imo, mid-drive is the best system. Hub motors and something worse, like the Copenhagen wheel (as clever and stylish solution it is), just make the wheel way too heavy and compromise handling- they are a 'budget' or 'conversion' solution but not ideal.
Bosch mid drive is just so seamless feeling, they really have that refined quality going for it.
The bike is gorgeous, it must turn heads in Boston!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jamie Medeiros
Wow I am impressed by the conversation my new pedelec Firefly has received. This bicycle is using the Bosch Performance Speed motor. It is their 350 watt motor that provides assistance to 45 kph (28 mph) making it a class 3 pedelec. Before building this bike I put 2200 miles on a Trek super commuter 8+ which has the same motor to see if this was the system to go with. I looked at the Shimano system and it seemed more difficult for a small builder to use and harder to get. I also looked at the Superpedestrian Copenhagen wheel. The Copenhagen has a whole host of issues including no disc brake option and it needs to be connected to the internet to work. If your phone battery dies, your bike doesn't work.
In my 8 months testing the Bosch system I find I average around 18 mph for my 20 mile round trip commute. With the stop and go nature of it I find that I cruise along at between 20 - 24 mph. Having the head room of the 28 mph limit is nice. I think nothing now of hopping on the bike and running errands. It is faster and more efficient than the car for most trips in Boston.
I enjoy the pedelec aspect of the system. Twelve years ago I built a throttle controlled ebike and I find the pedelec system more intuitive and less obtrusive.
I really don't think I would bother if the assist limit was the 25kph (15mph) EU speed limit. I would ride on nice days and drive on others. From my research I have found one reason for this slow limit is the EU gas scooter lobby trying to protect their market share.
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