Choosing the right motor for an electric bike can be daunting. There are so many options and it can be hard to decide which one is right for you. This guide will help you narrow down your choices and choose the best motor for your needs.
We’ll also cover some important factors to consider when choosing a motor, such as wattage, voltage, speed, and weighing options. By following this guide, you’ll know how to select motor for electric bike and enjoy riding it without any trouble.
Features of a Good Motor For Electric Bike
There are many factors that determine how good your electric bike motor is. Among them, the motor power, speed, charge consumption, torque types, price are main. To ensure optimum performance and efficiency of the motor, you need to find these things in a motor. Here are some features that you should consider when purchasing motors from reputable sources.
A good motor should have basic functionalities with a power range from 250 to 500 watts. Besides, it will provide you with the facility to pedal, especially when the battery is running out of charge. The other common features of an electric bike motor are it’ll deliver a quiet, smooth, comfortable, and efficient performance.
Here are some basic features and guidelines that you should consider when purchasing a motor from the market:
- The motor should be powerful enough to meet your needs.
- The motor should have a good speed for an electric bike.
- A good motor must be efficient and use less power than other motors of similar size.
- The motor you are planning to buy should be easy to maintain.
- Again the motor should be able to provide sufficient power for the speed of your bike.
- It should have a good torque and also a very low noise level.
- The motor must be designed in such a way that it can withstand heavy use over long periods of time without any problem.
- The battery should last longer than you would expect from an electric bike so that you don’t need to recharge every day or two days.
If you find all these things in a motor then that will be a better option for you to buy. There are some criteria that you should take into consideration before buying a motor. We will talk about them in the later parts of the discussion.
How to Select Motor for Electric Bike?
After knowing some features of a good motor for your electric bike, you must understand how to select motor for electric bike. You should look for these qualities in a motor. Let’s learn about them again in detail.
To select a motor for the electric bike, you should consider some factors including motor location, battery compatibility, voltage, and power output. By following and understanding these factors you can determine how good a motor is for your bike.
Now, let’s know and understand them in detail to know how to select motor for electric bike:
1. Know About Motor Wattage
This parameter measures a power output providing adequate voltage requirement to run any electric-powered vehicle in order to move forward or stop equally fast. It determines if can create enough torque at minimal RPM to handle any load scenario. A good wattage for an e-bike motor is 250W to 500W.
Because these figures are recommended by most leading electric bike motors manufacturers. Temporary upgrading the wattage in an electric bike motor should be given serious thought and discussed with the manufacturer or local mechanic first. Because these units may smuggle current under load, which actually makes them less powerful than they appear on paper.
2. Power Efficiency
While you are selecting the motor, you have to think why these bikes are made. This generates less heat and possibles corrosion to it instead of using smaller, high-performance magnets causing them internal failure.
In addition, frequently changing one plate will cause permanent death for both your battery pack and motor components because their electrical resistance is going “sad”. In that case, select one motor that will serve you a long time after one change. So, you will get more milages and be relaxed while going out for a long ride.
3. Consider the Speed
The speed of the motor in your e-bike is important. Because if you buy a motor of more than 13,000 rpm it will cause vibration during acceleration. And that could increase injuries and can happen from unwanted accidents with side effects on your spine or arms. The speed should be 124000 RPM for this type of bike to make any possible vibrations go away.
So consider impulse-type motors that move quickly but have been proven safer over time. Some riders feel better about going all out without fear of vibrations imposing damage to their bikes and body. However, others find that increased vibration is a problem when they go fast.
4. Motor Location
In different models of e-bikes, the motor is placed at different places. In some models, the motor is located in the back wheel, some contain a motor just under the chain wheel. Based on the motor location, you have to select the motor for your bike. If your bike has moto in the back wheel but you brought one that has a different type of motor then that will be wrong selection. So, be aware of that.
5. Easy to Maintain
A motor that is easy to maintain also important. One of the main reasons e-bike riders buy them in the first place is because they are not like other vehicles or bikes. They should be easy to maintain. As you are searching for a motor for your bike, you need to find one that is easy to maintain and needs less servicing.
A motor that is easy to maintain saves the money, time, and hard work of a rider. So this is a must-do thing while searching for an ideal motor.
There are some more customize things that will vary from bike type and personal choices. Always you will hear to your needs and requirements. I hope you will be able to select a good motor for your e-bike if you follow all my instructions.
Things To Keep In Mind While Selecting A Motor
There are a couple of things you need to consider while selecting your e-bike motor. There must be some decisions or factors which come into consideration on battery and controller selection. You have to select one that can produce more power than what it needs to put out. You have some notes for other parts as well like brakes, chains, derailleurs, lights, etc.
While buying the motor for your e-bike, try to think about motor adjustment. Think will that motor fit with your bike and how will you add that motor to your bike. With that, you will also have to keep in mind how long will that motor last on your bike. If you can keep these things in mind, you will be able to select a better motor for your e-bike.
