The Difference between Mid-drive and Hub-drive Ebikes

Lately, mid-drive motors are becoming trendier. Nevertehless, hub-drive are not yet out of fashion.

Pros and cons of mid-drive and hub-drive ebike motors.

A mid-drive is right in the middle of the ebike, in between the pedals. So there are the pedals, the cranks, and the motor is right in between.

A hub-drive is an electric bike motor that is right in the middle of the hub or in the middle of usually the back wheel, but can be also in the front wheel. The motor gets some juice from the controller and through the spokes transmits the movement to the tire, so the ebike starts moving. That’s a hub-drive.

The pros of the hub-drive

• They are embedded in the wheel, leaving the frame untouched, for better design possibilities
• They allow easy and smooth shifting, because you can release the pression on the pedals and chain while shifting, the hub motor assuring the thrust
• They don’t exert any thrust on the chain, thus preserving chain and shfting gears

First of all hub-drives are cheaper, because it’s easier to manufacture them. They can be embedded in any kind of wheel, no matter the shape of the frame, which leaves plenty of room for the designer to work with the rest of the bike. Another feature of hub-drives is that they are very peppy. Some of them have gotten a little throttle that engages the motor without pedaling, with a 6 km/h speed limit, although some speed ebikes can go much faster without pedaling. You get the feeling that you are pushed, which can be pleasant. Another thing is that hub-drives don’t need the chain to work, so especially with s-pedelecs, if you’re tired, you don’t need to pedal at all.

The cons of the hub-drive

The most evident is the weight of the motor on the back wheel. If you switch tires often, taking the back wheel off can be painful. Moreover, especially if your battery is on the luggage rack, your bike will have too much weight on the back wheel. Therefore, your bike won’t be very well balanced. Now if you just use it in the city, is not a problem. Should you bike frequently on trails or off-road, this imbalance can be annoying, to the point where it would be better for you to ride a mid-drive E bike.

Front wheel hub-drives provide a good balance, but they slip on steep climb, on gravel and sandy roads. That’s way very few ebikes have one.

Moreover, entry level hub-drives (not high quality ones) harmonize their power output with your pedaling conditions not so accurately as mid-motors. This can also lead to faster battery depletion, since energy consumption is not proportioned to what you need. Practically, sometimes you’ll notice that the motor delivers more power than what you need, for instance when you want to slow down. The fact that you can choose among three to five levels of assistance doesn’t compensate enough.

The pros of the mid-drive

• Smooth riding
• Great on climbs, trails and off roads
• Intelligent, well proportioned assistance
• Optimal weight balance
• They save energy

The biggest manufacturers produce mostly mid-drive motors: Bosch, Yamaha, Shimano to name a few. The assistance of a drive is smoothly integrated with your pedaling, it’s even calibrated to interact with your effort.

The more pression you exert on the pedals, the more power the electric motor delivers. It’s really pleasant.  In Bosch mid-motors, for instance, three sensors measure the rider’s pedal power, cadence and speed over 1,000 times per second.

Even in order to master the curves, the weight of the motor in the lower middle part of the frame gives you an optimal balance. Your bike is then very well balanced, which is particularly appreciated off-road and on steep climbs. Unlike the hub-drive, the control unit considers your speed, measures your pedaling, the conditions of the road (flat, uphill or downhill) to swiftly calibrate the motor motoassistance. This way not only you get the sensation of totally mastering your ride, but also you reduce electric energy consumption, because the assistance is always well proportioned to your needs.

The cons of the mid-drive

Mid-drive ebikes are more expensive because their motors are more complicated to build. Another disadvantage, is that they can wear off or even break chains and shifting gears. Indeed, these must endure not only the energy coming from your muscles, but also the power of the motor, both at the same time. So it’s not uncommon that, challenging a steep climb with a mid-drive e-mountain bike, you snap the chain, or your shifting gears don’t function correctly.

Why, in the end, mid-drive is the choice of the best brands, at least in Europe

In Europe, ebikes can be ridden without driver licence, plates and incurance only if they don’t exceed 250w power and 25 km/h speed. Such a small motor is more pleasant to ride, provides more couple and stands out for its off-road qualities if it’s mounted on the pedal shaft. Of course also hub motors deliver an excellent thrust, especially if they’ve got more than 250w.

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