ElizaQ

PS Most of what you mentioned above applies to me - I am in my early 70s and started cycling again last autumn. This was the first time I'd cycled since I was 11 or 12 years old. I fell off the first bike (didn't break anything) but it put me out of action for a 3 or 4 weeks and worst of all, dented my confidence. When I first tried riding the Wisper torque I couldn't believe how hard it was to push the pedals round. I thought there was something wrong with the bike! It has taken 3 months of very short rides to find my feet (I mean wheels) but what a transformation! I thought I would not get any fitter, but I have! And I can breathe better. It really is unbelievable. Thanks again.

Hi Phil - thanks for you nice reply. Yes, I have got an e-bike grin - at this very moment! And yes, the hills are the same size but when the cycling first started getting easier I thought that the bike had improved that the motor was beginning to get stronger or something. But slowly slowly it continued to get easier and it dawned on me that it was me. I was actually getting fitter. It's a marvellous feeling and I'm so grateful to you and all the Pedelecs community. Happy Sunday from Hastings.

In praise of the Wisper 806 torque! Just thought I ought to post an update. To my amazement, the Wisper has given me the greatest gift possible - improved health! When I first rode the bike, it was so hard and I thought it would never get any easier - but I liked it because of the push it gave on setting off and the comfort it provided with the throttle when I couldn't get up the big hills. Well, I still need the throttle for the very big hills but I can now ride with PA 3 on the flat and PA4 on moderate inclines! I never thought I would ever be able to turn it down from PA5 (which I still use for the steep hills). I used to get so out of breath by the time I got home after coming up the hill but now, I'm only slightly out of breath. Both my lungs and my legs have improved in strength and capacity. It's unbelievable. I think this is the best designed ebike ever - it makes you fitter but offers you support with the setting off and the throttle if you need it. Btilliant - thank you, all the kind people who posted helpful comments and most of all thanks to David and Wisper bikes. I shall be forever grateful.

What a fantastic pic! Thanks, Mikel. Happy Christmas to you and to everyone. Will try and get to grips with hill measurement soon. It would be nice to have the steepness confirmed instead of just puffing and panting....

Thanks for this. I thought this was the way to do it but am grateful for the advice that this applies to ebikes. (I hardly ever make it to 25km/h down hill never mind about up hill.. lol.)

This is very useful. Thanks so much - will work out our hills!

So is the most efficient way to ride the bike also the best way to get more assist (which I so badly need)? What is the best way to use the gears? I think you've all got to the heart of my dilemma and thanks so much for your replies. It seems that in the short term if you are strong enough, you can power up (thanks, Phil) but as you go on to say, that would work only for short distances (and strong legs). If the hill is long then you need to go down a gear or two and possibly increase the level of assist. What I don't have at the moment is another level of assist to go to but I understand now that if I am to use the bike properly and efficiently, I need to pay attention to what Gliggsy has said (thanks so much). I need to learn how to use the gears properly. It is inredibly interesting to hear what gears and levels of assist other people use (thanks, Mike) because I've got no other experiences with which to compare mine. Yours cheered me up no end to hear that you, too, use the throttle sometimes and your post came just at the right time when I was having a dip in confidence thinking that I might be the only person in the world who was struggling up the hills even with the torque sensor's max pedal assist. With your combined advice, I shall attempt to learn how to use the gears better and not worry when I have to change down - but if necessary, I'll give myself a break and use the throttle every now and then. The weather is awful here this morning - grey, mist, rain, wind - a bit like the covid gloom - but it will probably brighten up later and just think - I'm the lucky one with a Wisper to joy my life and give me a bit (a bit!!!????) of a challenge. Thank you all.

Hi there. Thanks so much for this. I'm sure you're right and I'll try it.

Hi Mike - thanks for this. It's so interesting learning how experienced ebikers use their bikes and so helpful. I wonder where you are with the hills so steep? I thought Hastings was full of hills but there are no mountains here. Strange that you should mention the gradients. We were talking about that last night and tried to work them out from google maps but couldn't manage it accurately. We're going to try downloading an app and sticking the phone on to the handlebars. It would be interesting to know what percentage of hill we mean by steep. Will let you know and would be interested to hear how steep your hills are (especially that one up the back road that you need gear 2 for - I feel breathless just thinking about it). Btw I didn't get a suspension seat post because the Wisper was comfortable without one. I did get a new saddle but that was enough. Thanks again.

Hi Phil - that's very helpful and that's what I'd like to do. Unfortunately - for the time being (I say optimistically) - I haven't got a level left to go up to on the assistance so I have no choice but to drop down a gear and hope that I can keep pedalling. It is extremely helpful to know what will work when (if?) I can do it - thanks so much for your information. I wonder how long it will take for my fitness level to increase to the point where I can do what you do (and what my husband does) at least to some extent? For the time being, I'm going to try to find a way to ride without knocking myself out on the hills and hope that the effort that I am putting in will help me improve so that it won't be too long before I can cycle up hills without getting so badly out of breath. Once again, thanks so much for taking the trouble to explain what you do and how the bike works. It makes a huge difference to know that.

