Steep ramps, tight bends, blocked trails - mastering difficult uphill situations is what gives e-mountain biking its flavour. Here are our tips:
CRUX 1: FRONT WHEEL RISES -
Weight forward, stay ready to brake
A rising front wheel no longer provides guidance and you lose control.
Trick number one means here: Bring your weight forwards by bending your upper body and bending your arms. If this is no longer enough, slide your bum onto the nose of the saddle. This may not be the most comfortable position for your backside, but you will be amazed at the climbing behaviour of your bike (picture above). Only when it gets too steep do you lift your bum out of the saddle and continue pedalling in a standing position.
Trick two: Always hold the rear brake ready with your finger. This allows you to counteract at lightning speed if the front wheel rises.
KNACKPUNKT 2: PEDALAUFSETZER - Tapping technique
Pedal touchdowns not only throw you off your rhythm, they are also dangerous. Unintentional contact with the ground is the number one cause of falls when travelling uphill. Avoid pedal contact by consciously managing your pedalling. One effective measure is pedalling. If you judge a boulder, root or turf to be too high, stop pedalling, turn the pedal back a quarter turn several times and pedal over the obstacle with the cranks largely parallel. As the motor only provides a brief boost while pedalling, switch to the highest assistance level immediately before the critical point.
With momentum over larger obstacles
You can "fly over" a critical section with plenty of momentum more elegantly and dynamically than with the tipple technique. What is taken for granted on the downhill can be achieved uphill with motor assistance. An eye and the right judgement of the situation are essential for this. Ride with foresight and always scan the passage ahead of you. If you have the feeling that the rocks or the carpet of roots in front of you cannot be passed without pedalling, then use the "boost". Select the highest support level and a gear that is not too low. Pedal hard two or three times. Stop pedalling just before the obstacle and position the cranks parallel to the ground. It is also important to use your body at the same time. Bend your arms during the approach and apply tension. Stretch your arms and legs just before the obstacle. This takes the strain off the bike and helps to maintain momentum.
STICKING POINT 3: REAR WHEEL SPINS
Keep the engine power in check and apply pressure to the rear wheel by shifting your weight.
The motor delivers a huge amount of additional torque. The steepest ramps are mastered almost effortlessly. But the laughter can quickly fade as soon as the ground becomes slippery and the rear wheel loses traction. A spinning rear wheel costs an enormous amount of power and usually forces you to dismount. You can effectively counteract this by trying to put as much weight as possible on the rear wheel, similar to a wheelie. But don't worry, you don't have to become a wheelie artist to climb steep ramps.
Just before the front wheel takes off, there is already enormous pressure on the rear wheel. Sit upright and comfortably in the saddle. Your arms are stretched out and your gaze is fixed on a point far in front of the front wheel. Allow the front wheel to become light and sometimes even lift off the ground. This is exactly the moment when the rear tyre bites. As the front wheel can no longer do all the steering work at this point, you have to balance yourself with your body. Always keep one finger on the rear brake and use it to modulate the force.
Footwork is important. Stabilise yourself and your bike by bending your knees (see pictures below). Only when things get very steep do you bend your arms to bring your centre of gravity forwards.
STICKING POINT 4: TRAIL CURVE DOES NOT WORK
Precise uphill steering through tricky trail bends is already part of the high school of E-MTB technology.
Uphill climbs can be mastered with the E-MTB where conventional bikers have long since dismounted. Of course, this also applies to bends. But not all bends are the same: tight bends, wide bends, hairpin bends, gravel bends, bends with roots and steps - the various bending techniques used in normal mountain biking already fill entire books on riding technique. And with the E-MTB, uphill variants have now been added. All techniques have one thing in common: if you want to maintain the flow of your ride, you have to automate the movements.
The sequence shown above is about a simple trail bend that doesn't require any complicated conversion techniques. However, this simple technique can also be applied to classic gravel bends. To avoid having to use your push mode in the first place, you should follow these tips:
1) Wide radii: Turning in too hastily is the most common source of error. As most of the weight is on the rear wheel, the front wheel is in danger of losing traction. Result: The rider loses balance. Tip: If you choose the line on the outside of the bend, the front wheel is not turned in as much and is therefore easier to control.
2) Stay in the saddle: The arms are slightly bent. Keep your centre of gravity
in the centre of the bike so that the rear wheel has sufficient traction and the front wheel remains on the ground. It is better to select a slightly higher assistance level, but in a low gear, and keep the motor power in check with the rear brake.
3) View in the direction of the curve exit: Scan the course of the bend towards the exit of the bend with your eyes early on. Steer carefully and calmly. Keep the chain under tension with a round kick. This is particularly important to maintain even traction. Now turn through the bend, always staying on the outside line.
TUNING TIPS
Tyre pressure
As little as possible, as much as necessary. Less air pressure dramatically improves tyre traction and makes all uphill and downhill moves easier. There is no precise recommendation for air pressure, it depends too much on the tyre model.
Saddle position
Free tuning for significantly better uphill performance. Most saddle/post combinations offer an adjustment range of several centimetres. Improve the climbing characteristics of your bike by pushing the saddle fully or almost fully forwards. Also tilt the saddle nose down a little. This allows you to adapt the riding position to steep ramps.
Short cranks
An investment that pays off. Most e-MTBs are still equipped with 175-millimetre standard cranks. Thanks to motor support, you don't really need this large lever. Short cranks between 150 and 170 millimetres ensure less pedal bob.
CRUCIAL POINT 5: FALSE START ON THE MOUNTAIN
Foot position
Position yourself correctly. Avoid the fall line, instead position the bike at a 45-degree angle to the slope. The pedalling position of the valley foot is important. The crank should be pointing forwards and upwards.
Start up
Only start off when the mountain foot is securely on the pedal. Control the start with the brake!
Taking off on a steep slope
You select the support level depending on the gradient. The new, progressive E-MTB (Bosch) and Trail (Shimano) modes are ideal. The valley foot is on the pedal (pedal position facing forwards and upwards), the mountain foot is supported on the ground. The brakes are applied - one finger is enough.
Place your mountain foot on the pedal. Only now do you start pedalling and the bike picks up speed. Now it is particularly important to maintain traction. Stroke the pedal and only apply as much power as the slip on the rear wheel can tolerate. Use the rear brake to help control the power. Now steer gently into the fall line and switch to the classic riding technique on steep ramps.
