I fitted a Woosh DWG22C kit to my tandem in March 2021. I documented my experience with this e-bike conversion (my first) in an earlier thread. https://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/orbit-tandem-woosh-dwg22c-48v-rear-hub-kit.40584/
Since then, we’ve covered just over 3,000 miles so I thought it might be of interest if I gave an update on my experience.
Aside from a few early problems with broken spokes (which is not unusual with a tandem rear wheel) we’ve had virtually no issues. I rebuilt the wheel with a Ryde Sputnik rim and Sapim Strong spokes laced in a single cross pattern and have had no problems since.
The hub motor kit has really been ‘plug and play’ and just carries on doing its job. I have tried to be sensible in the way the motor is used as it is being asked to propel quite a hefty weight. The tandem with riders tips the scales at around 160Kg. That’s a lot of mass for a little hub motor to shift, so I remain impressed with its performance. My normal power setting is Level 2 (of 5) and that is sufficient to tackle most hills we encounter. Sometimes I use Level 3 to keep our speed up on some of the sharper inclines. On the climbs, we try not to let our speed drop below about 8 mph as my understanding is that hub motors don’t like toiling away at low rpm for very long. With that in mind, there have been one or two situations where the ‘stoker’ has dismounted whilst I increased the motor power and peddled up a really steep incline (e.g. greater than 20%) but that has been very rare.
I’m sure a mid-drive motor would be a better solution for those very steep climbing situations, but as far as I’m aware, there is no mid-drive unit available which could accommodate a triple chainring setup. Retaining my triple rings was one of the major considerations when choosing a kit. As a team we are ‘spinners’ rather than ‘stompers’ and prefer very closely spaced gears so that we can maintain an even cadence. Our current triple chainrings and 10 speed cassette give us close ratio gearing from 21 to 120 inches. Modern MTB wide range cassettes on a 1x setup can mimic that kind of range, but only at the expense of very wide gaps when changing gear. Not an issue for some riders, but a deal-breaker for me.
As a team we are both on our 60’s and are far from being powerhouses. We fitted the motor to provide a bit of help into headwinds and on the hills. It has performed admirably in this role and has allowed us to use our tandem far more than would otherwise have been the case. We’re looking forward to the next 3,000 miles and beyond.
Since then, we’ve covered just over 3,000 miles so I thought it might be of interest if I gave an update on my experience.
Aside from a few early problems with broken spokes (which is not unusual with a tandem rear wheel) we’ve had virtually no issues. I rebuilt the wheel with a Ryde Sputnik rim and Sapim Strong spokes laced in a single cross pattern and have had no problems since.
The hub motor kit has really been ‘plug and play’ and just carries on doing its job. I have tried to be sensible in the way the motor is used as it is being asked to propel quite a hefty weight. The tandem with riders tips the scales at around 160Kg. That’s a lot of mass for a little hub motor to shift, so I remain impressed with its performance. My normal power setting is Level 2 (of 5) and that is sufficient to tackle most hills we encounter. Sometimes I use Level 3 to keep our speed up on some of the sharper inclines. On the climbs, we try not to let our speed drop below about 8 mph as my understanding is that hub motors don’t like toiling away at low rpm for very long. With that in mind, there have been one or two situations where the ‘stoker’ has dismounted whilst I increased the motor power and peddled up a really steep incline (e.g. greater than 20%) but that has been very rare.
I’m sure a mid-drive motor would be a better solution for those very steep climbing situations, but as far as I’m aware, there is no mid-drive unit available which could accommodate a triple chainring setup. Retaining my triple rings was one of the major considerations when choosing a kit. As a team we are ‘spinners’ rather than ‘stompers’ and prefer very closely spaced gears so that we can maintain an even cadence. Our current triple chainrings and 10 speed cassette give us close ratio gearing from 21 to 120 inches. Modern MTB wide range cassettes on a 1x setup can mimic that kind of range, but only at the expense of very wide gaps when changing gear. Not an issue for some riders, but a deal-breaker for me.
As a team we are both on our 60’s and are far from being powerhouses. We fitted the motor to provide a bit of help into headwinds and on the hills. It has performed admirably in this role and has allowed us to use our tandem far more than would otherwise have been the case. We’re looking forward to the next 3,000 miles and beyond.
