adamtki

The one thing I love about my Bionx is that the riding experience is still like a bicycle. I don't have to use a throttle to get the assist. It senses my pedalling effort and multiplies that. However, it still has the drawbacks inherent in hub motors - cogging effect (drag), weight, and efficiency.

Chain driven motors add no drag in the wheels, their motors are a few pounds lighter and smaller, and they can operate at peak efficiency at any speed my gears allow (that translates to longer range).

For my next e-bike, I'd like to find a chain driven kit that can also multiply my pedalling effort like Bionx. Does anyone know of such a kit that's out there?

Allen

That's what I love best about the Panasonic drive on my Giant. No twist throttle at all, it's all from the pedal sensor and it gives more the more I put to the pedal. And the fact it's a chain drive is cake too.

Other than Bionx I haven't seen a kit with a pedal sensor. Maybe if you can source just the sensor from Panasonic or Bionx and then use that as the throttle to a motor.

One thing about chain drives is you need quite long chainstays to have room to mount the motor between the seat tube and the rear wheel.

adamtki

Hmm... we also have a Giant LaFree e-bike. It's about a couple of years old. Although the assist is pedal activated, it definitely does not vary according to my pedaling effort. I assume it also uses the Panasonic drive. If so, did they add a variable assist sensor based on pedaling effort?