- No matter what level of rider you are, or however much
experience you have, we all make mistakes,
and it's probably in our eagerness to get more riding done.
- So these are the most common E-bike mistakes.
I know I've made them all.
How do I turn this on, Steve?
(jazz music)
- Okay, number one is the head shaker,
you see people riding around saying it doesn't work,
and that's because on some systems,
you need to switch the motor on when you're off the bike,
otherwise it won't engage.
- Yeah, there's a lot of people that jump on their bikes
in eagerness to get going, then turn on whilst
they're rolling along, and they'll power up,
but they won't give you any boost.
(jazz music)
Now, another common problem is riding in the wrong mode.
Now, turbo sounds great, feels great, and it will
get you up those techy, steep climbs, but you're not
going to need it all the time and it will burn your battery,
so why not flick it down a couple of modes.
Eco's great for transfers, systems tend to have
these remotes up on the bar and that makes it really easy,
so get using that whilst you're riding.
Some systems like Bosch have a more reactive mode as well,
so EMTB reacts to how much power you're putting through
the pedals, the more you put down, the more the motor
will power you, the less you do, the less it will,
so that's a great way, also, for saving battery.
It's almost like an automatic.
Don't forget, you can always use your right thumb
to put it in a lower gear and use more of your own power
on the steeper climbs, another great way of saving battery.
(jazz music)
(mountain bike cutting through the dirt)
- Hooah, whoa, don't underestimate
how tough riding an E-bike can be,
not only will you quite possibly be a slave to your motor
on the climbs and the transfers, but before you know it,
you'll have done sixty cents, you probably won't
have spoken to your mate for two hours,
all the sudden your legs' gone to jelly, you have shakes,
you got the bonk, it's hard riding an E-bike, right?
- Yeah, it's really easy to get carried away
and do a really hard-paced ride, so you've got to think
about fueling your body, not think about the battery
levels on your bike, so obviously drink, but also gel,
some of that so you can regularly take those,
especially if you have a longer ride, two or three hours,
I'll always take a couple of gels or bars with me.
(jazz music)
- Another really important aspect
of ride management is battery life.
Now, if you've been out all day having a grand time,
but you're on vapours, you've got one bar, two bars left
in your battery, but you just cannot help yourself, can you?
- I think this is inevitable, we're all going to do it.
I know I've done it, I think, alright, one more hill,
it's going to be great, run out of battery,
then you soon realise how hard it is to try and pedal
this bike without any E assistance.
(heavy breathing)
(hip hop music)
- Don't get stuck in your comfort zone.
Now, the unknown and change is scary, 'cause your mind
wants to continue as it has been.
Okay, buying an E-bike can take a lot of suffering
out of riding, but don't get stuck in that mode,
because mix up your rides, go and tackle that hill
you've never done before in turbo mode,
and a few weeks later, revisit it in a lesser power.
And then, maybe a couple of weeks later, hit it in eco mode.
The secret is to keep mixing up your rides,
redline your heart rate, and definitely don't get lazy
and go plodding on your E-bike.
(hip hop music)
- Don't forget the maintenance on your E-bike,
'cause you could be riding it an awful lot, but you're also
putting a lot of power through the drive train,
so make sure that is clean and lubed.
Other things like wheels, again, there's more weight
to the bike, so keep an eye on those.
I'm finding I'm wearing out tyres
and brake pads pretty quick.
Pressure washing is a definite no-no.
It'll get in there even if you don't think it will.
Water and power have never been good partners.
Get out the bucket, and sponge, and the hose,
and don't forget the elbow grease.
(hip hop music)
- Managing your ride is a really important part of E-biking,
Now, I know E-bikes are about kind-of spontaneity,
the unplanned, but you do need to have a rough idea
of what you're going to do during the day, right?
- Yeah, so it's trying to manage, I think,
two types of potential stored energy,
sound like an expert there, don't I?
So, talking about your energy, but also your battery,
so neither of them run out.
- Yeah, I mean, so it depends, are you going to go
for a one-hour, two-hours flat out blast?
- That's what I do, so often I'll just do down and runs
around a hill, I'm parked at the bottom of the hill
in my car, so when I do run out on the last climb,
I can turn back around and come back down, easy.
- Alternatively, you know, you could be on a four-hour
adventure, in which case, you need to be a real Scrooge
with your power, you need to plan your ride,
and have an escape plan if things go wrong.
(jazz music)
Don't forget the importance of a good rear tyre,
that's got good grip, and is not worn out.
Now, if you ride in smooth, single track all day long,
then it probably doesn't matter, but you're missing out
on some great opportunities there.
The thing with E-bikes is you can tackle technical climbs
and that soft compound doesn't really matter as much.
So, yeah, rear tyre, really, really important.
(jazz music)
Woo, so you've been out charging all day,
get back to the van, all you want to do is chuck the bike
in there, get home, get in the shower.
Now, I didn't know this, but it's really important to keep
the battery on a high state of charge, maybe at a 70 percent
or 100 percent, because if you don't do it,
if you leave it in a state of discharge,
it's really going to degrade the battery.
Now, at 700 pound a pop for a battery, it's really important
you do this, so, get in the habit, get home,
before you get in the shower, get the battery on charge.
(jazz music)
One thing that does come up quite frequently
is the banter between E-bikers and non-E-bikers.
You get it on Facebook, you get it on our channel,
you get it in the woods, I mean, what's the tip there, Don?
- Well, just don't race, I guess, I'm a normal
mountain biker and an E-biker.
- Exactly.
- I try to give myself stick,
but it doesn't really work, Steve.
- Did you see my heart rate on that climb earlier?
- Yeah, absolutely revving.
Last, but not least, big piece of advice is respect
other trail users, often now you can have more power
than they are, so respect them, give them space,
especially on climbs, I think.
- [Steve] Give them warning, as well.
- [Neil] Absolutely, yeah.
- [Steve] And I think it's up as well as down, right?
- [Neil] Yeah, it's just a simple,
respect other trail users.
If you want to see some more videos, click over there
for How To Manual, over there for Latest EMBN Show.
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