How many gears do you really need & use?

[Alaskan]

i’d actually like a 2x drivetrain on a mid-motor road eBike. for better or worse, they’re all 1x! but if i wanted the bike to do all the work, at 500w, i’d get a motorcycle

your 48 up front and 14 in the back is a shorter gear than my 42 and 11; but your 28:28 is also much shorter than my shortest gear. a better climbing setup, of course at the cost of a whole additional set of derailleur and gears.

i’d clarify my response that i actually don’t mind fairly big gaps between gears, i just want a really big range, like 500%. less than 1:1 to almost 5:1 would be awesome.

The Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon 2 has a 2x11 drive train - 11-34 tooth in back and 32 & 48 tooth in front. With the 85Nm Bosch Performance Speed motor and a 500 watt battery and weighing in at 36 lbs, it is a climbing beast and cruises at comfortable cadence in the mid to high 20s. It is the only 2x drive system on a Bosch powered bike that I am aware of.

2021 Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon 2 – Specs, Comparisons, Reviews – 99 Spokes

A carbon frame gravel e-bike with high-end components and hydraulic disc brakes.

99spokes.com

 

[Coolbob]

My Class-3, 42t chainring, mid-drive bike has a Shimano Nexus 7-speed internal hub and it has the perfect number of gears and ratios for where and how I ride.

As you might imagine, I use #4 & #5 for 80% of my riding.
#3 for slight inclines.
#2 for more serious hills.
#1 for the the steepest hills, including my driveway which I have to stand up and stomp my way up to the house, even with max assist.
#6 for when I'f feeling a little frisky.
#7 for really hauling butt, keeping up with local traffic and outrunning dogs.

 

[mschwett]

The Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon 2 has a 2x11 drive train - 11-34 tooth in back and 32 & 48 tooth in front. With the 85Nm Bosch Performance Speed motor and a 500 watt battery and weighing in at 36 lbs, it is a climbing beast and cruises at comfortable cadence in the mid to high 20s. It is the only 2x drive system on a Bosch powered bike that I am aware of.

2021 Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon 2 – Specs, Comparisons, Reviews – 99 Spokes

A carbon frame gravel e-bike with high-end components and hydraulic disc brakes.

99spokes.com

that’s a very interesting bike - does it have an insanely big q factor for that motor plus a double ring? my next bike will be lighter rather than heavier but that thing would be really fun to ride up the hills here on SF

 

[Alaskan]

that’s a very interesting bike - does it have an insanely big q factor for that motor plus a double ring? my next bike will be lighter rather than heavier but that thing would be really fun to ride up the hills here on SF

One year ago, I had a 5.5hour surgery to remove a malignant tumor from my left quadricep. It has been a tough year with lots of rehab but I have made a good recovery.

Tomorrow I am doing the ride from Glacier Washington to Artists Point on Mount Baker, just east of Bellingham, for the third year in a row It is 48 miles with 5,000 feet of elevation gain and a just plain gorgeous ride.

Year one was on my dual battery Rise & Muller Delight Mountain, a 75 lb. full suspension beast of a bike. Last year it was on a Trek Allant 9.9s with range extender battery. This year I'm riding my Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon 3, the little brother of the Neo 2, with the same frame, lefty fork, 650B rims and a 1x11 drive train.

I also live up a 600 foot hill above our small city of Bellingham, so every ride ends with that climb. Any of those three bikes makes that a piece of cake...so long as I make sure there is enough battery remining before starting the final climb. I have not had to push a bike up this hill...yet

Here is a map of the route with couple of shots taken in 2019 & 2020 from the top at Artist Point.

By the way, the R&M Delite has an 11 speed 11-46 tooth drive train with Shimano XT derailleur.
The Allant has a 12 speed 10-51 tooth drive train with Sram AXS wireless derailleur.
Both of the above were totally up to the task for this 70 year old with some considerable health challenges.
The Cannondale has an 11 speed 11-46 tooth drive train with Shimano GRX Group Set.

 

[voidedwarranty]

One year ago, I had a 5.5hour surgery to remove a malignant tumor from my left quadricep. It has been a tough year with lots of rehab but I have made a good recovery.

Tomorrow I am the ride from Glacier Washington to Artists Point on Mount Baker, just east of Bellingham, for the third year in a row It is 48 miles with 5,000 feet of elevation gain and a just plain gorgeous ride.

Year one was on my dual battery Rise & Muller Delight Mountain, a 75 lb. full suspension beast of a bike. Last year it was on a Trek Allant 9.9s with range extender battery. This year I'm riding my Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon 3, the little brother of the Neo 2, with the same frame, lefty fork, 650B rims and a 1x11 drive train.

I also life up a 600 foot hill above our small city of Bellingham, so every ride ends with that climb. Any of those three bikes makes that a piece of cake...so long as I make sure there is enough battery remining before starting the final climb. I have not had to push a bike up this hill...yet

Here is a map of the route with couple of shots taken in 2019 & 2020 from the top at Artist Point.

View attachment 97560View attachment 97559

View attachment 97561

Awesome story! Very cool bikes!

 

[tomjasz]

1 speed MAC 10T. No hills, perfect. 42T x 20T.

