just thought about it this way: if my chain, cassette, etc, break and I don't feel like fixing it, I can continue to use the throttle with my hub motor (as long as I have power!) I like that feeling...
EDIT: oh yeah, and to just get HOME after something in the drive train breaks... again, throttle 😃

[mrgoats]

Even if ebikes had the connection, you won't charge any faster. Charging is limited by the battery technology. Charging a battery to fast damages it.

[southernebiking]

I believe you miss the most important aspect completely. That is the rider. If it’s someone who just wants to go out and buzz around, a hub drive may be the best bike for them. If it’s someone who’s going to change gears, no matter what, mid drive would probably be much more efficient for that person. So what’s best for one may not be for the other. I believe they both have advantages and disadvantages. The trick is, use the advantages to our own advantage, and see how well we can work around the disadvantages.

[dazaro]

I had a rear derailleur hanger snap in half 30 miles from home, good job I had a hub drive, there is many pros and cons will both systems.

[kimhyunwoo]

Personally I used to agree, but after actually trying the two, I have a hub and my friend had a geared mid drive….I would take mid drive.
Hub motors lack torque by like a insane amount, basically unless you pump a bunch of watts in real life any minor hill inconvenience just rips your speed from you, sure if I lived in somewhere like California where it’s not very hilly in many areas but where I normally live in Missouri or in Busan South Korea there are too many damn hills to deal with hub motors 😩

Also the decreased battery draw is nice, I found my friend is able to get much more range, he weighs 8 lbs less though so maybe that varies quite a bit but our bikes are only 1kg difference.
Another thing I’ve noticed is the ability to get higher speeds out of less watts, or at least it feels like it😅

[fcvpdul]

There was a 2 stroke hub motor for bicycles in the early 2000 it went on front wheel..

[Timbodacious]

Mid drive is the tried and true winner up to 3000 watts. After that chains start wearing fast and hub motors finally start catching up to the mid drive torque.

[johnnylong]

Reason why I chose mid drive is weight distribution. Plus with a bac855, you can do a single speed, 4000w 72v build.

[Nalladolla]

I prefer hub but what people love about mid drives are the gearing aspect and for lower unsprung weight.

[Growler_Guy]

Best of both worlds, Biktrix Juggernaut Eagle 2 (48V 25Ah XD 2300W Dual Chain Drive)

[stavman]

I have a rear hub motor 750 with a rear casette 11 28( 29x2.1 inch wheel tire) and i ride only by use pedal assist !!! I have climb mountains over 4000ft and often ride over 3000ft !! ...Use batterie 48v 30A and manage over 110mil distance !!! So my conclusion is that using always your feet the difference of hub and mid is very small !! And I am talking about almost 100% riding in asphalt roads ! Am i correct ?

[ianmangham]

Hub motor for street cruising, middrive for off road/hill climbing 👌

[brendanoshea]

Awesome choice for a new bike! I've been thinking about buying the p51 bullet. The suspension is a big factor for me as I'll be doing some riding on primitive dirt roads. Looking forward to see what mods you make.

[salviaaable]

just need 200-350 w on my 3K stealth bike, to maintain speeds around 30-35 kmh (on flat ground) it's extremely efficient ! and with pedaling just 150-200 w. for cruising at 28 km/h

[goingoutotheparty]

Bro totally gonna go 60V on thae old G60 ❤ Bafang 8fun rock

[glitch-light]

Hay i think the bike that you perched, the frame will do perfect for the upgrades you tend to do to it.❤💪👊👍