Woosh crank drive

[DannyK]

Hi all
From reading this forum I understand that electric motors are most efficient at certain RPM. How would I know the correct cadence to use for my Santana CDL Presumably it would be the same in all gears.Hope somebody can help. Thanks

 

[trex]

crank drives are at their most efficient at around 75% of their maximum speed (same for most e-bike motors), for the Woosh CDs, maximum speed is 86 rpm, best efficiency is at 64-65 RPM at the chainring.

 

[rippedupno1]

This is an interesting question as i have two crank drives (bosch s- pedelec and a BBS 02 ) and given the importance of cadence to the efficiency of the motor i have always found it strange that there is no cadence readout in either of my displays .I would find a cadence sensor readout of much more benefit than my average speed or the length of time of my ride.

 

[VictoryV]

This is an interesting question as i have two crank drives (bosch s- pedelec and a BBS 02 ) and given the importance of cadence to the efficiency of the motor i have always found it strange that there is no cadence readout in either of my displays .I would find a cadence sensor readout of much more benefit than my average speed or the length of time of my ride.

A cadence of 60 is equivalent to a quick march (left - right per second), so think of "Colonel Bogey" or Great Escape theme tunes and pedal in pace you wont be far off

 

[Deleted member 4366]

You shouldn't worry about it too much because there's not much advantage in getting highest efficiency. Basically, the faster the motor turns, the lower the current you use. It's current that drains the battery regardless of efficiency. The lower the motor speed, the more torque you get, which is what gets you up hills. If you were in a race, you would want to keep your motor running at peak power, which comes from a combination of torque and crank-speed, which is usually a bit below the maximum efficiency speed.

 

[DannyK]

Many thanks for the replies, it seems a simple thing but had been worrying me for some time. So now I know.