Riding mode problems

O

Old Codger

Member
Joined
Feb 27, 2025
Messages
124
Reaction score
77
Location
South Yorkshire
Being new to the flow app, but not to Bosch E-bikes, I’ve been playing with the modes on a 10 mile circuit to decide which to keep and getting a feel for the mileage.
Tried the Tour+ mode today which is supposed to give from eco to turbo but when I ran out of steam on a couple of steep hills switching to Turbo gave me a large boost. Conversely switching to Tour also gave me a boost. I reckon putting as much torque on the peddles as I cared to do, it was giving me between Eco and Tour.
Anyone else scrapped Tour+?
 
⚡ EMTB Pro Go Pro — Living Intelligence Reports, exclusive discounts & ad-free Up to 25% off Peaty's, PEMBREE, Magicshine & more · Ad-free browsing · Pro badge See the deals →
Welcome 👍

All I can really offer is that I live in 'emtb' mode, unless I REALLY want some exercise, then it's switched to 'Eco'.
 
Old Codger said:
Tried the Tour+ mode today which is supposed to give from eco to turbo but when I ran out of steam on a couple of steep hills switching to Turbo gave me a large boost.
Click to expand...
I agree, I know they say Tour+ is supposed to go all the way up to Turbo but I have never experienced it doing so, exactly the same as you it gets to be hard going up hill but manually switching to Turbo and whoosh, much easier! I do like Tour+ round town though it gives me a much better accelaration from a stop or lights etc. than Eco but should still be fairly economic. I think I will try dumping Eco for Tour+ and then see what Auto does.:unsure:
 
with the variable modes such as EMTB and Tour+ the degree of motor assistance is commensurate with the amount of rider torque input to the cranks. So whilst the higher motor levels are available you have to work harder to get them. EMTB requires less rider torque than Tour+ to achieve the same level of motor support. In turbo maximum motor assistance can be achieved with much reduced rider torque input, albeit with a fairly high cadence, and that feels easy since lower gears are typically selected for terrain needing that level of support.
the Flow App also allows you to "tune" the variable modes. I have EMTB tuned to 3 on the slider and never need any other mode , even turbo, for the type of riding I do, even on very steep technical climbs.
 
My current selection is;
ECO with the power tweaked down in the settings as a low battery get me home mode.
AUTO, with the pickup increased slightly.
EMTB & TURBO using standard settings.

Most of the time I'm using AUTO and very occasionally POWER for short bursts.
 

Mikerb said:
with the variable modes such as EMTB and Tour+ the degree of motor assistance is commensurate with the amount of rider torque input to the cranks. So whilst the higher motor levels are available you have to work harder to get them. EMTB requires less rider torque than Tour+ to achieve the same level of motor support. In turbo maximum motor assistance can be achieved with much reduced rider torque input, albeit with a fairly high cadence, and that feels easy since lower gears are typically selected for terrain needing that level of support.
the Flow App also allows you to "tune" the variable modes. I have EMTB tuned to 3 on the slider and never need any other mode , even turbo, for the type of riding I do, even on very steep technical climbs.
Click to expand...
Yes I appreciate your advise but my problem was peddling in the 48 tooth ring up a 30% rocky climb in the Yorkshire Dales in Tour+, I was unable to get it to give me Turbo as clicking up to Turbo gave me quite a boost. I’ve not altered ant of the tuning scales From zero.
Coincidentally, both me and my partner installed emtb when it came out on gen2 motors and found the same problem as with Tour+. We reverted back to Sport.
Perhaps at pushing 80 I’m not putting enough torque through the cranks so I may try tuning the modes and then get back to enjoying the riding.
 
Jackware said:
My current selection is;
ECO with the power tweaked down in the settings as a low battery get me home mode.
AUTO, with the pickup increased slightly.
EMTB & TURBO using standard settings.

