Jim Turnery has been working with electric bikes since 1996 and is the founder of Optibike which makes high end off road ebikes. In this video he talks about the different motor configurations including gearless direct drive, geared hub motors and mid drive or center drive to explain how much power, range and life you can expect from each.
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Understanding Electric Bike Motors with Jim Turner of Optibike
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Optibike is for suckers who want to spend as much money on a motorcycle as they would on a bicycle that can't even do 20 mile range, what a joke
Hub motor makes like 10,000% more sense from a reliability standpoint. I've been riding on mine for 3 years and 20k miles, I've had literally zero mechanical issues. Can you say the same about your mid-drive? And you want to shit on regen braking, you forget regen also saves you wear and tear on your physical brakes. I almost rarely use my brakes except in emergency stops
sick now, my tinitus is maxed out! Come on dude, u hav made a ton of videos, lav mic pro is cheap on ebay & extension cable.
What about using a 3 phase ac motor? Do they make 3 phase ac motors driven from D.C. Batteries that pulse into ac …?
This has got to be THE foremost Lesson 101 video for all things Electric Bikes! Both you guys ROCK!!!
awesome vid man
A flat tire on a hub motor is an ordeal. If you get a hub motor bike I suggest installing Mr. Tuffy wheel liners before you use the bike. Trust me.
Woah! Not bias at all!, fundamental technical reasoning! Excellent points by both of you?
Thanks for the info. Very good interview for those wanting to learn.
the constant hmmms and ahs and ok and yeah and ic and aha ohhhhh drive me crazy.
jublee
holey underwear. I stopped this video after about 45 seconds, just as Turner(y) starts his explanations about the different types of motors. MICROPHONES! Please.
so mid drives are the best choice in converting a bike to an ebike…cool!
do they make a bafang for 20" BMX bikes
What is the forum that is mentioned a couple of times in the vid?
Thanks guys. Great info. Wish my physics teacher in HS would have been as good as Jim. Also the "unsprung" weight explanation was an eye-opener for me. Thanks again, keep up the good work
are there any magnets in these hub motors?
I love my Bosch mid drive on my Haibike. It's an absolute dream to ride. Not just the power and efficiency, but the weight and balance of the bike. Like a Porsche.
if hub motor is such a bad idea ,why is Stromer the greatest electric bike in the world ?
Why hasn't Optibike entered the recumbent trike market ?
Why not to mane recuperator activated by flip switch so you just flip the switch to induce coils for breaking and flip it back to ride with no resistance?
Very good explanations. However I have 2 questions, how does a geared hub motor vs a gear-less hub motor compare, is the geared hub motor similar to a mid drive in the sense of making use of gears for hill climbing? The other question is, are all wheel drives cost-effective and what are your thoughts on those?
like so much of optimal engineering.. its just inconvenient. No retrofit possible. Could never work in anything except THEIR bike.. How is OptiBike driving for a "new standard" of bottom-bracket sizing such that such a thing could ever become available generally? The double edge sward of IP: protect it and it will die, set it free and IT (i.e. maybe not you..) will flourish.
Good stuff
Wow, learnt more in 20 minutes than a year of trawling forums, (full of petty arguments), for info before making a decision on what to buy.
Thanks so much for the clarity
Such an unprofessional production. Mic your presenters.
great video. well done gents.
Why use the brakes for regenerating the battery when the bike is descending a hill? Why not simply allow the spinning wheels to regenerate the battery?
Next time you interview someone or have them give a presentation
of a subject, try giving THEM the microphone so we can actually hear
what they're saying instead of barely hearing them and loudly hearing
your "uh-huh"s after every sentence they speak.
Just an idea…
Shame, this video was basically to promote mid motor system and rubbish hub motors.
very helpful info from the interview
i want a 5kw motor
Some bike shops will not service a bike with a hub motor on that didn't come from that store. They won't even adjust brakes, derailleurs cassettes on the ebike with mid-drive motors. They say, If we break something, it is too expensive for the shop to replace. I think it is funny that they flat out refuse service on a bike that has been customized. 🙂
I'm finding that the only help I need is with is the basic yearly tune up that has nothing to do with the e-drive system. The rest, I have been able to do myself.
Hello Court. Great interview with important information.
That's a spot-on analysis. He knows his stuff.
Awesome Awesome Interview!!! Once again super informative for newbies researching E-Bikes!!!
what if you use supercapacitors with the batteries or just supercapacitors
It's funny because there are now hub motors with switchable internal gears… could have just done that instead
Hello from Greece!
Although in the middle of a crisis, the soud of your video is great and I really don't see any problem. The information is extremely valuable and many thanks to both of you, indeed. Keep up the good and professional job.
God bless you!
Nikolaos from Thessaloniki.
He never talks about the benefits front wheel hub motors because then you can still have rear drive gears to pedal….. also front drive hub motors are easier to retro fit… Weight could be drastically reduced if the Nazi Gov't would release Super Capacitors made of Hemp… They are recharged in minutes, 1/10 weight and 1/100 of the cost over lithium batteries…
I HAVE A 200 LB SCOOTER (AND NEED TO KNOW HOW TO SIZE A MOTOR WITH A 12 TO 14 VOLTS POWER SOURCE) FOR 20 MPH
As far as regen drag goes: if you buy a quality speed controller disabling regen can be as simple as flipping a switch to turn it off. I do it all the time.
Thank You!!! Great Information!