The Awesomeness of E-Biking – Customizing YOUR ride

I often get questions and even attitude from “leg pedaller” bike enthusiasts about how e-bikes work and what’s the draw to them.  There is clearly a misconception out there that e-bikes which mimic the look of real bikes, are just a deceptive version of an electric motor scooter for people who like to pretend they are exercising. This blog is designed to dispel this point of view and drive home the message that e-biking is actually an excellent form of exercise allowing you to spend longer times on your bike, elevating your heart rate for longer durations with less worry about dangerously spiking it when tackling significant inclines.  As you get older, e-biking allows you to keep on riding long after your body says no to leg pedalling.  The truth is that E-biking is excellent for both your physical and mental well being.

E-biking enables the rider to set how strenuous of a ride they want to do.  You have the ability based on the distance, the terrain, how energetic you are feeling, the purpose of your ride, to set your riding parameters in the way that you want.

IGO Discovery Bonaventure

The exact parameters settings of an e-bike vary depending on the bike that you have and the features it possesses.  In the following I will be basing my comments on features of the Igo Discovery e-bike that I own.

Setting your level of pedal assist:

The level of pedal assist as the name suggest means that you receive some assistance from the electric motor as you pedal.  On the Igo bike, you can specify the speed you want to go, and pedal assist will only kick in if you go under that speed.  It is important to point out that pedal assist only works if you are actually pedalling.  On the Igo, there are 7 speed levels to choose from.  If we are on a narrow pathway, where you tend not to go too fast, I will lower my speed setting to around 12 to 15 kms an hour.  Only if I’m pedalling under that speed, will the assist kick in.  When I’m on an open road, I might raise it to a level that kicks in when my speed goes under 18 to 19 kms an hour.  When I’m pedalling on flat ground the motor usually stays off.  If I’m on a slight incline, and I start slowing down, I might get a momentary assist that gets me back above the threshold, where that added push allows me to build and maintain momentum to keep my speed up.  But when I hit an incline and my speed starts to reduce, the motor will assist me as I pedal up the hill.

My bike has 8 regular bike gears that function just like a regular leg pedalling bike, so on relatively flat terrain you can set assist parameters to kick in at a very slow threshold and hardly cycle with the aid of the motor.  But if you are feeling less energetic you can raise the threshold. Of course, your energy levels might vary at different points of your ride so with a simple tap on the control box you can adjust the threshold on the fly.

The amount that you use your motor will affect how long your battery will last on a ride.  For our Igo bikes, a fully charged battery will take you about 85 to 90 kms set at 15 km/hour threshold.  If you’re on a longer route, you can set your bike at a slower threshold and plan to travel at a slower speed to reduce your battery use.

It’s really a matter of becoming familiar with your bike’s performance parameters, matched to the characteristics of the ride that you’re doing.  In the four years of e-biking I have never completely drained my battery.

E-bikes are heavier than traditional bikes. Starting off from a stopped position, especially if you’re on a bit of an incline, can be a challenge. One of the nice features of the Igo is that it has a throttle that is activated by pressing down with your thumb. A quick push of the throttle when starting off gives you the momentum to set off quick. smooth and safely.

There is a learning curve to get the most out of your e-bike.  But in my opinion, it was well worth the effort to master.  We have gone on multi day rides travelling from bed and breakfast to bed and breakfast, covering hundreds of kilometres, seeing awesome sights that you would not notice traveling in a car.  There are no elevations that are off limits to us.  We love riding routes with rolling hills that pass by incredible vistas.  We have even biked up mountains around Jasper! And even in the midst of chemotherapy and radiation treatment I could get out on my e-bike, breathe fresh air and for those moments escape the nausea and feel the exhilaration.

The awesomeness of riding E-Bikes, is that you can customize your ride in whatever way you want.