Most of the time I'm using AUTO and very occasionally POWER for short bursts.
Click to expand...
Yes Auto feels nice and I’ve used it most of the time. On my local not too hilly rides it’s using 15% battery per 8 miles but my usual rides in very hilly country average 30 miles.
Coming from a 500Wh to an 800Wh battery I’m still having a bit if range anxiety.
 
Old Codger said:
Yes I appreciate your advise but my problem was peddling in the 48 tooth ring up a 30% rocky climb in the Yorkshire Dales in Tour+, I was unable to get it to give me Turbo as clicking up to Turbo gave me quite a boost. I’ve not altered ant of the tuning scales From zero.
Coincidentally, both me and my partner installed emtb when it came out on gen2 motors and found the same problem as with Tour+. We reverted back to Sport.
Perhaps at pushing 80 I’m not putting enough torque through the cranks so I may try tuning the modes and then get back to enjoying the riding.
Click to expand...
the Bosch CX ( in standard tune) requires a quite high cadence to access motor support. You can fix that using the Flow Ap . Maybe you are not used to the fact that you need to "spin" rather than crank with an EMTB. Check your average cadence over a ride. It should be 70+ to get the best out of your motor.
 
Mikerb said:
with the variable modes such as EMTB and Tour+ the degree of motor assistance is commensurate with the amount of rider torque input to the cranks. So whilst the higher motor levels are available you have to work harder to get them. EMTB requires less rider torque than Tour+ to achieve the same level of motor support.
Click to expand...
Hmm, I would venture to suggest that rather defeats the object of a variable mode. I would have expected the amount of support to increase in proportion to the difficulty of the terain i.e if the cadence drops, rather than responding to the riders increase in torque to maintain the cadence which without the assist they may not be able to do!
 
Most emtb motor systems only have 3 parameters measured by sensors. Speed, cadence and torque. How the motor power input is delivered is governed by the motor firmware.....a software algorithm using those 3 variables. With most motor brands having similar maximum torque and wattage capability it is that software algorithm that defines the characteristics of each motor ......all attempting to provide a natural feel across a variety of ride scenarios. Each mode implements a different algorithm and can usually be further modified by tuning them in an app, e.g the Flow App for the Bosch Cx.
Part of the fascination of emtb is learning how any motor responds.
I ride 2 bikes each with Bosch cx performance Smart System. One bike I use for cross country/ adventure rides consisting farm tracks bridleways single track heathland trails etc. The other bike is used for enduro type steep downhill forest runs with drops and jumps and steep techy climbs. Each bike is tuned differently in the Flow App. The cross country bike is standard tune, the enduro bike tuned for emtb to 3 on the tuning slider. That results in only ever using emtb mode on that bike because the motor produces more assist at lower cadences and full (ie turbo level) is easily achieved despite my 74 year old legs. Tuned that way battery consumption is obviously somewhat higher but with 750 w/h available I am knackered long before the battery!!
 
Mikerb said:
the Bosch CX ( in standard tune) requires a quite high cadence to access motor support. You can fix that using the Flow Ap . Maybe you are not used to the fact that you need to "spin" rather than crank with an EMTB. Check your average cadence over a ride. It should be 70+ to get the best out of your motor.
Click to expand...
Yes my usual average cadence is 75 - 80 which at 78 years old is as much as I can manage.
 
Old Codger said:
Being new to the flow app, but not to Bosch E-bikes, I’ve been playing with the modes on a 10 mile circuit to decide which to keep and getting a feel for the mileage.
Tried the Tour+ mode today which is supposed to give from eco to turbo but when I ran out of steam on a couple of steep hills switching to Turbo gave me a large boost. Conversely switching to Tour also gave me a boost. I reckon putting as much torque on the peddles as I cared to do, it was giving me between Eco and Tour.
Anyone else scrapped Tour+?
Click to expand...
Couldn't really get on with Tour +, my go-to mode is Auto. Does everything and does it well
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Keep reading
    Browse all

    Similar Threads

    Community Stats

    Since 2018
    671K
    Messages
    41,201
    Members
    Join 30,000+ Riders, it's free!
    Back
    Top