The gear shifter located on the handlebar needs to shift (either through sliding or through clicking) to change the gear while running an electric bike with gears. This shifting in gears forces the chain to shift on a formation of the different sized rings (Different size chain-ring!).
As you might know already, the different ring size (larger rings, and smaller rings) usually means enhancing or reducing the electric power delivered from the electric motor added onto your electric bike.
You have two options from where you can choose either the downshifting or the upshifting. Downshifting is to down the gear, which means down the power. And an upshifting means the higher the power to get more power to speed up more.
For the electric bike, lower gear means lower power and higher gear means high power. However, the traditional bike also means a lot to speed up or speed down using mechanical gear.
Whether the electric-powered bicycle or the conventional push cycle, need to adjust into multiple gears to assist the pedal so that ultimately the pedaling could effort move the cycle wheels and move forward.
Adjusting on different gear needs to get different speeds! Adjusting the gear is almost the same for both the traditional and the electric bicycle, but both are features with few differences.
So if you want to know to the point answer of how to ride an electric bike with Gears-You have to learn how to use or change both gear shifters (both left gear and the right gear). I mean to say, changing both the Left Gear Shifter or the Right Gear Shifter usually allows the changing of mechanical gear which ultimately pushes to change the electric assist levels. In the same way, the electric bicycles also get a change in the power level to assist differently at the electric power.
More questions to explain elaborately, what is Electra Assistance Level Gear? And What is Mechanical Gear? How many Gears actually could assist to get the speed up or down? What is the Best Gear Shifting ways to ride an electric bike?
Let’s spend some time understanding the total electric bike gearing system. Let’s, jump in for a few minutes. Oh, one more thing-both the regular bikes user and non-electric bike users also can read this article.
What Do You Mean By Electric Bike Gear?
Except for the good battery life and good battery shape, Gears are everything to mean speed. However, the motor speed is very crucial too! Suppose, your electric bike has 24 gears which means your electric bike is a 24-speed bike. Usually, an all-electric bike features a few gears to offer different speeds.
The speed of 1,3,18,24,27,32,40 speed electric bikes are coming from the same number of gear. Lower the gear indicates the lower electric speed and the higher the gear provides the higher speed.
Notice on a thing, as the user gradually needs to speed up with high gear, therefore the starting gear is pretty low, only 1. And the highest gear is 40! the highest gear is so far from the low far.
Speed up or down is solely depends on shifting the gear to down or up. However, already we have discussed how to shift the gear to get the desired speed. Downshifting means lowering the speed, you might need to climb down from a hill, or at the time of stopping the riding.
On the other hand, upshifting needs speeding up the electric bike user need to climb up the mountain way, or ride at a high speed.
On the electric bike, changing the gear shifting indicates slightly some different things. Where Left Shifter indicates the Shifting of Electric Assistance Levels, the Right Shifter indicates the Shifting of Mechanical Gears.
So how the mechanical gear works basically? The right shifter responsible for the mechanical gear works by a secret connection with a cable (which is also secretly placed in the Protective House). During changing this right shifter, allow the Tightening or Loosening of this secret cable.
So if you apply too much force, the total mechanism moves to up the cycle chain and if you apply less force, this total mechanism works to move down the chain so that ultimately the chain ring becomes larger or smaller. And you know, it causes the speed up or speeds down from your electric bicycle.
Here’s an In-depth Guide On: How To Ride an Electric Bike Uphill?
Electronic Assistance Gears:
The left gear shifter usually works to provide the Electronic Assistance Gears. The level of these gears is usually controlled over Control Block. As this control block is placed on the left handlebar, therefore it indicates the left gear shifter.
To give different electronic assistance levels, this control block usually works with two buttons (Plus, Minus). The plus is for up and the minus is for down purposes.
Users often ask, is there any best technology to deliver the electronic assistance level? The answer is pretty ridiculous; we did not find any single standard.
Different electric assistance level works differently. But in general, we can categorize the assistance level by-always low, medium, high level. Higher the push button, more the electric assistance, and on the other hand, more the down button pushing, less the assistance level.
Observe the above table to understand how the electric assistance level gives additional power to the user. Electric systems for any renowned electric bike (like Bosch, Yamaha, Shimano) offer more electric power.
