Do you have to switch gears on an EBike such as you would on a motorcycle?
Posted by Top_Manufacturer6311@reddit | ebikes | View on Reddit | 29 comments
Wondering if it’s similar to a motorcycle/dirt bike where you have a clutch and switch gears. Or if it is like a normal pedal bike with switching gears. I don’t own an ebike.
godisapothead@reddit
Most e-bikes do not ride like motorcycles. There is no clutch and you do not have to shift in that way. They work more like regular bicycles where you can change gears if you want, and then separately adjust the level of pedal assist to decide how much the motor helps. On my Cycrown it feels really natural. I just use the bike gears the same way I would on a normal bicycle and then pick the assist mode depending on whether I want to save energy or get more exercise. It is easy to get used to and a lot simpler than people think before trying one.
tomxp411@reddit
If you have a mid-drive bike, the motor uses the gears. So yes, you would want to down shift before stopping and climbing hills and up-shift as you speed up.
On a hub drive the gearing has nothing to do with the motor. So you could just leave the bike in high gear and use the throttle to get up to speed. Or you can shift and pedal, using the throttle just for "that little bit extra." At that point, it's up to you.
squishlight@reddit
Thanks for the explanation! I have an ebike with a hub drive and nine gears; I've been staying within the middle 3 gears mostly, but wondering if I should be shifting to the very highest and very lowest gears everytime I start going downhill/uphill.
tomxp411@reddit
Honestly, it's all about how much energy you are putting into pedaling.
I like to hold a pace of around 100-120RPM, so I adjust the gears to hold that pace, letting the bike settle into whatever speed it wants, based on that pace. That goes for both human powered and electric bikes.
squishlight@reddit
My bike display doesn't show RPM but I'll keep that in mind - keeping to a steady pace instead of just going "This is a slope, guess I'd better start shifting up/down"
tomxp411@reddit
As far as I know, no one’s display shows RPM. I was just using that as a reference point.
As a shortcut, most popular music has a tempo of around 100-120 beats per minute, and EDM is mostly 140. So I’m just talking about a pace that’s roughly the same as a good pop song.
sanjuro_kurosawa@reddit
The motorcycle has only one source of propulsion, the motor (which may be electric btw). Some gas motorcycles have automatic shifting. All electric motors have only one gear and no clutch. However, almost all gas motorcycles have 5 or 6 gears and a clutch: you need to be able to shift from neutral to first then to the higher gears in order to engage the motor and propel the bike.
A true ebike has two forms of propulsion: a human which powers a crankset that has a chain or a belt to the sprocket(s) on the rear wheel; and an electric motor.
The electric motor is the same as the motorcycle, one gear and no clutch. The sprocket(s) which are being propelled by the human powering the crankset may have 1 or several gears depending on the configuration. Without mentioning every type of gear configuration, the rear wheel could have 1 sprocket or typically 8-12 sprockets. The single sprocket may indicate a single gear (so no shifting) or internal hub gearing. If the rear wheel has multiple sprockets, it will have a rear derailleur that shifts the chain to each cog.
The bottom line with bicycles is regardless of the amount of gear or even the type of electric motor and how it propels the bike; there is no clutch. As soon as you step on the pedals, the bike moves forwrd.
Infinite-Poet-9633@reddit
It has gears like a normal bicycle. I generally keep it in the highest gear unless I'm climbing a hill then I'll downshift to make it easier to pedal.
Jul13@reddit
Is this hard on the bike in any way? Is there a reason not to do this? I can see that it’s much more simple…
HG1998@reddit
Staying in the highest gear on a mid motor bike will wear the gear down very quickly.
jamwatn@reddit
Agreed.. Really not a good idea and wastes battery too. I can keep my bike in it's highest gear and if I do the wattage meter goes nuts for a long while. Whereas starting from a low gear doesn't draw half as much!
Oghemphead@reddit
Definitely not hard on the bike in anyway. If anything downshifting to make it easier pedal from a stop or up a hill is going to put less stress on the electric motor.
MrDTD@reddit
Same I keep it in the highest gear, just throttle up to 10 mph, and start pedaling.
babblefish111@reddit
Normal bicycle gears.
