Hill climbing

[Dgdds91]

I know this is a silly question but I am new to E biking and just got a Radrover. What is the best way to tackle hills? Gearing,assist, throttle etc?

 

[mrgold35]

I've been riding my two 2016 Radrovers work commuting and trail riding. I usually leave the PAS in 3 for work commuting and PAS 2 when trail riding. I usually try to keep a certain pedal cadence at all times of around 60-80 rpms and down/up shift to maintain that range. I rather downshift and drop my speed on inclines instead of upping the Radrover power levels. I still use PAS 3 (350w-375w) on steepest hills around town and downshift as needed to keep my cadence range.

I do on occasion use PAS 4 on really windy days. Having a +20 mph headwinds on level ground feels just like a steep incline AND much worse once you start an incline. I end up using too much battery power at PAS 4 on those days (maybe get around 12-16 mile range with 11.6Ah battery with +20 headwind+500 elevation gain between work/home).

I sometimes use the throttle if my speed/pedal rpms start to drop near the crest of the hill and I just need a little boost the last 10-20 feet to keep my mph and pedal rpms up without downshifting.

 

[Dgdds91]

I've been riding my two 2016 Radrovers work commuting and trail riding. I usually leave the PAS in 3 for work commuting and PAS 2 when trail riding. I usually try to keep a certain pedal cadence at all times of around 60-80 rpms and down/up shift to maintain that range. I rather downshift and drop my speed on inclines instead of upping the Radrover power levels. I still use PAS 3 (350w-375w) on steepest hills around town and downshift as needed to keep my cadence range.

I do on occasion use PAS 4 on really windy days. Having a +20 mph headwinds on level ground feels just like a steep incline AND much worse once you start an incline. I end up using too much battery power at PAS 4 on those days (maybe get around 12-16 mile range with 11.6Ah battery with +20 headwind+500 elevation gain between work/home).

I sometimes use the throttle if my speed/pedal rpms start to drop near the crest of the hill and I just need a little boost the last 10-20 feet to keep my mph and pedal rpms up without downshifting.

Thanks so much for your reply. The way you explained it makes perfect sense to me. You have been a great help and thank you again!

 

[AHicks]

Very similar here. I try to keep the amount of effort required to pedal about the same on the entire ride. Goal is to do that with the least amount of assist required to maximize range - if that's of any interest. On short hops, or where you're feeling particularly lazy, set the assist as high as you like!

You'll have a LOT better feel for what assist level and gear to be in as you build experience/get a few miles under your belt.