- Your eBike might be the first off road bike that you own,
but coming into the eBike world
can be quite confusing at times.
And I see a lot of new riders making
mistakes out there on the trails.
Today's video we're gonna be taking a look
at all those common mistakes.
(digital chittering)
(upbeat jazz)
Now, I one of the big mistakes I see
a lot of new riders making is wearing the
wrong clothing when they're out there on the trails.
First up is footwear.
If you're hitting the trails in hiking boots,
or something like that, you're not going to be able
to even feel the pedals beneath your shoes.
So, I suggest either getting a cycling specific shoe
like a Five Ten, Specialized, et cetera.
Or some skate shoes, at minimum.
That way it gives you a lot more feel.
Lets you stay connected to the bike a lot more.
A padded shorts is something you might
want to consider if you're doing bigger rides.
Keeps things a lot more comfortable down there.
Some people even Chamois Butter these things up
to make 'em slide around so you don't get
any chafing what so ever, but that's up to you.
Don't forget to remove your underwear first
before you put these on.
That's a big mistake that a lot of people tend to do.
Last on the list is your helmet as well.
It depends on what price you put on your head,
but I see a lot of people dropping in with
budget supermarket helmets on.
Which are fine for like basic commuting,
but if you smash your head into a tree
doing thirty mile an hour, these things
probably aren't going to do you much good.
(upbeat jazz)
Learning basic bike maintenance is really key, too.
You need to learn how to change things like an inner tube,
change the gear cable, adjust your gears,
and swap things like brake pads.
It's gonna save you a lot of money
not taking your bike to a bike shop,
and it could save your ass on the trail, too.
(uplifting rock)
Pedals are a vital contact point of your ebike.
You might find that your bike came from the shop
with a set of budget plastic pedals on there.
Purely just to get you by.
You need to swap these things out
straight away if you're hitting the trails.
These can get super slippy in the mud and wet,
and cause your feet to slide around.
Alloy pedals with decent pins can provide a really good
solid platform whatever the weather, and things like that.
Bearings and things are a lot more reliable too.
(upbeat rock)
Another great thing about an eBike is the ability
to head out on those bigger rides.
But you need to make your battery last,
but you need to make yourself last too.
So it's vitally important that you take
a lot of drink with you, a lot of food,
a lot more than what you think you're gonna need.
And obviously a back pack, or a water bottle
carrier to stick it in.
But if you are buying a back pack,
bear in mind that you might be buying a second battery
and if you're carrying a battery in a back pack
it needs some back protection in there.
It also needs to be a little bit bigger,
so think about it before you buy one.
(upbeat jazz)
When your bike arrives, it's quite normal for the
brake levers to be butted up against the grips as well.
And normally quite a flat angle.
So, you need to really get in there and
customize this whole cockpit area.
Start with the brake levers, slide them inboard
towards the stem a little bit more.
Maybe drop them down, or raise them up.
Whichever feels comfortable.
You need to be getting that one
finger on there in the prime position.
Things like your power mode, make sure that's
within easy reach.
You can adjust it super easy.
Drop a seat post, as well as a classic.
Try and get that so you can just press it with your thumb
quite centered to the shifter side.
Get it underneath the bars ready to shift.
Gear shifter as well.
It's quite normal for them to be set quite flat.
You need to have that tilted.
So when you're in attack position,
that's in the right position, too.
See, you don't want it too flat
and be reaching under the handlebars.
Just get everything (unknown) in the proper area.
It's gonna make it a lot better ride out on the trails.
(upbeat jazz)
Now another classic mistake I see a lot of riders doing
is switching up into boost mode
when it comes to hitting hills,
without actually selecting the appropriate gear.
They're coming into it at too high a gear, with a low
cadence, meaning the motor's not spinning up correctly.
You need to make that motor work for you ,
change into an easier gear, leave that mode selector alone
until you really need that extra power.
Work through your gears, spin that motor up,
and you should see cleaning that hill with ease.
(upbeat jazz)
If you're coming from an older style bike,
you might of got used to two finger braking.
The older style brakes weren't that powerful,
but the new school stuff, hydraulic disk brakes
in the eBike, super powerful, and only require
one finger braking.
You need to get your lever set up
so you're right on the end of the lever blade.
That way you're going to get max leverage on that lever.
Get used to riding one finger only,
cause if you try and take two fingers off,
you're gonna be losing a lot more grip on that handlebar.
If you got more fingers on the bars, a lot more grip.
(upbeat jazz)
Now the quickest way of adjusting the fit of your eBike,
is by getting underneath the saddle,
And you can see there's a couple of bolts there
which allow the saddle to move forward
and backwards in the rails.
It also allows the saddle to go fore and aft as well.
So, it's gonna bring the nose up, and the nose down.
You can adjust a lot by this, so if you're
feeling the bike's a little bit longer,
under these two bolts, push the saddle forward.
That's gonna decrease that reach quite a bit.
And also on the front, you've got a few spaces in the stem.
You can adjust the bar hight quite easily by these.
By removing this top cap, and removing the stem,
and putting spaces below, or above the stem,
and adjusting that bar height.
(upbeat jazz)
A tubeless set up on your eBike is
definitely a worth while upgrade.
Nine times out of ten an eBike will
come with tubes in, from a shop, et cetera.
Just whip those tubes out, put some sealant in there,
change the valves, and you've got a nice supple tire
that you can let down to a nice low pressure
without the risk of a puncture, pinch puncture.
Provide a lot more grip, and a lot more
comfort out there on the trails.
(upbeat jazz)
Now, crunching gears is something you
definitely don't want to be doing on your eBike.
You risk a snap in the chain,
and it sounds pretty nasty, too.
The way to avoid that, is just by simply
when you press a gear, leave it to change gear,
just momentarily ease off the pressure
that you're putting through the crank.
That way it's gonna allow the chain to shift,
and like I said, a lot smoother.
So that's it for today's video on
common new eBike riding mistakes.
But if you guys have been making any mistakes,
drop with them in the comment box below.
Love to hear from you guys.
Don't forget you can subscribe to EMBN
by clicking the globe in the middle of the screen
for more eBike content.
If you're more of an experienced rider
you might want to check out 'Common Drop-off Mistakes.'
That's one's over here.
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See you in the next one!