Budget front wheel 26" conversion kit recommendations

[Woosh]

the same effect of rotational inertia affects the rear hub kits in turning too, albeit to a lesser extent because the centre of the rear motor wheel is a bit nearer to the centre of gravity compared to a front motor wheel.
If you want the nearest feel to a push bike then the TSDZ2 is a pretty good choice.

 

[Nealh]

The nearest feel to a push bike is another push bike.

 

[FatBob]

• Front motors can't get enough grip when you're going up steep hills, especially when the surface is compromised. A rear motor always gets enough traction.

It would be interesting to know why Woosh make their Big Bear bike, for fatties, with a front motor when, perhaps naively, you'd expect the best hill climibing set up possible for those most likely to struggle with gradients (i.e. rear motor according to the above).

 

[vfr400]

It would be interesting to know why Woosh make their Big Bear bike, for fatties, with a front motor when, perhaps naively, you'd expect the best hill climibing set up possible for those most likely to struggle with gradients (i.e. rear motor according to the above).

If you read back through the forum, you'll find an account of one Big Bear owner that had such a problem with front wheel traction that he had to do some modifications to improve it.

My first electric bike was a moderately powered front wheel motor type. I had to get of and push on some moderately steep trails because the wheel couldn't grip, and even on some steep tarmac roads, the wheel would star slipping if it was wet.

There's a massive transfer of weight from front to back on a bicycle as soon as you encounter any sort of incline. The problem is the lack of weight on the wheel that causes it to slip. The heavier the rider, the worse the problem, and, of course, it's on the hills that you need the most power.

If you rode a bike with a front motor, then one with a rear motor, there's no queston which one you'd prefer.

 

[Woosh]

If you read back through the forum, you'll find an account of one Big Bear owner that had such a problem with front wheel traction that he had to do some modifications to improve it.

I know the case very well. He weighs something like 11st.
Big Bears are for 15 stone and over.
If you want a big rear wheel drive, go for the Gran-Camino.

 

[Woosh]

It would be interesting to know why Woosh make their Big Bear bike, for fatties, with a front motor when, perhaps naively, you'd expect the best hill climibing set up possible for those most likely to struggle with gradients (i.e. rear motor according to the above).

when the Big Bear was introduced, I think 2014, the year after Redbridge show, the forum reported regularly a fair number of incidents involving broken spokes.
The problem has not completely gone away but has been greatly reduced by the widespread use of semi automated wheel building machines.
Those broken spokes were 9 times out of 10 on the rear wheel. The reason is simple: the weight distribution of an upright sitting rider is about 30% to the front, 70% to the back and weight is the main contributing factor to breaking spokes.
The second reason was weight distribution of the two unsprung masses.
The Big Bear has a rack battery because we need the highest capacity to support a 20A controller.
So motor to the front on a suspension fork removes the risk of breaking spokes and the rack battery balances the extra weight nicely, half to the front, half to the rear. The sprung fork helps to protect the wheel when hitting potholes.
Those reasons are still valid, the Gran Camino still have the same 50/50 weight distribution but the extra weights are switched around front to rear and placed nearer to the bottom bracket resulting in much reduced gyroscopic inertia, the bike becomes much nimbler than the Big Bear.