OK here's the latest ride and my conclusions. Photos in album. Ride in Blog
38 miles, 2254 ft ascent.
Ride Link:
Cyclemeter - Cycle - Jun 7, 2013, 8:04 AM
The Horseshoe Pass is about a 3 mile climb which averages just under 6% but has sections over 20%.
According to the Woosh predictor:
Steepest gradient: 30.3%
(at marker) hub drive bikes require pedalling hard for 2.6 miles
I don't think it's that steep but 24% may be about right for a small section.
I sailed up this climb leaving a racer way behind. I didn't struggle at all although some sections were tougher than others.
Conclusions
Still no difference between any of the settings.
Clearly Eco isn't Eco.
Rather than let my speed drop, I rode naturally and the motor seemed to do the trick.
I think that as some have suggested the bike gives me the power I need to climb regardless of the setting.
If I can get up this very easily, then there isn't much I'm going to worry about.
In summary - I'm not going to stress about the settings. In future I'll leave it on Eco.