Just bought a used Woosh Fat Boy

[MikeFB]

Wow guys, sorry if my post has caused a bit of a stir? But atleast I have learn't a few things even if most of it was out of my depth of knowledge and understanding.

Just to be clear here, I'm an ex driving instructor I have no desire to go beyond the legal speed limits of 15.5 mph. I may not always be sensible 100% of the time, but I don't want to affect my licence with even the remotest of chances with these bikes.

Having said that I live in a hilly area and surrounded by roads with 10+ degree gradients and even some as much as 20 degrees.

This is my first ebike and as such I didn't know what to expect. What was just a little disappointing was the lack of power to maintain speed as the roads started to incline even at PAS 6. Now to clarify the FB is a big bike, however it did with some effort from me get to the top of these very steep hills, albeit slowly and me panting. I doubt I could have got up some of these hills with my old Raleigh Record Sprint that's been in my garage for 35+ years. The G06 motor is a great motor and I know it has one of the best torque ratings for a 250w motor. Therefore I'm sure with any 36v 250w rated motor I would have also struggled and may not have even got up some of those hills.

I did however get out on a longer ride yesterday on more flat roads with a mix of different graded hills and I have to say I am very happy with the performance, build and quality of the Woosh FB. It feels well put together, solid and hopefully will be reliable.

I plan on keeping it as it is and maybe next year look to upgrade to a 48v bike just to give me that extra 33% more for those hills. I just wish I could get closer to that 15.5 mph limit going up a hill.

 

[MikeFB]

OK, I'm starting to learn more and more about these ebikes. I have a question for all you knowledgeable people out there.

Some of the hills I tackle are quite steep at what point should I get off and walk the bike. Even with me pedaling extremely hard, would pushing the motor at a high PAS under say 7 mph up a hill cause too much heat and stress on it?

BTW I understand that a mid drive maybe a better option for hills, but I do not like the aesthetics nor the stress and strains to the chain and drive system or the costs of the setup.

 

[vfr400]

OK, I'm starting to learn more and more about these ebikes. I have a question for all you knowledgeable people out there.

Some of the hills I tackle are quite steep at what point should I get off and walk the bike. Even with me pedaling extremely hard, would pushing the motor at a high PAS under say 7 mph up a hill cause too much heat and stress on it?

BTW I understand that a mid drive maybe a better option for hills, but I do not like the aesthetics nor the stress and strains to the chain and drive system or the costs of the setup.

When you go too slow, you're more likely to get controller problems than motor. When you overload and overheat the motor, it's normally the hall sensors that are first to go.

If your motor ever starts making that fierce rasping noise, often with vibration, or if it stops, you shouldn't try to run it with high throttle or prolonged PAS because, the electricity will still flow, and without being able to turn into proper motion, it'll turn into heat, then something will burn.

5 mph is about as slow as you should go on a normal ebike with a normal motor, but it depends on how fast the motor is wound for and the size of the wheels. Maybe 4 mph with 20" wheels. More importantly is the time like it. Going up a short hill slowly is no problem, but a long one at high power for a long time is dodgy.

If you have steep hills that make you go too slow, it's sometimes worth adjusting your controller to provide more current, which is easier for you and, counter-intuitively, better for the bike, but only if it gets you up faster.

 

[joelectric]

Could the OP problem (struggling to keep up a good cadence to assist the bike up a steep hill) not have been easier to overcome by just selecting a different gear on his bike?
By selecting a higher toothed rear gear it would have made it easier to keep up his cadence in and assisting the bike up the hill.

 

[Woosh]

hub bikes are not as good on steep hills as crank drive bikes.
15% gradient is easy with crank drive bikes but practically the limit for most (95%) hub bikes. The Fat Boy is very good on hills but 13%-15% gradient is about as much as it would climb.
Here is the simulation:
https://www.ebikes.ca/tools/simulator.html?motor=MG60_500&cont=cust_17_70_0.03_V&grade=13&axis=mph&hp=50

for 15%+ gradient, I would recommend the Woosh Rambla or the Santana CD which has 9-speed cassette.

 

[MikeFB]

Thanks for the replies guys, much appreciated. Just as a bit of background I am 51 years old but have been working out since I was a teen in fact I also blog about health and fitness and am quite fit and strong, so this isn't an issue with being unfit or overweight in anyway, just thought I'd mention that. However I haven't ridden my bikes for more than 10 years, so I suspect more time building those essential cycling muscles may help later on.

I'm busy at the moment, but hopefully will be able to get out tomorrow and see what speed I am able to get to on some of these hills with me pedaling with various amounts of effort and in different assistance levels. I'll also listen out for any changes in motor noise when under load.

I also have a 24 speed mountain bike and a very lightweight road bike and will try these out on another day to see if weight and gearing and the type of bike has much affect on these same hills with me riding them.

I'm not really a cyclist and so still finding my feet so to speak with regards simply riding around. With the added addition of a motor it maybe that I just need to also learn the extra nuances this brings.