A Cadence Question.....

[newbert]

I'm just getting back into riding a bike for exercise, and I'm having a problem which I'm struggling to find the right words for. So, please bear with me, if I'm not stating the problem clearly.

I just got a new Rad Mini ST2 e-bike, and I find that I'm having trouble matching it's cadence. Or perhaps the issue is that it's cadence doesn't match me. I find that even in 7th (top) gear, I get a "clunk" in each rotation of the pedals which is caused by me not pedaling fast/smooth enough to maintain pressure/tension on the chain throughout the rotation.

What are my options to mitigate or even prevent this from happening? On my old bike (not an e-bike), I had 21 gears (3 front, 7 rear) so I could always find a combo that allowed me to maintain pressure on the chain.

But the Rad Mini ST2 has only 7 gears. Is there something which can be adjusted in order to address this problem? Or does something on it need replacing for it to better match my riding style? If so, what would that be?

Other than this (and the seat), I'm very happy with the bike.

Thanks!
Bert

 

[fooferdoggie]

I think your stuck I found this with hub driven bikes. if you want cadence you need a mid drive. I was so tired into my 80 rpms after many years pdf cycling even after 5 years it was automatic. the hub driven bikes I would just go faster when trying to spin. but my mid derives it was more normal and I can find the right gear for my cadence no problem.

 

[harryS]

Turn down pedal assist and try to pedal at the top of the assist level you choose. You'll get more exercise and use less battery.

 

[newbert]

Turn down pedal assist and try to pedal at the top of the assist level you choose. You'll get more exercise and use less battery.

Could you clarify a bit, please? By "pedal at the top of the assist level you choose", do you mean that I should keep it in 7th (the top-most) gear, and just adjust the PAS level as needed from there?

Thanks!

 

[vincent]

Yes , that is what he meant

what pas level are you usually riding in?

 

[AHicks]

Yup, slow down a bit, and cut the PAS level to a level that best suits your tastes.

Many of us ride in PAS 1 or 2 to reduce battery usage for instance.

 

[newbert]

Yes , that is what he meant

what pas level are you usually riding in?

I'm usually in PAS 2, sometimes PAS 3. I guess that I'll drop it down to PAS1 more often and slow down a bit. I need the exercise anyway....

Thanks!

 

[Lightning P38]

I'm just getting back into riding a bike for exercise, and I'm having a problem which I'm struggling to find the right words for. So, please bear with me, if I'm not stating the problem clearly.

I just got a new Rad Mini ST2 e-bike, and I find that I'm having trouble matching it's cadence. Or perhaps the issue is that it's cadence doesn't match me. I find that even in 7th (top) gear, I get a "clunk" in each rotation of the pedals which is caused by me not pedaling fast/smooth enough to maintain pressure/tension on the chain throughout the rotation.

What are my options to mitigate or even prevent this from happening? On my old bike (not an e-bike), I had 21 gears (3 front, 7 rear) so I could always find a combo that allowed me to maintain pressure on the chain.

But the Rad Mini ST2 has only 7 gears. Is there something which can be adjusted in order to address this problem? Or does something on it need replacing for it to better match my riding style? If so, what would that be?

Other than this (and the seat), I'm very happy with the bike.

Thanks!
Bert

I don’t have your brand bike, but I upgraded my recumbent road bike to e assist by installing a 500 watt rear motor/wheel kit. I use clip in shoes.

On my e bike the choice for assist is pas levels of 1 - 5. I usually run in pas 2 or 3. And i usually run my front derailer in the middle chainring and then use the rear derailer like I would normally use it. So I am essentially riding it like a 9 speed bike, as I have 9 speeds on the cassette.
My e assist would max out at 15 mph on pas 3.

if I am in traffic in a 25 mph zone and I want to keep up with traffic, I bump my pas up to 5, the max, and my e assist will max out at 28 mph. I would be pedaling fast, about 100 rpms at that speed. And I would be in 8th gear on the rear.

So when you are in 7th gear and you are pedaling at a cadence of 80 rpms, you should be going 20 -25 mph, I would guess.
Do you like to pedal at a slow cadence, or a fast cadence? If you are using the original pedals, you do not have the advantage of keeping pressure on the pedals through the whole stroke, as your feet are not clipped to the pedals.

At what power level do you start out from a stop? If you are using pas 5 all the time, you are almost doing a burnout when you start.

Do you change the pas setting while you are riding, based on the speed you desire?
Do you have this same issue when you ride in 6th gear?

My guess it is mostly your low pedal cadence. As that would cause the thumping on each pedal stroke.

 

[CAGE RATTLER]

I was going to suggest changing the rear gears but it looks like that bike already has the 11 tooth high gear. Im no expert and trying to solve a similar problem on my ebike but I believe if you were to change out the front sprocket with a larger one you wouldnt have to pedal as fast and could keep up with the higher pas levels.

Im trying to figure out how to lower my pas level speeds so I can keep up. I can only run in pas1 with 7th gear.

 

[6zfshdb]

Try adjusting your seat post for correct leg extension. Suspension seat posts can cause "pedal clunk" when they compress, effectively shortening leg extension.

 

[gkgeiger]

I'm no expert by any means, but we have 2 Rad City bikes and 2 Electra Townies with Bosch Mid Drive. When I first got the Rad's we both had the same issue that you refer to. I have figured out that it's just a matter of syncing the ground speed, pedal speed, the gear you are in, and PAS. I'm much better at it now but still not perfect. Also, 2 of our friends just got new Rad's and both asked me what was wrong, what was making that clicking sound. I agree with one of the previous posters, that a Mid drive doesn't do this as much.