"If you're stupid, you can manage 1000 metres in altitude with an e-bike battery, if you're smart, 1500 ... And I can still enjoy the turbo mode." That's what Lutz Scheffer says. We asked him about it in an interview:
Is the battery enough or not enough, that's one of the key questions on E-MTB tours. How do I solve the dilemma?
The decisive factor is proper tour planning. I don't need to worry about battery management on the 700 metre altitude home tour. It gets exciting from around 1400 metres in altitude if I only want to take one battery with me. Incidentally, the key to planning is the metres in altitude, not the route. This is just as true in the low mountain ranges as it is in the Alps.
How can I influence my reach height?
The support level has the greatest effect. If I turn it down, I have to provide more power myself and the motor has to work less. This means: consistently downshift the assistance as soon as the terrain becomes flatter. The highest support level is only available on steep gradients. This allows me to combine riding pleasure and economy. It gets difficult when I'm riding uphill on challenging trails, because I almost always need the turbo mode.
What else can I do to get ahead?
Many e-bikers make the classic mistake of pedalling too slowly. The motor encourages them to put their feet up. At the same time, the efficiency of the motors improves with a higher pedalling frequency. E-bikers should aim for a frequency of over 80 revolutions per minute and prefer to pedal too fast rather than too slow. It is therefore better to apply less pedal pressure and crank faster.
What effect does this have?
At a speed of 60 to 65 rpm, the motor's efficiency is around 50 per cent, rising to 70 per cent between 90 and 100 rpm. This is a huge difference, which is fully reflected in the reach height. This requires a suitable gear ratio. Some manufacturers don't realise that a bike with a motor also needs a slight uphill gear, because otherwise I can't ride at a high frequency on ramps.
How many metres in altitude can I make up?
All in all, it adds up to quite a lot. If you drive stupidly, you'll cover 1000 metres in altitude, if you drive smartly, you'll save 1500 - and I can still drive the steep sections in turbo mode. If I stay exclusively in Eco mode, I can theoretically drive three times as far as I could at full throttle.
What role do weight and rolling resistance play?
Saving grams on equipment makes little sense in terms of reach height, as only a weight difference of around five kilos makes a noticeable difference. There are two important factors when it comes to tyres: rolling resistance and slip. If you are riding off-road, you will get much further with a tyre that has a lot of grip than with a tyre that rolls well. This is because tyres with a low profile have more slip, which reduces efficiency and costs reach height. A tyre with low rolling resistance can only play to its strengths on very flat tours on paved roads.
Florentin Vesenbeckh
Editor CvD
