Hub Drive or Center Drive; Which then?

A slightly ( not much) biased primer on this topic of endless debate.

Center drive or Hub drive? That is the question. Both systems have diehard protagonists. And they’ll die on their hill in their arguments. In fact, there are a plethora of reasons to use either, so let's look at the upsides and downsides of both.. Bias Alert… I’m a HubDrive guy. Well, kind of.

CenterDrive upsides revolve around the feeling of power to the rider. When you apply torque the bike doubles or triples it per the setting you’ve requested. The sensation of that punch is very attractive. And CenterDrives have a certain cachet due more these days to rumour and marketing than practical fact. They’re HIP, baby.

Hub-drive power controls are now so sophisticated (on good ones) that there's not a lot in it, insofar as power delivery, unless you're actually mountain biking where that instant bang is needed. In the MountainBike realm, CenterDrives rule. IMHO, in touring applications well controlled Hub Drives take the cake, based on the cost difference, and low servicing costs and hassles.

On modern Ebo Hub Drives, progressive throttle and variance acceleration software have pretty somewhat replicated the CenterDrive cruising ride function everywhere else. The upsides of HubDrives are much lower cost to purchase, actual throttle control, and much lower drivetrain maintenance, and vitally ( should battery die), you have a genuine non-powered-bike “get-home” pedal function. This is common now in Center Drives too, but check, because some don’t have this feature.

In short, you maybe can't ride a Centre drive bike if there's a failure or flat battery. You push it home. Not fun. Deinitely check this factor when thinking of buying Center Drive .

On modern Ebo HubDrives, progressive throttle and variance acceleration software have pretty somewhat replicated the CenterDrive cruising ride function everywhere else. The upsides of HubDrives are much lower cost to purchase, actual throttle control, and much lower drivetrain maintenance, and vitally ( should battery die), you have a genuine non-powered-bike “get-home” pedal function. This is common now in CenterDrives too, but check, because some don’t have this feature.

In short, you maybe can't ride a Centredrive bike if there's a failure or flat battery. You push it home. Not fun. Deinitely check this factor when thinking of buying Center Drive .

So, after all is said and done, both systems have great upsides. Both are reliable, although higher wear and tear is happening in the transmission, chain and gears  on Center Drive systems. The forces inside the reduction-drive are immense, and the chain is carrying all that accelerative torque, constantly. Not so on Hub Drives. The hub IS the motor, so no great load is going through the mid-driven cogs, chain and reduction gears.

Personally, I've lived with both and can’t decide, for everyday cruise and tour riding it’s hub-drive, just. But for the kick of that tripling of my leg power, the first sensation of Center Drive pedal power is exciting, either way.  There’s a $2k differential, and the “I’m Groovey” cachet of the mid-drive system, vs the constant speed delivery and low maintenance of the hub drive.. so hey.. your call… 😊