Drive device for an electric bicycle, particularly for a hybrid drive pedelec operated with an electric motor and by muscle force, containing a frame with a seat tube, a lower tube and lower stays (13, 14) of a rear structure of the electric bicycle, with a drive housing which has - a housing frame on which there are formed a first pipe flange which is connectable to the seat tube, a second pipe flange which is connectable to the lower tube, and a third pipe flange which is connectable to the lower stays (13, 14) of the rear structure of the frame of the electric bicycle, and also has a housing cover (71, 72) on each side, which housing covers are connected to the housing frame, and in which are arranged - a hollow shaft which is connected to a chain wheel of a chain drive of the electric bicycle, - a pedal crankshaft arranged coaxially to the hollow shaft and couplable thereto, which crankshaft is connected to pedal cranks on each of its two ends, - an electric motor with a motor shaft arranged parallel to and spaced apart from the hollow shaft, and - a multistage drive means (5, 6) which contains - a traction mechanism drive having a traction mechanism drive gear and a traction mechanism driven gear which gears are interconnected via a flexible traction mechanism, and - a planetary drive means whose sun gear is connected with the motor shaft and mesh with planetary gears which are mounted with a planetary gear carrier which is connected to the traction mechanism drive gear and also run over the interior toothing of a fixed ring gear, wherein the distance of the hollow shaft from the motor shaft is smaller than the sum of the radii of the traction mechanism driven gear and the fixed ring gear. - a housing frame on which there are formed a first pipe flange which is connectable to the seat tube, a second pipe flange which is connectable to the lower tube, and a third pipe flange which is connectable to the lower stays (13, 14) of the rear structure of the frame of the electric bicycle, and also has a housing cover (71, 72) on each side, which housing covers are connected to the housing frame, and in which are arranged - a hollow shaft which is connected to a chain wheel of a chain drive of the electric bicycle, - a pedal crankshaft arranged coaxially to the hollow shaft and couplable thereto, which crankshaft is connected to pedal cranks on each of its two ends, - an electric motor with a motor shaft arranged parallel to and spaced apart from the hollow shaft, and - a multistage drive means (5, 6) which contains - a traction mechanism drive having a traction mechanism drive gear and a traction mechanism driven gear which gears are interconnected via a flexible traction mechanism, and - a planetary drive means whose sun gear is connected with the motor shaft and mesh with planetary gears which are mounted with a planetary gear carrier which is connected to the traction mechanism drive gear and also run over the interior toothing of a fixed ring gear, - a traction mechanism drive having a traction mechanism drive gear and a traction mechanism driven gear which gears are interconnected via a flexible traction mechanism, and - a planetary drive means whose sun gear is connected with the motor shaft and mesh with planetary gears which are mounted with a planetary gear carrier which is connected to the traction mechanism drive gear and also run over the interior toothing of a fixed ring gear,