Hi,

I need advice on whether to put an electric motor on my bike or to add gears (or get a bike with more gears) to help me get up hills in hot weather.

I have a seven speed bike that I have been using to go to the grocery store 2.7 miles away over a fairly flat route. Occasionally, I go to locations up to ten miles away with more substantial hills on the route and where I am active for several hours (doing wildlife photography, packing heavy equipment). The main problem is that in the hot humid summer weather, I don't enjoy getting near heat stroke climbing hills on the bike. I like the exercise in the cooler weather.

I would appreciate any advice and suggestions on what to do? Put an electric motor on my bike to assist getting up hills, or get more gears?


Thanks in advance.

Seems pretty extreme to put on a motor for riding a few miles up a hill occasionally. I might just try walking it up the hill.

If you post what your gearing is, folks could help you decide if easier gearing is possible and what it involves. If you get a motor, you are moving into an activity other than cycling, which may or may not matter to you. If you enjoy cycling when it is not too hot, you'll be hampered by the weight of the motor and you may find the bike is ruined for actual cycling.

Ride more. Get stronger. F motors.

Pain is weakness leaving the body.

Having a bike that fits you with appropriate gearing for where you ride can make a big difference in how much you enjoy the ride. Maybe you could stop by a bike store and test ride a few bikes.

https://www.radpowerbikes.com/produc...nt=23990617281

The number of gears usually isn't as important as the range of available gear ratios you've got (for most people at least). You might also want to take a look at your bike fit, since that can make a huge difference regardless of what gearing you have.

My bike has one chainring with 46 teeth.

The 7 speed cassette goes from 16 to 34 teeth.

(The # of teeth are approximate, I counted 90 degrees and multiplied by 4)

46/34 is quite high as a lowest gear.
If you want both better climbing and to retain your high gears, get a smaller chainring (maybe a 34) and a cassette rear wheel with an 11T smallest.
If you can do without top end, only replace the chainring.

Climbing will always be warmer work though. Even with gears enough to stay at the same effort, the lower speed means there's less airflow to keep you cool.

...yeah you probably want lower gearing. Is this on a generic upright bike?

How much do you weigh? It might be easier to lose weight.

Or you could change the front chainring to something smaller.

Go to your bike shop and ask about more gears. You can get a 7 speed cassette with a wider range of gears (I've got 12-32 on a bike I'm trying to sell, that's a 7 speed). After that though, ask about a double or triple crankset which help make best use of your rear cassette. You're probably best off going to more than 7 gears but you're heading into territory where you'll need new shifters.

An alternative is to buy an old bike with the gearing you want and just change it over. If you're lucky enough to have a community bike workshop nearby, you can probably source second hand parts there too.

An expensive but practical solution is to get a Shimano 8 speed hub built into your rear wheel. Those things need little maintenance (just oil the change basically) and would suit the lifestyle you describe.

The trouble with all the alternatives is that it can get expensive in a hurry if you're not careful, then again, I can't imagine electrifying your bike is cheap.

You'll find that the most cost effective way will probably be to buy a new bike so don't ignore that option.

As for motors on bikes, personally, I can't see the point. Buy/build the bike for the job and you don't need the motor, but people will get upset with me for that.

I would guess that you have a 7 speed FREEWHEEL, and not a cassette. Not that it makes a huge difference (except when replacing it).

Post some photos of the bike, crankset/chainring, and freewheel. One-piece cranksets are common. Apparently the chainrings can be replaced, and aren't too expensive (also a good time to lube the bottom bracket).

But, you could easily end up spending $50 on parts if you're going to a wider range freewheel and a smaller chainring.

Tools?

Count the teeth on the freewheel a bit more precisely. 14T or 15T? Perhaps remove the rear wheel to count them.

DNP Epoch makes an 11-32 freewheel.
https://www.niagaracycle.com/categor...-nickel-plated

The tooth progression isn't uniform, so it is quite a jump from 24T to 32T. "escape gear". But, by dropping a few teeth at the top end, you can go with a smaller chainring and not loose power at the top, while getting easier at the bottom.

You can switch to a double, or triple crankset and get better lower gearing, but the downside is that cranking up significant hills in hot humid weather is still going to be hot and tiring. It's not going to be all that cheap since you need a whole new crankset and shifter levers, new chain probably. I'm assuming that you have a 1x7 setup.

Try lower gearing before throwing in the towel with a motor.

Smaller front chainring seems like the most obvious solution. If you miss your highest gearing, then get a cassette or freewheel with wider gearing.

I ride lots of km with a 1x9 or 1x10, your 1x7 could use a smaller chain ring.
Suggest replacing the 46 with a 39. Should be easy to do, not cost a lot and get you lower gearing.

+1. Cheap and easy to try before you spend a lot of money an electric motor.