August 13, 201510 yr Have the pros and cons of this new "add-e" friction drive been determined yet? $1000 looks like a lot for what it is.
August 13, 201510 yr Can't see it working too well with knobbly tyres. Bit gimmicky imao. They'll be reinventing the Currie Electro-Drive next lol
August 14, 201510 yr https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC3rB9f7DaU So that's what you started MTBing on!
August 14, 201510 yr https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC3rB9f7DaU fcuk me, there's an instant pedelec business, you should try crowdfunding really, could be a threat to kalkhoff etc, very stealth too (apart from the screams from the cheap, nasty brushed motor as one plough up that hill at 5 mph..)
August 14, 201510 yr Author Is the add-e the only way of electrifying a bike with the ability to totally disengage the motor from the wheel ie to cause zero cogging and drag if one wants to have the ability to pedal normally? http://images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2015/05/add-e-1-700x451.jpg
August 14, 201510 yr Is the add-e the only way of electrifying a bike with the ability to totally disengage the motor from the wheel ie to cause zero cogging and drag if one wants to have the ability to pedal normally? http://images.gearjunkie.com/uploads/2015/05/add-e-1-700x451.jpg Nope - I've seen at least 2 others: this one is probably illegal in the UK as the motor doesn't cut out when the brakes are squeezed and it's not on the bike: http://ridekick.com/ (but I do love the concept!) This was started buy a kickstarter campaign about a year ago and looks very simple - but probably somewhat lacking in power (works along the same design as the picture above) http://www.rubbee.co.uk/
August 14, 201510 yr Is the add-e the only way of electrifying a bike with the ability to totally disengage the motor from the wheel ie to cause zero cogging and drag if one wants to have the ability to pedal normally? The Q-series motors and the Xiongda have their clutches on the hub, so only the hub turns when freewheling, just like a normal bike.
August 14, 201510 yr Author all the CD bikes do that. Zero cogging, zero drag. Can you confirm that. I was told by someone who has such a Bafang CD kit that although it can freewheel, it still drags considerably when pedalling when the power is switched off http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0514/3481/products/IMG_1149_c8e383c2-8a3f-4e77-acdc-522ad6f468e3_1024x1024.JPG?v=1433541685 Edited August 14, 201510 yr by mifletz
August 14, 201510 yr Can you confirm that. I was told that although CD kits like this Bafang can freewheel, they still drag when pedalling when the power is switched off http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0514/3481/products/IMG_1149_c8e383c2-8a3f-4e77-acdc-522ad6f468e3_1024x1024.JPG?v=1433541685 They do drag very slightly when pedaling, due to the fact that you are turning the large cog and smaller cog when doing so. You don't end up turning the motor though, as it has a one way clutch/bearing at the other end of the small cog, where a nylon cog connects to the motor drive spindle.
August 14, 201510 yr Can you confirm that. I was told by someone who has such a Bafang CD kit that although it can freewheel, it still drags considerably when pedalling when the power is switched off http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0514/3481/products/IMG_1149_c8e383c2-8a3f-4e77-acdc-522ad6f468e3_1024x1024.JPG?v=1433541685 Both CD bikes I’ve owned have minimal motor drag. The Kalkhoff I have now can be pedalled past the cut out on the flat with little more effort than my non powered bike. The extra effort being the weight rather than drag.
August 14, 201510 yr I used to think there was a tiny bit of drag on my Bosch bikes. But after further unpowered trials, I've decided there is none. As John says, you will always feel the 20kg+ weight of the bike.
August 21, 201510 yr Author They do drag very slightly when pedaling, due to the fact that you are turning the large cog and smaller cog when doing so. Someone else wrote: I have the bafang bbs02 and when powered off there is considerable drag making pedal riding difficult. I try not to run out of power before getting home because unless I'm less than 1/2 mile away I'll end up walking. This new friction drive disengages when you stop pedaling or when powered off. There is a 50kph model available but it's a kickstater with scheduled delivery next month, or so they say.
August 21, 201510 yr I sometimes cycle without power and did not notice any drag on my BBS01. I like the idea of the Add-E but reckon it can accelerate the wear of your tyre.
August 21, 201510 yr I have the bbs02 and can't say that i have noticed any drag at all with the motor off. I think it can be really easy to think there is drag on any pedelec as you get lulled by the ease of peddling with the motor and then have the stark reality of peddling what is a considerably heavier bike than an unpowered bike.
August 21, 201510 yr I used to think there was a tiny bit of drag on my Bosch bikes. But after further unpowered trials, I've decided there is none. As John says, you will always feel the 20kg+ weight of the bike. My thought as well (upto 70% of eachof my rides can be unpowered) that was untill last week. During a long conversation with Jack,my new favorite contact at leasure lakes, ( there E-bike specialist ) we discussd drag. Apparently a un powered Bosch motor saps 16% of the riders power just turning the motors gears Yamaha on the other hand has no motor related losses Edited August 21, 201510 yr by Gringo
September 2, 201510 yr I used to think there was a tiny bit of drag on my Bosch bikes. But after further unpowered trials, I've decided there is none. As John says, you will always feel the 20kg+ weight of the bike. My thought as well (upto 70% of eachof my rides can be unpowered) that was untill last week. During a long conversation with Jack,my new favorite contact at leasure lakes, ( there E-bike specialist ) we discussd drag. Apparently a un powered Bosch motor saps 16% of the riders power just turning the motors gears Yamaha on the other hand has no motor related losses So what you are saying is that by riding your Bosch unpowered. You are riding a resistance machine and getting even fitter! Well done!
September 2, 201510 yr I used to think there was a tiny bit of drag on my Bosch bikes. But after further unpowered trials, I've decided there is none. As John says, you will always feel the 20kg+ weight of the bike. My thought as well (upto 70% of eachof my rides can be unpowered) that was untill last week. During a long conversation with Jack,my new favorite contact at leasure lakes, ( there E-bike specialist ) we discussd drag. Apparently a un powered Bosch motor saps 16% of the riders power just turning the motors gears Yamaha on the other hand has no motor related losses I think the specialist at Leisure Lakes needs to do a bit more research. Although he does demonstrate the average bike shop employee's ignorance of ebikes. If there is any motor drag on a Bosch bike, and I'm not convinced there is, it is nowhere near 16 per cent of pedalling effort.
September 2, 201510 yr If there is any motor drag on a Bosch bike, and I'm not convinced there is, it is nowhere near 16 per cent of pedalling effort. It depends which Bosch version of course. With the current small chainwheel one, pedalling is through an epicyclic to bring cadence up to the higher sprocket speed, which will add some drag. .
September 2, 201510 yr It depends which Bosch version of course. With the current small chainwheel one, pedalling is through an epicyclic to bring cadence up to the higher sprocket speed, which will add some drag. . But won't that be the same with the motor on or off? I suppose drag is drag, whether it's created by the motor or some cogs next to it. Perhaps someone on here could give their small chainwheel Bosch bike a try unpowered and tell us what they think.
September 2, 201510 yr there is some drag from the motor when off and with the extra weight of the bike makes riding it alot of effort. id not get that far with no power as for up hills no chance for me anyway
September 2, 201510 yr But won't that be the same with the motor on or off? I suppose drag is drag, whether it's created by the motor or some cogs next to it. Perhaps someone on here could give their small chainwheel Bosch bike a try unpowered and tell us what they think. Yes, that will be there all the time, some drag is inevitable with drive through any epicyclic, but far, far less from that source than the 16% that was claimed. But I don't know at what stage the freewheel is between the pedalled epicyclic and motor gears, so that could add a small degree if the pedalling turns engaged gears. .
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