Would a 50Nm torque motor get me up steep hills?

[a.twiddler]

Sounds sensible... though I've yet to meet a 'processional cyclist'. Do they cycle in the Lord Mayor's Procession in London?

Perhaps a processional cyclist is one who habitually rides in a peloton, rather than on their own?

 

[albion]

I don't (have never) ridden an e-bike but in terms of "get me up steep hills?" I thought e-bike motors provide an assist. So isn't the question more how much help would I get from <x> Nm up steep hills.

ie a 50 Nm motor won't get you up a steep hill, you'll need to put some muscle in as well and that's more of a "how long is a piece of string" as a 25 year old processional cyclist will give a very different answer from a 92 year old couch potato.
Or have I misunderstood e-bikes?

I reckon with mid drive, 50nm will get you up any hill without pedalling. You just need to adapt the bike to have correct ultra low gear ratio.
Or should I be saying 'ultra slow gear ratio' ?

 

[fossyant]

What ever e-bike you go with, you need one that has sufficient gears still to get you up said hill and make the most of the assistance.

What sort of riding do you do. Road bike, hybrid, MTB ?

 

[Anthony-C]

For hub drives each 10Nm should be worth another 3% off the perceived gradient, although they'll only manage that in the lowest third of their speed range and not for long. Often the best way to avoid overheating is to pedal as hard as you can sustain and add high assistance to get it over with quickly. 50Nm is nearing tops for a quality hub drive bike in the UK.

Cheap bikes tend to quote maximum specs for components but don't always achieve that when they're combined.

 

[albion]

Yup, I view the hills as 'interval training'. I am convinced that there is a speed/incline point where the assist becomes near zero so g.f.i. is the correct action for motor efficiency.

 

[fossyant]

Don't have an e-bike but there is a point where pedalling efficiency is where you need a decent cadence to ensure you can get up, and it's the same with keeping the motor on assist. I can't imagine grinding up out of the saddle is efficient to keep the motor on a decent assist level, being able to pedal and put in enough pressure for the assist to help is where it's needed. OP, how steep are the hills you want to get up ?

 

[OldShep]

Hire one from the Rusty Bike café and take a ride to Osmotherly. That hill out of Swainby will tell you all you need to know.
https://www.yorkshirebikehire.co.uk/

 

[This Wreckage]

What ever e-bike you go with, you need one that has sufficient gears still to get you up said hill and make the most of the assistance.

What sort of riding do you do. Road bike, hybrid, MTB ?

It's mostly around my town, with day trips in the countryside where I occasionally encounter steep hills. It's a hybrid e-bike I'm thinking of buying such as the Trek District+ 3 Lowstep Belt.

 

[fossyant]

Hmm, only 8 speed belt drive, ideal around town, but it you hit something very steep you might be pushing. How steep is steep though ? One person's steep is just a bump. 5%, 20% ?

 

[SteveH80]

Yes, I've spent fifty years cycling hills and never liking them, so if an e-bike can keep me out enjoying the hilly countryside on nice days - I'm just a wussy leisure rider - then that's good enough as I get older.

That sounds like a similar position to me.
I opted for a Specialized SL4, a lightweight hybrid roadbike. The mid motor is only 35Nm but in combination with the lowest gear we climb things without too much suffering.
The battery is something like 320w, I only use the motor when I need it so it's enough for me. There is a range extender battery but that's an extra weight and cost I'm not needing at the moment.
As for range 35 miles and 4000ft of climbing (including that horrible beastie twixt St John's Chapel and Langdon Beck in the North Pennines) uses about 60-70% battery.
I suppose it all depends on how much assistance you want.

 

[fossyant]

I would suggest test riding something similar and see if it's suitable.

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

Hmm, only 8 speed belt drive, ideal around town, but it you hit something very steep you might be pushing. How steep is steep though ? One person's steep is just a bump. 5%, 20% ?

Other aspect, how long? eg if only ¼ mile but steep, personally I'd just get off and push. Loaded (with full camping gear) I find <7 mph and I'll get off and push anyway.

 

[annedonnelly]

Some of the e-bikes have a walk assist mode to help you push them up hills.

 

[albion]

Some of the e-bikes have a walk assist mode to help you push them up hills.

Those walk buttons can be difficult to use for longer walks !
Most I believe have the walk mode.

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

For what's worth, I did a very gentle ~2 hour eride after dinner last night. On the way home I came up Chalk Hill, ~0.3 miles 130 feet, averages ~6% but peaks at ~12%. In my easiest gear (30t front, 34t sprocket) with max 250W assist, my heart rate rose from 130 to max of 146bpm up the hill's steepest bit 5-12%. But it was only a 2mins30sec hill.