One of the more commonly asked questions pitched by those new to pedal-assisted riding is &#;which e-bike motor is best?&#;. This is one of those open-ended questions that should perhaps instead be &#;which e-bike motor is best for my specific needs?&#; Cycling Electric explains why and explores some of the market-leading motor systems available.
First things first, we totally sympathise that the jargon around electric bike systems is baffling. For that reason, we&#;ll start with a pointer towards our guide to the terms you&#;ll encounter while browsing. Some key terms specific to the motor include:
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The key difference between a mid-motor and a hub motor is the application of the power. A mid-motor will apply its assistance at the bottom bracket, while a hub motor will, more often than not, drive from the rear wheel (though bikes like Brompton&#;s P Line opt for a front hub motor.)
Typically, mid-motors are capable of greater outputs of torque and as such as the preferred engine for mountain bikes and mid-to-high-end bikes spanning commuter through to cargo bikes that require a stronger output to haul heavier loads.
It goes without saying, the motors we talk about here are capped to the UK/EU regulations, which at the time of writing remain:
If you would like to try out a series of motors for yourself, why not come along to our demo event at the Lee Valley Velopark, taking place April 28th, . Get your tickets at CyclingElectricDemoDays.com.
The market moves too quickly to say with any certainty which brand has the best motor, though our regular reviews will give an indication of our thoughts on each as we test them.
Something notable to consider for future reference is that several labels are now building gearboxes into motors with a high degree of sophistication. This means that you&#;ll have an entirely enclosed drivetrain that will require far less servicing and in some instances has the capability to automate the entire gearing and motor experience much akin to an automatic car.
An example that has really turned heads lately is Pinion&#;s incoming MGU motor platform and gearbox system seen below. Here, 12 electronically shifted gears are shifted semi-automatically, factoring in readings from the motor&#;s various sensors to all but guarantee you are always in the right gear for the terrain under your wheels. What&#;s more, the service schedule is said to be as wide as 10,000km cycled.
You&#;ll not get far in Googling this subject matter without encountering what can fairly be considered to be the market leader. Bosch was largely responsible for dragging the e-bike kicking and screaming from a product that was shunned to something broadly sought after. That was as a result of innovations that made the motors easier to build into the e-bike through reductions in size and weight.
If you&#;re looking very specifically at the Bosch brand and associating it with reliability, then we do in fact have a guide to the best electric bikes we&#;ve encountered with a Bosch motor.
A full and very detailed round-up of the extensive range of e-bike motors can be found on the brand&#;s website, but in summary these are the most common motors and their uses:
Cycling Electric has curated a buyer&#;s guide to the best e-bikes with a Bosch motor, if this is the one you decide to go for.
Shimano&#;s STEPS platform is another to feature heavily throughout the marketplace and each piece of hardware comes backed up by clever software provision.
The STEPS EP platform is the flagship, but underneath this sits motors that cater for applications that require less grunt, or to hit a more accessible pricepoint. These include:
Long anticipated and now on the market on bikes from the likes of Transition and GasGas, SRAM has launched the Eagle Powertrain electric bike motor for the off road segment.
Produced in collaboration with Brose, this mid-rive will turn out 90Nm of torque in tandem with communicating with SRAM&#;s electronic Eagle Transmission drivetrain. This opens up both AutoShift and Coast Shift functionality, making the riding experience all the more seamless and thus letting you focus on the trail rather than what gear you&#;re in.
As for the batteries, at the time of writing there&#;s a 630Wh or a 720Wh package found alongside where brands have chosen this drive system. There is too a 250Wh range extender already on the market for those who wish to make an upgrade to their range.
Fazua is now part of Porsche eBike Systems, elevating what was a high-end motor platform to one that is part of a much broader group, with the expertise and funding to drive innovation onwards.
Hailing from China but with European service to back it up, Bafang has become the go-to for many entry-to-mid-tier products for hub motors and more recently has established itself as a serious mid-motor player too. The firm even offers a (M215) conversion kit for around £500 which slots in place where your bottom bracket would usually sit.
For a detailed view of the brand&#;s extensive goods catalogue, head to the website for the breakdown of what each system offers.
In summary, there are three product catalogues:
The first modern electric bike motor came from Yamaha, a name perhaps best known in the motorcycle world. Since that time the brand has invested heavily into the manufacturing both of e-bike motors and in its own-label electric bikes.
Another to compete at the performance end of the spectrum is Mahle, whose X20 motor system is among the lightest on the market at 3.2kg, inclusive of the battery. It also claims to offer a torque upgrade on the prior generation X35, reaching a peak of 55Nm, compared to 40Nm.
Fully integrated and quite hard to spot thanks to its small size, the X20 is most commonly found on performance road and gravel bikes, as well as some urban builds. The system learns about your riding patterns and adapts its outputs accordingly. The system can charge to 80% capacity in under 2 hours.
Considered a very serious challenger on the performance end of the spectrum, the TQ HPR50 claims to be the smallest, lightest and quietest of all mid-motors and these are the metrics:
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That comes paired to a 360Wh battery that was built specifically for this motor to combine and create the conditions for maximum efficiency. The battery weighs only 1.83 grams, so the entire system is just a little over 3.6kg. There is too the ability to add on a range extender that measures around the size of a 500ml water bottle and sits in the cage area. This adds a 160Wh capacity, meaning a total possible capacity of 520Wh.
The brand also offers up a remote and display option to sit with its kit, as well as ANT+ connection so that you can easily sync up your mobile or bike computer.
Little known in the bike sector, but very much a mainstay of the automotive world, ZF has entered the market and stunned many with an ultra-powerful and ultra-compact mid drive produced in collaboration with Sachs.
