Do you struggle to find the right gears+assist level for a smooth ride?

[Moonshine]

I rented the Giant Quick E for 2 days. Yamaha motor.

20 Speed 2x10 Shimano Deore Shadow Rear Derailleur 11-36T, Shimano Deore Front Derailleur 36/48T

Power Settings:> 
ECO
NORMAL
POWER

I struggle to find the right combo of the perfect gear + assist level for a smooth/easy ride.

On the slower chain, the harder the gear, the faster the bike went on 'Power' level but my knees started hurting after a while. Couldn't get past 19mph on easier gears.

On the faster chain, I can go 20mph relatively easy with a medium hard gear but my cadence is high and I'm pedaling like a maniac. I just can't dial in the smooth factor where the pedaling and the acceleration is seamlessly merging together to provide a feeling of speed-gliding on the pavement I guess what I'm looking for is a relaxed cadence pace but at the same time I would love to have speed!

I guess my question how often do you guys change gears? Do you struggle like I do?

 

[Mr. Coffee]

What I have noticed is that most e-bikes have too narrow a range of gears. Not enough low low gears for steep hills and not enough high gears so when you are cruising along you can actually engage the pedals. The next bike I purchase will likely have an internally geared hub since a lot of those seem to have a much wider range .

 

[Douglas Ruby]

It took a while, but I did a lot of playing around with my Specialized Turbo and went from 11-32T 10 sp cassette to an 11-36T 10 sp cassette. I also swapped the 48T to 44T on the front. This gave me a lower 1st gear and pretty decent cruising at 26 mph (top assist speed) at my normal cadence of 80-85 rpm. However, I found that I had nothing left for descents. I then changed from SRAM X7 10 speed to Deore XT 11 speed 11-42T rear and went back to the 48T front. This gave me an even lower 1st gear and about thje same 10th gear. But now I have a higher 11th gear for descents up to around 34-35 mph. In the end, I have a much lower 1st gear (42T instead of 32T) and the same top gear 11T with 11 speeds instead of 10.

 

[JRA]

No. But I have a pretty substantial gear range (20 spd 27"-154") and use a hub motor which isolates the drivetrain from the power/torque more than a mid drive does. Different strokes.....

 

[Moonshine]

You are describing the ride of a Stromer ST2. Take one out for a test ride.

Gotta go through the gears with the Yamaha. And know exactly what you're doing...

Tend to agree with Rincon, what you're looking to achieve is exactly what the Stromer does.

I guess I can't ignore two people saying the same thing. I'm driving 2 hours today to test drive a Stromer ST2. I will report back the results.

What I have noticed is that most e-bikes have too narrow a range of gears. Not enough low low gears for steep hills and not enough high gears so when you are cruising along you can actually engage the pedals. The next bike I purchase will likely have an internally geared hub since a lot of those seem to have a much wider range .

That's what I was thinking too, I was thinking the next bike should have Nuvinci infinity or something.

It took a while, but I did a lot of playing around with my Specialized Turbo and went from 11-32T 10 sp cassette to an 11-36T 10 sp cassette. I also swapped the 48T to 44T on the front. This gave me a lower 1st gear and pretty decent cruising at 26 mph (top assist speed) at my normal cadence of 80-85 rpm. However, I found that I had nothing left for descents. I then changed from SRAM X7 10 speed to Deore XT 11 speed 11-42T rear and went back to the 48T front. This gave me an even lower 1st gear and about thje same 10th gear. But now I have a higher 11th gear for descents up to around 34-35 mph. In the end, I have a much lower 1st gear (42T instead of 32T) and the same top gear 11T with 11 speeds instead of 10.

Oh wow. If you don't mind me asking, how much did these changes c$$$st you?

 

[Douglas Ruby]

Oh wow. If you don't mind me asking, how much did these changes c$$$st you?

The changeover to the 11-speed Deore XT setup cost around $250. This included a Deore XT CS-8000 cassette, Deore XT RD-M8000 rear derailleur, a XTR SL-M9000 11-speed shift lever, plus cable and 11-speed chain. The older SRAM X7 10-speed mech, 11-36T cassette, and chain were re-purposed to convert my wife's bike from a 3 x 7 (21 speed) to a 1 x 9 (9 speed). Her bike had a narrower freehub (older 7 spd), so I had to drop the 11T cog and mount the SRAM as a 12-36T. The SRAM 11-32T stock cassette gathers dust.

By the way, my gearing went from (in gear inches) 41.4" - 120" (10-sp) to 31.5" - 120" (11-sp). Also, the Deore XT shifts more crisply than the SRAM, though both are good.

 

[emco5]

Fwiw, the Yamaha eBike motor is known to have a 'peaky' powerband [like their motorcycle engines]. Bosch and Shimano systems are less hyper.

 

[Moonshine]

You are describing the ride of a Stromer ST2. Take one out for a test ride.

The ST2 was AMAZING!! It is exactly the feeling I was looking for. I couldn't believe how fine tune-able it was. It was super easy to "fly" on that thing but it's 7K!!! What is it about the ST2 that achieves such a nice feel and why aren't there any other bikes with the same ride feel! The bike was definitely heavy and I felt the weight but it can just take off! The shop also told me about the ST1X but they didn't have one to test ride it.

