The biggest choice by far, for the ebike enthusiast, when choosing their first ebike, is to decide between a mid-drive ebike or one with a hub motor. Mid-drives are mounted to the bike at the crank and drive the bikes' chain (or belt) to move the bicycle along. Whereas, hub motors are in-built into the bikes' front or rear wheel, essentially laced into the wheel like a hub. Powerful electric hub motors are most commonly gearless and called 'direct drive hub motors' but can also come as geared hub motors. Mid-drives utilise the bikes' gears as they essentially drive the bikes' chain in the same manner you would on a conventional bicycle. When shifting gears, on a mid-drive ebike, you therefore change the gear ratio for each gear shift. This provides the benefit of increasing torque or speed/rpm of the wheel as required. However, on a direct drive hub motor, changing gears has no affect on the motors output power. The key benefit of the hub motor is therefore the reduced maintenance of the bike chain and drive-train components.
Here at Electric Pedal Power, we are massive fans of both middrive ebikes and hub motor ebikes. We have tested and ridden both for thousands of kilometres for both commuting and off-road riding.
Based on our experience, mid-drive ebikes are ideal for recreational riding and riding off-roads with rougher terrain such as jumps and single tracks in the bush. They do however pose ongoing maintenance issues if using them too frequently. Some of these include, lubricating the bike chain much more frequently, replacing the bike chain once stretched, replacing the cassette or freewheel gears once shark finned, adjusting mechanical shifter cables more frequently and upgrading the drivetrain to avoid chain drops. Mid-drives do however have the benefit of being well balanced, looking neater and more integrated to the bike and arguably, provide a purer bicycle riding experience off-roads.
For daily commuting, and for regular use, direct drive hub motors are definitely our preferred choice. Especially, for riding on well-paved surfaces, hub motors are much more maintenance free. They are also more affordable and therefore more easily spark the passion in new recruits for the ebike life. Most people are drawn to them for their ease of maintenance and affordability. When dealing with more powerful ebikes (motors fitted to bicycle frames), direct drive hub motors can be configured to have just as much torque as mid-drives (via their kV characteristic and power) without all the hassle of damaged drivetrains or drivetrain maintenance issues. The main con of hub motors is their unsprung mass which is typically not noticeable for paved surfaces but makes them less suitable for rough terrain and serious off-road riding.
Our conclusion is therefore that both mid-drives and hub motors suit a specific purpose and are both equally great. Mid-drive ebikes arguably provide a purer riding experience as the rider is forced to change gears to utilise all the power and pedal along with the support of the motor. However, hub motor ebikes have far less maintenance requirements which definitely shows when using your ebike more frequently than the occasional weekend ride.