I've decided hub rather than cd

[ray74]

Hi, I've been over 200 miles round trip today testing out some of my short list bikes. I had a go on the woosh sirocco and the sirocco cdl, from what I was probably expecting I was a little disappointed with the cd and have now chosen to stick with my original plan of getting an electric hub bike. I found the sirocco to have more torque than the cd which is strange because for some reason I thought it would have been the other way round plus I did get used to the gear changes after a short while but I just felt the hub was more of the kind of bike I'd prefer for my first e-bike. I also went to a dealer on the way back from Cambridge and had a go on cyclotricity's new Claud butler mountain bike and I have to say it did feel very nice and responsive.

I don't know if front hub motors are Better than rear hub but the front one definitely felt quicker to get to top speed and a little more powerful. Not sure if that's to do with it being all wheel drive or not but that's just my feeling when I rode them all today.

Woosh didn't have the sport model I'm interested in at there store because its out of stock so I couldn't try the actual bike I'm looking at but now I now its hub rather than cd.

So I'm now down to 2 bikes only my list and that's still the woosh sport with hub or cyclotricity revolver. It's now down to what I think of the looks and style. I'm gonna sleep on it tonight and then order my bike tomorrow.

The guy at the shop where I tested the cyclotricity also offered me one of his own builds with a lovely looking frame and same motor and electronics you get on the revolver. I will see if I can post a pick and see what you guys think.

 

[103Alex1]

Just one thought on the front vs rear hub thing if you're likely to ride on gravel or loose ground at all then I'd personally opt for a rear hub setup.

 

[trex]

I don't know if front hub motors are Better than rear hub but the front one definitely felt quicker to get to top speed and a little more powerful. Not sure if that's to do with it being all wheel drive or not but that's just my feeling when I rode them all today.

could it be because the hub bike's top speed is less than the CD's?

 

[ray74]

Yeah, good thought. My commute is approximately 10 miles each way and only about 1 mile of that is canal path but the rest is A roads. Plus with the lack of hills on the journey I think the hub will suit me fine. The 2 reasons why I'm opting for an e-bike is to get fit again and to also save money on bus fare.

 

[ray74]

could it be because the hub bike's top speed is less than the CD's?

I thought that too and gave all 4 bikes a proper long hard test ride, I tested the top speed on the cd with the settings turned up on the LCD meter and I was able to cruise comfortably at about 20/22 but when I tested the hub bike I also got the same speed with out the motor cutting out. So I don't think the hub bike is slower than the cd ( not the one I rode anyway ). The hub bike I rode was still powering me along even at 33kmh with just a gentle pedal from me, this is one of the reasons why I preferred the hub over the cd. If I had more hills on my commute then it would be a no brainier for me to choose cd but I'll be more than happy with the hub.

 

[ray74]

Plus I only weigh 85kg so the hub really zipped me up to top speed quite fast. That will be the difference I think from the rear hub bike and front hub, the rear one was 25kg and the front hub bike was only just under 20kg so that might be the reason why it seemed faster.

 

[Artstu]

Hub is very sensible for your mainly flat riding. My Bosch bike is a chain eater, so I imagine there could be a lot of trouble with chains on the CD too. I've just ordered a better chain at a cost of £27, I'm hoping it will last a bit longer.

 

[103Alex1]

Hub is very sensible for your mainly flat riding. My Bosch bike is a chain eater, so I imagine there could be a lot of trouble with chains on the CD too. I've just ordered a better chain at a cost of £27, I'm hoping it will last a bit longer.

How many miles have you clocked up now, Artstu ?

 

[Artstu]

How many miles have you clocked up now, Artstu ?

I'm on about 1,500 miles. There is still life in the original KMC chain (Z510HX). according to KMC I'm doing well to get that much from a chain! They tell me that I'll get 5,000 miles from their X1 chain

I think it's the hills that are killing it, and Strava gives me 600 watt estimates of power on some of the climbs I do, some of the climbs are also done at 3-4 mph faster than the KOM holder, so there's a lot of power going on.

KMC tell me they're working on a new 1/8 chain and sprockets for Bosch bikes, they also have reservations about the new Bosch system with such a small front sprocket.

