July 27, 20223 yr Hi all, I have had about three 1500w rear hub motors and they have all been pretty disappointing, only lasting months before they grind to a halt. My 1000w motor has taken a hammering and has lasted years. Can anyone recommend any more reliable motors? Many thanks for reading! Edited July 27, 20223 yr by powercircle
July 27, 20223 yr Bafang BBSHD would be a good reliable choice, but I'm guessing you're after a hub motor and not mid drive?
July 27, 20223 yr Author Bafang BBSHD would be a good reliable choice, but I'm guessing you're after a hub motor and not mid drive? Yes, I'm looking for a rear hub motor. I've edited the text, thanks!
July 27, 20223 yr Author Yes, I'm looking for a rear hub motor. I've edited the text, thanks! Do you know if Voilamart is any good?
July 27, 20223 yr most use these for high power bikes but there not cheap. https://ozo-electric.com/en/rear-wheel-hub-motor-bike/990913-hs4080-crystalyte-rear-hub-motor.html http://www.crystalyte.com/
July 28, 20223 yr As you say you've had 3 dissapointing 1500w motors, why are you continuing to bang your head on the wall? The problem is not with the make but with the type. Direct drive motors are inherently inefficient in bikes, particularly where stop/start riding or hill climbing is concered. They produce more heat than torque at speeds lower than their maximum revs and are very heavy on batteries. Geared hubs don't suffer in this way. Oh, but wait, they're 'only' rated at 250w. Fine get yourself one marked 350 or 500w. Only difference will be it's lack legality. Sorry for the rant, but we get a lot of people on here blinded by the big numbers of these motors. They are not faster, more powerful (power comes from the rating of the controller not the motor), nor are they legal. You want speed? Buy a 36v geared hub (particularly one wound for a 26" wheel), lace it into a 28" or 700c wheel. Get a 48v controller and battery and see it go. Of course it's hill climbing ability may be a bit compromised - there's a price for everything.
July 28, 20223 yr Author As you say you've had 3 dissapointing 1500w motors, why are you continuing to bang your head on the wall? The problem is not with the make but with the type. Direct drive motors are inherently inefficient in bikes, particularly where stop/start riding or hill climbing is concered. They produce more heat than torque at speeds lower than their maximum revs and are very heavy on batteries. Geared hubs don't suffer in this way. Oh, but wait, they're 'only' rated at 250w. Fine get yourself one marked 350 or 500w. Only difference will be it's lack legality. Sorry for the rant, but we get a lot of people on here blinded by the big numbers of these motors. They are not faster, more powerful (power comes from the rating of the controller not the motor), nor are they legal. You want speed? Buy a 36v geared hub (particularly one wound for a 26" wheel), lace it into a 28" or 700c wheel. Get a 48v controller and battery and see it go. Of course it's hill climbing ability may be a bit compromised - there's a price for everything. So what controller do I need to make a 1500w motor run well?
July 29, 20223 yr !500w at 36v is 41.6A. So you need a controller capable of 40A max. This means that the battery, in order to avoid stress and heat damage, must have a genuine maximum current rating of 50-60A. Big, heavy and very expensive. Having done this you will have a system that will still perform poorly on hills and at low speed, it is the nature of direct drive motors. Oh, and it will still be obviously illegal even to the casual observer. They work well in cars with much more sophisticated control systems, regen braking and huge batteries that are not worked to the voltage limits that bike batteries are.
July 29, 20223 yr If the hub is given enough current and a battary that can deliver over and above said current then it will perform admirably, the issue is most don't or aren't willing to lay out good money for a decent battery. Most try to do it on the cheap and fall short on power one is in effect buidling a moped/motorbike so one has to up the anit and pay out proper money. If I were using a 35 -45a controller I would want a battery that can deliver some 60 - 70a + amps with pucker cells, such a battery won't come cheap. At 1500w 36v certainly won't cut the mustard and 48v is border line one should be looking at 14s/56v or 15s/60v minimum = not cheap. High current = heat, to reduce heat one needs less current. To operate with less current one increases the voltage rating of the system. However you look at it the bike is a moped /motor bike and expensive to do it properly and costly when plod confiscate and crush it for being illegal.