Everyday a seafront loop and back up the hill to home. Every day a new adventure! The last two days have thrown up some new questions. Gear questions. Yesterday I went on the loop PAS 5 as usual. Near the seafront in All Saints St which is mostly level, I changed from gear 4 to gear 5! In the interests of full disclosure, I have to confess that this is the first time in my life I have been in gear 5. On the cadence bikes I used gear 4 for the flat and gear 3 for up hills. Nothing else. I'm afraid that I haven't been very adventurous. When I found something that worked, I just stayed with it. Gear 5 felt good. Had to stop at the traffic lights but with the Wisper I have no fear of not being able to set off quickly enough and even in gear 5, there was no problem at all. Off I went, along by the sea and then up into the High St in the Old Town. About half way up the high street where the moderate incline is getting a little steeper I changed to gear 4. Later I came to the steep hill home and half way up that I changed to gear 3 and stayed in it until I finally got home. Puffing and panting, but I hadn't used the throttle! If I'd been going any further, I would have had to, but despite the fact that it took me a good 2 mins to recover normal breathing, I was delighted. I'd done the loop without the throttle. Next, my husband Paul set off on the Wisper round the loop. When he got back he pointed proudly to the gears and I saw that it said 6. He'd come up the hill in gear 6. He told me that when he'd changed up from gear 5 to 6, he'd got more power and it had been easier cycling up the hill. He insisted that cycling in gear 6 was more like having the throttle on or going up a PAS level. I argued with him and said he must be wrong. I'd always heard that you should change down through the gears when going up hills and he said, yes, usually, but in this case, gear 6 had given more power. OK, I thought, let's leave it and see what happens on the next run. That was this morning. Bright sunshine and we're now in tier 4 because of the new covid strain and the massive rise in infections so we thought there might not be many people about. Sundays are usually the best day for biking because there is less traffic and it was the same today although there were plenty of people out and about in the Old Town. Far more than we'd expected despite the new covid regs. My loop was the same as yesterday's except for the fact that I was getting so confident and relaxed that by mistake I changed up a gear going up the High St instead of down a gear. Whoops! Nearly fell off the bike in my amazement to see that I was in gear 6 when I'd been expecting to be in gear 4. BUT although I only stayed in gear 6 for a very short time, I did experience a little extra push from the motor. So Paul was right, I thought. But I still needed to change down because my legs are not strong enough to ride up hills in high gears (or it might be my lungs - that's what slows me down most, it's my breathing not my legs). Once more, Paul did the loop again today and after that we sat drinking tea, grinning (because that's what biking seems to make you do) and having a debrief. He had cycled up the hill again in gear 6 and although he had arrived back a little out of breath, it was only a little. Unlike me. But we had both improved slightly on the previous day's experience. Paul has decided that he definitely wants to opt for the Wisper with the torque sensor like mine. He says it's an acquired taste and I agree. Seems like I'm acquring it despite my expectations and lack of fitness (which I'm hopefully changing - slowly, slowly) . What makes the crucial difference in the decision to keep the torque version is the marvellous push you get from the motor when you set off. I can't begin to describe how wonderful that feels to a sometimes wobbly wimp like myself (but with the Wisper no longer!). The other essential reassurance is the throttle that will override the torque and turn it back into a cadence sensing bike should you tire on the hill. What I'd like to ask you experts is about our experience with the gears. When you are tiring on a hill while riding a torque sensor bike, do you change up a gear or down? And a secondary question is - are all torque sensor bikes the same in this regard? The Wisper certainly seems different in its initial push when you set off which is a brilliant feature. Perhaps other settings vary from make to make? OK, that's it for today. Thanks again for sharing your expertise and thanks so much for being encouraging.

Thanks so much for your advice and support. It means a lot. I'll post on progress. Thinking of all you kind people and wishing you safe riding and happy days.

Thanks to you both. I've only just seen these replies. I have used the throttle when I couldn't manage to pedal any further up hill and it worked so that is very useful. The difference in ease of pedalling is huge. However, I'm still grateful to have the start-up power of the torque. Thanks again.

Final update for today - I took the Wisper on the 2 mile loop down to the seafront and back up the hill to home. I had it in PAS 5 all the way. On the early steep part of the hill coming back I managed to keep pedalling without the throttle but was badly out of breath by the time i reached the brow of the first part of the hill. There's a short downhill section before the road climbs again although the hill is not so steep as the early part. I was still out of breath but managing until I had to stop behind a car that was letting a vehicle through. At this point I blessed the Wisper because I was able to set off on the incline! A miracle. On the other bikes, I would probably have had to get off and push until I came to more level ground. For the short remaiing part of the trip home I used the throttle because I was out of breath. Verdict so far - pedalling is exhausting even in PAS 5 but I think it's worth it for the advantage of having the instant help on set-off, particularly up hills. My plan is to go for the 2 mile loop to the seafront and back every day and hope that my fitness improves. Then I'll be able to go for longer rides. At the moment, that's about as much as I can manage in one trip. For me, riding the Wisper 806 torque is like having a gym subscription thrown in. I'm sure it is already doing me good and I'm sure it will get less hard. If it doesn't, I'll have a rethink and possibly return to a cadence sensor bike. I'd be very interested to hear if there is anyone my age who has had a similar experience. From reviews I've read, there are plenty of 70 year olds out there ebiking. Meanwhile I would like once again to thank those of you who have replied for your patience and your helpful comments.

