SKILL 1: CROUCHING TIGER
E-bikes might be way heavier than regular bikes, but rider weight is still by far the largest chunk of overall mass being pulled uphill on a climb. Adding assistance obviously makes it easier to climb up much steeper and more sustained pitches than with leg power alone, but the motor also necessitates a different approach to maintaining traction and balance.
With this crouching tiger position you can harness more of the assist without wasting power, overcooking it or unsettling rider balance. Basically, if the incline gets too steep or ground conditions are lacking sufficient traction, this is a technique to get you way higher than a more upright riding stance ever will.
Crucial to this is compressing your body weight downwards to get your centre of gravity as close to the middle of the bike as possible. That way, weight is more evenly distributed between tyre contact patches to get power and bite down on the ground. That is the best way to utilise the extra drive, without the front wheel rising into a wheelie and looping the bike out or forcing you off the back.
On an e-bike, weight has to be slightly more rearward than a regular bike to prevent the rear tyre from spinning out. This is because there’s extra drive where the rubber connects to uneven trail surfaces and means it’s way easier to fire out loose stones or spin-up on greasier surfaces than when cranking uphill with your legs alone. If your rear tyre does break traction you’ll probably ground to a halt as your cranks will surge forwards violently with no ground connection.
Maximum traction on an e-bike comes from the rear tyre having sufficient weight loaded into it to allow the knobs to bite. It’s also vital to try and maintain a smooth power transfer to keep that grip continuous.
By almost exaggerating how low you get and having a flatter back and more rearward hips, it’s easier to load both tyres simultaneously and ensure power delivery is syncing with the ground, driving you and the bike forward.