# Hub E Bikes



## vigomag (15 Feb 2020)

Looking at buying an E bike most seem to be rear hub driven .
The question is how easy is it to repair a puncture on one? Do you have to disengage the motor etc etc Especially for someone who isnt the best at reapiring puntures in the first place.

With this in mind I am leaning towards a crank driven bike especially the Boardman


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## Pale Rider (16 Feb 2020)

A hub motor bike will have a nutted axle, so you would need to carry a spanner if you wanted to remove the wheel.

Most motors these days are user disconnectable, usually via a plug/socket in the cable as it runs along the chainstay.

You might need to snip a cable tie to free the motor end of the cable, and you should consider if the cable will need tidying again on refitting - you don't want it to catch on the wheel as it spins.

Once removed, puncture repair is the same as an ordinary bike, apart from the wheel being heavier to handle.

There's always the old fashioned method of pulling a section of tube out of the tyre when the wheel is still on the bike.

I'm not keen on that, and it means you can only patch, you cannot fit a new tube, which is easier at the roadside.

One of the advantages of a crank drive ebike is that it's an ordinary bike either side of the motor, albeit a heavy one to manhandle.

Another point is that most hub wheels are cheap Chinese, so not the best quality in terms of build and components.

That and the extra stress placed on a motor wheel can lead to regular spoke failure.

An exception is the Stromer, which is part of the Swiss BMC group.

https://stromeruk.com/


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## ebikeerwidnes (16 Feb 2020)

I had an ebike with a hub motor for 10 years - I had to repair punctures several time and it wasn't a problem even though there was no way to disconnect the wires to the motor
You just need to loosen both hub nuts and the tyre and inner tube can be removed from the opposite side to the wires 
Modern ebikes seem to have a proper plug system so you can easily disconnect it - this is the case with my wifes folding ebike and was the case with a Raleigh Array that I had for a few months

Having said that - I now have a Raleigh Motus which has a Bosch crank motor which is much better - but I don't know if this is becasue it is a crank motor or because it is just a better motor


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## Smudge (16 Feb 2020)

ebikeerwidnes said:


> I had an ebike with a hub motor for 10 years - I had to repair punctures several time and it wasn't a problem even though there was no way to disconnect the wires to the motor
> You just need to loosen both hub nuts and the tyre and inner tube can be removed from the opposite side to the wires
> Modern ebikes seem to have a proper plug system so you can easily disconnect it - this is the case with my wifes folding ebike and was the case with a Raleigh Array that I had for a few months
> 
> Having said that - I now have a Raleigh Motus which has a Bosch crank motor which is much better - but I don't know if this is becasue it is a crank motor or because it is just a better motor



You have a much more powerful motor with the Bosch. The Array had a low powered hub motor with only 25nm of torque.


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## Garwyn (16 Feb 2020)

Pale Rider said:


> A hub motor bike will have a nutted axle, so you would need to carry a spanner if you wanted to remove the wheel.
> 
> Most motors these days are user disconnectable, usually via a plug/socket in the cable as it runs along the chainstay.
> 
> ...


I carry a double ended Gaddi tube you can just thread it in bit more expensive but a God send in my humble opinion.


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## richtea (16 Feb 2020)

vigomag said:


> With this in mind I am leaning towards a crank driven bike especially the Boardman


The Boardman Hybrid rear wheel is standard, with a quick release, and comes off easily, as expected. The front wheel has a hollow spindle instead of a quick release, so you'll need to carry a suitable allen key to get that off. Both are simple to remove, but when you up-end the bike beware not to whack the Fazua remote control on the ground. Up-end it on grass, or a similar forgiving surface, just in case.


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