An alternative to torque and rpm pedal assist

[MikeSSS]

An alternative to torque or rpm pedal assist is to use the cruise control on a Cycle Analyst V3. Throttle along with CA V3 cruise control works very well. The only pedal assists I've liked have been on the Bosch torque sensor mid drive Trek bikes and the Bafang Ultra torque sensor mid drive. Bosch doesn't have a throttle and so it's hard for me to get started on an uphill. Bafang's Ultra is easy to get started on an uphill because of the throttle and the throttle and the torque pedal assist work well together.

I set my CA V3 cruise to start after 2 seconds of constant speed. After the cruise is set, I pedal with the effort that is comfortable or desired. Speed will decrease when climbing, so I downshift to keep cadence. Speed will increase on descents, so I upshift to keep cadence, or coast with cruise on, or turn off the cruise and pedal or coast. Shifting does not change the cruise setting. Also there is a visual on the CA display that shows you if cruise can be set and what level of cruise you will get or what level you are in. Speed in cruise can be as slow as perhaps 1/3 mph, when walking the bike up something steep and difficult, up to a high cruising speed.

Cruise disconnect is done by advancing the throttle a bit but not to the point of adding power, or advancing the throttle to add some power, or by tapping the brake levers, or by using the brakes.

CA V3 has three throttle modes: Pass Thru, Current and Power, these are also known as Pass Thru, Amps and Watts. Cruise works best in the Pass Thru mode.

Before getting the CA V3 I thought cruise was probably a bad idea, I was wrong. Yesterday I rode 34.2 miles, probably 34 of that was in cruise. Pedal effort in cruise ranged from coasting to pedaling hard when that felt good. ETA: I probably pedaled 34 miles out of that 34.2. Pedaled while using cruise.

Hope this helps somebody.

 

[Bigwheel]

I've been using that system for the last three years on my front hub road bikes. As much as I like the torque assist on my eMTBs, TSDZ2's, for the higher cadence demands of road riding to "keep it on the pipe" I find any sort of PAS to be too nebulous. Set it and pedaling in whatever gear is appropriate for the situation is very natural feeling as the pedal resistance is not overridden by motor input as it just stays constant and takes up for a less than perfect spin on my part.

I have a regen button that also cancels the cruise function along with the throttle. I also use the watt selector feature that I access with another button to select my preferred top watt output from 250/500/750/1000 depending on whether I want to get more mileage or more smileage.

 

[MikeSSS]

That is very interesting, you have taken this in an interesting direction.

I wish there was a resume button, that worked like resume on car cruise controls.

 

[Balmorhea]

KT controllers have a cruise function that maintains the throttle position at the moment it's set. I like it in principle, but in practice I have too many stops and too much traffic to use it effectively. If I rode for recreation, on bike paths or back roads, I'd probably use it more.

It seems like it would be a good tool for maximizing range, when that's a factor. I configured my controller to limit the throttle to the assist level I have set. That's the form of cruise control that works for me in my riding environment.

 

[PeteCress]

The only pedal assists I've liked have been on the Bosch torque sensor mid drive Trek bikes and the Bafang Ultra torque sensor mid drive.

What is your impression of the relative noise levels of the two drives?

The Ultra has steel gears and I am guessing Bosch uses nylon.

Conventional wisdom seems tb that steel is noisier, but I have to wonder how much...

 

[TDB]

I use a Grin Aux pot with 1K resistor as my throttle. Throttle is power, could also be amps. On drop bars I roll it with a forefinger, on flat bars it can be rolled with a thumb. Takes a little getting used to, but it works. It stays where I set it. Also 6kph minimum, 50rpm minimum and ebrake cut off for what should be obvious safety reasons. Also speed limiting. Mostly I leave it at the same setting. In tight spaces I learnt to use the rear brake just enough to activate the ebrake cut off.

 

[donn]

An alternative to torque or rpm pedal assist is to use the cruise control on a Cycle Analyst V3.

My KH Infineon 4 clone (KH606? Don't really know) has a cruise control feature, and I agree that it's worth considering as in some ways an alternative to PAS. Though in a way it's the opposite - for me anyway, it's sort of an odd thing to pump the pedals extra hard for whatever reason, and see no effect on speed. Watts goes down, speed stays the same. Where on a PAS people seem to enjoy the feeling of the bicycle responding to their leg input with that extra power.

I suppose it's good for a "voltage" throttle, and not so good for a "amps" or "torque" throttle. I use it all the time, though I'm always in the city. I put it on a switch, but I've never switched it off and by now I don't remember where the switch is.