Wisper rear Bafang and front Dapu motors.....

[alfie]

I was worried about the possible drag factor on Bafang powered motors due to the problems other people have flagged on this forum and can only speak of my own personal experience. I also didn't notice any extra drag on either of our bikes. Several friends have tried out the (BPM) bike (who commute to work on conventional mountain bikes) and they confirm that their is no perceived extra drag.

 

[NRG]

To balance this up I do notice drag from these motors. I can compare directly with my 700c Proconnect and home built 700c Peugeot with front Bafang. Both bikes have the same tyres and with the Proconnect loaded with tools, locks etc to closely match the weight of the Peugeot the Proconnect is easier to ride without assistance. Its very noticeable and obvious to me and a couple of friends who have tried the bikes. Compared to my Alien though the Peugeot is easier to ride, the weight is similar and the motor the same if not the tyres. Tyres do make a difference though, I was quite surprised changing from the Marathon+ to the Continentals how much better the contis where...

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Hi Alfie, welcome to the forum!

The drag is not that noticeable at low speeds, when the bike gets up to 15mph plus you may feel the difference then. Of course if you are thundering down a steep hill, gravity will add the extra power to cope with the drag.

As NRG says tyres and tyre pressures are dramatically important when considering the free running of any bike and particularity electric bikes which are of course heavier. We have tried many makes and styles and keep coming back to the new Kenda e-bike tyre as the best. The rolling resistance is low and the tyre has now been reinforced with Nylon and Kevlar as electric bike riders apparently are not as careful with their tyres and other cyclists!

All the best

David

All the best

David

 

[Oxygen Bicycles]

Hi Alfie, welcome to the forum!

The drag is not that noticeable at low speeds, when the bike gets up to 15mph plus you may feel the difference then.

spot on, totally agree

 

[Scottyf]

Drag on front motors is also more noticeable than rear motors I've found.
Also more noticeable on road tires than MTB ones due to the extra rolling resistance of MTB tires

 

[Mussels]

We have tried many makes and styles and keep coming back to the new Kenda e-bike tyre as the best. The rolling resistance is low and the tyre has now been reinforced with Nylon and Kevlar as electric bike riders apparently are not as careful with their tyres and other cyclists!

Is that their excuse? I split the bead from the rest of the tyre on three or four Kenda tyres and I've not done that to any other brand, the new ones though are much better and I didn't get the same problem.
I'd say the new ones are on par with the main brands now.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Yes, I am afraid it was Andrew! After a lot of research we were going to change to Schwalbe however on testing the new Electric Bike tyre from Kenda, we decided to stay with them. I actually cant remember a complaint about them this year.

All the best

David

 

[flecc]

electric bike riders apparently are not as careful with their tyres as other cyclists!

I suppose that's very likely. Unassisted riders will quickly respond to the drag of soft tyres due to the extra pedalling effort, while those with a motor to help the bike along may well be slower to react.

 

[alfie]

Hi Alfie, welcome to the forum!

The drag is not that noticeable at low speeds, when the bike gets up to 15mph plus you may feel the difference then. Of course if you are thundering down a steep hill, gravity will add the extra power to cope with the drag.

As NRG says tyres and tyre pressures are dramatically important when considering the free running of any bike and particularity electric bikes which are of course heavier. We have tried many makes and styles and keep coming back to the new Kenda e-bike tyre as the best. The rolling resistance is low and the tyre has now been reinforced with Nylon and Kevlar as electric bike riders apparently are not as careful with their tyres and other cyclists!

All the best

David

All the best

David

Thanks for the welcome David,

I rode the bike around our local park for a month before I fitted the kit. The difference afterwards was that I preferred the feel of the bike! It felt less twitchy, more planted and smoother. It accelerated a bit less quickly because of the weight of the rear hub, but overall I preferred it after the kit was fitted. I can only report that I didn't notice any extra drag. It's not often that a product exceeds the expectation but in this case I love the way this bike handles. Like a normal bike and then press a button and you have Eddie Mercx
as the stoker. I was expecting to have to fit the wheel back to get it to perform like a normal bike, but I dont have to bother. Maybe because its a MTB and the limitation would be revealed in a faster bike.

 

[Wisper Bikes]

Hi Alfie, I am delighted you are enjoying your electric bike experience! There are indeed some amazing kits out there.

Tell your friends!

All the best

David