Hub Drive vs Mid Drive Motor Explained - The Advantages and Disadvantages 

The chain-snapping issue is why mid-drive bike buyers might like to get an internal gear hub. Many city bike riders like internal gear hubs because they are less subject to weather and weathering. I agree that a mid-drive bike with internal gears and belt drive is a fantastic choice, but that will be expensive. Building the bike yourself by converting a conventional bike might be a good idea.

First of all very interesting points as I have rode a hyb drive for 10 months and yes have had very little problem with it, but have I enjoyed it as in my earlier days I did a lot of cycling I am now 58 with medical condition. My answer is mixed it was good to be on the road again cycling but it didn't feel natural, mine was front wheel hub and felt if someone was pulling me until my peddling took over, very heavy and vibrated a lot when riding over rough uneven road, the motor could be heard and knew when it was on. I brought the hub drive becausde of costs we can only buy what we can afford, but enough is enough and decided to try a mid drive but couldn';t afford a mid drive bike so looked at convertion kits. So I converted my hub drive with a mid drive and what are the differences it as deleated all the negative points on the hub drive, can't hear the motor many times forget the motor is there its that quiet, certainly less vibration when going over rough roads and cycling feels more natural. I find very little complecations with gear changing as I do have a gear sensor fitted. But I am not going to be giving the cycle lots of rough riding or doing any great speeds, so I do feel how long your chain lasts is if your going to be doing a lot of off roading and excess work your going to be doing on it, if your going to be using your cycle just for everyday commuting going to work, cycling round town and long distance riding can't see chain giving lots of problems as my gears change smoothly. So yes must admit I prefare the mid drive to the hub drive but the hub drive got me back on the toad again and its what one can afford as mid drives are a lot more expensive then mid drives as you can get a hub drive for £500+ and mid drives are about £1,200+, my hub drive cost me £650 and to convert it to a mid drive cost £950. So for £300 more well worth it. Mike

Finaly someone answers to my question of what happens when you run out of battery (or if your motor breaks). On a hub motor you can still pedal your way wherever you are going while on a mid motor you can´t. On a rear hub motor you can also extend your distance by riding on H mode where you use the throttle only when you need assistance.

Please consider (like I did) the third opinion-BOTH! I have a Bafang mid drive running on 72v (Grin), chained to a Qs205 (72200) Sabvoton. The bike is a 29” hard tail and packs 2 72v 35ah triangular batteries. If one system fails, the other gets me home. Final gears are 60/12. The hub set up gets me up to speed and the mid drive helps with little drain on either battery and both can maintain highway speed for miles on Ozark roads.

You missed the fact that there is a shift sensor which shuts off the motor during shifting. A mid-drive is better on very steep hills. You need a really large hub drive in comparison to a mid drive.

