Climbing is when you realize your E-mountain bike is worth its weight in gold. There is nothing more exhilarating than hitting a climb at a tempo and pace that an Olympic cyclist would struggle to match.
CHOOSE BEFORE YOU ARE FORCED TO
Try not to wait until you are struggling to shift gears or choose a different assist level. Changing gears on a hill without grinding them is tricky on an E-mountain bike and jumping to higher assist levels is bound to lighten the front wheel making control more difficult.
LET YOUR LUNGS CHOOSE YOUR ASSIST LEVEL
After 40 years of riding mountain bikes, my legs have enough muscle memory to get the cranks spinning almost subconsciously. Unfortunately, my lungs have no short or long-term memory. If I’m off the bike for 3 days, my heart rate and breathing switch back to Off-The-Couch mode. This is where the assist is at its most valuable.
Start your climb in a gear and assistance level that allows you to spin the cranks as close to (or above) 60 RPM. You will need the other gears and assist levels soon enough. When you start to drop below that RPM, you have 2 choices: You can shift to a larger cog or toggle to a higher assist. What you choose depends on the steepness and length of the hill you plan to conquer.
Changing assist modes is a bigger jump than shifting a gear. If the hill is a long, steady climb, try to keep your cadence up and breathing under control by shifting to an easier gear while leaving the assist mode the same. If your breathing and heart rate increase, pick the next level of power assist until you crest the hill.
CLIMBING A WALL OR HITTING A SURPRISE CLIMB
If you are faced with a steep climb (or you are surprised with a climb after rounding a corner), you don’t want the incremental advantage that shifting gears offers. Shifting gears on a steep climb won’t give you the relief necessary to get you and your 50-pound E-mountain bike up the climb. You need an immediate and substantial push. Go for the highest assist you’ve got and keep your elbows bent and upper body as parallel to the trail surface as possible. Sitting too upright guarantees the front wheel coming off the ground.
Fair warning: Once toggling to the highest assist level, it is mentally really, really hard to switch back to a lower assist level. It feels so good with all that power! As soon as my heart rate gets back to a normal level, I intentionally reduce the assist level, find a comfortable gear and continue to spin along. This way I’ll have a good assisted push on the next climb I come to.
JUST GO FULL BLAST
The above tips will get you more range out of your battery and it is easier on your drivetrain. Still, there have been times when being too stingy on the power assist has resulted in an elevated heart rate, labored breathing and lactic-acid-attacked legs.
The battery will drain faster using the highest assist on climbs, but you paid for it. You might as well use it. The best technique here is to go to that assist level at the beginning on the climb, not in the middle of it. You will need to keep your weight forward or the front wheel will loose contact with the trail. Again, elbows bent, torso lowered and head about the handlebar.
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