IT JOLTS ME! Why Does Pedal Assist on EBikes Start Abruptly? Torque Sensor vs Cadence Sensor Ebike

The pedal assist on my E-bike jolts me. Why? Stick around to find out. Hey everyone, I'm Dustin. I've nearly 20 years of experience in the bike and E-bike industry and today, we're going to answer the question: why does the pedal assist jolt me? But before I get into it, hit the subscribe button below. Stay in touch with us here at Sixthreezero. Be the first to know about all the new content we're putting out, giveaways we do, and of course new product releases. All right, and before I get into it, this is a Sixthreezero Simple Step-Thru E-bike. This is easy to mount and dismount with a real low step-through, 500-watt motor. This is an awesome E-bike. Find it linked in the description below to our website, Sixthreezero.com. All right, E-bikes all feature a pedal assist option, some have a throttle option and I've witnessed a lot of first-time E-bike riders get on and start riding an E-bike for the first time.

And when the pedal assist comes on, it can feel jostling to new riders because they're not quite sure what to expect. Now, it's nothing to be scared of, and, if you just continue to steer the bike like you normally would, you're not going to go off balance. It's just going to give you a little extra push. Now, I've talked to, seen, or heard from a lot of riders where they feel like the pedal assist jolts them a little bit. Meaning why does it go from zero to kicking you into power? Well, there are two types of sensors for E-bikes that sense your pedaling to tell the motor to turn on and give you assistance. There's something called a cadence sensor and a torque sensor. A cadence sensor is going to work in the way when you pedal, the cadence sensor is going to pick up that you're pedaling and it's going to turn the motor on. So basically, if you have it in level one and it senses that you're pedaling, it's going to kick the motor onto level one.

If you have it in level five, it's going to kick it on to level five. Now, there are certain settings, I will say, where you can adjust in your display how gradually the motor kicks in. But typically when you have a cadence sensor, it's going to go from basically zero to on. Now, there is another type of sensor called a torque sensor, and that's going to be a little more gradual because it's going to base your torque on how much output the motor is going to give you. Now, the majority of E-bikes out there right now, I would say, are cadence sensors because cadence sensors are going to be more affordable than a torque sensor E-bike. The majority of cadence sensor E-bikes are going to be $2,000 and below. Torque sensor E-bikes are going to be more like $2,000 and above. Now, it doesn't mean that torque sensor E-bikes under 2,000 don't exist, but the majority of torque sensor E-bikes will be over $2,000. So that's the reality of why most E-bikes when you pedal them, it's going to give you a push.

Now, this is also a cadence sensor, but what I was also saying is that in the display setting of your E-bike, you can adjust ... This is by checking the manual of your manufacturer or reaching out to the manufacturer, or if you're interested in Sixthreezero, you can talk to us as well. There are ways to set the display in how the cadence sensor reacts to the settings. Nine times out of 10 though, the way it's going to come from the factory, it's just going to be very simple on and off. We've done it before with other displays and other E-bikes as well where we can mitigate how gradually that assistance kicks in so that when it turns on, it's not just a thrust. So if you do have an E-bike and you're experiencing that check with your manufacturer if it's a cadence sensor, because a lot of times there are ways to adjust that in the display.

It may depend on the type of display you have or the type of motor you have, but cadence sensor E-bikes can be adjusted a lot of times with the display. Now, the torque sensor, like I said, it's going to be a more gradual feeling, but there's still going to be a point where you go from no motor to motor and you're going to feel that assistance kick in. My recommendation is just to keep your pedal assist at the lowest level to mitigate how much power output is coming. And I think also over time, as you get used to it won't feel as jostling as it did the first time. So if you're riding for the first time and you feel like the assistance is jostling you or it feels like too much power, my suggestion is to give it a little time, get used to it, start riding, maybe by the 8th, 9th, 10th time that you're out there, you'll start to realize, oh, it's not that bad.

And also as you start to prep your body and your riding position for when the assistance kicks in, it's not going to feel as much. The other thing I will say, and I've just mentioned in another video, is why I like to only turn on the pedal assist once I'm up and riding and have some speed going with me. Now, if you're riding slow and the pedal assist is on and you start to pedal, it's going to move you pretty quickly because the motor assistance is going to be more powerful than the speed that you're already moving. Now, if you're already pedaling and you're going eight miles an hour and you turn the pedal assistance on to level one, at that point, it's not going to be this immediate jolt or thrust because you're already moving at eight miles an hour, it's going to be a more gradual feeling. Quite honestly, you may not even feel the assistance if you just are at like eight and you put it into one, It's just going to be a nice relief, so to speak.

You're going to feel a little bit of assistance, it's going to feel good. So the slower you're moving, the more you're going to feel the jostling of that assistance because the assistance is going to be more powerful than the output you are giving the pedals. I hope that makes sense. So basically, if you're traveling slowly, the assistance is going to push you harder than you've been powering the bike under your power. Now, once you get the bike up to speed and you kick the motor in, you can find that point of like, okay, I know at eight miles an hour if I put it on level two, it'll be gradual. Now, if you're going eight miles an hour and you started on level five, you may still feel that little push. So I always recommend getting used to that assistance and getting comfortable with it. And I also say with the pedal assistance, be careful using it in tight, small spaces because that's when it's going to be the most jerky and the most jostling.

So when you're coming in for a stop, turn the motor off so the assistance is off so you don't have to be jostled by that at all. And as you're starting rides, just get comfortable with that initial push from the pedal assist to make sure that you like it and it's safe. And as you're learning to ride, maybe just start without the assistance level, and as you get up to speed, turn the assistance level on. All right, so I hope that answers the question about why your E-bike pedal assist is jostling you. If you have any other questions at all, please put them below or reach out to us, at theteam@sixthreezero.com or call us at (310) 982-2877. And if you like this E-bike right here, again, it's linked in the description below. You can check it out on our website, Sixthreezero.com.

And if you're in the market for a pedal-assist E-bike and you don't know what you're looking for, take the proprietary body fit quiz on our website, answer a few questions about your body and your life, and we'll recommend the perfect E-bike for you. And we have a 30-day test ride on your E-bike policy. If you don't love it in the first 30 days, send it back, no questions asked, no money out of your pocket. And in addition to that, we're going to warranty everything on the E-bike for one year. If anything goes wrong in the first year, we'll make sure you have the parts and the labor to keep you up and riding. Lastly, we have a Facebook Pedalers group and an app with thousands of riders in there. Ask them questions before you get up and ride. See how they like their e-bike, see what works best for them, then once you have your E-bike posted in the group, make friends, and of course, track your rides on the app, It's tons of fun. So thanks for sticking around and don't forget, it's your journey, your experience, enjoy the ride.