Fwiw, the Yamaha eBike motor is known to have a 'peaky' powerband [like their motorcycle engines]. Bosch and Shimano systems are less hyper.

For sure. The shop is offering me a brand new Quick.E for 2.5K. The stromer ST2 is 7K. They didn't have a program where I could rent the ST2. It really is a hard decision to make with only a 30 minute test ride. I never thought I would one day contemplate spending 7K on a bike but here we are!

 

[Trail Cruiser]

The ST2 was AMAZING!! It is exactly the feeling I was looking for. I couldn't believe how fine tune-able it was. It was super easy to "fly" on that thing but it's 7K!!! What is it about the ST2 that achieves such a nice feel and why aren't there any other bikes with the same ride feel! The bike was definitely heavy and I felt the weight but it can just take off! The shop also told me about the ST1X but they didn't have one to test ride it.



For sure. The shop is offering me a brand new Quick.E for 2.5K. The stromer ST2 is 7K. They didn't have a program where I could rent the ST2. It really is a hard decision to make with only a 30 minute test ride. I never thought I would one day contemplate spending 7K on a bike but here we are!

You can only get that "continuous acceleration feeling" on hub driven ebikes since there is no power interruption when shifting. If 7k is too much for you, then you may certainly try the St1. Other hub driven options that you may be interested in are the following:

OHM Urban or Sport
BULLS Outlaw E45
Easy motion Nitros
Magnum Peak
Smartmotions
Juiced Bikes CrossCurrent
leftover Specialized turbos
leftover 2015 Izip E3 Dash

Good luck!

 

[TrevorB]

Give Smartmotion Pacer a try. Lot cheaper, good review. My friend has one and loves it, perfect commuter.

 

[Ann M.]

Sad to say, @Mark Peralta, IZip has had a couple of stupendous sales in early June and the 2015 Dash's are wiped out . Really liked the hub motor version better than the mid drive....but gotta move on!

 

[Ann M.]

@Moonshine, you might want to consider a DIY setup with a Bafang 750watt mid drive or the HD.; eRAD has a great system with the integrated shift sensing. You get to program the speed and cutout timing and more with these systems, which allows you to create the ride you like. There are some very good articles with programming tips on the internet.

 

[Solom01]

Izip has the discontinued Diamondback Trace Ex on sale for 999 with free shipping, which also has a hub motor. I couldn't resist buying one, there are some things I would change but it's a fantastic price.

 

[Moonshine]

@Moonshine, you might want to consider a DIY setup with a Bafang 750watt mid drive or the HD.; eRAD has a great system with the integrated shift sensing. You get to program the speed and cutout timing and more with these systems, which allows you to create the ride you like. There are some very good articles with programming tips on the internet.

Ditto. That might be the next project.
I have also been interested in some of the custom offerings by lunacycle with the BBSHD and e-RAD setups from lectric-cycles.

 

[skyhawk2891]

The ST1X is a cheaper option (vs the ST2), and it has the advantage of no front derailleur, so you only have to fiddle with the back for fine tuning your gearing.

 

[tomjasz]

The ST1X is a cheaper option (vs the ST2), and it has the advantage of no front derailleur, so you only have to fiddle with the back for fine tuning your gearing.

Neither of the two he's looking at have front derailleurs....I'm sorry but your post makes little sense.

 

[Barkme Wolf]

RadWagon- No trouble finding the right levels and gears. My equipment wasn't smooth but I upgraded the shift levers and some other stuff. Much better now.
I have many hills on my commute (40 miles daily) so I got used to shifting.

For the first 3000 miles I rode exclusively in level two. It got cold out so I raised it to assist 3 for the next 2000 miles just to speed things up a bit. That sucked too much juice so now I keep it in 2 mostly and just use 3 for the hills. Assist 3 keeps me just under the factory suggested limit of 500 watts for 15% grades or more.

The button for switching assist levels on my Radwagon is touchy and it was difficult to use. Now I have a lighter touch and can switch from 2 to 3 without having to fumble with it to much.

 

[ron more]

It took a while, but I did a lot of playing around with my Specialized Turbo and went from 11-32T 10 sp cassette to an 11-36T 10 sp cassette. I also swapped the 48T to 44T on the front. This gave me a lower 1st gear and pretty decent cruising at 26 mph (top assist speed) at my normal cadence of 80-85 rpm. However, I found that I had nothing left for descents. I then changed from SRAM X7 10 speed to Deore XT 11 speed 11-42T rear and went back to the 48T front. This gave me an even lower 1st gear and about thje same 10th gear. But now I have a higher 11th gear for descents up to around 34-35 mph. In the end, I have a much lower 1st gear (42T instead of 32T) and the same top gear 11T with 11 speeds instead of 10.

I have a 2015 turbo x, like it very much. It was a demo. Have also purchased a Vado 3.0. The Vado seems to need less effort when just crusing along. If I change gearing on turbo, can I get it to require less effort? Also a lower first gear would help on climbing a serious hill. The Vado 3.0 is better at climbing serious hills. Just wish it had a higher speed for riding in traffic.