I'm considering doing an ebike conversion to a Giant Toughroad SLR 2. The bike is a Al frame 29er (135mm OLD) with plenty of tire clearance and a carbon fork (so no front motor). Current drivetrain is 3x9 with Shimano hydraulics.
I'm a fit cyclist and looking to bring my commute times (11 mi each way), down to comparable to what they are on a carbon road bike (~15 mph ave, ~18 mph cruise). I'm looking for something the supplement the ~150W I currently generate.
I was originally thinking a basic rear hub kit in the ~500W range, but I'm really struggling to find a compatible motor. It seems like the majority of hub motors use freewheels. In general, 8-speed freewheels have a very bad reputation for broken axles, I imagine 9-speed are equally bad. I have zero interest in downgrading to 7/8-speed, I've got better components, and see no reason to downgrade, if anything, I'd upgrade to 10/11 speed. Similarly, I'm not switching to cable disc brakes, hydraulics are much better. I've also considered mid-drive, but I'm not sure how these kits fit with a front-derailleur or are they basically 1x9?
1) Are there any electric kits that take a 8/9/10 cassette and still fit in a standard 135mm OLD?
2) How important are brake disconnects? I'm planning on using pedal assist only, since it looks like most brake disconnects aren't compatible with hydraulics.
3) Dillinger has kits with a 9-speed freewheel, but how durable are these? With the extra weight it seems like broken axles would be quite common.
4) Would mid-drive be more suitable, and how robust are the mid-drive units?
I'm a fit cyclist and looking to bring my commute times (11 mi each way), down to comparable to what they are on a carbon road bike (~15 mph ave, ~18 mph cruise). I'm looking for something the supplement the ~150W I currently generate.
I was originally thinking a basic rear hub kit in the ~500W range, but I'm really struggling to find a compatible motor. It seems like the majority of hub motors use freewheels. In general, 8-speed freewheels have a very bad reputation for broken axles, I imagine 9-speed are equally bad. I have zero interest in downgrading to 7/8-speed, I've got better components, and see no reason to downgrade, if anything, I'd upgrade to 10/11 speed. Similarly, I'm not switching to cable disc brakes, hydraulics are much better. I've also considered mid-drive, but I'm not sure how these kits fit with a front-derailleur or are they basically 1x9?
1) Are there any electric kits that take a 8/9/10 cassette and still fit in a standard 135mm OLD?
2) How important are brake disconnects? I'm planning on using pedal assist only, since it looks like most brake disconnects aren't compatible with hydraulics.
3) Dillinger has kits with a 9-speed freewheel, but how durable are these? With the extra weight it seems like broken axles would be quite common.
4) Would mid-drive be more suitable, and how robust are the mid-drive units?