Catalyzt
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Ooh, I think these are really cool numbers! Just the kind of real world, back-of-the-envelope experiment I sometimes find more useful than stats published by manufacturers. I love comparing my two ebikes.
Okay, it's fair that you can't draw any hard-and-fast conclusions. But this supports my general feeling that-- for me, for my bikes, which are both Class I 250 Watts, in a neighborhood surrounded by steep hills-- I can get a better workout on the less powerful, lighter-weight front hub throttle-only drive bike than on the more powerful, 6 pound heavier, mid-drive torque-sensor only bike, and with little difference in average speed. I found that my round-trip times were very similar, with segment speeds on flat terrain similar or slightly lower for the mid drive on flat terrain, similar of slightly lower when climbing, and the mid drive way, WAY faster going downhill, which gives it a slight edge in the round trip time.
What I do for shorter fitness rides (20-30 minutes) on the hub drive is really weird... on moderate hills, I barely squeeze the throttle trigger for only minimal assistance just to get the workout, and use no motor at all on the flats or downhill, only use full throttle for the steep hills. I couldn't quite duplicate the experience on the mid-drive without gearing up, and there's no reason to put strain on the motor that way, pointless and builds bad habits. (I have only three levels of assist.)
I have no experience with a 10 mile ride with 450 feet of vertical-- and I kind of wish I had that option sometimes. Any seven or eight mile ride worth taking here is at least 1,000 feet of vertical. I did try just booking around the reservoir in ECO the other day at 17.5 MPH-- a low-moderate workout, but it was really a blast, some nice little curves where you can lean the bike over, a little lumpy concrete to keep you on your toes, very few pedestrians and other bikes to dodge.
Okay, it's fair that you can't draw any hard-and-fast conclusions. But this supports my general feeling that-- for me, for my bikes, which are both Class I 250 Watts, in a neighborhood surrounded by steep hills-- I can get a better workout on the less powerful, lighter-weight front hub throttle-only drive bike than on the more powerful, 6 pound heavier, mid-drive torque-sensor only bike, and with little difference in average speed. I found that my round-trip times were very similar, with segment speeds on flat terrain similar or slightly lower for the mid drive on flat terrain, similar of slightly lower when climbing, and the mid drive way, WAY faster going downhill, which gives it a slight edge in the round trip time.
What I do for shorter fitness rides (20-30 minutes) on the hub drive is really weird... on moderate hills, I barely squeeze the throttle trigger for only minimal assistance just to get the workout, and use no motor at all on the flats or downhill, only use full throttle for the steep hills. I couldn't quite duplicate the experience on the mid-drive without gearing up, and there's no reason to put strain on the motor that way, pointless and builds bad habits. (I have only three levels of assist.)
I have no experience with a 10 mile ride with 450 feet of vertical-- and I kind of wish I had that option sometimes. Any seven or eight mile ride worth taking here is at least 1,000 feet of vertical. I did try just booking around the reservoir in ECO the other day at 17.5 MPH-- a low-moderate workout, but it was really a blast, some nice little curves where you can lean the bike over, a little lumpy concrete to keep you on your toes, very few pedestrians and other bikes to dodge.
