Front Hub + Nuvinci Rear

[topaz024]

Hi All,

I'm thinking of getting this Novara Gotham 2016 bike--it has the Gates Carbon Drive belt system and a Nuvinci N360 hub transmission. It's a bit hefty at 35 lbs.

If I wanted to convert this, what would the best solution be, front hub? (Something like Magic Pie?)

I have an brand-new 8.7ah 48V battery I was hoping to repurpose for this

Thanks everyone!

 

[Chalo]

Under 750W or so, a front hub is a great choice. Between the belt drive and the NuVinci, you've narrowed down your other options for sure.

It will stay lighter and ride more like a normal bicycle if you use a small geared motor like a Q128.

 

[Drunkskunk]

To be honest, I wouldn't convert that bike. it would be a waste.

The Nuvinci hub is nice, but it is heavy as heck, and less efficient than most other IGH (Integrated gear hubs). you would go less far and use more effort than you would on a cheap 7 speed cruiser. What the Nuvinci is good for is being used in conjunction with a mid drive. Sadly, the belt drive eliminates that possibility.

If you want a nice IGH bike, get one with a lighter weight Alfine 8 and conventional chain drive. then use a mid drive like the BBS2 or BBSHD. it will be lighter, more capable, and better suited to using as an ebike.

 

[topaz024]

Thank you both so much for the sage advice! I'm going to take it and just get a solid starter bike I can later convert when there's less chance of it getting stolen (apartment w/no bike parking)

 

[lwik]

Thank you both so much for the sage advice! I'm going to take it and just get a solid starter bike I can later convert when there's less chance of it getting stolen (apartment w/no bike parking)

I'm running a 2000w on my front wheel. Back wheel has a rohloff off speed up and gates drive. Carbon drives are awesome and almost maintenance free. few weeks ago I finished a 2 week 600 mile bike tour and total weight with me and the gear was 435 lbs. I had 1 broken spoke on my second to last day of riding.

 

[dogman dan]

Exactly the reason you choose front hub,, rear's impossible to do and keep the nuvinci.

 

[topaz024]

Well I jumped in with both feet and bought the bike--now I'm stuck with it and I've got to figure this out!

I think the HPC 2000w is a bit overkill--I'd be happy with 20mph, though some acceleration would be nice; my last ebike was a Currie 500w DD gearless rear and it took *ages* to get to speed from a stop, even on flat ground

So I'm either looking at a DD freewheel front hub like the Golden Motors 902, or a geared front hub like the 500w Ezee

Does anyone have recommendations for a good brand? I'm super newbie at this, as it's my first conversion

I was going to reach out to the folks at Hi-Power Cycles, who are just 10 miles from my home, to do the install (I can't afford their fancy 2000W+ kits)

Thanks to everyone from this great community--can't wait to try this out!

 

[dogman dan]

Unless you weigh 250 pounds or more, I'd go with a 500w rated geared motor, running 48v-1000w. Since its a front, you will appreciate the lighter weight more than you would in a rear. Ezee,, Mac,, BMC,, Bafang, E-bikekit, etc.

But not a tiny low power front motor, since you do want it to perform better than your other bike.

 

[topaz024]

Unless you weigh 250 pounds or more, I'd go with a 500w rated geared motor, running 48v-1000w. Since its a front, you will appreciate the lighter weight more than you would in a rear. Ezee,, Mac,, BMC,, Bafang, E-bikekit, etc.

But not a tiny low power front motor, since you do want it to perform better than your other bike.

Thanks so much, Dan! When I order I'll do so from your site

 

[danielw]

Hi,

This is an interesting and relevant post for me.

I own the 2016 Novara Gotham, and currently bike (peddle only) to work every day (5.2 miles each way mostly flat) in my work clothes. I love the Nuvinci hub and Carbon Gates drive because they require practically no maintenance and do not stain my pant legs with black grease marks.

I am considering moving to a place that would increase my commute to 20 miles each way. Pedaling alone will take me too long and require athletic clothes, so if I do make the move, I plan to add a front hub motor to my bike. I am unwilling to give up the gates/nuvinci so rear hub and mid drive are out.

I want to be able to cruise at around 35 mph, so I'll probably need a 750-1000 Watt motor (direct drive).

It seems the main downsides of a front drive are:

1) Increased weight up front can make handling challenging
2) The front wheel has far less traction than the rear wheel

Lwik, you've demonstrated that those are not insurmountable challenges for a high powered motor in the front. I assume that the handling issue is just a matter of practice, and the traction issue is probably less of an issue if you accelerate slowly and/or shift your weight forward on acceleration/uphills. Would you care to comment on your experience with those issues? I see that your bike was likely loaded with panniers on the front and back so that may have eliminated both issues by increasing traction in front while balancing the weight in the rear.

Topaz024: I'm eager to know how your build works out.

One other question for all on the forum: In my case, with my desire for 35MPH cruise and a mostly flat range of 50 miles with a front hub motor, I'd be curious on the pros and cons of a direct drive versus a geared drive motor.

 

[Chalo]

To cruise at 35mph, you'll need about 2000W to the wheel. That's too much for the front wheel; sooner or later you'll spin it at an inopportune time and wipe out hard.

Your bike and constraints are a great basis for a 20mph e-bike, perhaps even 25mph. To make a front wheel drive bike safe at 35mph, you'd need to load up so much weight on the front wheel that handling would suffer greatly.

 

[Drunkskunk]

First of all, that bike isn't capable of surviving sustained runs at 35mph. Wrong brakes, rims, tires, hubs, and frame to survive that kind of abuse. Sure, you can make any bike hit 35mph, but to sustain that kind of speed you need a bike that can survive. A DH style bike is needed for that kind of ride.

You're going to need a massive motor and battery. On flat ground with no headwind and smooth rolling tires, you'll pull around 1500 watts. that's around 55 watts per mile used. it's bad to fully drain a battery, batteries lose capacity over time normally, and you'll need a reserve to account for head winds, hills, accelerating up to speed from stops, anything else that might affect your efficiency, so add at least 20% to that, minimum. that still a 1300watt hour battery, and you really should get a bigger one.

35mph for 20 miles, day after day, reliably, is the kind of thing you do with a motorcycle.

If you drop the sustained speed to 20mph, then this gets easy and practical. Your power requirements are 3 times less, and that bicycle can easily survive those speeds with regular maintenance.