But to get this power, users need to effort more power on their pedaling. So riders usually practice pushing more force on the pedaling based on the Electric Assistance Level they have chosen as per their electric power demands.
Gear Number? What Is It?
Learning gear is not so difficult, but a little bit tactical. Though after getting some basic idea about the gearing mechanism, all about it depends on the practice. Still, most users often show more concern about the electric cycle gearing system.
The key points about the bicycle gearing system are:
Low gear is easy; need to climb the mountain road.
High gear is hard; need to get down from the mountain road.
Both the low gear and the high gear are a little bit hazy to understand. Suppose, when you want the low gear to climb, the electric assistance level need to give at a higher point.
And at low gear, pedaling is easy, for which user can easily climb up facing a slight Amount of Resistance. And to get the lower gear, that means high electric assistance level, downshift button is responsible.
Getting the high gear is obviously tough and a little bit confusing as well. At the high gear, usually, no electronic assistance level is needed at that time. And it is very counterintuitive that the electric assistance level becomes switched off. Therefore, to get the high mechanical gear, need to upshift.
The rear or mechanical gear is responsible for getting the cog on the Rear Wheel Cassette. The smallest cog means higher gear and the highest cog means the lowest cog on this rear-wheel cassette.
How To Shift The Gear Level On An Electric Bike?
The electric bike has various mechanical gearing systems to offer different electric assistance levels. For example, my one has 8 mechanical speeds in terms of each Electric Assistance level.
As there are 4 assistance modes, so combining the 4 assistance mode with the 8 mechanical speeds, totally provides 32-speed modes. Even at the ECO Mode (Electric Assistance Level), when the electric assistance is almost zero, the user can enjoy 8 different speed modes. 8 different speed modes offer a variety of scope to effectively ride over 8 different terrains.
While the user selects the electric assistance level to start their cycling, the electric motor added with the electric cycle immediately starts to assist the user to obtain the targeted gear level. And by starting from the low-level pedaling, gradually need to reach the comfort level then shift the mechanical gear to the harder level. Point to be noted, at the time of changing the gear, it is also needed to continue the pedaling.
One important question here needs to clarify, during shifting change, the power works less. So why does this is happening? The basic matter is, changing the shifting causes this temporary power reduction to save the motor’s efficiency.
However, you just need to continue your pedaling by changing the shifting gear. Once you have reached the comfortable or targeted speed, stop repeating.
Looking for More to know? Check this Out: How To Operate An eBike?
So When To Use The Left Gear Or When The Right One?
The thumb rule is when you need a small change, you can proceed with the mechanical gear (right shifter). And at the time of a bigger change in the ride, just use the left shift to get the electric assistance gear.
So now the questions come, where the user needs the larger change and where needs smaller change. The answer pretty much depends on the user experience. More practice means more control over the bike gear and speed. However, the user own self can understand when and how to change the gear level on an electric bike.
So let me give one example of a larger riding change where you need to use the left shifter, electric gear. Tackling hills riding on an electric bike needs to change the Electra assistance level to higher. In that case, we suggest changing the gear from ECO to TOUR.
Easily if I say, firstly pedaling at lower mechanical gear then increasing the Electra assistance level at a higher amount. Interestingly, at the time of descending from the hill, it needs to change the gear level from TOUR to ECO.
Again easily, firstly reduce the Electra assistance level and then press the upshift to get the mechanical gear.
So you have to start the riding, continue it, change the gear and speed and adjust various assistance levels (both mechanical and electrical). Now when you need to stop your electric bike, how will you handle the gear? Firstly, you have to prepare yourself to stop the electric bike.
At the time of slow down, it needs shifting on the right shifter (to get an easier mechanical gear). Electrical gear also needs to adjust while you are ending up riding. However, before stopping, never forget about the brakes. Brakes also need to apply with controlling both the mechanical and Electra gear.
Finally
There are some dos and Don’ts that should maintain strictly at the time of switching any gear levels. Before stopping the e-bike, easy mechanical gear should take place.
But while your bike is stationary already, no mechanical gear change should take place. But you can change the Electra assistance level even when your electric bike is stopped totally!
However, let me wrap my today’s content by saying about the best gear shifting technique. Combining both the Steady Pedaling Plus Switching over the gear could be a great gear shifting technique to successfully ride an electric bike with gears.
That’s all for today, thank you.
