Bionx questions
 

Has anybody tried the Bionx system yet. I hear they gave some units out at Press Camp for the media to try. Curious as to how users feel about them - especially you critical media types. Doing my homework now for the 2010-2011 commute. (winter might be if-fy).

I have two systems. They're great for commuting, especially the PL500 which lets you go over 20 mph. Vehicular cycling is always safer... if you can go at least 10mph below the speed limit. And having the PL500 lets you do that

I also love how the pedal assist work. Pedal assist takes nothing away from the bicycling experience.

I have the Bionx system and I have mixed feelings about it.

Pros:

1. Got me back into riding regularly
2. Gives me more consistent commute times when I'm tired
3. Shaves some time off my commute, which is longer than average
4. If I wake up and I have tired legs I'll still take the bike knowing the motor will bail me out

Cons:

1. Expensive. I wanted something turnkey so I bought it, but other DIY systems are much cheaper
2. The weight really affects the bike handling. I almost wiped out in a corner because the weight distribution of the bike is upset
3. Going up steep hills you have to use level 2 just to offset the weight of the system

If faced with the same decision today I'm not sure I'd buy it again. Of course I'm not sure that I wouldn't buy it again either. But, I think if I was advising someone interested in getting an ebike and they didn't mind a little DIY I'd advise them to put together their own system. If you want turnkey then Bionx works well. The system has worked perfectly from day 1 and zero glitches.

There must be at least 30 companies in Europe, including Trek that is on the EU bandwagon also, that spec the Bion x for their e bikes. It is super easy for them to just bolt a kit on one of their existing frames, but as the one guy said they are expensive and there are certainly less expensive and more powerful hub motor kits available.

I find it interesting though that almost all the companies that are starting with a blank slate are going with a form of bb drive system. Bosch is working with Cannondale on and the Panasonic and Yamaha drives have been in use for the last 10 years.

Interesting you bring up the bb drive system. I saw the video where it was suggested Cancellara was cheating with a hidden bb motor. I thought to myself that if I didn't have the Bionx I'd actually prefer a smaller less powerful and much lighter motor in the bb. This would help weight distribution a lot since it's basically in the middle of the bike. Having a big heavy motor at one end of the bike means I can't take corners very fast. It's a real pain.

Some smaller less powerful ebike that had a bb motor and had a really light battery that basically helped me up hills that I could recharge through regenerative braking or setting a recharge mode similar to the Bionx is what I'd prefer. I don't think what I want exists yet, but nice to hear that there's a lot of development on bb drive systems. I think I'd prefer that far more.