Hub-Drive vs. Mid-Drive Electric Road Bike: What to Know Before Buying
Electric Road Bike– are one of the fastest growing categories in the cycling industry,there might also be a little confusion by some of the specs, especially when it comes to motor positioning. It’s important to know the differences between the two main types: hub-drive and mid-drive.
Hub-Drive and Mid-Drive
For a hub-drive Electric Road Bike, the motor is positioned on the front or rear wheel, with the motor placed handily in the wheel hub. The motor provides propulsion by spinning the tire on which it is mounted.
Some riders find a hub motor electric road bike does not maneuver naturally; depending on whether the hub motor is on the front or rear wheel, the electric road bike either feels like it is being pushed or pulled along. That can create issues for an inexperienced rider, either because the additional weight in the back wheel makes it harder to balance, or because the additional weight in the front creates steering challenges.
For a mid-drive Electric Road Bike, picture here, the motor is positioned directly in between the pedals at the bike’s bottom bracket. This ensures a low and central center of gravity, providing load balancing and creating the feeling of riding a traditional bike. Riders don’t feel the additional weight of the motor because of where it is positioned, giving a mid-drive electric road bike solid directional and tracking stability.
A difference riders can’t see, but will experience on a long ride – especially on hills – is that a bike with a mid-drive motor works synergistically with the bike’s gears for higher efficiency, which translates into longer riding range per charge. Like a car’s engine, electric motors like to spin fast not slow. When the rider shifts gears to pedal at a natural bike-riding cadence (typically 50-100 rpm), the motor in between the pedals is churning at an efficient rpm as well. For these reasons, Bosch uses only mid-drive motors.
-Gravity Ebikes
info@gravitysz.com
30th/11/22