Is it bad to use highest pedal assist a lot?

[Camac]

I had heard the quote as " Bobs your uncle". and "Fannies your Grannie" Usually as a reply from someone else present.

 

[ChezCheese:)]

So Frances is Robert's mother...

I would think that for the short time you are coasting downhill, the savings in electric consumption would be negligible.

 

[MechaNut]

.................. Another (similar) Question:

If I am Coasting down a hill, does it do any good (for Battery or Motor) to set Pedal Assist to ZERO ?

Verses, leaving it in Tour, Eco, or whatever (but Not pedaling) ?

Craig

The only motor system I can think of that might have any direct impact on freewheeling is a direct drive motor. Geared motors and mid-drives are going to free-wheel just like any other normal bike. Direct drive motors do regenerative braking and do add some drag during free-wheeling. Even if you turn off the motor entirely direct drives add some drag.

In short, turning off your pedal assist when free-wheeling isn't really doing anything.

 

[Toomanycats]

Ride my bike about 100 miles per week. Mostly use the turbo setting for long steep hills. I can put a lot of pressure on my knees, so this works out ok. Turbo + 42t and I can get up just about anything.

 

[Dirkdaddy]

Ride my bike about 100 miles per week. Mostly use the turbo setting for long steep hills. I can put a lot of pressure on my knees, so this works out ok. Turbo + 42t and I can get up just about anything.

Curious did you change to a smaller chainring? I have seen many bikes with bigger than 42. But on some steep hills like I hit recently I would like "one lower" gear just not sure I want to give up the high speed gearing. Personally while it can be more hassle I'd go with a dual front chainring but the bike isn't setup for it.

 

[Toomanycats]

Curious did you change to a smaller chainring? I have seen many bikes with bigger than 42. But on some steep hills like I hit recently I would like "one lower" gear just not sure I want to give up the high speed gearing. Personally while it can be more hassle I'd go with a dual front chainring but the bike isn't setup for it.

Sorry was referring to my rear cassette- have 11-42 on the rear. If/when I replace the rear cassette, I wouldn’t mind switching out the 11-42t for an 11-46t, if that’s even possible.

 

[Oberst]

Sorry was referring to my rear cassette- have 11-42 on the rear. If/when I replace the rear cassette, I wouldn’t mind switching out the 11-42t for an 11-46t, if that’s even possible.

It could be possible but might have to check the rear derailleur to make sure it can accommodate the bigger cogs.

 

[Pragmatic]

CaitlinD as harryS mentioned, motor use under heavy load, causes high current flow, that causes associated heat. Heat is almost always bad for electronic, electric, and plastic parts (e.g. e-Bike gears), lubricants (oil grease), and at some extreme point, even metal parts.

Without getting into huge detail, in the simplest terms (EE's give me a break here), with respect to electric motors, there an electrical characteristic called counter-electromotive force (often abbreviated EMF or CEMF), CEMF resists current flow in a motor as the motor spins faster and faster.

When a motor slows or reaches stall (stopping) under load/high throttle/boost e.g. think of your e-Bike going up a steep hill under full throttle, with little to no effective rider pedal input --- the current in the motor reaches high levels that can overheat/burn-out unprotected components.

Hopefully both your e-Bikes have protective current/temperature/torque sensing capabilities to prevent/limit motor, controller or battery damage. If they do not, I recommend avoiding or limiting the high load operating time of your e-Bike to ensure its longevity/reduce the chances of failures --- in the event your e-bike's or power system designer didn't give you a generous system design protection margin.

In mid-drive e-Bike systems lacking temperature sensors, owners often add a temperature sensor w/digital display (believe it or not, often a simple digital aquarium temperature sensor) to monitor their internal motor temperatures under hard use. ...Ride On!

 

[steve mercier]

Hi! This is my first post in the forum! I'm sorry if this has been posted before, I tried to search for this topic, but it was hard to find the right wording in a search.

We have an EG Athens 350 that my husband and I both use from time to time. My (former motorcylist) husband likes to put the bike in High and then spin his legs just barely engaging the cranks. (He does this on flat terrain, on hills he has accepted that he needs to help the motor.) I know this will drain the battery fast, but that is not a big concern for us. What I'm wondering is if this will put unnecessary strain on the motor? What are the potential long term consequences of using the bike like this?

Thanks!

Howdy Caitlin. If it's bad I don't wanna be good. Tell your husband to get his own damn bike and stop messing with yours