eMTB Mode Is The Devil's Spawn!

[GrahamPaul]

Got my new Jam² Wednesday night and have just put the first 100km on it. The missus has had her Thron² for a month or so now and has put a bit more on hers.

Part of the reason for switching from hamster bikes was to control our heart rates. I'm too old and decrepit to keep hitting the 180 bpm's while chasing the youngsters up the hills (the other reason was because they were waiting at the top for me and took off again straight away before I had time to stuff my lungs back into my chest ).

Anyhow, the missus is entirely addicted to eMTB Mode and doesn't bother riding in any other mode. Being like every noob with his new eMTB, I was intent on only using Eco mode for the whole ride. That lasted for less than 100m until the first 30% climb out of the village up an old donkey track. Then I tried the additional modes.

Tour helps a good bit, but not on those sorts of gradients. Turbo surged too much. A horrible sensation.

But then I discovered the Devil's Spawn eMTB Mode! This provides a multiplied assist power which increases by some exponential factor the harder you push and the faster you pedal. I found myself spinning the pedals faster and faster.... and then changing to a harder a gear... spinning up again... and changing to an even smaller cog... and spinning up again... until suddenly the alarm is going off on my Garmin because my heart rate is maxing out and heading for 180 again!

Was chatting with my missus about this over dinner tonight and she also gets this same strange feeling of being pushed along faster and faster, like having a big hand on your back, which encourages her to spin up faster and faster until her heart is all but jumping out of her chest.

Yup, eMTB Mode was developed by Old Nick to invite new residents to his emporium!

You have been warned!

 

[Gray squirrel]

E-bike are bike crack ??????

 

[Beezerk]

Emtb mode is all your electrically assisted needs rolled into one, the display on my Whyte could break as long as it stayed permanently in emtb mode ?

 

[MattyB]

...But then I discovered the Devil's Spawn eMTB Mode! This provides a multiplied assist power which increases by some exponential factor the harder you push and the faster you pedal. I found myself spinning the pedals faster and faster.... and then changing to a harder a gear... spinning up again... and changing to an even smaller cog... and spinning up again... until suddenly the alarm is going off on my Garmin because my heart rate is maxing out and heading for 180 again!

Was chatting with my missus about this over dinner tonight and she also gets this same strange feeling of being pushed along faster and faster, like having a big hand on your back, which encourages her to spin up faster and faster until her heart is all but jumping out of her chest.

Yup, eMTB Mode was developed by Old Nick to invite new residents to his emporium!

You have been warned!

I know what you mean, but I think this is something you can tune out with a change of technique over time.

Set it in eMTB mode, pedal at your desired cadence for the gradient you are climbing then if you feel you are being pushed too hard by the motor simply ease back the pressure on the pedals slightly. This technique should allow you to climb at your desired speed and cadence, and with practise will become unconscious. If that doesn’t work another option is to start the climb in a higher gear at lower cadence, as (to me) the Bosch software seems to put a higher weighting on cadence than rider torque (i.e. you get a greater amount of assistance added in eMTB mode if you change down and spin than if you push harder).

Play with it and see, I’m sure you will find a technique that works for you.

 

[Zimmerframe]

and with practise will become unconscious

Well, I'm sure Mrs GP will be pleased with the peace and quiet !

 

[Kingfisher]

I go bikepacking, where energy management is a core element in the trip strategy. Sure I can go up that hill in eMTB, but then I lose 10 km of range and will have to pedal on eco at the end of the trip when I'm tired.

Note that eMTB also includes near-Turbo, if you pedal hard enough, it will give you Turbo full wattage on the motor.

But it is very usefull while doing technical stuff as the set-and-forget setting.