P B International

Mid-drive motors are directly attached to the drivetrain and your pedaling inputs. In most cases, the drivetrain of a chain-drive electric bike is comprised of a conventional chain, chainrings, and tape, which cooperate to drive the rear wheel and move you forward.

Mid-drive motors are known for higher performance and torque when compared to a similarly powered traditional hub motor. One key motivation behind why would that be the chain 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.

The single biggest benefit that mid-motors have over hub motors is their gear ratio. They permit the rider to drive the back tire through something very similar chain and gear set as the pedals, which means that low stuff can be chosen for driving up steep hills or accelerating from a stop with massive torque. A mid-drive motor in low gear can climb steeper hills than a hub motor of similar power and can climb hills for longer than a hub motor, which could overheat on long steep hill climbs.