Originally Posted by
Caretaker
I'm not an engineer but to me using a lower gear going up hill is spreading the effort over more turns of the pedal thus reducing the effort required for each revolution. You go slower but it's still your power not anyone or anything else's.
Adding a motor even to assist radically changes the experience just as if you decided to hold onto a passing slow-moving motor vehicle. It may well be more fun but you still haven't cycled up that hill.
Don't know about "radically", Unless you get an E-Bike with a throttle and use it without pedaling, but yes it does change the experience. Depending on why you use E-Assist, or an E-Bike...
Because you need to, can't ride a real bike...
Because it's easier...
Because it's more fun...
Because you want to ride where bicycles are allowed but you don't want to pedal...
And no you can't say you made it up the hill because you only made it part of the way once you minus the assist effort...