Quote:
Originally Posted by Metallover
Hub motors have their appeal, but personally I think this is a much better setup. An RC motor has way more power than most unmodified hub motors. You also have the advantage of multiple gears with this setup, which is awesome for climbing extremely steep hills or just riding at peak efficiency. Flying down the street shifting though the gears like an F1 driver would be sooo sick! 
If I had access to the tools and had the skills to build an RC bike I would be all over it.  |
Yea I get the appeal and would probably do the same sort of thing myself if I had the machining equipment, but with us moving every few years from country to country it is jsut too much hassle. As for the difference between hubs and this setup it kind of reminds me of when I first started into the Maxx line of R/C's and reading why everyone wanted to get rid of the tranny setup and install a center diff instead. It simplifies the setup, and makes for less things to go wrong. Less maintenance, and the only chain to deal with is the bikes original chain. Just too many things to go wrong in lew of only having the hub to deal with. Believe me I love the mechanics of our hobby, and wish that I had the equipment to do some fabrication of my own some days. This particular setup just looks like too much trouble, which may turn out to be a maintenance nightmare.
On a side subject I contacted a friend of mine who lives here in DC(where we are this week) who is also a huge cycling fanatic and has a carbon fiber bike valued around $10K. Well at least it used to be worth that. He was going down hill at approximately 30-40mph when a (lady driver) car passed him on the left and then cut directly in front of him turning into a parking lot leaving him nowhere to go. He always wears his helmet and flourecent/eluminated vest for safety, and it was in braod daylight. He hit her passenger side and flew 18-25 feet into the air according to witnesses. The last thing he remembers was the lift-off, but he landed in grass shattering two vertibrey and required two delicate very lengthy surgeries to fuse the bones, remove bone paritcales, and repair the damage. He might be out of the Hospital this evening, but is in for some seriously long therapy to try and overcome this event. His bike was trashed as it shattered into a million pieces. Of course the woman did not see him, so she says. Probably talking on her cell phone. Everyone is doing that here even though it is against the law. We have seen people texting while going 70mph on the highway.