Standing Up on ebike: safe?

[LuLu5]

Hi All,
New to bike forum..Is it safe to stand when riding an e-bike? I ride upright and concerned that it may be difficult reaching gears/controls if I'm am standing up.
Secondly, how do I get responses by email? Didn't see a place for that in my account.
Thank you!

 

[LuLu5]

Also: just fyi I ride a Marin Sausalito II.

 

[Chazmo]

I stand up frequently, LuLu. I actually don’t have any problem reaching the controls when I’m doing that. Of course, I have to bend over slightly to reach controls. If your bike has a throttle, you might find that to be convenient for occasional corrections while you’re standing (and not pedaling, of course).

 

[teskow]

I too stand up quite a lot especially over rough patches of ground.

 

[harryS]

I got the motor so I wouldn't have to stand up on hills. Ugh, the bad old days when I would crest the hill at 6 mph, standing while pumping the pedals for most of it.

Like teskow, I still stand when I see bumpy stretches coming,

 

[PCeBiker]

Hi All,
New to bike forum..Is it safe to stand when riding an e-bike?
Thank you!

I've stood on my pedals and waved my arms in the air.

Is it safe??
Of Course Not !!!,.. But It's Fun,..

 

[Chazmo]

Actually, I think I may have misunderstood the original poster… @LuLu5 were you referring to standing up on the pedals just to relax and give your tush a break, or did you mean standing up and pedaling (as in power to climb a hill)…? Or, did mean for riding over tough ground? As for the last of these, I am very often suspended over saddle, but I don’t call that “standing” per se. Maybe other folks do.

I’m not sure it changes my answer earlier, though. I haven’t found there to be any problem standing up on my fatty. In fact, with a throttle, I can do it more often than I used to do on an unpowered bike, and the geometry and weight / stability of the fatty makes it rather easier to do this than my old (extremely light and twitchy) mountain bike used to be.

 

[LuLu5]

Actually, I think I may have misunderstood the original poster… @LuLu5 were you referring to standing up on the pedals just to relax and give your tush a break, or did you mean standing up and pedaling (as in power to climb a hill)…? Or, did mean for riding over tough ground? As for the last of these, I am very often suspended over saddle, but I don’t call that “standing” per se. Maybe other folks do.

I’m not sure it changes my answer earlier, though. I haven’t found there to be any problem standing up on my fatty. In fact, with a throttle, I can do it more often than I used to do on an unpowered bike, and the geometry and weight / stability of the fatty makes it rather easier to do this than my old (extremely light and twitchy) mountain bike used to be.

Sure...yes part of it is to move my body, vs just my legs (like w/a manual bike). Also I'm getting annoying lower back issues when remaining seated for 2O+hours. With the spinner bike I can stand (because it's stable) and find it's less problematic to my spine. But then it's alot less fun.
The first ebike I tried was a cargo bike and the sales guy said "never stand up on an e-bike"- but I don't ride a cargo bike now. So just getting folks reactions.

 

[LuLu5]

Oops I meant "two plus hours" not 20!!!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Lulu, standing on the e-bike pedals is a normal thing. (e-MTBers do it all the time). Pedalling out of the saddle is pointless on an e-bike.

Unless the e-bike is a complete rubbish, standing on the pedals is OK.

 

[Chazmo]

Also I'm getting annoying lower back issues when remaining seated for 2O+hours.

You may want to look into a new saddle as well, LuLu… There are several split-saddle style seats that are enormously (to me, anyway) more comfortable to ride on than standard horned saddles. My current steed is this one, and I adore it. Selle SMP TRK (medium). It makes a huge difference with 2+ hour rides.

TRK Medium

Designed for Trekking bikes, thanks to its comfortable padding TRK Medium is perfect also for recreational and sports use.

www.sellesmp.com

 

[LuLu5]

Chasmo: Thanks for the tip! Yea I changed my seat to split saddle about 6 months, much better-esp for women.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

Secondly, how do I get responses by email? Didn't see a place for that in my account.

Go to your profile, then preferences. You'll see many options there.

I think the reason the guy said to not stand on an ebike is liability. When you stand you'll be top heavy. If you hit the throttle too hard, then you might fly backwards. Just use common sense and you should be fine. I stand when traffic is backed up to a standstill so I can see over the cars and the drivers might be able to see me better, as well as the occasional bump/pothole in the road.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Standing is good.
You can stand by your man, do stand up, be in good standing. So much standing I just can't stand it!
Grandstanding might be dangerous though.
If I'm wrong I stand corrected.
Now I'll go back to standing by...

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Standing is good.
You can stand by your man, do stand up, be in good standing. So much standing I just can't stand it!
Grandstanding might be dangerous though.
If I'm wrong I stand corrected.
Now I'll go back to standing by...

I envision a frenzy of puns seething just below the surface, waiting to be unleashed by an unsuspecting comment. Outstanding! Always brings a smile.

 

[PedalUma]

Get up Stand up Stand up for your bikes.

It sort of depends on the bike. As mentioned, with a mid-drive torque sensor MTB standing up out of the saddle is common on rough spots and for jumping and climbing. If it is a fat folder hub-motor throttle bike with a cadence sensor, probably not. I am up in Petaluma from Strawberry.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

If it is a fat folder hub-motor throttle bike with a cadence sensor, probably not.

Please explain.

 

[PedalUma]

Please explain.

Okay an eMTB such as the Levo is programed to be highly responsive, even jumpy. That is for doing things such as navigating a rock garden and jumping a log. In contrast a fat folder has lag and overrun so it might feel smoother to a typical person who is not really a cyclist but it really won't respond when getting out of the saddle. Typically on those bikes three magnets on the BB crank need to pass the pickup before they kick-in. So, if there are 12 magnets like a clockface on the cadence sensor that is just over a quarter revolution of lag. It prevents it from doing a wheelie and throwing the rider for bumping the pedal. There is another case, that is an Alfine or Nexus hub. They are not internally designed for sudden bursts of power so Shimano says not to stand on them. Also their standard acorn nuts are made of soft ripened cheese so a burst of power will move it in the dropout because it cannot be tightened enough without stripping Alfine/Nexus, to withstand bursts of power.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Any bike can be stood up on... You just need to know your bike and how to do it proper.
I stand on my cadence sensor bike and throttle without issue.
One particular point is climbing a steep hill that has 75' of heavily washboarded pavement at its start. If you don't it'll rattle you out of your seat, beat your knees if you try to pedal and lose all momentum to finish the long climb.
I sometimes do the same in the other direction so I don't lose the speed I gained coming down the hill going into a nice straight away.
I do similarly with my torque sensing bike.
The bikes are 750w and 1000w respectively. I would think it even more critical to do so with a lower power bike, especially a hub.
ymmv

 

[Rexlion]

By all means, STAND on those pedals. Just don't brake hard suddenly while doing it...

I'm so glad I never bought an Alfine or Nexus. It could not withSTAND my leg power.

Should I have gone into STAND-up comedy? (Don't answer that)