Over our 12 year history, EVELO has produced both hub ( rear) drive and mid-drive motor driven electric bikes. One of the most frequently asked questions of our team is "Should I get a hub or mid-drive driven eBike?" While there are advantages to both systems, our eBikes are now primarily mid-drive to allow for the smoothest, most efficient drive possible.

Mid-Drive or Hub Motor – Which Should I Choose?

The hub motor is simple, relatively lightweight, and quite inexpensive to manufacture. Some of EVELO's previous models utilized a hub drive motor. The EVELO Quest One electric folding bike, the Aurora Hub-drive, and the Aries Hub-drive all use a rear hub motor since simplicity and weight were important considerations in designing a folding bike.

After years of testing, our engineers concluded that the mid-drive motor has a number of key advantages over the hub motor. Which of our current mid-drive electric bikes is right for you?

Mid vs Hub Drive:

• Performance. Mid-drive motors are known for higher performance and torque when compared to a similarly powered traditional hub motor. One key reason why is that the mid-drive motor drives the crank, instead of the wheel itself, multiplying its power and allowing it to better take advantage of the bike’s existing gears. Perhaps the best way to visualize this is to imagine a scenario where you are approaching a steep hill. You would change the bike’s gears to make it easier to pedal and maintain the same cadence. If your bike has a mid-drive motor, it also benefits from that gearing change, enabling it to deliver more power and range.
• Maintenance. Your bike’s mid-drive motor is designed to make maintenance and service extremely easy. Most of our motors can be removed with only a handful of fasteners and electrical connectors that can't be plugged in wrong. This means that virtually any regular bike shop can easily perform troubleshooting and repairs. On the other hand, if you had a hub motor in the rear wheel, even basic maintenance tasks such as taking off the wheel to change a flat tire become more complicated endeavors.
• Handling. EVELO’s mid-drive motor is positioned close to the bike’s center of gravity and low to the ground. This helps improve the overall handling of your electric bike by better distributing the weight.