Experience is a valuable teacher

Last week I did a ride on a rail trail with my ebike.  This trail has a crushed limestone base most of the way.  I had ridden this many times years ago and felt that I had a good sense of how I would feel on the ride.  

From the beginning I felt very sluggish and turned on the e-assist to help me.  I continued to need the assist consistently for miles and I could feel that I needed to rely on the help to keep my usual pace.  Looking at my battery power level I noticed that I only had half the battery left after only ten miles.  I was seven miles from the turnaround and I was ten miles from the start.  I would need to make a new plan for the rest of the ride.

1. Turn off motor assist
2. Shift to easier gears in complete the planned route. One option is always go a shorter distance. Don't worry about my speed or the time. 
3. Use power if needed, but been very conservative. I would be doing some pedaling.
4. Turn on the power when I get back to this spot to use what I have left.

The plan worked and I used every bit of the battery.

Lesson 1:  There is a learning curve when using an ebike when you want to go long distances.  If you are only  going for a half hour ride on the local trail or commuting, you would just use whatever power you want and not worry about conservation.

 I covered 40 miles.  I had to be careful how I use the power.  Luckily in this situation I knew the topography and trail conditions ahead of me and this gave me confidence in the plan.

Lesson 2:  Check the air pressure in your tires before you go on a ride.  I did not do this and I realized that low tire pressure was the main reason for my sluggish ride. A guide may say to inflate tires like this to 25 PSI for riding trails.  I was on rail trails and did not have roots, rocks, ruts and holes.  The tire sidewalls guided inflation to 35-66 PSI.  The next day I had 10 PSI, so no wonder I could not move easily. Use a gauge to check the tire pressure.  I cannot gauge this by pushing with my fingers.

Using the ebike gave me an indication of the power that I am needing to keep my pace.  I do not think that I would normally use my battery power.  I will do the ride again and see how much power I use with more full tires.

Now I will check all tires before I head out on a ride and inflate to the appropriate level for the situation.

---