Looking for info on internal geared hubs with mid drive
06-29-20, 08:21 AM
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Looking for info on internal geared hubs with mid drive
I have a Big Dummy with a Bafang mid drive and 7 speed rear cassette . I would like to change it to an internal geared hub, but I'm just not sure about what I'll end up with for gearing. I'm looking at Shimano eight speeds but open to whatever will work for me. I currently have a 48T front and the rear cassette is 11-28T. I would like to end up with something very similar for gearing. Any help would be great. Is there a shop that is knowledgeable on these and that can supply a wheel all ready to go?
06-29-20, 10:28 AM
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You might contact Soul Beach Cruisers in AZ. They produce a BBSHD cruiser with 3-speed Sturmey Archer hub, which won't provide the gearing range you specify, but might help. I think Reisse and Muller have/had a mid-drive with 14-speed Rohloff (great gearing range of 543% or so and reportedly bulletproof) and Luna produced a mid-Rohloff bike. Also electric-bike-blog has some info on the mid-IGH experience.
06-30-20, 10:34 AM
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This article is from 2016, however, it remains a very good starting point. I am a big fan of the NuVinci transmissions. I have commuted extensively on an N360 and toured on an N380 coupled with a BaFang Mid-Drive. I am in the process of building a touring velomobile that will also rely on a NuVinci N380 and a BaFang BBS02
Last edited by Robert C; 06-30-20 at 01:56 PM.
06-30-20, 11:16 AM
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Since that article both Sturmey & Shimano have released 5 speed IGH models for ebikes. Reportedly the Sturmey didn’t work on the Luna Babe, so you might like to explore the Shimano Nexus Inter-5E, first gear is the direct drive so no granny gears, but if you have a 750w motor you should be fine
07-01-20, 01:00 PM
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07-03-20, 09:16 AM
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Check Sheldon Brown; might be listed there. I read somewhere (maybe electric-bike-blog) that the "8" wasn't robust enough for "e". If you can live with 186%, the Nexus 3 seems strong with the direct drive gear in the middle AFAIK.
07-07-20, 08:13 AM
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Scroll down the product page here and expand the Product Specifications to see the gear ratios, Gear 5 is the direct drive, same as on my Nexus 8 which afaik is almost the same but less expensive https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/produ...G-S7001-8.html
In normal riding on my BBS01 I try to leave it in 5 direct drive for taking off, unless I'm facing a steep uphill. 90% of the time I ride in 5 or 7, I shift down to 3 when I am riding up hill, so I could probably get by with a Nexus 3 if I had a more powerful motor. 6 doesn't work at all well under power and slips which is bloody dangerous because then I don't trust the bike enough to stand on the pedals in case I lose balance. 1 and 2 I only use when riding unpowered.
In normal riding on my BBS01 I try to leave it in 5 direct drive for taking off, unless I'm facing a steep uphill. 90% of the time I ride in 5 or 7, I shift down to 3 when I am riding up hill, so I could probably get by with a Nexus 3 if I had a more powerful motor. 6 doesn't work at all well under power and slips which is bloody dangerous because then I don't trust the bike enough to stand on the pedals in case I lose balance. 1 and 2 I only use when riding unpowered.
Last edited by Dewey101; 07-07-20 at 08:20 AM.
07-12-20, 07:07 PM
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[QUOTE=
In normal riding on my BBS01 I try to leave it in 5 direct drive for taking off, unless I'm facing a steep uphill. 90% of the time I ride in 5 or 7, I shift down to 3 when I am riding up hill, so I could probably get by with a Nexus 3 if I had a more powerful motor. 6 doesn't work at all well under power and slips which is bloody dangerous because then I don't trust the bike enough to stand on the pedals in case I lose balance. 1 and 2 I only use when riding unpowered.[/QUOTE]
The hub slips? My main reason for looking into these is that I have that issue with my chain jumping in the higher gears.
In normal riding on my BBS01 I try to leave it in 5 direct drive for taking off, unless I'm facing a steep uphill. 90% of the time I ride in 5 or 7, I shift down to 3 when I am riding up hill, so I could probably get by with a Nexus 3 if I had a more powerful motor. 6 doesn't work at all well under power and slips which is bloody dangerous because then I don't trust the bike enough to stand on the pedals in case I lose balance. 1 and 2 I only use when riding unpowered.[/QUOTE]
The hub slips? My main reason for looking into these is that I have that issue with my chain jumping in the higher gears.
07-14-20, 05:31 AM
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07-14-20, 05:39 AM
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If it is slipping at the cassette than maybe you need a new chain and/or cassette.
Bafang front chain rings are garbage. I constantly lost chains with that. You can get a 42 tooth front sprocket from Leikke (what I have) or Luna Cycle that will not only cure lost chains but give you lower gearing. Highly recommended, almost essential actually.
I guess the other possibility is the chain alignment is off. Usually the Bafang chain ring is biased too far out which should make the upper gears work better.
One last possibility, perhaps your chain it too long and/or you need to take up some of the slack by adjusting your derailleur B screw
An internal gear hub might fix your problem but a less expensive fix almost certainly exists.
The FAQ section of this link goes into great detail about chainrings and alignment
https://www.******.com/r/ebikes/wiki/bbs_faq
Last edited by Pop N Wood; 07-14-20 at 09:24 AM.
