Quote: "It sounds to me that if you need to run gears to haul that much stuff up and down big hills, you need something more than a bicycle. The way you are talking, you sound like the kind of person who gets a 2 door car and puts 7 people in it then fills the trunk with 500 pounds of cement mix and then wonder why the car has no power.
You have to remember, these are only bicycles, and the motors are only "assist engines". They are not meant to be run like a farm tractor hauling big loads of stuff all over the country side."
Ok, lets bring some balance to this topic.
What about the scenario where someone has an absolute "requirement" i.e. they have no other choice but to use a motorised bicycle for their transport and cartage requirements.
In my case, there was a period of three months whereby i fitted this category and needed to use the trailer to haul firewood home (amongst other things); not having the option of a car or motorbike.
The most effective and reliable method of transferring large amounts of torque to the rear wheel is through the original bicycle drive train; the hub distributes this stress through "all" spokes spreading load bearing stress more effectively, and when you're climbing a 30% gradient with 165 lbs hanging off the back, the drive train needs all the help it can get.
Over and over, my amazement never ceases to be as one would think the ratchet pawls should blow themselves to pieces with so much load driven through the system, yet in 6,000+ kilometers, the hub keeps performing just as reliably as the shift kit.
Fabian
