Are mid drives noisier than hub drives with free wheel.

[Oiseaux]

Somewhere I have read the above title and as noise for me is an issue if there is a big difference I will think again about the mid drive I have in mind.

Thanks for any advice.

Oiseaux

 

[mechaniker]

S..... if there is a big difference I will think again about the mid drive I have in mind.

you cant say this generaly because depend´s in how much money you want spend and wich hubsystem you mean (geared or direct drive) and then it depend on wich controller you want use. Different controller on same motor make different noise.


lowest noise is a direct-drive Motor with a Controller from "Kasbauer" in Austria, but unforgenatly the Kasbauer Controller is not the cheapest one but the price is ok for the quality of this controller, 350Euro for the controller.

If you look for the difference betwen the topseller motors from bafang or xing-feng and so on... i would say this way:

panasonic mid motor is lower noise
cyclone chaindrive-system is more noise
Bofeili is same as a hub but need a special frame
Bosch drive i forgot, after testriding i´m not satisfied with this motor, but it was first serie(beta version) in one month will come the real bikes and then we will see
The Daum-motor is in my eyes the better motor as the Bosch-motor at time and much cheaper but also need a special frame

Or you wait a little and then you can buy a chaindrive with low noise or with no noise because i build up two different motors and the first is now making the testriding´s the "no noise" is ready in maybe end of march and if all testridings works successfull i start selling, if not then not ;-)

regards
frank

 

[GT3]

I have had a 1000W non geared and now a Tongxin 250W geared motors. Both were virtually silent and I only hear the Tongxin if there is no background noise.

I sometimes pass a guy with a mid drive and it emits a loud harsh metallic buzz. I can hear him 20ft away. I've watched vids of them on Youtube which reproduce the sound well.

 

[HarryB]

Off the top of my head:

Cytronex/Tongxin
Bionx
Panasonic

These are the quietest in that order although Bionx and Panasonics might tie. The hubs are much noisier - wisper ezee etc being very noticeable on the move and especially pulling from low speed.

 

[flecc]

Older mid drives were often noisier, frequently because they used inline motors with bevel gears, Aprilia Enjoy, Oxygen Atala, TGA-Electrobike and Yamaha being examples.

Today's Panasonic unit bikes are very quiet and much quieter than internally geared hub-motors, having mainly the chain noise that all bike have, which is usually lower with hub gears than derailleurs. The Rohloff hub gear is one exception though, noisy in the lower 7 of the 14 gears.
.

 

[Tex]

Older mid drives were often noisier, frequently because they used inline motors with bevel gears, Aprilia Enjoy, Oxygen Atala, TGA-Electrobike and Yamaha being examples.

Today's Panasonic unit bikes are very quiet and much quieter than internally geared hub-motors, having mainly the chain noise that all bike have, which is usually lower with hub gears than derailleurs. The Rohloff hub gear is one exception though, noisy in the lower 7 of the 14 gears.
.

The Bionx (2nd series) motors and systems are noiseless. Silent. Completely.

 

[NRG]

That's the benefit of direct drive motors the relative quite operation but on the negative side they tend to be larger, heavier and lacking the same amount of torque as internally geared types.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

I absolutely agree NRG, the direct drive motors we have tested are quieter certainly but much larger. The most important reason we have stayed with geared motors for the moment however is the lack of decent torque available.

All the best

David

 

[flecc]

The Bionx (2nd series) motors and systems are noiseless. Silent. Completely.

I know Tex, but as NRG points out, they are not internally geared like the hub motors I mentioned.
.

 

[Tex]

I know Tex, but as NRG points out, they are not internally geared like the hub motors I mentioned.
.

True. But I find them quite torquey nonetheless. Flecc. I think if one had the time one could look up comparable torque figures?

 

[paul228]

Somewhere I have read the above title and as noise for me is an issue if there is a big difference I will think again about the mid drive I have in mind.

Thanks for any advice.

Oiseaux

I ride a Tonaro BigHit - if the power is switched off or on you cannot tell from a sound point-of-view.

 

[flecc]

True. But I find them quite torquey nonetheless. Flecc. I think if one had the time one could look up comparable torque figures?

I was only commenting on geared hub motor noise as you see Tex:

Today's Panasonic unit bikes are very quiet and much quieter than internally geared hub-motors
.

The BionX which has no internal gearing certainly has very high start up torque, but it's difficult to compare all bike systems in this respect, since some drive through the bike gears giving system torque variables for different conditions.
.

 

[Tex]

I was only commenting on geared hub motor noise as you see Tex:



The BionX which has no internal gearing certainly has very high start up torque, but it's difficult to compare all bike systems in this respect, since some drive through the bike gears giving system torque variables for different conditions.
.

I'm not an engineer but I see you point. I'm not an engineer. Is "rolling" torque or power most important at higher speeds?

 

[flecc]

I'm not an engineer but I see you point. I'm not an engineer. Is "rolling" torque or power most important at higher speeds?

It's power.

It's not possible to do very much about higher speed torque since our electric motors have maximum torque at zero revs, gradually falling away as revs rise to low torque at high revs.

Basically torque and power swap places across the rev range, the Torque starts very high and ends low, the Power starts very low and ends high.
.

 

[Tex]

It's power.

It's not possible to do very much about higher speed torque since our electric motors have maximum torque at zero revs, gradually falling away as revs rise to low torque at high revs.

Basically torque and power swap places across the rev range, the Torque starts very high and ends low, the Power starts very low and ends high.
.

That makes sense. Thanks flecc.