How to use ebike gears correctly

Ebikes have a plus of power that has a notable impact on the drivetrain. Shifting in the most appropriate way can help us to pedal more naturally, preserve our drivetrain and even improve battery autonomy.


On e-bikes we don't shift gears in the same way as on a conventional bike and this is because we have motor assistance, which helps us to pedal with "harder" cassette ratios. But just because we can do that doesn't mean we should.
Using harder gear ratios using the assist will cause more wear on the drivetrain components as well as putting a lot more strain on the battery and even your muscles. Here's why.


Let's change just like on a "free-riding" bike.

This is the best advice we can give you to make the best use of your e-bike drivetrain. One of the most common mistakes is to use a very low cadence, that is, using small sprockets and letting the motor do all the effort and dirty work. If you pedal like on your conventional bike, you will be pedalling at a higher cadence and larger sprockets, lowering the power delivery of the motor, with the consequent saving of battery and less wear of the components.


Be careful when using the modes

It is important that you know how to use the modes on your e-bike to give you the extra power you need, but this should not condition the way you use the gears. There are many riders who prefer to increase the assist mode without changing the sprocket they are using. This will result in increased stress and wear on the chain and all drivetrain components due to the lower cadence.


Turbo mode for everything?

If you use the maximum assistance mode on your ebike you will not only be using a lot of battery power, but you will also be using more power than you need. The most basic modes provide a lot of power and are more than enough for most occasions, but for that, we have to provide some of that power as well. That's why it's very attractive to turn up the assist mode when the cadence starts to drop, rather than staying in the same mode and going up a couple of cogs. If you use the turbo or full power mode on your bike all the time, you will notice that the shifts are not as smooth as they should be, and you will be asking so much power from your motor that the battery will suffer significantly.


It is very important that whatever mode you use, your pedalling cadence is fluid and is conditioned by the conditions and inclination of the terrain, rather than the power assistance of the motor being turned up or down. If you're going uphill, you have to go up the sprockets, just as you would on your normal bike. Always apply this rule to yourself and you will see that as the days go by you will 'naturalise' your pedalling and use the gears much more and the raw power of the motor much less.

It changes smoothly.

We recommend that you shift from "click to click", i.e. shift up one gear progressively before shifting up another. Do not shift 3-4 gears all at once, because you can damage the chain and all the components of the drivetrain, as well as the engine, as it is applying a force other than that of your legs.

    You have to think that when you shift and the motor is assisting, there is not only the power of your legs, but also the power applied by the motor. That's why you have to shift like on a normal bike and follow the pedalling cycle at the moment of shifting, but without exerting too much force on the pedals.

    More cadence and less turbo

    As we mentioned at the beginning, we summarise the main mistakes when changing with an ebike:
    • Continuous use of small sprockets with low cadence and high power mode.
    • Increase the assistance mode instead of increasing the gears.
    • Low cadence causes increased wear on transmission components.
    • Increased battery consumption due to forcing the mode by using too small a sprocket.
    • Let the motor assist without the need to change gears, no matter how hard it is to pedal.
    • Use of too powerful modes for not changing gears on climbs. Increased wear and tear on the drivetrain, motor and chain. In addition, greater muscle wear due to the stress caused in our joints by the low cadence and speed.

    If you want to shift more precisely on your ebike and extend the life of your battery and drivetrain, here are some tips:

    • It shifts naturally, just as you would on a conventional bike.
    • Before moving up from assistance mode, try moving up a cog or two.
    • The most basic modes of assistance assist a lot and very well, with high cadences.
    • Do not abuse the smaller sprockets unless you are riding at a speed that generates a good cadence adapted to that sprocket.
    • If you're going uphill, go up gears in the same way as on your normal bike.
    • Remember that your contribution of power improves the autonomy of your battery.

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