What is Pedal Assist? HOVSCO

What is Pedal Assist?

It's one of the best things about electric bikes that you can put in as much or as little work as you like.

The best way to learn how it works is to hop on one of our bikes and take it for a spin, but if you can't do that, learning about pedal assist (PAS) is a close second.

Okay, so what is pedal assist?

Our bikes are all equipped with electric motors. Your ride will have a little more oomph with it.

As soon as you activate it, you'll notice that pedal strokes become easier. That's what the pedal assist does.

On the left handlebar of all our bikes is an easy-to-use display. Using the up and down arrows, you can control how much power is sent to your pedals (actually your wheel, but your pedals are where you will feel it).

Start at a low setting, like level 1, so that you'll feel like you're being guided by a steady hand.

After you get used to that, you can experiment with higher settings, which give you just a tad more help to putting a lot of power behind each stroke (up to 750 watts in the U.S. -- the equivalent of 1 horsepower).

The beauty of this is that you can choose how much juice comes from the motor. When you stop pedaling, it stops working, so you won't have to worry about losing control.

How does it work?

Pedal assist uses a cadence sensor built into the drivetrain. 

The sensor detects when the rider is revolving the pedals and signals the electric motor to provide the level of pedal assistance selected by the rider.

What about the throttle?

Pedal assist is only the beginning. Our bikes (in the U.S. and Canada) all have a throttle on the right handlebar that allows you to move without pedaling.

By giving it a twist, you will be able to ride your bike without pedaling. You can use this feature if you need to quickly reach 20 mph or if your legs are tired after pedaling all day.


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