Front or rear wheel drive, or . . .

[morphix]

Hi d8veh,

The bike in the photo was being used by Justin of ebikes.ca whilst I was at the factory for testing various eZee motors, setups and components.

The motors are not run in tandem, so it is really a bit of a hoax as far as dual drive is concerned, but quite feasible to create.

How fast does that bike go John and how much power does it need?

 

[flecc]

the following wind wouldn't necessarily be caused by atmospheric conditions . . .

In that case you'd benefit from this type of saddle which can direct thrust power to give bursts of acceleration.

 

[morphix]

Lot's of interesting points on this front v rear thread...more than I've ever seen before, made by people far more knowledgeable and experienced than me

Clearly there's a lot to consider when you're planning a self build.. On my next build I would definitely do RWD for the lower noise benefit and more discrete look. On my present FWD I have a 10Ah battery on the handlebar in a bag but don't feel it affects the steering at all... saying that, I've not ridden it without the bag or unpowered since the day I got the bike, so it could be that I notice a big difference if I removed it! Certainly when riding under power I don't notice having the extra weight at front of the bike anyway.

I don't know if someone has already mentioned, but another factor to consider in determining FWD or RWD is the actual type of bike you're converting itself... if you're going for a small wheel folding commuting bike you might want a much smaller motor ("cute" style) and so FWD could make more sense.

 

[Cyclezee]

How fast does that bike go John and how much power does it need?

I'm sorry, but I can't answer those specific questions Morphix, it is not a production model and the setup was constantly changing.

 

[flecc]

I've not ridden it without the bag or unpowered since the day I got the bike, so it could be that I notice a big difference if I removed it! Certainly when riding under power I don't notice having the extra weight at front of the bike anyway.

An effect of front motor or other weight isn't always going to be evident, there's lots of factors playing a part. As d8veh remarked earlier, the average 250 watt motor in the front wheel makes little of no difference, but there can be exceptions. One model using a front SB 250 watt motor was notorious for it's front end rider discomfort, owners often using all sorts of dodges to improve matters. Very thick padded grips were one popular measure, as was using softer cushion tyres. The problem appeared to be the design of it's "rigid" forks and frame, although looking normal, encouraging some odd fork flexing modes on poor road surfaces, sending shock waves up into the handlebars. No longer in production, it's replacement has sprung forks now, one could say a lazy way to solve the problem.

 

[greenspark]

We put a 39v MXUS front motor on a Bella Ciao bike frame, and find the classic steel frame to absorb the shock, ride like a dream and still allow a 3-speed internal hub with hub brake on the rear. Most ebikes are not great bike frames (indeed most bikes made today are not great bikes anymore). The Bella Ciao is one of the world's best (in the affordable-bike class). The factory said they knew nothing about motors on their bikes, thus we were on our own (they assume no liability).

We're happy to report it works great. Battery is on the luggage rack, so it is well balanced. However, we find the Bella Ciao is such a nice bike to pedal that we only use the motor on hills. On the flat, with a Brooks B72 sprung saddle, we pedalled it 50k a day in Germany (before we installed the motor) and never felt uncomfortable at the end of the day.

 

[flecc]

Most ebikes are not great bike frames (indeed most bikes made today are not great bikes anymore).

How very true those comments are. Fashion, design expediency and manufacturing convenience take precedence now.