Motor Makes Easy Ride Harder

I bought a Felt/Bosch electric assist bike with the hopes of expanding my commute route choices by making the harder routes easier. So far the reverse is true.

Years of riding the gentle grades to the low pass through the West Hills has made that route overly familiar. But the cold wet dark of winter isn't the best time to be exploring unfamiliar roads.

I've found assist makes my familiar commute a reliable thirty minute trip even when I attack the ride like a racer. If I blow up, I just turn up the assist and still show up to work on time.

Kudos to Bosch engineers for getting the dynamics right. Other systems encourage a slower cadence with higher peddle pressure. A downshift to spin will make their assist switch in and out due to less pressure. Bosch figures this case out.