Originally Posted by
Moe Zhoost
Well, because they are low cost, mediocre quality bearings and they go bad. I've replaced a number of them both on hub motors as well as other hubs that use them. They usually have a seal; rubber or metal on both sides (but sometimes only on one). The seals will inhibit water and dirt intrusion and, more importantly help keep the grease from leaking out. They are in no way waterproof so for all weather commuters they may last a year or so. I'll say that it's remarkable how many miles a rider can happily put on a bike that has a faulty bearing without noticing the slow increase in drag or noise. This certainly does not prove that they are maintenance free.
And just how many hub-motor ebikes have owned to make that determination?
How many hub motor bearing failures have you experienced in how many miles of usage?
Originally Posted by
Moe Zhoost
You're comparing the wear of a single component of a hub to the entire drivetrain of another system? Apples and oranges, my friend. Sealed bearings go bad, cup and cone bearings go bad. So do chains, cogs, freehubs, chainrings, and bottom brackets. It's all a function of the conditions of use and maintenance, not the type of e-system.
You're the one that brought up hub motor bearing failure, not me.
Mid-drive ebikes require the complete drivetrain to be operational to be ridden, hub-motor ebike can be ridden without a battery even installed on a the ebike.
I never said sealed bearing do not go bad, but not as often as you think; at least you don't need to clean the sealed bearings as often as mid-drive motor drivetrain.
Originally Posted by
Moe Zhoost
Again, you compare apples to oranges. Drivetrains on any bike are subject to wear and tear, and components will need to be replaced. Replacing most drivetrain components should be at an equivalent cost regardless of the type of system. My example of the hub bearing was the exception. If your argument is that drivetrains on mid-drive systems need replaced significantly more often than those on hub motor systems, I can only say that I have not seen this to be true, though it just may so for those riders who overuse their throttles and rarely pedal.
Sure any drivetrain on a bike experience wear & tear, but more so on a mid-drive ebike vs hub-motor ebike or regular bicycle.
Regardless of throttle usage or not, the drivetrain is required to have mid-drive motor transfer power to the rear wheel,
but no so for the hub motor ebikes.
If your drivetrain is dirty or lack lubrication, not only does it cause more wear, it also robs power from your mid-drive motor; but not so much with a hub-motor ebike.
Originally Posted by
Moe Zhoost
The one advantage of a hub motor is that it will generate electricity when coasting.
Wrong, only direct drive hub motor can allow regen while coasting, and you would still require a controller to be able to collect that generated electricity to be directed back to the battery.
Majority of gear driven hub motor do not have regen capacity.