 

[RobF]

KMC chains are well-regarded so I doubt you could do better than one of theirs designed for a hub gear.

Thanks for doing the research, I will be looking for one of those when the Rose chain expires.

I doubt that will be for a while - I haven't got the fitness to ride the bike hard enough.

 

[Streethawk]

Hard to argue against hub drive for mainly flat use. Crank drive really comes into it's own on the very steep stuff, where it takes advantage of the gears, or where you want more of a normal bike feel to the ride (high end torque-sensored CD).

 

[KirstinS]

Just one thought on the front vs rear hub thing if you're likely to ride on gravel or loose ground at all then I'd personally opt for a rear hub setup.

Why so out of interest ?

I just really like the 2 wheel drive feel of a front hub - particularly on independent throttle - on gravelly/loose surface

 

[Alan Quay]

I ride a front hub, with slick (ish) tyres. Occasionally I have to ride up a short, very steep gravel track. The problem is that the weight is all over the back, so plenty of grip there, but little at the front, so it spins a bit.

On flat gravel it's less of problem, since the weight is a bit more evenly distributed.

Sometimes, as you say, 2wd is an advantage. I regularly have to cross a very slippery ford, and being able to control where the power is delivered is an advantage.

 

[trex]

Hard to argue against hub drive for mainly flat use. Crank drive really comes into it's own on the very steep stuff, where it takes advantage of the gears, or where you want more of a normal bike feel to the ride (high end torque-sensored CD).

also two more good reasons why CD is better for commuting, even on flat roads: easier puncture repairs and higher speed.

 

[GaRRy]

also two more good reasons why CD is better for commuting, even on flat roads: easier puncture repairs and higher speed.

First one cant really argue with although having to unplug a cable is hardly a mojor issue (weight of wheel might be).

But how do you come to conclusion CD is faster as in both cases assist "should" stop at 15.5 mph after which motor type is irrelevant as its then basically a bike.

 

[trex]

erm... regarding assistance at top speed, I can't.
I meant to say that CD encourages you to pedal more and assistance can be kept at maximum at all speed. That ought to give CD bikes better acceleration. Also, most hub motors are limited to 200-230 RPM, CDs don't suffer that limitation.

 

[Streethawk]

First one cant really argue with although having to unplug a cable is hardly a mojor issue (weight of wheel might be).

But how do you come to conclusion CD is faster as in both cases assist "should" stop at 15.5 mph after which motor type is irrelevant as its then basically a bike.

Not so much the weight or the cable, more the lack of a quick release on the axle.

 

[ray74]

After lots of thought and getting other peoples opinions I've decided to build my own. I'm going to buy the cyclotricity kit and stick it on a bike that I have just got from eBay. I have heard from a local store that the frames aren't great on the revolver and was offered a custom build with the same kit but I've decided to do it myself. The frame in the bike I bought is well known, strong and light so I shouldn't have a problem with my 20mile a day commute with it. I will post pics once I have completed the project.

Thanks again for all the advice.

 

[103Alex1]

I can quite understand why you've gone that route .

 

[ray74]

Well I've now got my new bike and i have ordered the cyclotricity kit which will be here on Tuesday, I cycled the 10 miles to work today without the motor and made it in about 50 minutes which wasn't bad I thought for a mountain bike with fat nobly tyres on. This is the first time i have done the route and have noticed that there are 2 small hills on the route but nothing that the hub won't be able to manage with me peddling a little extra. The route took me down a canal path but have found out that its Tarmaced so I won't need the nobly tyres that is the norm on a mountain bike.
I've got some thinner road tyres from my old bike that I'm going to put on to give me less road resistance and once I've fitted the motor kit to my bike I'm sure I will be able to get my average speed up and make it to work in 40 mins or less.

I have calculated that the total weight of the bike with all the kit on will only come to about 17kg approximately and I only paid £700 in total for the bike so I'm well chuffed.

I was a bit of a sweaty mess when I arrived at work so having that extra assistance Is going to be a massive help to me. I will post some pics on Wednesday when it's all finished.