Hub motor fitted to rear wheel
The photograph on the left shows a hub motor fitted to the rear wheel of a bicycle. You'll notice the shortened spokes to accommodate the motor. Typically the rear wheel of the bike is replaced with a new rear wheel which contains the hub motor as a built in component.
Retrofitting the bike is not a complicated process, simply requiring the replacement of the rear wheel, fitting the battery pack and the controller unit and neatly securing the electric wiring.
Undoing the installation and reverting back to your original bake is an even simpler process requiring no more than 15 or 20 minutes.
Pros
Cons
Retrofitting the bike is not a complicated process, simply requiring the replacement of the rear wheel, fitting the battery pack and the controller unit and neatly securing the electric wiring.
Undoing the installation and reverting back to your original bake is an even simpler process requiring no more than 15 or 20 minutes.
Pros
- Better for off road
- Can use more powerful motor
- Less easy to notice than the front motor
Cons
- Slightly more difficult to install because you have to get a slightly heavier wheel past the chain, but in principle no different from changing a punctured rear wheel
- More difficult to change rear tyre - see cons 1 above
- May limit the number of gears in the rear gear cluster, depending on the kit
