Pure torque control. Cadence and others if included leads to unnatural ride.

[Neto]

When I press the pedal, the motor gives a proportional assist, no more no less.

 

[fooferdoggie]

When I press the pedal, the motor gives a proportional assist, no more no less.

if you have a bosch or specialized or such they use a lot of sensors including cadence. without all those its never as smooth.

 

[Gionnirocket]

if you have a bosch or specialized or such they use a lot of sensors including cadence. without all those its never as smooth.

Same with Bafang OEM mid drives but not the DIY motors.

Don't over think what's already been figured out.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

The title of this thread is completely false in the case of my Specialized Vado SL mid-drive. Specialized's highly sophisticated "Turbo" PAS relies primarily on built-in rider power, cadence, and wheel speed sensors. And once you have rider power and cadence, you also have rider torque.

Since instantaneous rider power is the dominant control variable, I think of the Turbo PAS as power-sensing. I can't imagine a more natural-feeling power delivery.

My torque-sensing hub-drive lacks some of the SL's finesse on this front, but it still does a good job of doling out motor power in response to pedal force. It necessarily detects crank rotation for safety reasons but has no way to measure or calculate crank RPM or rider power. Result: A quite natural-feeling power delivery from torque and wheel speed sensors alone.

Bottom line: You can get very good results from a purely torque-sensing PAS, but better ways do exist.

 

[Neto]

If you pedal smoothly you'll have a smooth ride. Adding other sensors and tricks to control the motor is artificial. Cadence and speed should be on readout only.

 

[fooferdoggie]

If you pedal smoothly you'll have a smooth ride. Adding other sensors and tricks to control the motor is artificial. Cadence and speed should be on readout only.

having a motor is artificial. torque sensing is artificial. adding them together makes the bike feel great. bosch and specialized and such make great feeling bikes some of the best and they don't just use torque sensing.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

If you pedal smoothly you'll have a smooth ride. Adding other sensors and tricks to control the motor is artificial. Cadence and speed should be on readout only.

And how do you know all this with such certainty?