Hello folks,
I have had my Lectric 3.0 for about 2 months now, and I thought I would provide a progress report. I have been a regular cyclist for over 35 years, including several century rides over that time. It is my main form of fitness exercise. I had not ridden an e-bike before, however, and was not quite sure what to expect. I have to say that in the beginning, the Lectric scared the hell out of me. It seemed to have a mind of its own, and it was thinking a lot faster than I was.
But now I think I have a grip on it. Basically, I had to change the way I was thinking about how an e-bike works because I was looking at it the wrong way around. I have concluded that it is not a bicycle with a motor; it is an electric motorbike with pedals.
I am also a railfan, and I suddenly realized that if I thought about the Lectric in the same way as a diesel-electric locomotive, it all made a lot more sense. A locomotive has a throttle with eight notches on it, and each notch progressively steps up the amount of electric power delivered to the wheels. Which notch you use depends on how heavy your load is, how fast you want to go, and whether you are going up or down grade, or running on the flat. Ignoring the hand throttle on the right bar grip for the time being, the Lectric e-bike is much the same. The five “notches” (pedal assists) progressively deliver more power to the motor, and for each notch, the bike “wants” to go at a certain speed (about 7-8 mph for PA 1, 10-11 mph for PA 2, etc.) pretty much regardless of your pedaling, as long as you keep your feet moving. At a minimum, pedaling just tells the motor you are still there and that it should keep running. With harder pedaling you help it along for exercise, when you encounter a grade or a head wind, or just to save the battery. The derailleur shift is really just a cadence selector.
This preset speed that the bike wants to go at a given PA setting is what initially scared me when starting from a stop. It nearly sent me over a curb and into a trash can once. Now, with plenty of room ahead of me, I generally start in PA 2 (with a brief initial boost from the throttle on the right handlebar) and then notch it up as I want to go faster, depending on conditions. Also, never start pedaling going into a turn because the turn circle will instantly increase in diameter whether you have room for it or not. Fortunately, I was warned about that before my first ride. So, so far, so good. I'm starting to have a lot of fun!
I wanted to pass this information on to new riders to let them know what to expect from their Lectric e-bike. It might help them get familiar with the bike more quickly and result in safer and more enjoyable riding.
Gary
I have had my Lectric 3.0 for about 2 months now, and I thought I would provide a progress report. I have been a regular cyclist for over 35 years, including several century rides over that time. It is my main form of fitness exercise. I had not ridden an e-bike before, however, and was not quite sure what to expect. I have to say that in the beginning, the Lectric scared the hell out of me. It seemed to have a mind of its own, and it was thinking a lot faster than I was.
But now I think I have a grip on it. Basically, I had to change the way I was thinking about how an e-bike works because I was looking at it the wrong way around. I have concluded that it is not a bicycle with a motor; it is an electric motorbike with pedals.
I am also a railfan, and I suddenly realized that if I thought about the Lectric in the same way as a diesel-electric locomotive, it all made a lot more sense. A locomotive has a throttle with eight notches on it, and each notch progressively steps up the amount of electric power delivered to the wheels. Which notch you use depends on how heavy your load is, how fast you want to go, and whether you are going up or down grade, or running on the flat. Ignoring the hand throttle on the right bar grip for the time being, the Lectric e-bike is much the same. The five “notches” (pedal assists) progressively deliver more power to the motor, and for each notch, the bike “wants” to go at a certain speed (about 7-8 mph for PA 1, 10-11 mph for PA 2, etc.) pretty much regardless of your pedaling, as long as you keep your feet moving. At a minimum, pedaling just tells the motor you are still there and that it should keep running. With harder pedaling you help it along for exercise, when you encounter a grade or a head wind, or just to save the battery. The derailleur shift is really just a cadence selector.
This preset speed that the bike wants to go at a given PA setting is what initially scared me when starting from a stop. It nearly sent me over a curb and into a trash can once. Now, with plenty of room ahead of me, I generally start in PA 2 (with a brief initial boost from the throttle on the right handlebar) and then notch it up as I want to go faster, depending on conditions. Also, never start pedaling going into a turn because the turn circle will instantly increase in diameter whether you have room for it or not. Fortunately, I was warned about that before my first ride. So, so far, so good. I'm starting to have a lot of fun!
I wanted to pass this information on to new riders to let them know what to expect from their Lectric e-bike. It might help them get familiar with the bike more quickly and result in safer and more enjoyable riding.
Gary