I don't usually do two reviews on the same video but response to my comment as been very good but feel their as been a mix up of my interpretation what a ebike is, when I was young I would go cycling all over and to me cycling is slow transport where you want to go defently slower then a motor vehicle, but all the power in the bike was done by me. Some days I would avarage about 18mph and some other day maybe 10 mph depending on weather, hill climbing but everything was done by natural strength and I loved it and enjoyed it because if I set out cycling to the sea side it was nice an scenic and the travelling was a part of the day out as in a motor vehicle all the scenary just flashes by and only the seaside then becomes the enjoyment the trip is just long and boring even so its faster. Sadly for me my natural days of cycling is over as time goes by and we get older and obstacles get in the way and we miss what we once had. An ebike to me as put youth back into my life I don't want a motor vehicle I got one of them and its boring but my wife won't let me get rid of the car, I had motor cycles in my time and they just like cars do all the work for you. I had a hub motor and I liked it and it got my interest in cycling again but I didn't love it, it never felt what I had before when the motor worked it did all the work, when my peddling took over I did all the work it didn't work with me it worked for me, with a mid drive I feel the motor is working with me it feels more natural and put the feel of cycling in my life again more natural. So Mid drive peddle assist does what it says assist as hub motors don't they feel as if they pushing or pulling you until motor cuts out, so for give me if I don't talk about high speeds because that isn't what I got a ebike for, I got it to give me what time as took away the chance to cycle again without feeling tired and worn out just going down the streets, the beauty of cycling isn't cycling to work or the shops but taking little trips in the country side and enjoying the outdoors. To me the mid drive is more like cycling then a hub drive but the hub still provides a good ebike, a twin tub will still wash and spin your cloths as a automatic does but you don't have to empty the washing machine to fill the spinner the automatic does it without that. A mid drive really is like naturally riding a cycle and I only know its me not doing all the work when I turn the motor off and then it comes evident, if you want to do great speeds then a motorcycle is the answer but if you want to cycle when your old or overweight and have health problems then the ebike is your answere and if you choose a hub drive its better then nothing but mid drives give the more natural cycling feeling. For chains snapping and a hub drive getting you home when did a normal cycle get you home when the chain snapped? If your worried about the chain put one in your saddle bag I always carry a spare innertube which your more likely to have a puncture then chain snapping. Benefits of the mid drive to the hub drive, 1. More natural cycling feeling, 2. Better avarage speed because can use cycles gears and not stuck in one gear, 3. Motor working alongside your peddling until restricted speed is reached, 4. Better when going over uneven and rougher service because there is no heavy wheel, 5. less chance of a puncture because weight isn't on your tyre 6 .Finally does more miles per charge with Hub I avaraged about 20 to 24 miles to a charge, Mid Drive I have done 36 miles to this charge and is just hitting last bar. Benifits of hub drive 1, Purchase price 2. Chance of chain snapping on mid drive which if you have a spare chain with you takes just as long as if you had to mend a puncture. Hope this helps. thanks Mike

If your changing gear on a mid drive you just have to ease of on the peddling slightly so as not to damage to change and cogs. Some mid drivdz have shift detection

Hi "Bike Zone" I have build approx 5 different ebikes with directdrive-hub-, geared-hub- and middrive-motor. On my 34 kg Strada velomobile (weight without motor, battery, tools, and luggage) I have driven 3-4000 km with a Bafang 250W 80 Nm middrivemotor and even sometimes changed gear without the motor completely switched off. And the same chain have now lasted 20.000 Km (first many km without motor). So I think your opinion “the chain will snap instantly” Is kind of wildly exaturated ! Happy ebiking everyone ;-)

Very well done -- Thank You 'Bike Zone'

Great summary of e bike drives. I found it very valuable

The chain doesn't snap instantly when you shift on motor power, I have 5500km on my chain and it hasn't snapped yet and as for weight management with hub motors, you have to take rotational mass into account too...

I had bafang mid-drive conversion few years back with shifting sensors etc - well it was powerful but it was not a bicycle anymore it became an electric motor, very heavy too also it eats aluminium chanrings and puts massive stress over whole drivesystem so I recommend change everything there to steel ebike specific components. Now I have sub 20kg rear hub cheap ebike because I wanted a bicycle that simply helps me a bit on climbs and does not break the bank.

Ive have hub drive for my electric scooter n bikes i been using it for almost 3 years n they r great

Excellent analysis. Thank you !

That was useful. I bought a mid-drive. I don't mind more maintenance with the performance and handling benefit of mid-drives. I have a hub drive scooter and that rear hub motor has a ton of inertia when it gets going. Not super great for handling but yeah, definitely pretty bulletproof. I've had my hub drive scooter for years and it's still going strong. I don't think you can kill hub drives.

Very nice and balanced explanation. In my opinion the hub drive is a better option for now unless you have plenty of money and access to a dealership for repairs. This is a big drawback presently. I think owning an Ebike for the average person would require some knowledge and maintenance skills due to the lack of available repair options. There just aren’t any local mechanics similar to car repair shops. Additionally a front hub motor is a terrible idea because the front fork is not designed to be used to pull an Ebike. There’s a good chance that the front fork and wheel will break off eventually.

the main cause of chain snaping is poor recognition of gear ratio's, some people think that the motor will power you through those hills, treat a mid-drive like you are driving without it and use gears like you normally would easy gear to go up hills and higher gear for flat roads, and you may change rear cassette, chain brand new so they will mesh properly or it will slip every o0nce in a while, you see the drive teeth of gears and chain will stretch over time together and when you put new chain it is not meshed right. New chain new gears?

