I want to copy and paste a post I made in another thread comparing the TruckRun RN04 hub motor to a ToSeven DM02 mid-drive motor that I have on another bike:

TruckRun RN04 hub motor
Pros:
- Fits most thru-axle bikes.
- Can keep front derailleur and crankset, Q-factor.
- Torque sensor works okay. No 'ghost pedaling'. But I think the assist levels are based on speed limits where the motor cuts out, e.g. Lvl 1=25km/h, 2=30km/h, 3=35km/h, 4=40km/h, 5=45km/h, so they don't actually change the ratio of assist to your pedaling force.

Cons:
- Only 250W. Can only reach around 28 mph with a fair amount of pedaling power.
- A lot of drag without motor assist.
- I put on a 36V 10.5Ah battery so range is only 30-40 miles.
- You need to build the hub into a wheel rim.
- Has a Shimano HG 11/12 speed road freehub, so no SRAM XD/XDR or Micro Spline.

ToSeven DM02 500W mid-drive motor
Pros:
- Fairly powerful, and utilizes rear gearing. Can reach 28+ mph.
- I put on a 48V 20Ah battery so range is 70+ miles.
- The torque sensing works a bit better. You can change the ratio of assist.

Cons:
- Can only install on aluminum or steel bikes with a 'full tube' BSA bottom bracket shell and narrow chainstays for clearance from the motor gear.
- Q factor very wide at ~200mm plus I had to use a 16mm pedal extender on the left to even them out.
- Need to use special 1x chainrings made for the motor.

Overall I like the TruckRun RN04 better. You can put it on nicer bikes like a carbon road bike, and can keep your drivetrain and crankset with the same Q-factor. It also looks a bit more discrete than the ToSeven DM02 mid-drive. Actually I upgraded this bike with a carbon crankset and wheels to bring the weight down to 12.6 kg/27.8 lb with battery & motor.

Yeah the first time I built a wheel was on an e-bike hub motor and it was a great learning experience. Dropped a nipple inside the rim and it took me a while to get it out, so get a good nipple holder. The round metal nipple wrenches for multiple gauges tend to scratch the spokes so I now use one with a plastic coating. I use an $8 Toopre spoke tension meter which often requires conversions for aero spokes not in the table which is a pain. I used the Grin Tech spoke calculator which is geared towards hub motors. https://ebikes.ca/resources/web-tools/spoke-calc.html

Later on I rebuilt the hub motor into a carbon wheel with Pillar PSR Aero 1423 J-bend spokes, and built a new front carbon wheel with a Goldix R240 SL straight pull hub and Pillar Wing 20 spokes. Straight pull spokes need to be held against twisting so get the right sized tool for this. For straight pull spoke lengths, I used https://spokecalc.io/ . I got wheels with asymmetric 2.8 mm offset spoke holes, which gets you more even L/R spoke tensions e.g. 39/61% vs 32/68% with 0 offset for my rear hub motor.

The front wheel weights and costs were:

432g CarbonBeam 50mm deep carbon wheel $138
80g Goldix R240 SL hub $46
108g Pillar Wing 20 spokes $59
26g Sapim Polyax brass nipples $7
= 646g, $250

This is about the same as an EliteWheels Edge 50mm carbon wheel set that I have: 632g (F), 1362g (F+R set) $608. So you don't really save much money I'm afraid. For the weights, I found that most of the weight savings actually came from the hub and spokes, and not the carbon rim.

How are you liking the truckrun motor compared to the toseven middrive? I have a hardtail with a 52v BSHD system on it but I am tired of switching cassettes and chains. I also want a bike that feels better to pedal. I have considered buying a gravel bike and mounting a truckrun RN04, but it is really hard to find information/reviews of it.

Does the torque sensing feel natural?
How does it feel to ride without a battery?

TruckRun RN04 hub motor
Pros:
- Fits most thru-axle bikes.
- Can keep front derailleur and crankset, Q-factor.
- Torque sensor works okay. No 'ghost pedaling'. But I think the assist levels are based on speed limits where the motor cuts out, e.g. Lvl 1=25km/h, 2=30km/h, 3=35km/h, 4=40km/h, 5=45km/h, so they don't actually change the ratio of assist to your pedaling force.

Cons:
- Only 250W. Can only reach around 28 mph with a fair amount of pedaling power.
- A lot of drag without motor assist.
- I put on a 36V 10.5Ah battery so range is only 30-40 miles.
- You need to build the hub into a wheel rim.
- Has a Shimano HG 11/12 speed road freehub, so no SRAM XD/XDR or Micro Spline.

ToSeven DM02 500W mid-drive motor
Pros:
- Fairly powerful, and utilizes rear gearing. Can reach 28+ mph.
- I put on a 48V 20Ah battery so range is 70+ miles.
- The torque sensing works a bit better. You can change the ratio of assist.

Cons:
- Can only install on aluminum or steel bikes with a 'full tube' BSA bottom bracket shell and narrow chainstays for clearance from the motor gear.
- Q factor very wide at ~200mm plus I had to use a 16mm pedal extender on the left to even them out.
- Need to use special 1x chainrings made for the motor.

Overall I like the TruckRun RN04 better. You can put it on nicer bikes like a carbon road bike, and can keep your drivetrain and crankset with the same Q-factor. It also looks a bit more discrete than the ToSeven DM02 mid-drive. Actually I upgraded this bike with a carbon crankset and wheels to bring the weight down to 12.6 kg/27.8 lb with battery & motor.

The next GCN Tech video on this frame is up:


Issues:
- Excess resin where seat tube was bonded together blocked seat post insertion
- Brake mounts
- Flex in handlebars/forks

Went for a ride along A1A in South Florida. Did 32 miles at avg 23 mph and had 25% left on the battery so range should be about 40 miles. The motor has a torque sensor so it boosts your pedaling force and you feel like you've instantly become a pro cyclist. Actually I converted another bike with a ToSeven DM02 500W mid-drive motor and I took it on a fast group ride in Miami:

I converted this bike to an e-bike with a TruckRun RN04 250W thru-axle hub motor. It can get up to 28 mph on the highest level 5 assist (there is no throttle). On level 3 it can comfortably cruise at 22 mph with 160W of pedaling power. I haven't run through a full charge yet so I don't know the range but I'm guessing ~30 miles with the 36V 10.5Ah battery.

Hi everybody,
I‘m about to order the Tantan x68 frame too. I want to build the bike with seperate handlebar/stem configuration, since I love the looks of not integrated aero handlebars. Probably even going for a gravel bar with flare.
Tantan does not offer a stem though. Anybody got a tip for a stem with spacers fitting this frame?

You can get an SL7 stem because that's what Specialized equips on the lower end SL8s.

e.g. alloy: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256808188709728.html
carbon: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256809535610708.html
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256808759291001.html

You also need to get different spacers and the transitions from an SL8 frame to SL7 stem, but actually Specialized sells them for not too much money.

Part # S222500009 has the old SL7 spacers that are squared off at the rear, and you get both open and closed top covers.

Part # S242500003 has SL8 aero spacers that are more tapered at the rear, and the way they connect to each other is different. It only comes with an open top cover.

How can I achieve a 2x SRAM flattop compatible setup? I am curious what chainring I could pair with it so that it's compatible. Big bonus if they can be aero.

Thanks

Look for AXS compatible and 110 BCD 4 bolt.
Pass Quest: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806585752119.html
Stone: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256807909803154.html