Zefrost

I need an electric front tire that can pull my bike and trailer without me pedaling when it's empty and give me a nice easy boost when it's loaded. I'll always pedal, though. I just need the assistance.

fietsbob

TRy not to post the same question all over the forum .. it's bad Form

I answered this elsewhere, same Query ... Mid Drive Not wheel Motors .

Robert C

The fork you have makes that bike a poor choice for a front hub motor. As was said above, look into mid-drive.

Zefrost

Sorry, I thought I posted that duplicate thread in the incorrect section. (I reported it for deletion)

The mid drive seems pretty expensive. I suppose I can go that route if I absolutely have to because sometimes you just can't put a price on convenience... but what are my other options? If I implement a proper fork (will it still have shocks?) then what are my options for a front hub motor? Or are those inferior to mid drive? I just want to explore my options; from how I see it, my front tire is doing absolutely nothing and should help with the load whereas the back tire has a milk crate that I load up, it pulls a trailer and carries the most weight.

I'm usually just very anal about stuff like this. I also have no experience in such mechanics so I hope to get it right the first time. I heard that the front hub motors can burn out if used improperly?

Zefrost

Been watching some videos on mid drives; (I'm very unknowledgable on bike mechanics btw) it looks like they replace the gear system with the mid drive's gear system? Does that mean I won't be able to go to my usual high gears when not using the motor? When I don't have my trailer, I don't necessarily need a motor at all times so it would be nice if I go still go to top speeds manually. I think my mountain bike is an 18 speed. (The term, "triple crank"?) I don't think I've ever actually experienced a bike without a triple crank before.

350htrr

Seeing you just want a "little" help once in a while... I would stick with a hub motor, a little 250 or 350 watt front geared hub motor would work just fine for that. IMO... Oh, and if you are making that set up work with an 18 speed, getting a 27 speed on it would work wonders too...

Doc_Wui

What's wrong with the motor on the rear tire? An alloy frame should be strong enough to take a small hub motor, and he can always spend $25 on torque arms for more security.

Sure, he might have to fiddle with the derailleur adjustment for a bit. The new wheel that came with the motor spun true, unlike the wobbly one I took out, on my first e-bike. The gears were close enough that it only took a few minutes to set up.

350htrr

Nothing, per say... Other than most of the weight is there, and a lot/all of the torque is there... It could still work tho.

2old

IMO, front hubs are a good solution for cargo-type bikes. However, I would put one only on a steel rigid fork.

chas58

Nothing wrong with a rear hub motor, unless you have hills to climb or go off road (or anything else where you need full power at a lower speed), then you need a mid drive.

For a front motor, you need a strong steel fork. An alloy will eventually crack, and then you will crash hard.