Yes, my sedate riding consists of only using PAS 2 most of the time, which means the motor isn't driving at all above about 8mph. Steep hills are tackled with a high speed attack using PAS 5 and keeping the motor spining at a high rate by pedalling hard through the gears, It means I get up the hills quickly and I get a good work-out, but more importantly the motor doesn't start to bog down. It works for me anyway!