throttle or no throttle? that is the question?

I got a throttle because of the possible injury's while riding,
broken ankle/leg, can't walk out etc. I pedal 99% of the time when riding.

I smashed up my right shin that made walking almost impossible.
I was able to get on the bike and ride out the 5+ miles to the truck and get help etc.

I would never have a ebike without a throttle...........ymmv

I spend too much time trail riding off the beaten path, and I have no expectations of help being available.
 
neutron said:
A good example of where I really need the throttle is when I first get on the bike after taking it out of the shed where I keep it. I have to make a hairpin turn around and between some shrubbery and then up an incline to access the trail. I have to creep up the incline and look to make sure I'm not pulling out on someone coming down the trail as my line of sight is blocked both ways until I'm right up to the trail. Bumping the throttle a bit as I maneuver around and onto the trail makes this a lot easier and safer. Yes, I could just walk the bike up to the trail but I kind of like doing my little maneuver and getting a feel for the bike just starting out. I'm still on an incline as I pull out onto the trail so the throttle gives me that little boost to get going without struggling to pedal and maintain balance at the low speed uphill start. My bike is big and heavy (70# KBO Breeze step over) and I'm 72+ years old so a little help from a throttle is very nice in some situations.
Click to expand...
I like your example and can relate. Here is another off-road one. I chose a fat tire (Himiway Cruiser) with good power and range. I hoped it would let me ride the severe trails around here in AZ where up-to-recently, I would take my MTB (I'm 83). Sometimes I climb fairly steep hills and banks. Sometimes I select my peddle-assist too low and find myself about to stall. That could end with me on a 70 lb beast wanting to roll (fall) backward or tip over. I do that too often and no fun, plus I have to push or muscle the bike out of the situation. The throttle (which on this bike is full-power) adds thrust to make it to the top. Sometimes unexpected steps appear on the slope and, once again, a blip of throttle lightens the front and up and over. Nice. So how does this particular ebike do? I find it lets me go everywhere my skills could take the MTB, but quicker with less fatigue, and to some places where my legs (and/or wind and watch that heart rate) were not up to it. Now my challenge is having the discipline to not test it at the limits and possibly get hurt. The throttle could assist me to go either way on that one. Don't get me wrong; I hardly ever use the throttle and see it and the peddle assist as supplemental to riding a bicycle and not a motorcycle.
 
As a 40 year adult cyclist - no throttle. Class 1, lower power 250w rear hub assist.

Anyone who has not been a regular adult cyclist, probably prefers throttles. More like a motorcycle-type human.
 
th 'fern said:
As a 40 year adult cyclist - no throttle. Class 3 rear hub assist.

Anyone who has not been a regular adult cyclist, probably prefers throttles. More like a motorcycle-type human.
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Typical arrogant cyclist attitude. Only ego talking here and nothing grounded in fact or knowledge.

48 years cycling almost daily here as an adult. A few more as a commuting teenager. But guess what? Nobody cares.
 
General truths exist, there are exceptions - as no truth is absolute for everyone. Commuters can really benefit from throttles given distances and often lack of a supportive bicycle infrastructure/no shower at work. Class 2+3 can easily get cars off the road at rush hour. Win-Win. People with limitations and disabilities + throttles may be a good fit.
But,
Just look at the trail riders who run fast on 3-4" tires and heavy + powerful ebikes - probably not regular bicycle riders. And I have an issue with heavy unrestricted-speed ebikes going 30mph in the bike lane on many of my routes that have regular car traffic.

Not arrogance, realistic fact. Some of us just want minimal power assist & speed for trails, all of which have sub-25mph speed limits.
Some mountain bike applications greatly benefit uphill transit with strong motors and good suspension+brakes for the downhill bits.
I am also in favor of lightweight electric motorcycles, built to ride safely at 35+mph and regulated as such, by one's state laws.
Everything may reduce auto use.
YMMV

edit: I am told Europe has a reasonable set of regs. Not sure if it is an EU issue or country-by-country.
 
Throttle. For some eBikes, once you start peddling, they zip up to the top speed for your PAS level. With a throttle you can hold speeds from walking to the top of range for your PAS level. This is because not all bike crank-sets have torque sensors. Some have them, but they may not be adjusted correctly from the factory. Some work great from the show-room floor.

The online advertisements never say: "peddle at all, and you will zip up to the maximum speed limit for your PAS level". My wife almost went into a fence before she discovered this. My bike is the same way. For tight areas, or where there are pedestrians nearby, I always use the throttle.
 
addertooth said:
The online advertisements never say: "peddle at all, and you will zip up to the maximum speed limit for your PAS level". My wife almost went into a fence before she discovered this. My bike is the same way. For tight areas, or where there are pedestrians nearby, I always use the throttle.
Click to expand...
They aren't all like that. The KT controllers I use run on an algorithm with a name only a marketing department can love: Simulated Torque Assist. Its a stupid name but what it behaves like is quite different than the on/off switch you get with what is apparently most of the cheapo DTC ebikes.

