"A,"
Not a lot of money here, just a small pension. It would be an around-town bike, not MX. I'm guessing US$ 2k or more for a complete bike, unless I build it myself from a thrift-store bike. I can do that, sure, but the batteries will be the killer expense. I'm leaning towards a mid-drive if I build, as long as it has a pedal freewheel and maybe two chainrings there. Taking all recommendations, of course.
Here is a question (or two) . . . I have seen the rear bike hubs with internal gears. I am not sure the geared hubs would handle motor power all that well. Has anybody tested those things for internal power losses, or durability? I do know that cars lose a lot of horsepower between the crankshaft and the road. I do not doubt the bike (internal hub) transmissions work as intended, but in my experience, I was pedaling harder when using transmission gears, than with the 1:1 "gear" in the first bike transmission offerings (Sturmey-Archer and Shimano). Pedal cadence was the real advantage there, not the level of effort needed. Any testing or reviews on these aspects of bike tech? Thanks for any help.