Internal geared hubs?

[Drunkskunk]

I have a SBP kit being shipped, and want to use it with a 7 or 8 speed hub. I've read plenty of reviewes on Nexus, Surmey Archer, SRAM, and NuVinci hubs from regular pedal pushing cyclists, but what hub is best for putting real motor torque through it?

I plan to use the bike geared down low, andclimb hills with it, so My main goal is torque over speed.

 

[Happy Valley]

And one you didn't mention is the German made Rohloff 14 speed, considered by many professional bike mechanics to be the best.......but, of course priced at around $900 explains why it's often not mentioned around here.

As to which might be the best of those mentioned I'll leave to others opinion, however I think it important to consider that an an average cyclist weighing 180 to 200 lbs., in reasonable physical condition, off the seat and on the pedals cranking up a hill will be generating loads more torque than any of the common MB motor types.
The wear and tear of higher sustained speeds will be more of a factor.

 

[Ghost0]

From what our customers have reported, the NuVinci is the way to go with an internal hub transmission. The other internals seem to be hit and miss as far as durability. One never knows however what sort of abuse these things are subjected to by overzealous riders. A standard derailleur seems to work quite well as long as they are set up and adjusted correctly.

 

[Drunkskunk]

Well, I had planned to do this "eventualy" as I have a perfectly fine Nexus 3 speed now, but...

In the process of putting on the motor, I found the 1 piece crank was too narrow. it would need a 3 piece conversion as well as a botom bracket kit.
Adding up the cost, it was half what a shifter kit would cost, So I decided to grab a shifter kit since it included the crank arms and bottom brackets, and they also sell a good bb conversion.

I thought I was all set, but I over looked just one minor detail...

Coaster brake and a freewheel crank don't mix.


An there's no provision for any other kind of brake. I'll either have to get one with an internal cable opperated drum, or fabricate a disk mount.

 

[AussieSteve]

A bit of a pain. Will old conventional caliper or linear-pull brakes fit?
Not that I'd necessarily recommend them for pulling an MB up - I'm a bit worried about my linear-pull brakes and have been thinking about a hydraulic disk front end, or at the very least, a cable disk, (forks, hub, fitttings). Not cheap, with suspension, but these things are hard to stop at 30mph+.

I got to 52mph today, but was lucky that nothing jumped out in front of me.
Even before I fitted the shift kit, with one fixed gear, my front brake shoes were melting and leaving a layer of rubber/plastic on the rim - you should see it now. Worst thing about that is that the layer of rubber on the rim makes the shoes grip really dangerously if you're not careful. I'm sick of scouring rubber/plastic off the rim between rides. It's either disk brakes or much better, high-speed shoes.

... Steve

 

[Drunkskunk]

I hear you on that. I've got a 4hp peak electric that's a pain to haul down from 40mph. I had to mount front and rear disk brakes on itjust to cope with the heat

On this bike though, rim brakes aren't an option. the frame and fender's wouldn't accomidate them, and the rim is a 50mm wide unit with balloon tires, so not much would wrap around it.

I may end up going with a drum brake hub

 

[AussieSteve]

I've got a 4hp peak electric that's a pain to haul down from 40mph. I had to mount front and rear disk brakes on itjust to cope with the heat

Wow, a 3,000W peak electric bike. I'd love a ride. It makes my 200W electric seem a little lame. Any pics?
My electric has front and rear cable-operated disks, too, along with full suspension. Nice to ride, but low on power for hills.
(There's a pic in the 'My Rides' album on my profile page.)

... Steve

 

[Drunkskunk]

Wow, a 3,000W peak electric bike. I'd love a ride. It makes my 200W electric seem a little lame. Any pics?
My electric has front and rear cable-operated disks, too, along with full suspension. Nice to ride, but low on power for hills.
(There's a pic in the 'My Rides' album on my profile page.)

... Steve

Sure. Pic here: http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l130/geijin/Bike/P1010043.jpg
74 volt, 40A limited controller. 3000 watts peak, or 4 horsepower. on what would normaly be a 500 watt motor. It pulls 1200 watts at cruising speed, but will hit 3000 on acceleration and hills.

Lots of fun, but run at those power levels, range is... limited

 

[AussieSteve]

Not a bad looking bike. I like the rear suspension.
What capacity batteries?

... Steve

 

[Drunkskunk]

74 volt, 10 Amp hour of RC liPo batteries. I could drain them in 15 minutes of hard riding, but its also a fairly efficent motor if i want to cruise at normal bike speeds.