Thanks for adding to the confusion of which one to choose.

Another massive reason is suspension, since suspension relies on the wheel being as light as possible, putting a motor that weighs 5x that of a normal wheel renders any suspension on that wheel pointless, in fact it makes suspension worse than rigid, since it now slams all that weight and inertia up and off the ground, so if you want full sus that's in any way functional a mid drive is required.

Hub drives can be a drag; the motor makes the back end heavy; if you have a hard tail; then the bike hurts if you go over a bump unexpectedly! ouch; get a shocked seat post at least! The newer mid-drive motors from Bafang have a motor cut-out switch for 2022-23 models that will cut out motor power during shifts (amazing) and it works great. I have a Accomile Cola Bear with a 750w motor and it has the cut-out; there are never any issues with power on the chain, and the chain does not fall off due to power on during shifting. This motor is inexpensive compared to all the other motors out there, and a better design too; better than Bosch now! Forget belts, and forget the issues usually associated with Mid-drives. My Cola Bear climbs hills like a Bear; very fast.

Hub drive is cheaper and no maintenance . They always wat to sell you the biggest car with the most option's. Same with bicycle's . Keep that in mind

From what I’m seeing hub drive especially geared hub drives are best if u don’t have a lot of hills or do mt biking… and mid is good if you are doing those activities..so both are good in their own way I think for a majority of people it’s best to go with a geared hub on a bike mainly used to travel on flat roads from paint a to b…🤷‍♂️ I have never had an issue with hills on a 750w hub drive but I hear complaints on the ones that are less powerful more power seems to fix most of the drawbacks of hub drives… my next bike is going to be 1000w geared hub with torque sensor and hopefully weighs under 60lbs

Great explanation, thanks! Question... Will a hub-drive work with a mid-drive on the same bike with dual throttles? What I'd like to do is put the 750W hub motor on the front of a BeeCool Challenger, then put a mid-drive on the back wheel, Giving me both options plus AWD. Another thought, Is it possible to use a CVT on a mid-drive ebike? Chains are loud and they break. Transmissions are mechanical, heavy and expensive. CVT's are lightweight, cheap, quiet and seem like the perfect solution...?

We like our mid-drive with a Gates belt drive. It feels more like a peddle bike.

Thanks for sharing. eBikes are environment friendly 😃

Hub motors are not lower maintenance. They place a great deal more stress on the axles and bearings that are little to nothing more than a traditional bike hub. The spokes are shorter and lower cross so they tend to loosen. Most of your weight, the weight of most things you carry and the heavy heavy motor are all resting on these short, near radial spokes. Mid-drives are no more likely to break a chain than a traditional bike. Mid-drives that are legal do not exert as much torque as even one human arm. You will get the same mileage out of a mid-drive chain as a traditional, you will just reach it a lot sooner. You forgot to mention that mid-drives climb hills much, much easier and faster than hub drives. Hub drives drive only the hub and you can only help it by pedaling. A mid-drive uses your transmission, so you can down shift and often even increase power and speed climbing hills. A great example would be my friend's 1500 watt peak, geared hub drive that won't climb an on-ramp near as quickly as a 250 watt mid-drive in my shop. When you consider that most of my mid-drives are 500-750 watts and 80-160nm's of torque, that is quite aignificant.

How about using both? Have a mid-sized, mid-drive motor for level-ground power. And have a small-sized, front hub-drive motor for hill-climbing power - and as a backup motor (in case the chain breaks) that will get you home from deep in the bush with night coming on....

You missed the biggest downside to the direct drive hub motor. If for any reason you lose battery power to the motor,you cannot pedal the bike! Due to the magnets interactions with the stator,( it acts just like regen braking). And any motor over 250 watts is impossible to pedal. And if it's larger than 1000watts it's impossible to even push the bike.

Can you KEEP the original front 3 ring crank and deralier with a mid drive conversion bike ?

