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BionX (or any) hub motor on front wheel

Old 08-16-09, 08:08 AM
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Question BionX (or any) hub motor on front wheel

I'm wondering if anyone here has tried the BionX system on the front wheel? If not BionX, I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who rides with any brand of hub motor on the front.

Mostly I'm interested in knowing about how it affects the handling of the bike overall, if at all. And if there's any issues with traction since there's less weight over the front.
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Old 08-16-09, 08:48 AM
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I've never tried a hub motor, but I've certainly considered it.

Do you remember the old "Solex" mopeds? Friction drive engine mounted on the front wheel. I remember that front wheel drive on a bicycle felt pretty strange. And those were heavier than a typical bicycle, of course. The handling might be quite a bit different. But I wouldn't let that steer you away from the idea, I imagine you could get used to it. But you'll want to be careful in slippery conditions.

You might have a look at www.motoredbikes.com

The majority there have gas powered bikes. But electric bikes, including hub motors, are well represented, too. There'll be people there who can give you their thoughts based on experience.
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Old 08-16-09, 07:27 PM
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If you have an aluminum fork, you'll need to replace it before installing a front wheel hub motor. Otherwise, here's what can happen.



This can happen because the drop outs on aluminum forks are cast and not very strong.
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Old 08-17-09, 12:24 AM
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What I have heard for front hub motors is that it has two advantages: ease of installing the whel (or switch between a usual wheel and a motored one, and the fact that you do not have to do away with your hub gear. Other than that rear hub motors are a better idea.

However you probably know about it and we need to hear more from a user with experience for both.
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Old 08-17-09, 07:27 AM
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I really like my geared Rohloff hub, probably the main reason a front hub motor has appeal for me. I've ridden a BionX bike and have to admit I also liked the pedal assist feature which, for now, I'd lose if I put the BionX on the front. I'm guessing the BionX strain gauge which drives pedal assist is integrated with the BionX hub.
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Old 08-17-09, 04:08 PM
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You do not need more than 3 gears and in fact a single fixed gear would suffice if you have electric motor assistance. I think you wish to keep the ability to pedal your bike with the motor shut off since thois is the only time you would enjoy a Rohloff in action.

I hate too many gears. 8 is the limit for me and 3 is the sweetest spot. Especially if the bike is "electrified"
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Old 08-18-09, 04:09 AM
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Hi there,

I have an eZee front hub on one of my bikes. As far as handling is concerned I have no ill effects to report. In fact the bike may even be a little better balanced with the additional weight in the front (my rear hub mounted bike tends to want to pop a wheely when cresting a short sharp grade at speed).

Just make sure that the axle is mounted properly to avoid axle spin out and/or get a torque arm like the fine folks at ebikes.ca offer: https://www.ebikes.ca/store/photos/TorqArmRev2.jpg

I don't use a torque arm and have had no ill effects from combining my front hub motor to an alluminum fork. :shrug: The bike is still in a ten month long testing and prefecting process so I may still go with a steel fork at some point. We'll see.
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Old 08-18-09, 12:04 PM
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Originally Posted by Biont
You do not need more than 3 gears and in fact a single fixed gear would suffice if you have electric motor assistance. I think you wish to keep the ability to pedal your bike with the motor shut off since thois is the only time you would enjoy a Rohloff in action.

I hate too many gears. 8 is the limit for me and 3 is the sweetest spot. Especially if the bike is "electrified"
You raise a good point I'd not considered. Right now I use a mid-drive motor which shares the gears with the Rohloff. In that mode the Rohloff is a perfect fit. With a hub motor there is no sharing of gears so maybe it's not so important. I need to think about that for a while.
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Old 08-18-09, 12:12 PM
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Originally Posted by El Duderino X
Hi there,

I have an eZee front hub on one of my bikes. As far as handling is concerned I have no ill effects to report. In fact the bike may even be a little better balanced with the additional weight in the front (my rear hub mounted bike tends to want to pop a wheely when cresting a short sharp grade at speed).

Just make sure that the axle is mounted properly to avoid axle spin out and/or get a torque arm like the fine folks at ebikes.ca offer: https://www.ebikes.ca/store/photos/TorqArmRev2.jpg

I don't use a torque arm and have had no ill effects from combining my front hub motor to an alluminum fork. :shrug: The bike is still in a ten month long testing and prefecting process so I may still go with a steel fork at some point. We'll see.
I felt too that a front hub would balance the weight out.

Very clever that torque arm, looks like it would help prevent the hub from being popped out of the fork. Although I imagine it would not prevent the action like nwmtnbkr posted.

Come to think of it, I have a spare 20" wheel with a Crystalite laced up, I may just have the LBS throw a tire on it. I can probably get a good feel for the handling without actually hooking it up electrically.
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Old 08-18-09, 02:59 PM
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Hi...I have four ebikes with front hubs...I prefer front because the battery weight is offset by the weight at the front. You should generally only use steel forks with torque arms from ebikes.ca or ampedbikes.com...I run the ampedbikes model as it is very universal. I ran one bike without a torque arm, with steel, and it was, unknown to me, a geared brushed motor with tons of torque, and I spun out the motor, wrecking the fork.
I also like their ease of installation given standard 100mm spacing, preserving the existing drive train on the back. The only minor issue is traction on gravel - and steep gravel hills, may require walking up due to slippage on the front wheel. I wouldn't put a heavy torquey motor on the front though, like a Crystalyte 530x motor. I'm running Crystalyte 406 405 and 404 motors and one brushed geared unit on folder, recumbent and beach cruiser bikes. They're all good. And do get torque arms...it's not worth the risk for the investment.
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Old 08-18-09, 06:07 PM
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The motor I have is a Crystalyte 406, had my LBS put a tire on today, I'll put it on tomorrow and see how the bike handles the weight in the front.
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Old 08-20-09, 06:26 PM
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Ok, so I got the Crystalyte 406 on the bike, even got the battery, controller and throttle going.

So, the handling is actually improved I think. This is a long wheel base recumbent, Sun EZ-Sport, with a 20" front wheel that is actually a bit light in the front end. The added weight of the hub motor took some of the squirrellyness (sp) out of it. The bike felt more balanced from stem to stern.

Then I tried out the hub motor. It was just as I thought, silent running. On the flat and on mild hills it was quite nice. Not much speed compared to my Ecospeed mid-drive. I couldn't quantify that as I had to disconnect my Cycle Analyst for the test ride. On steep hills it was pretty lame compared to the mid-drive, I had to do most of the work.

Current thought is to execute a plan I had some time ago: keep the mid-drive, add a hub motor to the front, share a common 36V battery. Two throttles, use whichever is appropriate for the terrain, mood etc. While this 406 is paid for, I don't think it's the right hub motor for a 20" wheel. Anyone know what top speed is with it on a 26" wheel? Or a better motor for a 20"?
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Old 08-23-09, 04:14 AM
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I would love to have a Birdy Bionx front hub. I think front suspension means bıonx can not be used as a front Hub system. And I wonder how performant is the Birdy rear hub Hybrid model (it's 250 watt right?).

On the other hand I think a Brompton with a 3.2 kgs fron hub nano (probably 180 watt) is the best bike I could own for 15 km hilly area multimodal commuting. Low powerr is more than enough for me asince I intend to use it for hill climbing only. And an e-bike under 15 kilograms and with a perfectly neat, tidy and small fold is a dream.

However Birdy design and promised ride quality haunts my dreams.
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