Hub Motor vs Mid Drive comparison for ebikes

ryan

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So im comparing a rear 1000W hub motor to a mid drive 1000w motor. Whats your opinion on hub motors vs mid drive? Im specifically looking at the Bafang mid motor.
 
mid drives use the bikes gearing so they will have far more torque. they don't need as much juice to climb hills. I bet in real life a 1k hub drive wont have the torque of a 350 watt mid drive.
 
yes direct drive is efficient at higher speeds but if you commute you most likely are changing speeds a lot. acceleration is not that great you need a lot more power and that means more weight and bigger batteries. you also have less gears so getting the right gear for your cadence will be very hard. I mean look at my Bosch bike I can cruise at 22 mph with a 36v 500 watt battery for 30 miles with some hills. Plus you don't have a torque sensor so peddling will never be as smooth or as controlled.
 
Wattage means little compared to torque for hill climbs. You can have a 1000 watt motor, if it's only putting out 30nm of torque it'll be useless for big hill climbs but will perform better as a mid drive. That said, most mid drives will out perform a hub drive but have a significantfly higher price if all other things (brakes, gears, suspension, frame, quality) are equal. There is also a much higher cost of maintenance as well as maintenance schedule. If you're staying mostly on the road, a mid drive might be overkill. If you're doing more true mountain biking, mid drive is the best option. I ride a 500 watt hub drive but I stay on the roads and trails. I will say my 500watt bike can handle the 1 mile long 17% grade I have to climb in order to get home. It won't do it on throttle only but with a little pedaling it makes quick work of it. I should mention my bike also has 24 speeds so that helps a lot.
 
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