Electric bikes, or eBikes, seamlessly blend the convenience of motor assistance with the health benefits and joy of pedaling, offering multiple levels of support to tailor the ride to your liking. In the global market, the acceptance and demand for electric bikes have surged, with China alone manufacturing 27 million units back in 2010. However, a common query often arises among prospective buyers and enthusiasts—can an electric bike conquer hilly terrains?
The succinct response is a resounding ‘Yes’. This article delves deeper into this capability of electric bikes, providing a detailed examination for those wondering about an eBike‘s hill-climbing proficiency or those keen to explore more about the distinctive attributes of these innovative bicycles.
If you’re curious about how an electric bike can navigate inclined landscapes or eager to discover more about this unique feature intrinsic to modern bicycles, read on for a comprehensive insight. Whether you are an avid cyclist considering an upgrade to an e-bike or someone looking to incorporate more active travel in your daily routine, understanding the dynamic versatility of electric bikes can illuminate new possibilities and adventures on the road.
Everything starts with the design
If you live on a steep hill, cycling will be very exciting on the way down but it can be punishing on the way up. While you can get the benefit of a physical exercise, there is a limit to the stress that your legs can bear. The idea of enhancing the failing pedal power by using torque becomes necessary in order to make things comfortable for riders. Today, the electric bikes can be specifically designed towards ensuring that hill climbing is easy. A higher nominal power will give more hill climbing strength but this will reduce the miles that the e-bike can travel. Through the gear systems, the e-bike can be propelled to climb steep hills and when you do this, the average speed will be quite low.
Climb that hill with your e-bike
Many people have chosen to use electric bikes to help them in climbing up hills and against headwinds. The e-bike is only complements the human power, it does not serve as a complete replacement. This is the reason why pedaling is also required when riding an electric bike. This is especially true when going up a hill.
To go up any hill you have in mind, you need to get a power e-bike. In order for you to make a good choice, check the selections we have at Swagtron (www.swagtron.com).
To put this in perspective, an electric bike will effectively reduce the gradient of the hills thereby eliminating the ‘groan’ factor when that you usually sets in when a gradient comes into view. If you give a good amount of effort, you should expect to climb hills of 1 in 10 (10 percent) on an electric bike without any difficulty. At the same time, you can clear a maximum gradient of 1 in 7 (14 percent), or even more. In hilly countries, the effect is nothing short of extraordinary.
Going downhill
It normal that after every uphill, there is always a downhill. With regenerative braking, the battery’s life can be extended when going downhill so that the electric bike can travel more distance. In a nutshell, the electric bike can simply generate back some of the energy that was expended on going uphill.
Generating this power will slow down the bike, and this makes it a good idea if you want to limit the top speed of the electric bike without necessarily using the brakes consistently.
Aside from this regenerative feature, the downhill top speed of an electric bike is lesser than that of the traditional conventional bicycle because of the built-in friction in the electric bike.
How to Climb the Hill
The next thing now is to master how to use e-bike to climb a hill. Basically, there are three key things that you need to consider and they are discussed as follows:
- Body Position
Your body position depends on the steepness of the hill and the terrain on which you are riding. If you are riding on gentle slopes, a neutral position is okay. However, if are riding on steep grades, it’s is good to shift your body weight forward so as to maintain traction on the rear wheel. Just lower your chest to the bars and bend your elbows.
- Pedaling cadence and line choice
You need to choose the right line while riding trails so that you can keep the right pedaling cadence. This is particularly important when climbing hills because you can’t afford to stop pedaling and lose your momentum. Therefore, it is good practice to look five meters ahead so that you know what is coming.
- Tire pressure
The tires also have a great influence on the performance of your electric bike. Proper traction is provided by the tires. You need to find the right air pressure and this depends on the terrain you are riding and your own riding style.
Go Conquer the Hills
What are you waiting for? With an electric bike, the hills have suddenly become a lowland, enjoy yourself and don’t forget to get your favorite e-bike from Swagtron (www.swagtron.com).
Updated: Sept 29, 2023