 

[Cowlitz]

Yes, legal motor output.

I guess I do. In the U.S. However, if I were devious and wanted more power or to even take the limiter off, I'd probably get away with it as this is a very rural area and not much is known about or cared about when it comes to bicycles, by the local population. I'm fine with what I have. I just have to try to identify suitable stopping spots when going up a steep grade, before stopping.

Shifting is a no brainer for me. I've ridden acoustic mountain bikes for years.

 

[mschwett]

One year ago, I had a 5.5hour surgery to remove a malignant tumor from my left quadricep. It has been a tough year with lots of rehab but I have made a good recovery.

Tomorrow I am doing the ride from Glacier Washington to Artists Point on Mount Baker, just east of Bellingham, for the third year in a row It is 48 miles with 5,000 feet of elevation gain and a just plain gorgeous ride.

Year one was on my dual battery Rise & Muller Delight Mountain, a 75 lb. full suspension beast of a bike. Last year it was on a Trek Allant 9.9s with range extender battery. This year I'm riding my Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon 3, the little brother of the Neo 2, with the same frame, lefty fork, 650B rims and a 1x11 drive train.

I also live up a 600 foot hill above our small city of Bellingham, so every ride ends with that climb. Any of those three bikes makes that a piece of cake...so long as I make sure there is enough battery remining before starting the final climb. I have not had to push a bike up this hill...yet

Here is a map of the route with couple of shots taken in 2019 & 2020 from the top at Artist Point.

By the way, the R&M Delite has an 11 speed 11-46 tooth drive train with Shimano XT derailleur.
The Allant has a 12 speed 10-51 tooth drive train with Sram AXS wireless derailleur.
Both of the above were totally up to the task for this 70 year old with some considerable health challenges.
The Cannondale has an 11 speed 11-46 tooth drive train with Shimano GRX Group Set.

View attachment 97560View attachment 97559

View attachment 97561

that is a fantastic ride, just gorgeous, and pretty amazing to be able to dispatch it so readily! i also really love the stats from that app/page - is it a trek specific thing? i wish strava would integrate the e-bike motor output data that i'm sure specialized's app collects, but as far as i can tell it shows speed, elevation, heart rate, cadence, and rider power... but not motor power or which mode the bike was in when.

my tires may be a little skinny for that ride but it's on my bucket list for sure. i haven't seen snow in .... years.

 

[Alaskan]

that is a fantastic ride, just gorgeous, and pretty amazing to be able to dispatch it so readily! i also really love the stats from that app/page - is it a trek specific thing? i wish strava would integrate the e-bike motor output data that i'm sure specialized's app collects, but as far as i can tell it shows speed, elevation, heart rate, cadence, and rider power... but not motor power or which mode the bike was in when.

my tires may be a little skinny for that ride but it's on my bucket list for sure. i haven't seen snow in .... years.

We never got into the snow, just right up to the edge of it. The "app" is the Bosch ebike connect web site which is a free cloud ride recording service along with map updating, software updates, etc. all through either gen one Nyon displays or gen 2 which has had the granular details of each ride automatically uploaded via home wifi automatically at the end of each ride, upon arriving home.

 

[DaveMatthews]

We never got into the snow, just right up to the edge of it. The "app" is the Bosch ebike connect web site which is a free cloud ride recording service along with map updating, software updates, etc. all through either gen one Nyon displays or gen 2 which has had the granular details of each ride automatically uploaded via home wifi automatically at the end of each ride, upon arriving home.

Bosch has such a nice ecosystem there. Hanging around with Court for an afternoon taught me that he uses Bosch as a benchmark for sure.

 

[ActionJackson]

i’d actually like a 2x drivetrain on a mid-motor road eBike. for better or worse, they’re all 1x!

Ah …. but it does almost exists, albeit MTB style. Panasonic XM2 has an integrated 2 speed mid drive motor with instant electronic shift. Here’s a translation of their brief description:

“Point 1-3: Example of installing a multi-speed drive unit The direct drive mechanism that transmits power directly to the crankshaft is equipped with an advanced internal 2-speed shift (equivalent to 29T for the 1st stage and 41T for the 2nd stage). Stress-free operability due to electronic shift. Wide gear ratio (1 to 1.41) and high torque characteristics realize a smooth and powerful assist feeling even on steep slopes.”

404 Not Found お探しのページは見つかりませんでした。｜電動アシスト自転車／自転車｜Panasonic

パナソニック自転車公式サイト。電動アシスト自転車や一般自転車の商品ラインアップ、その他オーダーシステムやスペシャルサイトなどのコンテンツをご紹介します。

cycle.panasonic.com

This was my second choice overriding Giant , Cannondale, and Merida if the Specialized Turbo Vado SL wasn’t available. Luckily the SL was available, more in tune with what I was looking for as a portable fitness bike.

 

[Nomad]

We never got into the snow, just right up to the edge of it. The "app" is the Bosch ebike connect web site which is a free cloud ride recording service along with map updating, software updates, etc. all through either gen one Nyon displays or gen 2 which has had the granular details of each ride automatically uploaded via home wifi automatically at the end of each ride, upon arriving home.

Come on riding the white sands is fun( I run studded all winter on my commute in N.H)!