The ZF CentriX is a 48V unit that, on account of its Coke can size, has an astonishing power to size ratio. At 2.5kg it is too competing as a featherweight with more established electric bike motor makers. To give you some idea of its true size, it measures just 88mm by 118mm. Don&#;t be fooled by the size, this little unit can kick out 90Nm of torque at its peak and a peak power of 600W, though a separate version of the unit will be on the market delivering slightly less at 75Nm and 450W.
For now, the ZF CentriX is ready to be supplied with either a 504Wh or 756Wh battery to accompany and power the drive system. There is too a HMI controller that is designed to be integrated into the bike&#;s top tube and combined with a remote controller unit that sits on the handlebar.. There is too a 2.8-inch display add on.
The new kid on the block, but a recognisable household name from the drone and broader technology market is DJI, whose Avinox electric bike motor turned heads at Europe&#;s largest trade show in .
This mid-motor debut weighs in at 2.52 kg, while the system&#;s high-torque drive unit is among the punchiest on the market already at 105 Nm of torque, which makes it immediately suited to the more demanding off road applications.
A key feature of the DJI Avinox Drive System is the brand&#;s Smart-Assist Algorithm, which utilises a multi-sensor approach to adjust the level of assistance based on the riding conditions automatically. If opting to go manual in control, riders can choose from four modes: Auto, Eco, Trail, and Turbo, though there is an additional Boost mode for extra peak power.
The Avinox Drive System offers two high-energy density battery options: 600Wh and 800Wh. With GaN 3x fast charging technology, the 800Wh battery can reach 75% charge in just 1.5 hours, ensuring minimal downtime and extended riding adventures. This rapid charging capability is a significant advantage for riders who seek long-range performance.
A new entrant that first broke cover by making a surprise debut appearance on Whyte Bikes MY24 launches, KMC&#;s Kynamic motors appear to be landing in both mid-motor and hub motor formats.
For the uninitiated, KMC isn&#;t from the automotive space as so many many of the best electric bike motor systems seem to be. They brand is in fact a successful chain maker and one that is already leaned upon by the bicycle market to spec out the drivetrains of a surprisingly large volume of the bikes we ride.
What we know at this stage is that a rear hub motor with a 250W power rating will land and be ready to kick out 40Nm of torque, all in response to the feedback from an accompanying torque sensor.
The mid-motor will offer up four assist modes and an enhanced 65Nm torque, plus a 36V.
Also coming from KMC will be a 497Wh battery that claims a theoretical 101km range when run in eco mode, although there are of course many variables that could eat into that number.
Update: Revonte has now sadly confirmed that it has filed for bankruptcy and is no longer trading.
A specialist drive unit that pulls on the deep expertise of gearing manufacturer hGears to deliver a fully automatic transmission and motor system that&#;s powerful enough to carry cargo bikes explicitly built for business, as well as performance mountain bikes. It builds in theft protection like immobilisation and alarms, plus can track rides and e-bike fleets in fine detail.
The impressive One Drive is both automatic transmission and e-bike motor
When asking which e-bike motor is best you should consider a veteran of the e-bike motor world; Brose. There are five drives currently in the catalogue, four of which are aluminium and approx 3.4kg and one magnesium-bodied at 2.9kg. The aluminium range includes:
The magnesium-bodied iterations of the motors will naturally have higher figures, with the Drive S topping out at 410% assistance.
Want to hear something else cool? Brose has added a cyber security protection layer to its software, which it says will protect its customers from hacking.
Unknown until recently, Hyena eBike Systems from Taiwan has surfaced on bikes from Trek and Cannondale and is certainly one to watch thanks to its smart software ecosystem and competitive metrics.
In the brand has become all the more relevant, having come to market with its first mid-motor drive system under the UniDrive 70 banner.
At 2.4kg and with a 70Nm torque, plus a compact size that it says is between 15 and 30% smaller than its nearest competitors we&#;re inclined to look at Hyena as a serious challenger to the big names in the motor segment, a sentiment shared by some industry heavyweight bike makers. What&#;s more, being based out of Taiwan, Hyena is based where a lot of the tech innovation is happening at source.
There is too a full ecosystem behind Hyena, from a highly developed software that tracks a bike&#;s lifecycle from manufacturer through to consumer use, as well as an expanding portfolio of products like batteries, range extenders and colour displays. The brand offers a 540Wh in-tube style battery alongside its mid motor.
At the moment this early-stage start-up is scaling from a low base with more agile bike brand partners, but with lots of investment channelled into the small and circular mid-motor you can expect to see this brand feature on bikes ranging hybrids to e-MTBs. Learn more at Freeflow Technologies.
Not a name you&#;ve heard of before? That was also the case for us, until recently, when BH Bikes opted to lean on the automotive manufacturer&#;s considerable expertise in producing drive systems. Find out more about SEG Automotive&#;s e-bike motor here.
We&#;ve spotted these motors while working overseas and in the Gobao brand even won a Eurobike Award for its P100 drive unit. Since then it has brought forward the new S80 drive unit that strikes a balance on the most powerful and lightest support system, with a maximum 80Nm torque and a 2.2kg weight, as well as a peak 750W power output. This manufacturer is said to be hitting the more competitively pirced end of the market and thus you may find it on low to mid-priced electric bikes.
If you are looking for a source to repair your electric bike motor, we have that covered. For servicing of Mahle, Fazua or Brose motors, here&#;s the information you&#;ll need.
Still have questions or think a candidate for the best e-bike motor is missing from our article? Contact us on social media channels below, or sign up for our newsletter:
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