Mid-Drive or Hub Motor: What Suits You?

The mid-drive feels the most natural and is strong on hills, but costs more and is harder to install. Front and rear motors (hub motors) are cheaper and simpler, but ride differently. The choice depends mostly on where you ride, what gears you have and how much work you want to do.

The overview

All figures are orientation only, as of November 2026, without guarantee. Details on the types are under motor types.

Ride feel

The mid-drive sits at the bottom bracket and works through the chain and so through your gears. That comes closest to riding a factory-built e-bike (Upway). Hub motors sit in a wheel and push or pull. With a cadence sensor that feels like being pushed, with a torque sensor much more natural. So the sensor matters almost as much as the motor itself.

Hills

On hills torque is everything. Hub motors usually deliver 30 to 45 Nm, mid-drives 65 to 160 Nm. A mid-drive also uses your gears: you shift down and the motor stays in its favourable speed range. A hub motor has a fixed gearing and can struggle on long climbs. If you live in hilly country, a mid-drive generally serves you better. If you ride mostly on the flat, a hub motor usually does fine.

Gears

• Front motor: Gears and coaster brake stay untouched. A hub gear can be combined with it too.
• Rear motor: A derailleur is required. Check the freewheel or cassette fitting and the number of speeds. Hub gears and coaster brakes rule out most rear motors.
• Mid-drive: Derailleur gears work. The front derailleur is usually dropped. Check chainline and chainstay.

If your bike has a hub gear or coaster brake, a front motor is often the simplest solution. More on the coaster brake under coaster brake.

Installation

With a hub motor you swap a wheel. Hub spacing and dropouts must fit, see hub spacing, and a torque arm should go with it, see torque arm. With a mid-drive you remove crank and bottom bracket and fit the motor. The bottom bracket must fit: Bafang BBS and Tongsheng TSDZ fit BSA 68 to 73 mm, Pressfit needs an adapter (fasterbikes). How to measure it is under measure bottom bracket. Installation is more complex and not possible on every frame shape (GIGA). You can see the matching tools under tools.

Cost and wear

Hub motors are cheaper. The mid-drive costs more, but you may save if your bike already has a good derailleur system. In return the chain wears faster, and you should not shift under full load. With a hub motor, weight at the axle matters: you notice front-motor weight in the steering, and in the wet and on gravel in the traction. All items are listed under costs.

Decision guide

Choose the mid-drive if:

• you ride lots of hills,
• you want a natural ride feel,
• you have a derailleur and like to wrench, or have a workshop,
• your bottom bracket fits.

Choose the front motor if:

• you want to change as little as possible and spend little,
• a hub gear or coaster brake should stay,
• your fork is sturdy enough. Not recommended with a carbon fork, a suspension fork without manufacturer approval and very light aluminium forks.

Choose the rear motor if:

• you want good traction,
• you have a derailleur and the cassette fitting is right.

And if none of that fits: leave it and buy used.

Does a conversion fit your bike?

How reliable is this?

That the mid-drive feels natural and is strong on hills, the bottom bracket compatibility and the involved installation come from the linked sources. Torque values, price ranges and the recommendations for the individual types are assumptions and experience that Fabio is still checking.