Why All SENIORS Should Have Gears on Their Electric Bike! What's The Benefit of Gears on an EBike

Why gears on an e-bike are great for senior riders? Hey everyone, I'm Dustin. I have nearly 20 years of experience in the bike and e-bike industry. And today we're going to talk about why gears on an e-bike are great for senior riders. Right here, I've got two e-bikes that are awesome for senior riders because of their geometry and low step-through heights. This is the Simple Step through 500 watts, and this is the EVRYjourney 500 watt with a forward pedaling design.Okay, now on e-bikes, when we talk about the assistance of the motor, we talk about the electric assist or the pedal assist. That's how it's typically referenced. Now, when I say gears or speeds, I'm talking about gears or speeds just like on a regular bicycle. Now, if you can notice on these two bikes right here, we have what's called derailleurs back here. That's what moves the chain from the rear sprockets to create the different gears or speeds. Not every electric bike has gears or speeds.

There are some single-speed e-bikes. So what that means is you only have one level of resistance, let's say, in your pedaling, right? So, no matter what, with one gear, it's always going to be that level of difficulty when you pedal. Now, the disadvantage of that is when you're climbing hills, you can't shift down into an easier gear to make it easier to pedal. And then when you reach higher speeds, you can't shift up to make it more difficult to pedal, but that will match the speed, and you'll be able to go faster. So with a single speed, you get one gear that is hopefully best for all the riding you're doing, whether it's hills, flat ground, or some higher speed riding. Now, of course, you are gonna have the electric assist, right? So if you are climbing hills and you only have a single speed, you can still utilize the assistance of the motor. And on flat ground, you obviously can shift and utilize the assistance of the motor as well. Now the problem is, you're not always going to be able to match the cadence of your pedaling with the assistance you're getting from the motor.

And what I mean by that is with a single gear, if you have it in your highest level of assistance, your legs are gonna be spinning fast, and you're not going to be putting much tension on the pedals because the motor's gonna be overpowering you. Now, if you had a higher gear to shift into, it'd become more difficult for you to pedal, which would slow down your pedaling cadence and better match the assistance that you're getting from the motor. Maybe a little confusing for some of you, but I swear I'm explaining it as best I can. So, a single speed just doesn't give you the ability to match your cadence to the assistance. Also, if you are going to do a lot of hills, it is nice to have those lower gears like the one-speed, the one gear, the two gear, because it becomes much easier to climb hills. Also, if you ever plan to ride without utilizing the assistance of the motor or you like to ride with lower assistance, having the gear ratio again is great for that because you can keep it in a lower gear, which makes it easier for you to pedal, then you don't have to rely on the assistance of the motor as much.

The other thing too is that as you build your leg strength, and you do wanna utilize a higher gear, you can do that. But as you're starting and building your leg strength and maybe your legs don't have the muscle that you used to, you don't wanna put it in a higher gear because it's gonna be more difficult to pedal. So you can keep it in a lower gear, get your legs warm, build that strength, and over time, you can continue to shift up the gears and utilize the whole range of the speeds actually and get going much faster if you want to at any point. So it's nice because if you're getting back onto a bike and it is an e-bike and you haven't ridden for a long time, having those gears or speeds makes it easy to find the right gear or speed that is suited for where your body is at. Now, with that said, adding the gears does add a shifter to your e-bike. So you're gonna be controlling your electric assist typically on your left hand, and with gears, they're typically gonna be controlled by your right hand. So it'll either be a twist shifter for the gear, or it'll be a thumb trigger shifter that you'll press to shift the gears. Now, when you're just starting out riding an e-bike, it may be too overwhelming for you to mess with the gears.

But over time, when you get comfortable, I promise you'll enjoy having those, and you will start to learn what gear is appropriate for which hill or which flat ground section or what speed I'm going. And so it'll just make the overall riding experience that much smoother and nicer for you. It's kind of like a car, right? If you were always driving in first gear, the car wouldn't always be performing as well as possible. But when you add in those multiple gears, and the car automatically shifts, it finds the right gear for the right circumstance. Now, on a bicycle, the rider has to do that, and you have to shift it manually. So if you're just starting on an e-bike, take your time. Don't force yourself to use the gears right away. As you get comfortable and you ensure you can ride safely, then you introduce the gear, and I guarantee you'll love having them on your rides.

Now, have any other questions or comments about gears on an e-bike? Put them below or reach out to us, theteam@sixthreezero.com, or call us at 310-982-2877. In addition to that, we offer a 30-day test ride on your e-bike policy. If you don't love it in the first 30 days, send it back. No questions asked, no money out of your pocket. In addition to that, we have a test ride location here in beautiful San Clemente, California. It's 1046 Calle Recoto, Unit K, Sixthreezero. Come on out, take a test ride, and figure out which one you love before you buy it. Now, we are also going to warranty everything for one year. If anything goes wrong in the first year, we'll take care of it. Parts and labor. And lastly, join our community. We have a Facebook group with thousands of members. Join the group so you can talk to existing riders to ensure you're making the right choice before you purchase. Then, when you have yours, post in the group, make friends, and finally download our app to track your rides and compete on the leaderboard. So thanks for sticking around, and don't forget, it's your journey or experience. Enjoy the ride.