Hi bro my bafang hub motor is 9 speed cassette and my bike is 7 speed cassette now I don't know what to do can you please tell me

I still say that rear hub motor is best for speed only problem tyres wear prity quick. But that depends on the person who rides the bike Yes to ride if motor packed in but still moves it's acward to peddle gear less is best if you get stuck you can still pedal like an ordinary bike midrive better with belt mot chain if you use for going around town chain is OK of road for any bike is stress

I think for some people, they just want to know that which type of motor is less likely to explode, HUB or Mid Drive ?

I think you're handing out a myopic perspective of mid-drives. Not all mid-drive motors use a torque sensor. Not all mid-drives need "professional help" to perform much of the maintenance to keep them running. Not all ebikes require a proprietary frame that can only use one manufacturer's underpowered motor and small overpriced batteries. You mentioned the two types of hub motors but didn't mention add-on mid-drive motors like the BaFang BBSHD and their massive advantages... such as torque, throttle, adaptability, ease of installation and self-repair, cost, programmability, etc, etc, etc. There isn't a production mid-drive ebike I would own but I wouldn't ride anything but a mid-drive ebike. Most mid-drive chain and drive train damage is due to what should be an ever-changing chain line from gear changing. Riders rely on the motor to grunt it out rather than downshifting. Coupling a mid-drive with a Rohloff Speedhub is a game changer. Absolute minimum drive train wear and fast sure gear changes with a straight chain line. The Gate's belt will be another game changer but it's a little more tricky with a full suspension ebike. With minimum chain maintenance I change the chain and rear gear every 3K miles or about twice a year, less than $50 and I can do it on the side of the trail in about 45 minutes. I've been riding the same ebike for over 8 years and have ridden over 48K miles. Much of that has been with panniers and pulling a trailer on rough uphill surfaces, and I have never had a "heat management" issue. Apply only the necessary torque to an IGH and the motor can always stay in its comfort zone. We're talking about ebikes, if someone rides an ebike like it's a little motorcycle they are going to have excess damage and stress the motors regardless of if it's a mid-drive or a hub motor... but mid-drives are superior to hub motors. - photos.app.goo.gl/ADgC6oyPM2gyrCq27

Love it. Thanks.

in over 3,000 miles of varied terrain riding l have only had one chain failure on my mid-mounted motor EMtB. The split or master link failed. I had to push/freewheel home. Since then l have carried a spare master link and a spare chain in a frame bag. The advantages of mid mounting are overwhelming. The gear ratios are innumerable, my bike has 11. It will go up anything as long as there is grip. The power never surges as it does with a hub motor and it never keeps going after you stop pedalling. That feeling/consequence of the cheapo hub motor is very disconcerting. I have a full suspension bike so massive sprung weight would be even more off-putting. So, carrying a spare chain is no hardship in exchange for all the advantages of mid-drive.

I'd want to get both with the mid drive as the main drive and the hub motor to be the emergency drive if the chain breaks. Maybe have a spare chain, who knows.

Glad I found and just subscribed to this channel. I'm about to buy an e-bike and need all the info I can get. I'll research it to death and then make an irrational impulse buy. I'm old but crazy! Experienced Motorcycle/Dirtbike/Trials rider. Have also ridden bicycles regularly all my life. MTB too. I will be riding it on and off road in New England. I'm anal retentive about maintenance, upkeep and upgrades. I need a Brotherhood of Experts to help an elderly guy out! ... --- ... ! My 1st guess-Mid Drive- 1000w full suspension, Not sure of tire size but can see more advantages with 26 x 4 than a more conventional 27.5 Help!!!!

Tenho uma MID DRIVE.... gostaria de saber se é possível instalar um acelerador ????? Obrigado

specs i want: front: mid: rear: 333w: 777w: 1222w: can recharging breake down

My electric bike has a 750W Hub Drive motor with a standard 48V 13ah battery, and a 48V 21ah extended range battery. My question about the 48V 21ah Extended range battery that's operating on the 750W Hub motor. Will I be able to increase range and my miles per hour ( mileage ) with the 48V 21ah battery if I travel for a longer distance. If so how will I know if my mph has changed based on the distance traveled.

Revonte steeples gear and assist in the crankcase.