Militant_Triangle@reddit
Hub ebike gear switching is not mandatory. you can do stupid things like be in your highest gear/smallest cog and not immediately destroy anything. A middrive ebike YOU MUST use your gears and the whole cassette, or you will destroy gears and cogs as the motor will rip them off sooner or later like a motorcycle. they also put down WAY more torque than the same watt motor on a hub drive. Like 2-3x's as much. ON a middrive or at least mine, when you switch gear, the motor does not provide any power while the gear switch happens. Sound familiar? its not the same thing as motorcycle but all that is happening for the same reasons. Hub powered ebikes the motor does not go through the gears/transmission. Middrives the gears ARE the transmission and you do things in the wrong power band on a particular gear, it will at some point, rip teeth right off.
richardrc@reddit
eBikes are electric assisted bicycles, not like motorcycles
haikusbot@reddit
EBikes are electric
Assisted bicycles, not
Like motorcycles
- richardrc
^(I detect haikus. And sometimes, successfully.) ^Learn more about me.
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kcattattam@reddit
No need for multiple gears at all with a BBSHD. I have 6500 miles on mine at 46x17
Affectionate-Memory4@reddit
Almost all ebikes that are genuinely ebikes and not mopeds or motorcycles existing in a legal grey area will use a very typical bicycle drivetrain. There's not usually a clutch in the traditional sense like you would find on a motorcycle. It should shift like a bike.
Now, depending on the bike, the motor can still benefit from the different gearing. Mid-drive bikes send the motor power through the chain. Hub-drive bikes power the wheel power directly.
OppositeRun6503@reddit
The only difference between an e bike and a motorcycle/moped is that in general the motor is merely a power assist system which still requires the rider to actually pedal the bike whereas an e scooter for example is controlled by using a typical twist grip throttle system and doesn't require any physical action by the rider in order to run.
MoFauxTofu@reddit
Wrong.
Bikes / ebikes don't have a clutch, motorcycles / mopeds do.
Petrol engines are spinning all the time when running, so for the vehicle to be stationary (such as when stopped at the lights) you need a way for the engine to spin but not the wheels. This is achieved using a clutch.
In a regular bike, this is achieved by not pedaling.
In an ebike, this is achieved by the engine not turning.
SuspiciousCanary8245@reddit
I have a single speed ebike so you don’t switch gears on the motor or on the bike.
funcentric@reddit
I've never owned a motorcycle, but I've ridden my fair share and do have an M1 license. B/c a motorcycle is expected to reach a certain speed regularly, it is required to change gears. Whereas an ebike, you don't always reach top speed and the gears are used for a different purpose - not for acceleration but for response to elevation changes.
Especially with ebikes that have a throttle, may riders will rely on that over the gears. With popularity of moto style ebikes, we already know many riders don't change gears at all and have zero intention of pedaling.
If you're talking about normal ebike use the way they were designed, yes, you'll be changing gears. Answer is yes, but not as often as a motorcycle.
s0rce@reddit
A mid drive ebike benefits from gears for acceleration just like a human powered bike.
funcentric@reddit
Correct b/c most mid drives do not have throttles.
Exciting_Turn_9559@reddit
No. You switch gears on an ebike exactly like on a bicycle.
Gemtwist49@reddit
Ebikes have gears like regular bikes. I try to ride mine without pedal assistance (meaning I ride it like a normal bike). I adjust the gears for going uphill, but due to my knee problems, that's when I use pedal assistance. It's kinda like I don't have to use as much force in my legs to pedal hard to go uphill, the eBike assists with taking the pressure off my legs to push down and pedal harder to make it up the hill. Or sometimes I'm riding with a group that go faster than I normally do and I get worn out keeping up, so using the pedal assist helps to give me that extra bit of strength within me to keep up. If I didn't have this I would tire out faster or need to go at a slower speed. My car has a "sports" mode and I sort of equate using my eBike to putting my car into sports mode - it gives it that bit of umph or zippiness.
JG-at-Prime@reddit
It can be like that. If you want it to be. But it’s normally not like that.
There are two predominate types of e-bikes. Hub motors and mid-drive bikes.
With a hub motor the motor is in the center of the wheel. It drives the bike directly up to a preset speed.
With a mid-drive setup the motor is in the middle of the bike and drives the rear wheel through the bikes chain and gears.
With a mid-drive system you can change gears to either climb a hill or go faster on flat ground. But you will need to do more maintenance on the bikes drive train.
What kind of bike you get depends heavily on what you want to do with it and how hilly the area you live in is.
For hills you want a mid-drive. If you live in a relatively flat area a hub motor is usually fine.
SSalloSS@reddit
If you have a mid drive, yes
Hub motor, not really