Cadence sensor only

[Bruce Arnold]

@Reid had talked about using the cadence sensor only a lot of the time. I'd been meaning to try it, so I finally was inspired to give it a try. I rode about 5 miles today without the torque sensor. Here are some observations.

Well, I liked it. It was much more smooth than I expected it to be. My wife has to pedal one full revolution of the pedals before her motor kicks in. The CCS seemed much smoother than that. Maybe it's the 104 magnets instead of the 10 or 12 that are common, I don't know.

Reid said that using cadence sensor only would increase mileage per charge, and I can see where this is true. Using Level 1 PAS on level ground at 15 mph, it ran about 100 watts less than using the cruise control under the same conditions. And going from coasting (no cruise control) to pedaling, there was some increase in wattage as my speed increased, but not much, and not nearly as much as the torque sensor would have drawn.

So if I were out for a long ride with no chance of recharging the battery, I would use cadence sensor only, keep the PAS in Eco or 1, and ride at 12-15 mph to hit the happy medium between conserving battery vs. actually getting somewhere in under a millenium.

BTW, Reid, there were times when I was glad to have the thumb throttle. I know you don't like it, but I found it even more useful with cadence sensor only than I do normally.

Then I put the torque sensor back on, and I loved it. Man, it makes this bike so fluid and responsive. Wow! So while I liked the cadence sensor, and would use it to get the most out of a battery on a longer trip, for everyday riding that's the way I roll.

 

[Asher]

Interesting hack! I presume you set the gear higher to reduce your cadence but maximize human power input?

 

[Bruce Arnold]

Interesting hack! I presume you set the gear higher to reduce your cadence but maximize human power input?

It seemed to work better with a higher cadence, so I actually set the gear lower than usual.

 

[Reid]

I agree with Bruce's observations. And yes, too: the Torque sensor mode is so smooth and seamless.

I like both despite that Cadence sensor lags a bit in shutting off.

However, if I want to go faster than 20mph and do no work but only appear to be pedaling, it is Cadence sensor time!

Be careful in walking alongside the bike in Cadence sensor mode; any slight kick to the pedals may makethe bike lurch hard and fast away from you! This is the only downside of my having ditched the brake inhibitor levers for standard levers....

But, when I want to pedal for exercise to exceed a fixed assist level, it is Cadence sensor I choose.

If I just want to get there fastest with the most seamless assist, of course: it's the TORA-QUE sensor I use.

 

[Fran Fabrizio]

Interesting! I may have to try this again. The one day I experimented with cadence I felt it took a bit long to get up to speed and therefore I was using the thumb throttle to do so more often, and the whole experience was less smooth, which was a bit unsatisfying. But I hadn't considered the battery sipping benefits. Good tip!

 

[Reid]

Interesting! I may have to try this again. The one day I experimented with cadence I felt it took a bit long to get up to speed and therefore I was using the thumb throttle to do so more often, and the whole experience was less smooth, which was a bit unsatisfying. But I hadn't considered the battery sipping benefits. Good tip!

Yes, it sure does take longer to get up to speed: Cadence sensor allows less current for any given assist setting than does Torque sensor.

For instance, Cadence sensor in S mode allows no more than 15 amps.

But Torque sensor in S mode allows up to 20 amps.