Thanks for your concern. I am more than grateful for the replies and advice that I've received. Since I heard from David at Wisper that you need to pedal harder on torque sensor bikes than on cadence snsor ones, I am becoming increasingly convinced that there is no fault with the bike and that the 'problem' lies with my hill wimp legs. Since getting the advice, I've done the following: 1. Heard from two people (on the net) who have Wisper 806 torques. Neither of them have ever had any problem with hills. The difference between them and me is that they are young men and I am a 72 year old female (5 ft 2 and 54kg if that is of interest). 2. My husband tried out the bike (we were going to buy one for him so that we both had a folding bike). He is 63 yrs old and reasonably fit. Like me he is used to riding cadence sensor bikes and is currently riding a Radrunner Plus. He took the bike for the same run that I originally went on. We live in Hastings half way up a long hill, Harold Rd. He took it down to the seafront and back up the High St finishing up with the long hill home. He had to stop on the way because the front wheel was pointing increasingly to the left. He sorted this out before continuing. This was obviously our fault that we hadn't checked the tightness properly before setting off. I hadn't noticed it. His verdict was that it was much more difficult to pedal than the Radrunner Plus but that he had managed with only a short stretch on the steepest hill where he had to use the throttle. (Normally he comes up that hill in PAS 3/5.) However - like me, he loved the power you get when setting off, so his verdict was that it was worth persevering and hopefully, both our (pairs of) legs would get stronger. 3. After he got back, he went over the bike using the manual to check the Nm settings of all the fixings and once again we checked that the brakes were not binding. 4. Now time for the Aldi shop. Encouraged by David from Wisper, I set off with the Wisper to Aldi. This is in the opposite direction from going to the seafront and involves a moderate hill then a very steep hill before a moderate part again on the way there. I feared I might not get up the steep part after my previous experience. But I did! The Wisper was wonderful. I put the bike in PAS 5 and managed to pedal until the very steep hill started. Then I used the throttle which worked like a dream until I reached the brow of the hill then went back to PAS 5 and pedalling. There is another hill just before Aldi but just a short one and I managed that without the throttle. I was thrilled. On the way back, there was one short steep hill which I also managed without the throttle so the trip felt like a triumph. Pedalling felt a litlle easier than it had before. Don't know whether this was because of the checking of the tightness of the fixings or because my expectations were now different but it felt good. 5. I am still surprised by what feels like a massive difference in pedal resistance between using the throttle and pedalling (which I understand is like pedalling using the cadence sensors) and going back to the torque setting on PAS 5 but now that I understand what I have to do to ride the bike, it seems worth it. 6. I think that the Wisper design which manages to give the instant push when you set off is incredible. Neither of the cadence sensor bikes I've ridden (Radrunner Plus & Popal E-Folt 1 compare). This alone makes the Wisper 806 torque worth a million other bikes. With the previous bieks, I could pedal happily with one or other level of pAS once I'd set off, but setting off was always slightly problematic re speed at traffic lights and especially on inclines. The Wisper torque makes this problem disappear. 7. Have to add, too - and it's more than an addition, it's just that I have been almost totally focussed on how hard I had to pedal - that the Wisper is comfortable! I thought I might need a suspension seat post, but it it is not at all necessary. Don't quite know how they've done it, but the Wisper rides over potholes that can't be avoided with no trouble at all. I have been able to find a comfortable riding position because it's not only the seat height that adjusts but also the handlebar height. 8. It also has a nice rack which accomodates my panniers with the battery tucked away so no rain can get on to the connections. I am extremely grateful for the kind and helpful comments I've had here and would like to emphasise how good I think the Wisper 806 torque bike is. More than good - excellent. I suppose I have to accept that my 72 year old legs are just not as powerful as younger legs and that even my husband's 63 year old legs are not. Before this last year, neither of us were cyclists and it's only thanks to the electric boost that we've discovered the joy of bikes at all. I didn't think at first that my difficulty in pedalling was due to my age because I was comparing the experience with pedalling the cadence sensor bikes. Now that we know, we shall have to make a decision about whether to continue with the torque model and buy another one or whether to change the order to a Wisper cadence bike. We shall certainly stick with Wisper. Not only is the bike beautifully made with a marvellous warranty but the customer service has been second to none. I can't thank everyone enough and I'll continue to post updates on how we get on. Now I'm off to have another go on it. Thank you all so much.