How do you ride?

[steveindenmark]

When you are out riding on your ebike what percentage of the time are you actually using the electric assisst?

Steve

 

[flecc]

My own hub motor bike, almost 100%.

On the bikes I've owned or ridden using the Panasonic units, probably 85% motor assisted, 15% me alone.

Being in a hilly area affects this though. Returning home from the high points of the North Downs I can ride for much of the seven miles without assistance, but don't always bother to turn it off since I'm above assist speed at 18 to 25 mph for much of the time then.
.

 

[kitchenman]

On my Cytronex bike I enable the assist and leave it on for the duration of my commute. If the conditions are in my favour and I am feeling good then most of the time the assist is not helping. There are 3 major hills on my route and 4 minor. The assist will always help me with these. I would say out of my 15.2 miles the assist is helping me for 6 or 7 of these miles. Between %35 - 45% of the time. However, if the conditions are not in my favour and I'm not feeling too good then its probably more like %80 - %90 of the time..

 

[thingaby]

I ride a Technium - effectively a rebadged Agattu. It rides well without power and I'm interested in getting exercise. So, I use the battery to help on the hills but for the rest of the time the battery is just there as back up to give me the confidence to go the extra few miles. On a lot of my journeys I'm certain I switch on a lot less than 10% of the time. Tomorrow I'm going to ride the High Peak and Tissington Trails when the battery will get more of a workout!

 

[timidtom]

I ride using 100% assistance - blame old age/heart disease/ bone idleness!
Joyce, who only suffers from 2 out of 3 above, rides about 75%.

 

[Pedalo]

For my journey to work I generally don't use the motor at all unless I'm feeling unwell or there is too much of a headwind.

For my journey home I use the motor about 20% of the time mainly for the steepest hills.

So that's 10% for my total 14 mile round trip, 5 times per week, come rain or shine.

 

[Scottyf]

About 70% of the journey on the way there. 60% on the way back.

I use assistant to get me up to speed, on hills and giving myself a rest on the flat if my legs are battered.

 

[dmcgoldrick]

When you are out riding on your ebike what percentage of the time are you actually using the electric assisst?

Steve

at start,switch assist to level 3 (of 6 settings).......assist cuts out at 25km/hr, so on downhill and flat i am soon travelling above assist level........on uphill increase assist level to max (hills are steep around here) to keep up a good speed......

percentage use unknown and depends entirely on the route, but under 25km/hr its always in play.....

dont remember seeing many hills in denmark....so you probably will not be using assist for a significant time on your journeys....should get lots of mileage from the battery........

regards

 

[Tex]

At around 25% assist on average on my Bionx. Full throttle on the 200watt setting on the Optibike. Both commuting. Casual rides on the opti offroad I fo at full throttle 850watts.

 

[Biged]

Tomorrow I'm going to ride the High Peak and Tissington Trails when the battery will get more of a workout!

It certainly will on the Tissington trail, uphill all the way from Ashbourne.
Did it down to Ashbourne once on an ordinary bike, what a slog that was all the way back. I intend doing it again this summer and the High Peak trail, this time with assistance

 

[Biged]

I generally have my bike on the lowest setting all the time, i up the setting then if required. I have very rarely used top assist setting.
If you have an electric bike then why not use it, i feel i am getting exercise i would not bother with without the option, 200 miles so far this year

 

[Mussels]

When you are out riding on your ebike what percentage of the time are you actually using the electric assisst?

Steve

About 90% of the time for me, I bought a pedelec to make my commute faster so why would I ever not use it.
The answer is more complicated than your question as the power level is important, although my assist is on all the time I am usually only using a small part of it close to the maximum motor speed

 

[thingaby]

I started out at High Peak Junction with an immediate climb of 1320 yards of 1:8. The next climb is up to Middleton Top, it's probably not quite as long but also 1:8 and there's a longish 1:14 next up to Fridon. Not long after that I left the trail and went on the roads to Tissington by way of Brassington. It was strangely demoralising to reach 30 mph going down some of the hills thinking I was going to have to climb back up from Tissington. As you say the Tissington trail up to Parsley Hay is a long an insidious gentle gradient. Not enough to switch on but miles of working. At least I had the trip down to High Peak Junction to look forward to but it was wind against! Total 33 miles, 5 hours (with a bit of birdwatching stoppage time) battery down from 5 lights to 3. And now, I'm off to soak in the bath.

 

[Biged]

Well done Sounds very strenuous to me. I would defiantly split them.
Not cycled the High Peak trail yet, though done a bit of walking on it.

 

[RoadieRoger]

Assist

I use the low assist on my Batribike Folder all the time and medium assist into wind or up a slope . If I want the thrill of cycling unassisted , with two push bikes already, why would I have bought an E bike ?

 

[wurly]

All the time unless i'm coasting downhill. I have a control box that overides the throttle when drawing too much power, i can set the level of assistance to usually no more than 5-6 amp, including going up hills.

 

[jasono]

Hi, on my Wisper assisted commute I'll use a mix of high and low setting. Depends on the terrain, headwind, etc

If I don't want any assist I'll use my non powered bike, which is lighter

 

[steveindenmark]

There are some very varied and interesting replies here so thanks for your replies.

My initial thought was that people would use the electric all the time but from your replies it is obvious that a lot of riders do not do that.

Cytronex sell a very nice Cannondale CAAD9 racing bike and I could not fathom why you would put electric on a racer if you would just use electric power all the time.

I ride my TREK racer to work every day. I set off at 4.30 am and it takes about an hour to cover the 22km. I also have to get up 2 stiff climbs of about 1km each.

I would like to have a little assistance to get up these 2 climbs each morning but enjoy the excercise on the rest of the ride.

I was going down the line of a new electric bike but I am now more conviced that a conversion kit is probably the answer.

Your replies have helped a lot.

Steve

 

[nbmk]

I ride to work on my aurora using pedal assist on high mostly, I only use throttle when I'm towing my daughter behind in the trailer. And I never use it with no power, it's too much like hard work......

 

[Synthman]

I use throttle all the time, except when braking. Sometimes to get extra acceleration from a stop I help it out with the pedals, and when going up really steep hills. My bike has only one power setting.