If a hub motor and mid-drive motor have the same listed top speed, and top speed is your main priority, is there any disadvantage to getting a rear hub bike (the option I'm looking at is about 400 cheaper than the mid-drive)?

In singapore where can i buy

SPOKES brake on rear hub motors. Big problem😢

Ok, this is funny I have Bafang Mid Drives 750 and 1000 watt with a total of 23000 miles. The maintenance is torture, since the power comes from the main sprocket, the chain and your cassette will wear out every 1500 miles to 2000 miles. You'll not be able to interchange those parts, you will exchange both cassette and chain with new. Now your good for another 1.5 to 2k miles, I have about 100 feet of chain 20 worn out freewheels around here. If you buy a good hub motor kit, install it carefully, it should be care free to 30k miles I guess.

Lol I dunno what emtbs you have been riding but your warning section about not shifting while under power will result in instant chain snapping. I do 2000' elevation in 20 miles. Changing gears whenever I want. Never had an issue. 21 Turbo Levo Comp

How do I purchase one? I'm in Nigeria. How much is the cost? My choice is mid-drive. Thanks. The video is interesting.

if a chain breaks you can easily put a replacement chain $15 on the spot. If a hub motor burns out or destroys your spokes or snaps your dropouts in your fork you will be carrying your bike home.

CAN YOU PUT A TORQUE SENSOR ON A HUB DRIVE BIKE?

The vid is ok but it is biased towards PAS systems and DD hubs vs Geared...no mention of higher vs lower powered bikes or the actually ride sensation/characteristics of each system. I am only being critical because this was presented to me as a good newbie vid and I think the pros and cons are weak. I think the last 20secs says it all, "offroad vs commuting and all the preferences in between" Technical trail riders and Kid carrier cargo bikes should go with crankdrives(middrives)...anyone else who likes the Jetsons feel, has no serious weight restrictions and doesn't need to hill start with a load will probably enjoy a geared or DD hub. Just learn to patch tubes without removing the wheel and bring a rope to suspend the flat wheel off of the ground from a branch or what have you....and get out and ride!

A powerful mid drive destroys the chain and gears and it difficult to pedal along the engine wont to rev high but the poor peddler can not keep up

It's all about use case. Somebody trail riding would probably think mid drive is better. Somebody who's 70 and has COPD will likely choose a hub drive. Or someone like my wife, who would rather have forks stuck in her eyes than shift ANY vehicle. Truth be told, you wouldn't want her to do the shifting, trust me.

I like the hub drive better

hub drive less worries

👍⚾️

So many wrong and exaggerated comments here good grief.🙄

Most mid-drive bikes do not have throttles - if you need throttle hub drive is a better choice.

I was wondering when this was made? It does not ring true. The hub bikes I see are much much lighter, do not look like ebikes and overall look normal. I have been comparing a number of hub drive and mid drive. All mid drives, every one weighs a whole lot more and I mean a few kilos more.

mid drive bicycle needs at least 428 chains from motorcycles but all ebike companies has no develop power to overcome existing mtb parts. so better buy proper mid drive electric motorcycle than overpriced under engineered ebike crap.

Oh yeah 😎. Most people 🙄 who ride E-BIKES do NOT pedal. Basically these people want a E-Scooter with a SEAT 💺 🙄

Really annoying background music that just makes it more difficult to hear what you're saying.

What a load of craapola

Hub drives are way more silent than mid drives... A must for wildlife spotting

With a belt drive you loose practically the gearing advantage.

Take this video down. It is totally inaccurate and false. First off, hub drive puts more strain breaking your spokes and putting torque onto the bike frame which becomes dangerous if u don’t have torque arms. Secondly, you can drive a midrive without using the motor. I can go on and on, I haven’t even got to ghosting in the pedal assist whereas mid drives have a torque sensors.

Of course you can change the tires and rims with hub engines, what the heck is he talking ?

Mid motors sucks

They forgot wheeling with a hub motor is ass

This covers the two pyramid points. Then there are soooooooo many other factors when choosing an Ebike. Before you buy an Ebike, take a class. Learn the info. Test drive a few. It's like electric cars. So many factors that without education, you're shooting blind 🦯🦮