Mid-Drive vs Direct Hub Drive Motor Comparison
The biggest differences between these two types of motors are that mid-drive motors are designed to give out much more torque off the line and get go, while direct drive motors are designed for speed.
From the images, it's quite easy to see that a Mid-Drive Motor has plenty of gears and parts that move. The motor can gear down to give full power on shorter gears to increase its impact. This will be much more useful if, for example, you are rock climbing or going up steep hills where you would need more torque to overcome the toughest and steepest of terrains.
Mid-Drive Motor
On the other hand, the Direct Drive Motor has no moving parts. This means all power is on or off. The whole motor is designed to give full power on a single gear. There is hardly wear and tear within the motor and it requires absolutely minimal maintenance. The motor is airtight sealed and doesn't need anything at all while operating (such as cooling or lubricating). This type of motor works wonderfully at high speeds.
Direct Drive Motor
If the Mid-Drive Motor was unrestricted and driven as fast as it could, with all its moving parts and gears, it would rapidly wear itself out. But the Direct Drive Motor, which only works with magnets and has no inner moving parts, will happily speed up to 30, 40, 60, and even 75 mph with no issues.
Cost differences are also very large between both motors.
The Mid-Drive Motor is highly engineered and uses many parts and a software to run it. Due to this, the price of mid-drive motors is very high.
Direct Drive Motors are more of a simpler design and very cost effective. They just need an electrical charge connected to them. They can also be easily mass-produced, making them much cheaper to get. Also, Direct Drive Motors can easily fit in any bicycle without much customization on the frames, while Mid-Drive bikes frames must be built around the motor. The bracket that holds the Mid-Drive motor must be placed in the middle and the rest of the frame is built on it. Hence why Mid-Drive systems are more costly.
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