MPF drive arrives in Swindon

[Blew it]

The long awaited MPF center-drive finally enters the market.

SEV Velix-700 Premium.

A few snippets of info.

The drive is via enclosed chain, not Gates belt as stated in the website.

Torque limited to 58 Nm. 400 watts peak power

Electronic sensing on gearshift cable should give the Alfine 8 speed hub an easier life.

Removable 300 w-h battery sits between the duplex top-tubes (400 w-h available If required).

Supplied complete in street clothing, full mudguards and lights powered by the battery. Also, rather strangely for a hard-tail, a seat-post carrier....?

Unfortunately, I had to return home before completing the assembly of the machine. What I really wanted to know was how quiet the drive is. As I understand it, The multi-stage all-steel helical cut reduction gears are running in an oil bath.

Just received an E-mail from the shop, the drive unit is considerably quieter than any other center-drives currently available.

http://www.sev-world.com/en/products/velix700-premium/

 

[jackhandy]

.

Torque limited to 58 Nm. 400 watts peak power

To my untutored mind, 400w Peak is a very low figure.

Even the Bafang swx-type setup should deliver 500.

And yet 58nm torque, which is pretty gutsy _ At a very low road speed?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

It depends whether they or you are talking about input or output power. If it's input power, it'll be like the 26v Panasonics, which are great for anyone less than 75kg.

 

[hoppy]

quote]
"considerably quieter". Really? I can't hear my Tonaro motor mostly at all!

 

[Blew it]

quote]
"considerably quieter". Really? I can't hear my Tonaro motor mostly at all!

As mentioned in my first post I have not experienced the noise level personally. Perhaps I should have added quotation marks to the E-mail message to indicate this more clearly.

With a bit of luck I may be able to arrange a two-day loan of the machine and find out for myself. That being possible, I will mount a couple of cams on the machine and post a video so that others can draw their own conclusions.

Speaking as the owner of a Tonaro BigHit since 2011, I have to agree the Tonaro drive is a good benchmark by which other drives may be measured but, it is not completely silent. When the Tonaro drive is idling, that is, neither driving nor disengaged, there is a distinct but unintrusive "chattering" from the reduction gear bevel-drive. I have always likened this to walnut shells rattling about in a paper bag. Perhaps my hearing is a little sharper than yours, individual auditory systems can vary greatly from one person to another. The only truely silent system I have experienced personally is the Go-Swiss direct drive hub motor.

Returning to the subject of the MPF 5.0 drive, my own experience of this rather fascinating propulsion unit started in April 2012. The first encounter with it being fitted to a hardtail MTB for beta-testing and, delivering an unfettered 70 Nm of torque into a derailleur transmission. It was impossible to hear anything above the racket created by the huge knobbly tyres grasping for traction on the Tarmac. Conversely, the subject of this thread is fitted with almost-bald tyres typical of trekking style machines and subsequently will not mask any sound coming from the electric drive.

Anything else is pure conjecture until such time as I hopefully get my butt on the saddle of this rather quirky (It's French ) designed machine.

All for now but.....watch this space