- E-bikes, same terrain, but much, much more of it.
Here are our five essential skills to master
on an e-bike.
Now when it comes to essential skills on an e-bike,
then the track stand has got to be number one,
and it's gonna come in handy
when you're tackling uphill sections,
where there's slow bits,
where you've got to stop and gather yourself
to move on to the next section.
All technical terrain
when you're going over roots and rocks.
It's always gonna come in handy
where you can just gather yourself for a few seconds,
regain your poise, and then move on to the next section.
Now the reason it's so hard on an e-bike
is because you've actually got the motor there,
which nudges those pedals forwards little bit by bit.
Now the top tips when it comes to
track standing on an e-bike is
do it in a low power mode,
so that the motor's not trying to get the bike
out of the gate constantly.
So secondly, you need to learn how to master the track stand
no matter what the situation you're in,
whether you're uphill, downhill, on the flat, whatever.
A lot of people tell you
you need to start off on a little incline.
Well, that is true, but you need to be flexible
when it comes to a track stand,
and you need to learn to master it both hands
and then move on to one hand,
and then, ultimately, you should be able to sit down
and simply, ooh ...
Where is it?
Where is it, where is it?
Yeah, and then simply do it balanced on the spot, easy!
Now there's some people in this world,
such as my colleague The Don,
who will wheelie at any opportunity.
But the wheelie is actually a good technique to use
for getting up and over obstacles.
Now wheelieing an e-bike can be difficult
because of the added weight and that power,
but if you get to the balance point,
it's actually the same as a non e-bike.
So, top tips for an e-bike wheelie
are actually to try it in a higher power mode
to get the front up, and also don't forget
to feather that back brake.
Whoa!
Now a key e-bike skill is to be able
to generate drive and acceleration really quickly
when you're out on the trail in unexpected conditions,
because you might come across the situations
which you've never tackled before on a conventional bike.
So what are the difficulties of doing it?
Well, there's a few things
you need to take into consideration.
First thing is gearing.
It's pointless being in too high a gear,
or otherwise you'll never be able to get up that bank,
no matter how much power you've got.
The second thing is how you run your crank.
Some people are right foot forwards, like myself.
Other people are left foot forwards.
Now, if you've got a bank ahead of you,
you might actually wanna swap where you put your pedals.
So, in this instance, I'm a couple of yards away.
I'll swap to left foot forwards,
so that I get maximum drive off the right pedal.
(bike scraping on the earth)
Corners are a really important skill to master on an e-bike
and that actually was a bad example on many fronts.
Now, why is it important?
Well, corners are important
because they simply give you confidence on your e-bike,
and there's so many shapes and sizes of corners,
you simply have to master them.
So what are the difficulties
with mastering corners on e-bikes?
Well, there's a few things.
First up is the weight of your e-bike.
It's a lot harder to muscle that bike
around different shape corners
than it would be on a conventional bike.
And the second thing is you're probably going to be
carrying more speed on your e-bike,
especially in a down section,
than on a conventional bike too.
So mastering that braking really is critical
to how you tackle the corners.
Now, when it comes to tips concerning cornering on an e-bike
I think my number one tip is actually tire pressure.
A lot of e-bikes come with big 2.6 up to 3 inch tires
and you really need to have
the right pressure in those tires,
whereas if they're too soft, then it has a tendency
for the bike to stand up in the corners,
and make it far more difficult for you
to lean the bike over.
And finally the good old-fashioned endo.
It comes in handy pretty much anywhere,
when you're changing direction,
when you're getting up a climb,
when you're getting to the top of the climb,
when things change shape and you need a breather,
it's good to be able to move that bike round in an instant.
So why is an endo so difficult on an e-bike?
Well, simply because you've got added weight,
and, of course, the power.
So, my tips when it comes to endoing,
are try it in a low power mode,
so that the motor's not interfering with what you're doing
and also focus on getting the right pressure
in the front tire,
because otherwise it's simply gonna buckle
and you're not gonna get that shape.
Those then are our essential e-bike skills.
However, if you wanna see something in more depth,
then The Don has got a great one on how to bunny hop,
which you can find down here.
And if you wanna get into more depth on how to wheelie
again The Don's got all the wheelie skills
dialed just here.
Please let us know your thoughts on this video,
on any other essential skills you think we should cover.
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