My Three Year Research Results: Best Electric Bike

[hunterbob]

My E-CELLS Super Monarch Dual Crown weighs 95 pounds, 75# with the batteries off for transport on my bike rack. Yeah, a "beast" but it can haul 400 pounds (including rider and gear weight). I weigh 190 and haul about 25 pounds of gear including my rifle. so that leaves me with about 85 pounds of boned-out meat I can haul out, sufficient for antelope, mule deer and bighorn sheep minus the cape.
I would not be afraid to exceed that load limit by 50# given the bike's power. It has two 52 volt motors, not 48 volt (that advertise 52 volts "max") like most e-mountain bikes. Using the max output from a 48 volt motor will burn it out much faster than using them on a 52 V noter. Yes,you don't use max power constantly but using it for more than a few minutes dows harm the motor(s).
I keep my bike in 2 wheel drive mode at all times when hunting B/C it's easier on the motors.

So if you want a sport e-mtb go ahead with the mid drive. But a cargo e-mtb really needs hub drive(s).
Different drives for different purposes. Neither is "bad" or "best". Depends on the use.

Being 76, I use an UTV, but I am considering an electric scooter, that I have seen in Bestbuy. The wheels look too small for me though. I'm a predator hunter and thought the electric scooter would be good.

What did you select and what type of use are you anticipating?

 

[hunterbob]

My E-CELLS Super Monarch Dual Crown weighs 95 pounds, 75# with the batteries off for transport on my bike rack. Yeah, a "beast" but it can haul 400 pounds (including rider and gear weight). I weigh 190 and haul about 25 pounds of gear including my rifle. so that leaves me with about 85 pounds of boned-out meat I can haul out, sufficient for antelope, mule deer and bighorn sheep minus the cape.
I would not be afraid to exceed that load limit by 50# given the bike's power. It has two 52 volt motors, not 48 volt (that advertise 52 volts "max") like most e-mountain bikes. Using the max output from a 48 volt motor will burn it out much faster than using them on a 52 V noter. Yes,you don't use max power constantly but using it for more than a few minutes dows harm the motor(s).
I keep my bike in 2 wheel drive mode at all times when hunting B/C it's easier on the motors.

So if you want a sport e-mtb go ahead with the mid drive. But a cargo e-mtb really needs hub drive(s).
Different drives for different purposes. Neither is "bad" or "best". Depends on the use.

Being 76, I use an UTV, but I am considering an electric scooter, that I have seen in Bestbuy. The wheels look too small for me though. I'm a predator hunter and thought the electric scooter would be good.

 

[Danehunter]

There is no doubt that mid drive motors are more efficient in terms of battery use and that's due to torque delivery.
But my bike has 2 wheel drive and two 750 watt motors for a good reason - TORQUE TO THE GROUND. So uphills are absolutely no problem.

Perhaps a combination of front hub motor and mid motor to the rear, preferably via belt drive, is something someone will produce. That will give better battery life. Also there is the fact that there are more efficient electric hub motors than Bafang. The best I know of (barring some new European motor) are the GRIN Technology motors. Excellent stators and rotors using the very best neodymium rare earth magnets, larger stator/rotor size, etc., etc. GRN is in Vancouver, Canada. It's a small company that is growing rapidly and always researching, never living off their past reputation, as some companies do when their creativity stalls.