Introduction
If you are an adventurous person or a fitness lover, you’ll already know about riding e-bikes. They are electronic bikes that have motors to lessen up the pedaling load. These motors play a crucial role in determining the specialty of an e-bike. There are two significant types of e-bike motors, crank and hub type. But how would you know that which suits you?
To make your selection more manageable, we will briefly compare e-bike crank vs. hub motor to set the stamp on the best. Both of these motors have different working techniques. Therefore, it is necessary to have some knowledge about it. So let’s see what sets these two motors apart from each other.
Features of e-bike crank and hub motor
To set a winner between e-bike crank vs. hub motor, we will need to see and consider its features. We have mentioned some vital components that will describe these motors. Following are the eight main details that describe crank and hub e-bike motors.
Structure:
Hub motors: it has two types
- Direct hub motors: its frame contains moving bearings and the motor keeps rotating round the bike axle within the frame.
- Geared hub motors: Different moving gears are present, which makes their structure more complex than direct hub motors.
Crank motors: it generally has a fanned casing and electrically operates the cranks of the e-bike.
Position in e-bike
Hub motors: there are two types of hub motors, front and rear hub motor. These two are present in the front or back wheel, respectively.
Crank motors: These are present between the crank (also known as pedals) of electric bikes.
Mechanism
Hub motors: this slightly old but effective technology that gives high torques at low rpm. It powers the chosen wheel and increases the moving sensation of the wheel with min pedaling. As it is not driven by torque, its speed and power remain the same while constant pedaling i.e. 80Nm.
The second part of its functioning is that it is not majorly dependant on gears. This elaborates that gears do not affect torque level. Hence it will remain the same.
Crank motors: crank motors are torque-driven and function by converting the pedaling work into torque, giving more output. It means that the crank motor will multiply the pedaling work, which will result in high torque outputs. The torque generated could be as much as 100 Nm.
This motor is highly dependent on gears. Its torque can be elevated or lowered by shifting gears. This property gives more ease and control to the rider.
Weight
Hub motors: these motors are heavy as compared to crank ones. Bit, it comes with an advantage of balancing. This placement of hub motors balances out the bike with our without the rider. This equal weight distribution leads to smooth running.
Crank motors: these are pretty heavier than hub motors. Because of their centre placement, it gives a pretty natural sense to the order as there is no motor present.
Performance
Hub motors: under different circumstances, hub motors perform in the following way
- As they are directly attached to the required wheel, they provide maximum efficiency and assistance.
- They perform well in snowy weather as well as in hilly peaks.
- A bike with a front hub gives a full controlled experience. It means that the front hub powers the front wheel while the rider pushes the back one.
- The position of hubs in the bike provides a balanced cycle.
Crank motors: following is the performance of crank motors that you should know.
- As they are driven by torque, they perform best on steep climbing.
- They are present between pedals hence give a more balanced bike.
- The more you pedal, the more you’ll accelerate.
- They assist in a very smooth fashion. Making bike riding feel very uniform and natural.
- They make rocky journeys easier due to their torque sensor.
Cost
Hub motors: as they are present in the electric bike world for ages, they are cheaper. Many Chinese companies produce them in bulks, and hence they are more affordable and readily available.
Crank motor: this technology is relatively new, and that why it is pretty expensive. You’ll need a good amount of money (average thousand dollars) to own them.
Maintenance
Hub motors: although hub motors have relatively old technology, they still are hard to maintain. They do not need a specific set of tools but their wiring can be annoying.
De-plugging the wires during a tire puncture can be time-consuming and difficult. So you should better pray that your bike runs smoothly during riding.
Crank motor: one of the prominent reasons people still choose crank motors despite their cost is due to their easy maintenance. With a specific set of tools, they are easy to maintain than hub motors.
Hence in a tire puncture, you can solve this problem quickly if you have a crank motor-based e-bike.
Mileage:
Hub motors: if you have h 500watts hub motors, the approximate mileage it will give would be 30 miles.
Crank motors: with the 500watts engines, the average mileage is 40 – 50 miles without any hurdles.
Which one is better?
If you are a mountain biker and it is your hobby as well as passion. In that case, we will recommend you to go for crank motor e bike-bikes are very efficient and performed best under steep conditions. But if you are low on the budget and bicycle at leisure, we will recommend you not to waste money and opt for hub motors.
Conclusion:
Today we discussed the specification of e-bike crank vs. Hub motor. In this article, we got to know that both of them have different sets of functions. Hub motors are much of older technology and are cheaper. In contrast, crank motors are the latest technology-based and are pretty much expensive. Their torque dependence is different as well as placement, which makes them utterly distinct from one another.
Their performances are specialized for different purposes. A hub motor is suitable for and roadside regular biking. A crank motor is majorly used for technical biking like mounting climbing and others aspects a regular bike can’t do. We hope that this article provided you all the information you needed.
