The Soul of Electric Assist—How to Choose a Mid Mount Motor?

For consumers, choosing a brand of electric assist nowadays is not actually about "choosing a bike," but about choosing an electric assist system. Due to limitations in appearance, mid mount motors often need to be deeply integrated with the bike frame. There are currently no unified appearance specifications or international standards, so it's difficult to evaluate different motor systems on the same starting line.

Excluding external factors such as the bike frame drive wheelset, evaluating a mid mount motor system is actually very simple. Whether it's a traditional bicycle or an electric assist bicycle, parameters and configurations are secondary; the core issue is always——is it easy to ride? In this context, comparing mid mount motors makes sense.

A good mid mount motor system needs to be fast, accurate, powerful, efficient, and have low presence.

Mid Mount Motors——Fast

The power response speed must be fast. Unlike many cars that tune the throttle to be "lazy," bicycles, especially sports bicycles, emphasize a seamless connection between pedal and bike, moving as soon as you pedal. This is even more important for electric assist sports bicycles. If there is any delay in pedaling, it will greatly affect the riding rhythm. The response speed of mid mount motors can be as fast as 50 milliseconds, or even faster.

Mid Mount Motors——Accurate

Mid mount motors must have precise power output. They shouldn't be too hard to pedal, nor should they "take off" with a single press. The power output should change linearly between different gears, ultimately achieving the effect of controlled power output, making the rider feel at one with the bike.

Mid Mount Motors——Powerful

Torque needs to be high. This is where mid mount motors have a natural advantage. They can amplify torque through internal clutch gear combinations, providing higher torque whether riding on flat terrains, uphill, or under load conditions.

Mid Mount Motors——Efficient

Energy consumption needs to be low. Increasing battery life boils down to two points: expanding resources and conserving energy. Using a larger battery pack is one way, but given current technological constraints, battery energy density is nearly fixed, and it's impractical to equip bicycles with excessively large batteries. Therefore, efforts should be focused on reducing the energy consumption level of mid mount motors.

Low presence means that while riding, the bike should be quiet and smooth, ideally making the rider forget they are on an electric assist vehicle. When riding without power, there shouldn't be a dragging sensation. Most importantly, mid mount motors should be durable, with good dust and water resistance, and shouldn't cause the owner any trouble in terms of maintenance.

If you want to choose an electric assist bicycle equipped with a mid mount motor, you can try using my summarized method of "fast, accurate, powerful, efficient, and low presence" to judge and differentiate the increasingly diverse electric assist products on the market.

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