I have a 2007 Jamis Aurora that I'd like to put a motor on. The main purpose of the motor is for first, hill climbing. I live on a mountain and need to climb 2 mountains to go anywhere. After some reading I think a rear hub drive is a good option. I found one that I like 36V - 52V High-End 900-1300 Watt-peak Geared Motor Kit (no Battery) - 2 Year Motor Warranty - Electric Bike Solutions, LLC except it comes with a 7 gear wheel and my bike has 9 gears. I am told that the spacing is different between the 2 and that my shifter won't work right with 7 gears. Can I take the gears off his wheel and put my gears on? can I just put his hub motor on my wheel? or is the wheel it comes on specially designed to withstand additional forces produced by the motor and putting it on a normal wheel is a bad idea? I have a friend who is a bike guy who is willing to help me with this conversion. I myself, I fix electron microscopes for a living so motors, controllers, etc. are not a totally foreign concept, between the 2 of us, we could probably manage a custom build (with your help) if that makes the most sense to do..

Any luck with it ?

When someone says hills, I say mid-drive. But that high of a powered geared hub motor just might do the climbing you need (?).

I would consider this mid drive kit from Luna Cycle. This and a 52 volt battery will tame the hills.

Cyclone Mid Drive 3000 watt Planetary KIT - Luna Cycle

You guys are full of good info.. THANKS

The original poster is talking about powering a nice road bike to climb mountains. I will assume he can almost climb those slopes on his own power, and just wants some help. I was impressed by this writeup from five years ago about riding in the Alps on a little 250W Euro style bike. Batteries are better these days. I think the OP's idea of a rear geared hub motor makes sense for a road bike like the his Jamis Aurora, although a middrive motor like a Bafang BBS02 would be better balanced.

Most hubmotors use freewheel gears. If your Jamis has one, its cogs could be moved, but they probably will be too wide for the frame with the wide motor. If it is chromoly, some users would just bend the frame, but that's a risk that's up to the owner. I wonder if he needs that much power either. A 500W motor would be likely to be smaller in width. Also, 1000W is going to need torque arms. Maybe 500W should have them too.

I think a Cyclone is just raw, unrefined, and much like Mad Max on two wheels. Some folks want that, but a Bafang BBS02 is not much more money and an easier install after removal of the bottom bracket. I have installed the Bafang, and there's none of the hassle of torque arms and filing the frame to get the bigger motor axle to sit in the frame so the wheel is straight. And there's no fuss over where to put the controller box, and wiring it either. You do lose the front derailleur's three gears. And the user could ride a Bafang mid drive up the mountain with his feet doing nothing, as long as he puts the bike in the right gears. Finally, I don't know where the OP lives, but the price of his kit if I were to order in the USA is higher than what a BBS02 would cost me.

The OP hasn't been here in over a month. One of the many "one post wonders" on this forum. Looks like he is long gone.

I dunno, but my hub motor costs $79, vs about $500 for a BBS02. That qualifies as "much more money" (although I would by a BBS02 over the kit above...)

Nice article. a bit thick on the hyperbole though: "Suddenly I had my own domestique, a 26-volt brute that seemed to grab the saddle and shove me onward " LOL. Riding the 250 watt 60 lb bike in that article isn't going to be faster than me pedaling a traditional bike...

Its not cheating though, unless you are having a contest.
Sometimes people tell me I am cheating riding to work on an ebike (I burn about 600 calories). Given that 500 people in the building drive a car to work and I burn 500 calories on an electric bike (one way), I laugh at the "cheating" concept.

Nice article though. That swapping the battery idea is great. There had been talk of doing that with cars, but much easier to get a fresh battery on a bicycle.

Don't do this on a BBS02 though:
" On a normal bike you want to find the perfect cadence that balances effort and speed. This doesn’t work so well on an electric bike. Instead you want to shift into a higher gear (harder to pedal) and then resist the urge to stand on the pedals and push hard."

That is just all wrong for a BBS02. Not only will it drain the battery, but it will kill the motor.