Sorry to hear about your Ribble. I've not thrown a leg over one but my Orbea Gain is my favourite bike.
Ebikes vary massively. How the transition to above the cutoff feels depends on the bike, weight and motor power and the controller programming. Hub drive vs mid drive doesn’t come into it. On the Bosch engined hardtail it’s very noticeable due to the high torque and the weight of the bike. On the DIY rear hub conversion hybrid it‘s very noticeable because it’s a simple cadence sensor. In fact as long as the chain wheel is going round the motor gets power, so “ghost pedalling“ is very easy, and quite fun.
On the Gain however it’s very subtle especially in the low and mid assist levels. I think it’s because it’s relatively low torque, but also the controller tails off the assist subtly. Orbea (Mahle) claim 44nm but as a "crank motor equivalent". I've no idea what that means but I read somewhere it's really only 17nm which feels more accurate. The XF08 motor on my converted bike claims 45nm and has much more shove.
However on steep stuff turning the assist off is very noticeable. It definitely works. If your Ribble doesn't feel like it's making a difference there's something wrong.
I also wonder if your discs are dragging. This might explain both the brakes not feeling keen and the motor wheel stopping in 1 revolution: mine spins to a stop in 4-5 revs from a "finger on spoke shove". So more friction than a normal bike hub but not much. I find the Tiagra hydraulic brakes great at stopping, wet or dry, totally confidence inducing and practically maintenance free. I've checked pad wear obviously but not had to do anything else at all in 14 months. I have changed pads on the hybrid (Tektro hydro discs) once in 4 years.
Ebikes vary massively. How the transition to above the cutoff feels depends on the bike, weight and motor power and the controller programming. Hub drive vs mid drive doesn’t come into it. On the Bosch engined hardtail it’s very noticeable due to the high torque and the weight of the bike. On the DIY rear hub conversion hybrid it‘s very noticeable because it’s a simple cadence sensor. In fact as long as the chain wheel is going round the motor gets power, so “ghost pedalling“ is very easy, and quite fun.
On the Gain however it’s very subtle especially in the low and mid assist levels. I think it’s because it’s relatively low torque, but also the controller tails off the assist subtly. Orbea (Mahle) claim 44nm but as a "crank motor equivalent". I've no idea what that means but I read somewhere it's really only 17nm which feels more accurate. The XF08 motor on my converted bike claims 45nm and has much more shove.
However on steep stuff turning the assist off is very noticeable. It definitely works. If your Ribble doesn't feel like it's making a difference there's something wrong.
I also wonder if your discs are dragging. This might explain both the brakes not feeling keen and the motor wheel stopping in 1 revolution: mine spins to a stop in 4-5 revs from a "finger on spoke shove". So more friction than a normal bike hub but not much. I find the Tiagra hydraulic brakes great at stopping, wet or dry, totally confidence inducing and practically maintenance free. I've checked pad wear obviously but not had to do anything else at all in 14 months. I have changed pads on the hybrid (Tektro hydro discs) once in 4 years.
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