Bosch Crank Drive - Unimpressed

[Danidl]

But you cannot change the torque.
I had an Alfa GTV it had the gearbox built into the back axle. No real downside but why not connect the gearbox to the engine,much simpler. The GTV was typical Italian,'fast but don't last'
5 years from now we may see a transformation in e-bikes....it seems to me that we are building these bikes by taking a selection of current bike bits and adding a battery and motor.....at some point some big manufacturer will integrate all new parts integrated into a purpose designed frame,the whole designed as a unit without recourse to current available parts.
KudosDave

... But that is exactly what the dereilliur gears do ... they transform power from low torque high speed to high torque low speeds and vice versa

However I fully accept your other point that there will be major changes in bike topography. .. a simple example would be multiple windings in a hub motor , and using electric switching of these from multi parallel windings to series connections at other speeds to optimise performance, it's an obvious departure.
Incorporation of the central drive motor into the down stem without any unsightly bulk would reduce weight . Smaller wheels for city bikes . Etc.

 

[Trevormonty]

Well I got to try a £2K Bosch bike at the Raleigh event last week. I wasn't impressed. Power seemed on a par with my cheap front hub motor and top speed was slower. Didn't like the lack of a throttle, and having to mess around with the controls to stop it kicking in when I was riding slowly was a pain. The bike geometry also meant that my weight was way too far back in the bike which rendered the sub-par front suspension useless when we rode over the most rocky path in our area. Is this the normal state of affairs for a Bosch crank drive bike?

I've found power delivery to be very smooth and predictable in lower settings eg eco & tour, same goes for Shimano Steps. My limited experiences of hub drive with on/off throttle in tight situations was enough to decide on STEPS drive.

The Bosch definitely has higher pedal resistance when assist turned off but why you turn it off for climbs. The whole point of ebike is to use assist on climbs.
Top speed is restricted to 15mph regulations, sounds like your hub bike is not legal.

Rest of your comments relate to bike which has nothing to do drive system.

 

[Danidl]

lidl got jobs going 35k a month

... Some copywriter must be having a red face day...

 

[flecc]

at some point some big manufacturer will integrate all new parts integrated into a purpose designed frame,the whole designed as a unit without recourse to current available parts.
KudosDave

Solex have almost done that already, just as they did many years ago with the petrol powered Velosolex.

The e-versions are on this link, not to all tastes though and some using the BionX motor, not the best of choices.
.

 

[falmouthtony]

http://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/jobs/lidl-looking-gloucestershire-workers-wages-56114

Tell you what SW....deffo go for the ASSISTANT store managers job....according to that bit of reporting they can rake in over seven fold the managers salary

 

[D8ve]

Tell you what SW....deffo go for the ASSISTANT store managers job....according to that bit of reporting they can rake in over seven fold the managers salary

Don't bother I have suggested jobs but he's making too much as he is.

 

[Caph]

... What model bike, what model motor was it ? . Was it set up for your height and leg length? . Everything you have said runs contrary to my experience.
There is no reason for any drag with a central drive motor, there is no reason for the motor to appear to kick in , that only happens and it is rare when the turbo assist mode is on.
The power should be comparable to a hub motor so no surprise there , provided of course that the kit on your modified MTB is of legal power.

It was a Raleigh Captus. I did have it in max mode which is how I ride my hub motorised bike. Basically you have to click down, down, down, down to stop it kicking in when you don't want it, then up, up, up, up when you're off and do want it kicking in. A real pain.

Drag was definitely worse. A lot worse. I know because I had to stand and pedal to get the damned thing to make it up the hill.

All I can say is I tried hub motor and loved it, I tried crank drive and was non-plussed. Maybe it is a marmite thing as others have said. Pity, because I was thinking about treating myself and I thought a go on a crank drive would convince me to splash out.

I have to say, my partner was on the girls version of the bike and the first thing she said was "this isn't as good as your bike". She has only ridden my bike once! Enough said.

 

[soundwave]

try a different bike with the cx motor and stick a dongle on it

 

[EddiePJ]

try a different bike with the cx motor and stick a dongle on it

Or simply get some instruction on how to ride the one that he had already tried.


.

 

[Danidl]

It was a Raleigh Captus. I did have it in max mode which is how I ride my hub motorised bike. Basically you have to click down, down, down, down to stop it kicking in when you don't want it, then up, up, up, up when you're off and do want it kicking in. A real pain.

Drag was definitely worse. A lot worse. I know because I had to stand and pedal to get the damned thing to make it up the hill.

All I can say is I tried hub motor and loved it, I tried crank drive and was non-plussed. Maybe it is a marmite thing as others have said. Pity, because I was thinking about treating myself and I thought a go on a crank drive would convince me to splash out.

I have to say, my partner was on the girls version of the bike and the first thing she said was "this isn't as good as your bike". She has only ridden my bike once! Enough said.

... Right, I am familiar with the Motus, the next higher model, but many of the features are the same .. in particular the motor. Both the Motus and Captus are heavy bikes.
It would be normal practice to have the motor power in touring mode and only go up to sport and or turbo as required.. when going into a stiff breeze or hill. The button plus minus makes this extremely easy to do.
Standing on pedels with or without power would only be necessary if the gear selected was totally wrong or if the brakes were on. I never have to stand up
The experience with a hub is as power source is different In that full power is available from the get go, in the crank drive it is more progressive.