Changing speeds while riding

[John Dombrowski]

other than maybe going up a hill, is there really a need for more than one speed with an electric bike? I mean I went a took a long test ride again on the new Turbo S that I am getting in a couple weeks, and I was in a flat area so I never really changed gears and just left it in the lowest (smallest sprocket) gear. I mean I live in San Diego so it's all hills and valleys around here so I guess I would change gears but if I lived in a flat area I just don't know why you would need multiple gears with an electric bike.

Thoughts?

 

[Nirmala]

I live in a hilly area and I am almost constantly changing gears. I like to pedal at a fairly constant and fast rate, so I use the gears to keep the level of effort constant, both uphills and down. My bike has only 7 gears that shift on the right, and so I use my left hand to also tweak the assist level depending on the terrain. Of course if I was riding for miles on flat ground, I might not use the gears nearly as much, but that does not ever happen where I live.

 

[Douglas Ruby]

I normally am comfortable at a cadence of around 85-90 rpm. I change gears all the time. Where I live in Mass. I ride on rolling hills and country roads. I changed the gearing on my Turbo to an 11-36 tooth rear (from 11-32) and 44 tooth front from a 48. Now when I pedal at 85 rpm in top gear I am going faster than 28 mph and yet my low gear is 20% lower than stock. When using ECO40% assist, I use almost all 10 gears. I find that careful use of gearing, spinning at a near constant cadence, and limiting assist increases my range to over 35 miles.