Some Good Motor For Electric Bike
Below is some good motors for e-bikes. It is important that you get the right one because it can make or break your expedition a success. Here I have taken the help of these experiences and shared in this section those best motors that I think must gear up with 21st Century breakthroughs.
1. BAFANG Mid Drive Kits
One of the good things about BAFANG is that they have been supplying motors for many years. Their kit could be fitted on any bike and it can provide a power output of up to 80 mph. That power will generate without sweating your hand within just one hour. This motor has perfect balance and weight ratio available at different budgets.
Here are some of the features of BAFANG Mid Drive Kits.
- With Battery (Optional)
- 8Fun Bicycle Motor Kit with LCD Display & Chainring
- Electric Brushless Bike Motor
- Motor para Bicicleta for 68-73mm BB
- Foldable
- Especial for elder
- Powerful
- Safe
- Easy to install
- Widely Compatible
2. BAFANG 36V 48V 500W Freehub brushless Geared Hub Motor
Another good motor for e-bikes is the BAFANG500F300S brushless DIY e-bike hub motor. You can go faster with a good motor, in that case, this is one step ahead. It works as the twin brother to your bike.
You have just got one of them for your e-bike to run smoothly on due-date schedules that you intend upon, this time around for sure. The motors force themselves into the right track leading up a successful ride towards better. Here are some features of this motor.
- Good quality
- Long life span
- Safe performance
- Easy installation
- Easy maintenance
These are the two best motors that we had to suggest for you. There are different types of motors for these bikes. You should know about these motors to find a better one for your bike. Let’s know different types of motors for bikes.
Different types of Motors for E-bikes
It is the first requirement to know about each motor if you want to choose it perfectly. Yes, you can choose any type of motor for your bike. But the fact is choosing the wrong one will directly impact your riding performance. Here are the types of motors to use in your e-bikes.
- Direct Hub Drive Motor
- Geared Hub Motor
- Central or Mid Drive Motor
Direct Hub Drive Motor
Rather than you can address this motor as Wheel Motor, Wheel Hub Motor, Hub Mounted Direct Drive Motor. Wait I am not finished yet! This motor also has another two Name-Hub Motor and In-Wheel Motor. So why this motor gets the title of hub? Because it is placed on the hub of the bike wheel and drives the wheel in a direct motion. There is no interface between this motor and the wheel of an e-bike.
The main advantage of this motor type is-it is fully free from any extra or added parts inside or outside of it. And it has merely no intermediate mechanism or phase in between it and the wheel. So what happens is-user can get an efficient performance for a long time.
The working mechanism is also very simple-only insider spinning and outsider rotation (only the stator and the rotor activities). However, it’s a sort of pure Electric Motor for the electric bike. Comparatively Hub Motors are durable.
And these motors need relatively no maintenance. So here is guaranteed durability plus precise drive performance over the whole life of this motor. These motors are cheaper as well. They are throttle assist, so if the chain brakes user easily can use the power throttle. For beginners, these are more suitable.
Cons of this motor are-these are heavy, it pulls more power compared with a Mid-drive motor. Removing the rear wheel or the tire is difficult with this motor. Along with a hub motor, your bike will also need a visible display with a Pedal Assist sensor to run the drivetrain. If you apply high load on Bike suspension, the wheel spoke can become loose ultimately you can get a broken frame.
Geared Hub Motor
From the name, we could understand why it is Geared Hub Motor because it incorporates a Gearbox. And this gearbox is usually full with a Planetary Gear plus 3 Plastic inside Gear. The main aim of these gears is to increase the motor wheel torque, by which it can drive the wheel.
Ultimately it gives a maximum speed of 30 kilometres per hour. It’s also a hub motor. The only difference from the direct hub motor is-it has an inside rotor. With that, the remaining magnets are placed outside using a powerful glue.
The main disadvantage of this motor type is itis naturally trended to be worn under a heavy centrifugal force. And once the breakdown (magnets from the rotor) happens, it happens frequently and it is a little bit tough to fix.
Compared with the direct hub motor, Geared hub motors are less efficient. This is because some energy losses happen in the gearbox. Besides, the Plastic Gers used outside of this motor are not long-lasting.
Central or Mid Drive Motor
This is the last one from today’s motor classifications. Unlike the hub motor, these motors are placed on the frame of an e-bike and finally connected to the wheel using a chain. So does this motor type is more reliable compared with the hub motor? Yes, these are. They have a metal gearbox, which is more durable.
Moreover, this motor never interferes with the bike wheel at the time of its installation. When you have to face a ton of difficulty to change the tire with a hub motor, a Mid-drive motor gives you relief from that.
Conclusion
If you read this discussion carefully then you will be able to know how to select motor for electric bike. I think you should apply these things while you are about to buy motors. You may go for the best motor suggestions of us. There are so many things where you may make mistakes. If you can read this article thoroughly then the chance of making mistakes will come down. Thanks for reading from us.
