Why is my ebike easier to ride with no power on than my normal bike

[Leemi1982]

Hi trying to work out the problem with the 1 bike I have, it’s a cheap carrera axle or Parva they call it now it’s a hybrid bike and always struggled with it, I thought it was me just being unfit for a long time. I have bought recently purchased a carrera vengeance Ebike and love it so much easier, What’s confusing is I did a 24 mile bike ride On it yesterday with the first 12 miles with no power and felt could have gone further I just switched the power on for fun on the 12 mile Return journey.

however my carrera axle I feel I need a bit of rope to chew on just to do 2 to 3 miles I even had it serviced last week and made no difference Would this been down to cheap bikes. Surely a heavy ebike with no power should be harder to ride seems back to front.

 

[G3CWI]

Do the wheels and cranks spin freely?

 

[Leemi1982]

Yes it was also only serviced last week too

 

[vickster]

Tyres? Wheel size? Gearing?

Or just psychological as you have a new bike?

 

[Sharky]

Could the battery still have been giving assistance? Try removing the battery completely and see what it is like.

 

[nickyboy]

If your ride is really flat, the extra weight of the eBike will make little difference, the effort needed would be all about things like the tyres. If it's really flat and your eBike has a nice set of tyres compared to the hybrid, the eBike without assist may well be quicker

If your ride has some hills, you've either got an unresolved issue with the hybrid or the eBike is providing some assistance without you realising

 

[All uphill]

The wind behind you on your way out?

 

[CanucksTraveller]

If your ride has some hills, you've either got an unresolved issue with the hybrid or the eBike is providing some assistance without you realising

The wind behind you on your way out?

One of these for sure!
While Carrera might not be expensive bikes, I wouldn't put them in the really cheap bracket with say, the Apollos and the Bike Shaped Objects. They're more than serviceable, with a roadworthy one you shouldn't feel like you're struggling to do 2 to 3 miles.

Your eBike is assisting you, or you have a problem with the hybrid. Or you were being wind assisted on the eBike.
Tyre quality, I'm not convinced that would make this much of a noticeable difference. Tyre pressure might, if your tyres are half flat on the hybrid that will be an effort, but you did say it's been serviced so I've ruled that out.

 

[Brandane]

however my carrera axle I feel I need a bit of rope to chew on just to do 2 to 3 miles I even had it serviced last week and made no difference Would this been down to cheap bikes. Surely a heavy ebike with no power should be harder to ride seems back to front.

Who "serviced" it? If it was a big orange fronted shop starting with Hal and ending in fords, there's your answer. BTW; bikes don't really need "servicing", that's just a money making scam by some bike shops. A little bit of ongoing maintenance should keep it in good condition. Tyre pressures, oil the chain, keep nuts and bolts tight, adjust gears and brakes. That's it. Any problems you can't deal with yourself, yes, take it to your LBS.. But routine servicing? Complete waste of money IMHO..

 

[Leemi1982]

It was a local bike shop had trouble with gears on back thought it just needed tuning turns out it needed a new derailleur

 

[RichardB]

If I ride my ebike in town amongst pedestrians, I often turn the power off to a) avoid the surging which can be an issue at low speeds, and b) silence the whine of the motor which can attract unwanted attention. I can tell you that there is no way you could confuse an unpowered ebike with a normal bike. I once ran out of juice about 5 miles from home and failed to get up a hill which on a pushbike I can do without breaking sweat.

As others have said, you have had some assistance without realising*, or a tailwind, or your normal bike is faulty.

*My ebike has 6 power levels, and on level 2 it's just like riding a normal bike, except that someone has given me a better set of legs.

 

[CXRAndy]

If I ride my ebike in town amongst pedestrians, I often turn the power off to a) avoid the surging which can be an issue at low speeds

I presume your bike is a pedal assist type?

My wife's bike is torque sensing, so adds a percentage of pedal power applied by the rider- higher the level greater percentage of power is added. It rides like a normal bike, albeit quickly picks up speed when required

TSDZ2 open firmware

 

[craigwend]

https://www.halfords.com/bikes/elec...ntain-bike---16in-18in-20in-frame-693250.html

The spec may help those who understand these things to figure out if torque sensing assistance?

 

[RichardB]

I presume your bike is a pedal assist type?

Yes, it's a hub motor with a pedal sensor. On the road, all good, but for manoeuvring round the driveway or in between pedestrians, it can get a bit lurchy. Keeping a finger on a brake lever (instant cut in power) helps, but sometimes it's easier to treat is as a normal bike. My wife had a Raleigh with a torque sensor Bosch crank drive, and it was OK, but not significantly better than mine, I thought.