Pro Connect vs. Ezee Torq vs. Wisper 905se - which is 'best'?

[Tiberius]

The button pushing became natural by ride 2 on the trek. I always wondered why my muscle power never seemed to add more than about 2-3 mph to the electric power of the forza. It must be fairly inefficient.

Hi Robert,

You may just be experiencing the natural behaviour of an electric motor. When it is near its top speed, any increase in rpm results in a drop in power. This also applies if an artificial speed restrictor is in operation.

So if you provide pedal power to speed up, the motor turns down its power in response - the net result is a tiny increase in top speed but a decrease in power drain from the battery. I get the same result on my Torq; on the flat I can only add about 2 mph to the top speed, but the Cycle Analyst shows a large drop in motor power.

Nick

 

[flecc]

Some amazing info you guys (and gals), thanks!

Flecc, internally geared hub motored bicycles are a pain to pedal? That's a scary statement.

The whole point of me getting a pedelec is to have as high an overall speed as possible to try to get the commute down to a reasonable one hour - i.e. average speed of 17mph. I'm a heavy guy but strong with it (an ex-bodybuilder) and really I'm just after something to help me get up the hills quicker than I would on my own, and allow me to cycle quickly along the flattish parts and down hill sections.

Daz

True I'm afraid Daz, the epicylic gears in the hubs adding drag which makes them much more difficult to propel than an ordinary bike. Averaging 17 mph is a tall order. Downhill isn't a problem of course, but it's on the flat where the harder work comes in. Much depends on how strong a cyclist you are of course.

Bikes with the Tongxin Nano motor like the Cytronex are an exception since they have a roller and track epicyclic which has barely perceptible drag. Bikes with the Panasonic drive through chain unit also run with very much less drag, but you'd need something like a Pro Connect, either geared up to keep the pedal cadence moderate and power to higher speeds, or as standard for higher pedal cadence and no power assistance above 15 mph.

When all's said and done. it's always best to ride before buying though, as there is no substitute for your own personal experience and judgement.
.

 

[john]

Bikes with the Tongxin Nano motor like the Cytronex are an exception since they have a roller and track epicyclic which has barely perceptible drag.

Actually, the Tongxin roller drive doesn't turn at all when free-wheeling, that being the reason for the lower drag.

 

[flecc]

Thanks John, I'd forgotten that arrangement that it has, better yet.
.

 

[JohnInStockie]

Does that mean its a true free-wheel then?

John

 

[coops]

Also, (related to Nick's (Tiberius) earlier question & post) I'm wondering if the roller & track epicylic gears, or any other design feature of the tongxin motor, somehow have lower resistance to pedalling than epicyclic gears with teeth when the motor is engaged & make it easier to pedal beyond motor assist speeds?

Robert's post above and the nano brompton test results do suggest that is the case, and although any such effect would be more noticeable at lower or 'normal' cycling speeds the difference could significantly alter the perceived riding experience.

Stuart.

 

[frank9755]

Stuart, that is exactly it. My Tongxin was high geared so I rarely got above cut-out speed, but riding with the motor switched off was as if there was no motor there.

 

[coops]

Thanks Frank, I was wondering more about the resistance with the motor engaged though - if its similar to when off that sounds very good.

Robert - can I ask how many mph (roughly) can you add by legpower to the motor speed in low and high power mode on the cytronex, and if more than eg the 2-3mph for the forza, do you think its mostly down to different motor or bike geometry?

Did you mean the Forza restricted or derestricted by the way?

Thanks

Stuart.