This is the most important chapter in our series and this is the most-important tip: Think of the motor as a gentle push on your back, not a kick in the butt. Treat the motor as an assist to your leg muscles, not their replacement. Just because you now have the power between your ankles to gap any rider except maybe Tadej Pocacar, you are still the real engine. Use the electrics to compliment your legs and pedaling, not take their place.
ALWAYS START IN AN EASY GEAR AND LOW ASSIST
From a dead stop, imagine that you don’t have assist. Choose a cog that you’d normally use on a non-assisted bike and use the lowest assist level (or no assist if possible). Once rolling, you can choose shifting to either a smaller cog or a higher assist level (if necessary). You will feel controlled acceleration while your legs spin up to a 60- to 90-revolutions-per-minute cadence.
If you use a higher assist level to start, the bike will accelerate too quickly and your front wheel may lose contact with the trail surface (making it impossible to control your bike’s direction). If you don’t wheelie, the rear wheel will lose traction and the bike will lose forward momentum. Neither option is good.
THINK OF STARTING BEFORE YOU STOP
Don’t come to a stop without first shifting the chain to one of the larger cogs. This way, you are in a better gear for pulling away from a dead stop. You don’t have to worry about your assist level because you can change this while stopped. The same cannot be said for your cog selection. Once stopped, you are stuck in that cog.
CRUISE CONTROL
While moving along the trail, try to keep your pedaling cadence between 60 to 90 revolutions per minute (RPM). You do this by selecting the proper cog and assist level. Wait, shouldn’t the motor be doing more of the work? Nope. The motor will still be helping you move along but dropping below 60 RPM puts added burden on the motor and drains more juice from the battery.
If you keep your cadence up, you should never need to use the highest assist level on flat, rolling or false flat terrain. In fact, the highest assist level is the least used of all assist levels if you are doing it right. Clueless or lazy e-bike riders leave the chain in the smallest or close-to-the-smallest cog and let the motor do the grunt work. This inefficient technique is tough on the motor and chain. It will also reduce battery life. You will find your bike more difficult to control if you ride in a small cog and higher assist level all of the time. Break this habit now.
CADENCE RANGE
The difference between 60 and 90 RPM cadence is gigantic for a roadie but an E-mountain biker faces much different surface conditions and steeper grades. Think of this cadence as more of a guideline than a rule. You will encounter conditions where even 60 RPM will be difficult to maintain. My chapter on climbing will dig into this a little deeper.
FEELING LIKE YOU GOT RIPPED OFF
So you plunked down good money on your E-mountain bike only to find out that you still have to pedal it just like a non-assisted bike. Feeling ripped off? Don’t. Following these tips will have you expending way less energy while covering far more ground. These tips will help you increase range and increase motor and battery life.
SPEED FREAKS NEED NOT HEED MY ADVICE
I need to clarify that if your goal is to ride your loop at the fastest speed possible, simply select your bike’s highest assist level and have at it. Just understand that you will be reducing your battery range, decreasing the life expectancy of the bike’s components and probably pissing off a lot of fellow trail users.
Chapter Index (Click on any title to read the chapter)
Chapter 1: Intro To A New Breed
Chapter 2: Understanding Your Drivetrain
Chapter 3: Assisted Living
Chapter 4: Climbing To The Top
Chapter 5: Descending
Chapter 6: Cornering
Chapter 7: Trail Obstacles