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That problem only relates to the hub-motor on a specific bike. If you had a hub-motor with more torque at 5 mph of which there's many, it wouldn't slow down and stall out.
I can turn your argument right around by saying that I tried a kalkhoff with 26v CD up a steep hill. It completely stalled out, leaving me to push it. Next, I tried a bike with a hub-motor up the same hill, and it sailed up with little effort.
another example: I just converted a Bromptom with a tiny 200w Q85 motor. It could drag my 100 kg up a 14% hill without pedalling. The guy that has it now complains that the front wheel has so much torque that it loses traction going up very steep hills.
Some bikes and motors are better at some things than others, but you can't make a general conclusion by testing an unrepresentative sample.
I've done lots of tests with wattmeters and side-by-side comparisons. That data tells me that crank drives are not more efficient, and it also shows me that crank-motors don't climb hills better than hub-motors.
Finally, when did a crank-drive ever win the Bristol World Championships hill climb? I'll tell you. Never! It was won each time by a bike with a 250w hub-motor, last time by a guy that had hardly ridden a bike. I rest my case.
You can not quote climbing one hill as an example of a particular bike being a good climber.
Yes no doubt over a fairly short duration ( Bristol hill climb is 2 miles) and bike going at its optimum speed and a fair chance that 250w motor churning out treble that a hub motor would win.( or be capable of winning)
But that has nothing at all to do with what OP did and what most recreational riders do.
They go out for 3 hours riding or so. Over that time a CD unit will be running in its perfect zone wether you are going hell for leather up a long shallow gradient or twiddling granny ring at 3 mph up some really steep climb, probably knackered.
How can anyone argue sensibly that a bike with no gears for motor can compete with one with at least
8 over an entire spectrum of speeds us beyond me. Yes if hill happens to suit ratio within hub ( and you) well great. But as we tire over the day cd gives chance to gear down and still keep motor in its perfect rpm range.
Send the bloke who won Bristol Hill climb around Derbyshire for 30 miles then get him to race up the hill and see wether he beats CD bike that's followed him all afternoon.
I said ages ago, yes a hub drive would get me half way up pico neulous twice as quick...but I want to get to top..ok slowly...but it gets there..
A race up one or two hills ( short ones at that) is not the true measure of a bikes ( and riders) climbing ability..
Out all day, climbing hundreds and hundreds of feet,over a distance of 30 miles or more on a 400wh battery any cd ( Bosch/ Yam/ Impulse) would beat any hub drive made.?????
How many times have you ever heard any rider say they had failed a hill on CD ??
I,ve ridden hub drives you could barely recognise as being powered, yes probably poor ones. Yet to ride a disappointing CD bike...
I,m heading for Winnats ASAP...I might be ordering a hub drive ??? We,ll see.