At slow speeds and slow cadence rpms, like what you'd get starting from a dead stop, you get a whole lot of assist early on and you can see it ramp down (if your display shows real time watts) as your ground speed and cadence increase together. If you hit a hill, the controller is able to figure this out via the speed and cadence inputs and it starts ramping power back up again. As you crest the hill it ramps it right down. If you are riding fast and cruising on say flat ground, it slowly pulls back power until you are zipping along at a high rate of speed but the controller is only feeding 35-50w to the hub motor. So effectively you are powering the bike yourself and the minimal power to the motor just keeps it spinning freely like an unpowered hub.

Working only with KT controllers with my builds, it took me awhile to realize all hub motor controllers aren't like that. In addition to the behavior noted above, you can increase the incremental increase (moderately) between PAS levels, and you can delay or speed up the engagement of PAS. I speed it up so my front hub motor starts pulling on the bike before my mid drive engages in a 2wd system, which keeps my mid drive from pulling the bejesus out of my chain; effectively eliminating all excess wear that you hear about with powerful mid drives (there is a single-motor way to do that too but thats another story).
 
m@Robertson said:
They aren't all like that. The KT controllers I use run on an algorithm with a name only a marketing department can love: Simulated Torque Assist. Its a stupid name but what it behaves like is quite different than the on/off switch you get with what is apparently most of the cheapo DTC ebikes.

Yes, I said that some bikes are not like that. However, so many are. For those bikes, a throttle is a godsend for being safe at lower speeds.
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Yes, I said that some bikes are not like that ("Some work great from the show-room floor."). However, so many are problematic. For those bikes, a throttle is a godsend for being safe at lower speeds.
 
blakeman62 said:
The reason I'm asking this question is because I'm looking at buying an ebike in the future. How important is having a throttle on an ebike? Does anyone who bought a ebike with a throttle wishes they had not bought an ebike without a throttle or vice versa? Please list of pros and cons to a throttle.
Click to expand...
Having a throttle you can bump the throttle for low speed in a tight area or if you're on a trail and doing low speed maneuvering. A throttle comes in handy.
 
Throttle!! Traffic, hills, maneuvering. Safety when pulling out in spots that make it difficult to get a heavy ebike rolling. People keep comparing it to a motorcycle, but an e-bike is really its own beast. I never stop pedaling because of the throttle. I can't say that about riding a motorcycle.

An e-bike without a throttle is like a.......

(Go ahead, fill it in folks!)
 
A throttle probably adds something like $20 to the cost of a bike. If get it and don’t use it, you will have lost very little in the grand scheme of things. If you don’t get it you may not be able to add it later. A lot of people who have them wouldn’t be without them, myself included.

Your question suggests to me that you may have ridden few, if any, e-bikes. I suggest you find some e-bikes to rent or test drive. All the advice in the world won’t mean much to you if you have little or no experienced on an e-bike. Try a bike with a throttle and you’ll know if you want one. Ditto mid-drive motors, hub drive motors, cadence sensors, torque sensors, fat tires, skinny tires, etc. Ride a bunch of bikes and your questions will be answered. It’ll be an adventure, and the likelihood of buying a bike you love will have greatly increased. Otherwise you’ll just be guessing. Good luck and enjoy those rides.
 
If you like pedaling why do you want a ebike? I disabled the PAS on one bike and had a 0 setting programed into the other. With the PAS off you can still pedal your heart out and use the throttle to add just the right amount of assist very smoothly. Some programs might disable the throttle when you start pedaling but mine don't. On my wallke I can unplug the cadence sensor and it works great.
 
blakeman62 said:
The reason I'm asking this question is because I'm looking at buying an ebike in the future. How important is having a throttle on an ebike? Does anyone who bought a ebike with a throttle wishes they had not bought an ebike without a throttle or vice versa? Please list of pros and cons to a throttle.
Click to expand...
To me the throttle is a must have. When you need get going in a hurry or need power (speed) instantly for safety reasons, like when stopped at a busy intersection that you have been waiting for a green light and you want to get across and get back into the "safety" of a bike lane, the throttle can be very, very helpful. I would never have an ebike in the city without a throttle. Good luck and I hope this helps.
 
The throttle is a must for me.
- I "always" leave the gearing too high when I stop, or taking off out of my driveway. It is SO nice to just bump the throttle up to 10-ish and then let the pedal take over.
- Making a quick start at a busy intersection and making the light are favorites too.
- Tight slow turns, absolutely.
- My wife is quite hesitant and tends to freak out in stressful situations. She now simplifies her mental decision tree by using the throttle to ease or romp her way way through. She feels much safer with the throttle in busy close intersections or crowded trails.
- None of the trails we frequent are patrolled or posted wrt to throttles but if pressed I'm sure I could pop them off.

Good luck on your decision.
 

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