July 29, 20223 yr Author !500w at 36v is 41.6A. So you need a controller capable of 40A max. This means that the battery, in order to avoid stress and heat damage, must have a genuine maximum current rating of 50-60A. Big, heavy and very expensive. Having done this you will have a system that will still perform poorly on hills and at low speed, it is the nature of direct drive motors. Oh, and it will still be obviously illegal even to the casual observer. They work well in cars with much more sophisticated control systems, regen braking and huge batteries that are not worked to the voltage limits that bike batteries are. I've hooked up two 16ah batteries and the system works very well. The controller gets very hot with persistent hill climbing and will cut out at times (I'm guessing that's a built-in safety measure). What I can't understand is why the motor gets damaged when it's raining. I will try to grease the cable inlet but I thought they would have thought about rain when designing it
July 29, 20223 yr Author If the hub is given enough current and a battary that can deliver over and above said current then it will perform admirably, the issue is most don't or aren't willing to lay out good money for a decent battery. Most try to do it on the cheap and fall short on power one is in effect buidling a moped/motorbike so one has to up the anit and pay out proper money. If I were using a 35 -45a controller I would want a battery that can deliver some 60 - 70a + amps with pucker cells, such a battery won't come cheap. At 1500w 48v won't cut the mustard one should be looking at 14s/56v or 15s/60v minimum = not cheap. Thanks but moneys not the issue here, I just need a reliable work horse
July 29, 20223 yr Go over to ES forum they will tell you what you need, likely a Mac hub or chrystalyte motor and 60v.
July 29, 20223 yr Author Go over to ES forum they will tell you what you need, likely a Mac hub or chrystalyte motor and 60v. 60v controller and battery? What's a Mac hub?
July 29, 20223 yr https://optibike.com/r22-everest/ https://swind.life/products/swind-eb-01-mountain-2/ https://en.nicolai-bicycles.com/eboxx-ultra/ https://surron.co.uk/ https://www.rideandglide.co.uk/product/stealth-b52/ Edited July 29, 20223 yr by soundwave
July 29, 20223 yr Author https://optibike.com/r22-everest/ Nice looking bike but I can get these specs at a fraction of the price.
July 29, 20223 yr https://www.evwest.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=8&products_id=297&osCsid=3fc2c59c4464a55b60242b587514534e
July 29, 20223 yr Brilliant marketing... Optibike - Essex dropper post bicycle ‘Fit Freedom’ technology solves the problem of getting on and off a bike for smaller riders. Letting you move the seat down and out of the way with a button! The dropper seat post solves the problem of hitting the seat with your leg while getting on and off the bike. You can lower the seat when arriving at a stop sign and easily rest your feet on the ground. No more jumping off the bike at stop signs.
July 30, 20223 yr Hi all, I have had about three 1500w rear hub motors and they have all been pretty disappointing, only lasting months before they grind to a halt. My 1000w motor has taken a hammering and has lasted years. Can anyone recommend any more reliable motors? Many thanks for reading! So, what 1500w motors is it you'd had that have failed, and what is the 1000w motor that has served you well? I'm looking to get a 1000w or 1500w hub motor, probably 52v battery
July 31, 20223 yr Author So, what 1500w motors is it you'd had that have failed, and what is the 1000w motor that has served you well? I'm looking to get a 1000w or 1500w hub motor, probably 52v battery I'm not sure of the make but I bought the motors from Chinese suppliers. They were about £160 each. I would be happy to spend more if you get what you pay for. Why use a 52v battery? I have 48v batteries and they work well
July 31, 20223 yr The more voltage one uses the less current one needs to supply for the same power, but in the scale of things 4v isn't going to make much difference.
July 31, 20223 yr Author The more voltage one uses the less current one needs to supply for the same power. In English?
July 31, 20223 yr It is in English !!! Do the maths, these are only nominal figures. 13s/48v x 30a = 1440w. 14s/52v x 27a = 1404w. 15s/56v x 25a = 1400w. 16s/60v x 24a = 1440w. Hot off the charger. 54.6v x 30a = 1638w. 58.8v x 27a = 1587w. 63v x 25a = 1575w. 67.2v x 24a = 1612w. All three give much the same power out put, less current = less heat. Less heat = less failure. Edited July 31, 20223 yr by Nealh
July 31, 20223 yr Author It is in English !!! Do the maths. 48v x 30a = 1440w. 52v x 27.69a = 1440w. 60v x 24a = 1440w. All three give the same power out put, less current = less heat. Less heat = less failure. Thanks! Heat isn't really the issue I started this thread on. I was out when it started raining and the motor experienced a mechanical failure. Power was running to the motor but it wasn't engaging in any motion. The next day it was running but now there's a strange pinging sound coming from the motor when it rotates
July 31, 20223 yr I'm not sure of the make but I bought the motors from Chinese suppliers. They were about £160 each. I would be happy to spend more if you get what you pay for. Why use a 52v battery? I have 48v batteries and they work well Were they off ebay/aliexpress? How many miles has the 1000w done? If I'm buying a new battery, I'd rather pay a smidgen more for a few more volts. The new bike has a cassette (not a freewheel), and 700c, seems there's not many kits that take cassettes. Really hoping to get one in UK stock as otherwise summer will be over by the time it gets here on the slow boat from china. Found a supplier called Modds, they also advertise on ebay https://www.moddsebikes.co.uk/ I'm sure it will be the same old generic chinese stuff, but with their stickers on the side
August 3, 20223 yr 52V will give you more power as Power=Voltage*Current so you should find you can get a little faster speed from hub however most controllers will still drain same current at 52V as 48V so that means they're a little less efficient at 52V, still I'll take 52V over 48V any day
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