16x climbing ability question

[RetroThruster]

Newbie question here, I have a 16x and am really enjoying it but when I climb my driveway which is approx 1200 ft long and goes up a steep ridge it slows to a crawl for the first 300 feet or so, I asked my neighbor who built my house how steep it was and he said that you climb 17 feet elevation for every 100 feet traveled, not sure how else to figure it but it is very steep, I'm just wondering if I'm expecting too much to zip right up it.  Oh, I weigh 215 lbs.

[RockyTop]

The discretion of your driveway reminds me of that old white house on Dayton Pike with the driveway that crosses the giant hill yard. You can see that house from miles away. 

When you say "slows to a crawl " Unless it is beeping you are the one slowing to a crawl. You are fighting physics and weight distribution. I have an old video for that. 

 

[RetroThruster]

Hmm, okay, I am familiar with that driveway you mention, I'll take another look at it but I'm thinking mine is steeper, it's like fall down it steep for the first couple hundred feet.  I recently put a cover on mine thinking it might help me clamp down on it more but it really didn't do much, I feel like I was clamped down on it pretty well before the cover but I'll keep cranking on it to see if I can get it moving more and induce some beeps, I appreciate the insight.

Edited December 13, 2019 by RetroThruster

[RockyTop]

I am sure yours is steeper. 17 grade is very steep. 

Just be careful. Most beginners say that it is difficult going up hills. ..... My wife sure did.  She said that she would rather walk up. 

I notice hills. I don't mind them.  I just shift one foot forward and put weight on the front edge of the pedal. 

Edited December 13, 2019 by RockyTop

[Mike Sacristan]

The 16X has very good hill climbing abilities.
I find it climbs easier in the medium pedal mode.
Body posture and foot placement matter as well.
Which pedal mode are you using?
Which firmware version?
How long have you been riding?
Have you had a previous wheel?
What is the fastest you have gone on the 16X?

17% grade is barely 10 degrees.

Here is a 23 degree slope:

 

[RetroThruster]

Hey Mike, I'm not sure what pedal mode is to be honest but I'll check it out.  As far as steepness it's at least as steep as what y'all are climbing, maybe we're talking about different ways to calculate it but it's definitely not less than half as steep as what you are climbing.  I'll try to get a video of it.  I'm on the latest 1.07 firmware and have been riding 2.5 months but only about 100 miles.  My average speed last time was 32mph with a max of 31, explain that one, lol, that was on the Kingsong app so I don't know what actual speed is, it sure doesn't feel like 31.  I'll keep working on it, like RockyTop said, if it ain't beepin, it ain't working 100%, it's rider error..

[RetroThruster]

57 minutes ago, RockyTop said:

I am sure yours is steeper. 17 grade is very steep. 

Just be careful. Most beginners say that it is difficult going up hills. ..... My wife sure did.  She said that she would rather walk up. 

I notice hills. I don't mind them.  I just shift one foot forward and put weight on the front edge of the pedal. 

Here's an idea, next time you're out this way, stop by Lovell Road and ride this thing up my hill.  I like hills too, I do wonder when going down my driveway though if I lose brakes what would happen, it wouldn't look pretty.

[RockyTop]

20 minutes ago, RetroThruster said:

 I do wonder when going down my driveway though if I lose brakes what would happen, it wouldn't look pretty.

Don’t worry, gravely will catch you.  

I have never wrecked going down. I have wrecked going up.

I would expect that you would land on your posterior and watch your wheel become a wheel of destruction. 

 

[RetroThruster]

17 minutes ago, RockyTop said:

Don’t worry, gravely will catch you.  

I have never wrecked going down. I have wrecked going up.

I would expect that you would land on your posterior and watch your wheel become a wheel of destruction. 

 

That's insane!!  I want one:) 

[Mike Sacristan]

6 hours ago, RetroThruster said:

Hey Mike, I'm not sure what pedal mode is to be honest but I'll check it out.  As far as steepness it's at least as steep as what y'all are climbing, maybe we're talking about different ways to calculate it but it's definitely not less than half as steep as what you are climbing.  I'll try to get a video of it.  I'm on the latest 1.07 firmware and have been riding 2.5 months but only about 100 miles.  My average speed last time was 32mph with a max of 31, explain that one, lol, that was on the Kingsong app so I don't know what actual speed is, it sure doesn't feel like 31.  I'll keep working on it, like RockyTop said, if it ain't beepin, it ain't working 100%, it's rider error..

Yeah if he says 17 feet elevation for 100 feet then that's 17/100*100 which gives 17%.
If it would be 100 feet elevation for 100 feet then thats 100/100*100 which fives 100%.

You should be able to measure the slope with a moderately modern phone and a level app.
If you are doing ~31mph then you are familiar with forward lean and how to get up to speed so I don't see it as much as a technique issue then. The 16X is tricky at top speed it really doesn't feel fast because it's so stable.

I'm a pretty light guy but I still have to worker hard on the hard pedal mode. I also tend to have my feet a bit more forward when climbing hills.

[Aneta]

23 hours ago, RetroThruster said:

Newbie question here, I have a 16x and am really enjoying it but when I climb my driveway which is approx 1200 ft long and goes up a steep ridge it slows to a crawl for the first 300 feet or so, I asked my neighbor who built my house how steep it was and he said that you climb 17 feet elevation for every 100 feet traveled, not sure how else to figure it but it is very steep, I'm just wondering if I'm expecting too much to zip right up it.  Oh, I weigh 215 lbs.

You can easilty measure road grades in Google Earth, see here and a couple of posts below: 

Just make sure to drag mouse over elevation profile graph to select some part of the road to see average grade for that part, because point values are inaccurate, but averages are.

[RetroThruster]

Just a quick update, I've climbed my driveway several more times and have found that if I approach it at approx 10-12 mph it climbs much better, it slows a little but not bad, and I'm not having to crank on it too much so I'm happy.  I've found that starting at a near standstill is much more challenging, not saying that it won't accelerate while climbing but clearly has a certain rpm where it's happier.  I had an Alta Redshift electric super moto bike that liked a certain rpm before it took off and boy did it, if you crack the throttle to the stop at 40 mph, you'd better be ready or it would be on top of you:)

Edited December 22, 2019 by RetroThruster

[RetroThruster]

On 12/13/2019 at 7:00 PM, Mike Sacristan said:

The 16X has very good hill climbing abilities.
I find it climbs easier in the medium pedal mode.
Body posture and foot placement matter as well.
Which pedal mode are you using?
Which firmware version?
How long have you been riding?
Have you had a previous wheel?
What is the fastest you have gone on the 16X?

17% grade is barely 10 degrees.

Here is a 23 degree slope:

 

Hey Mike,  would you mind sharing how to adjust pedal modes?  I've looked thru the kingsong app and must be overlooking it.

[EUC Custom Power-Pads]

It's the "riding mode". 

[RetroThruster]

Oh, duh, I'm still not used to their wording, I guess I was looking for "pedal mode", many thanks!!

[EUC Custom Power-Pads]

But the bicycle symbol cannot be overlooked and is absolutely clear what it is for, isn't it? 

[RetroThruster]

On 12/25/2019 at 3:51 PM, buell47 said:

But the bicycle symbol cannot be overlooked and is absolutely clear what it is for, isn't it? 

Lol, certainly.  Tough crowd here. I'll limit my questions here from now on.

[RockyTop]

On 12/25/2019 at 3:51 PM, buell47 said:

But the bicycle symbol cannot be overlooked and is absolutely clear what it is for, isn't it? 

Why do they use a bike symbol!? It seems anti unicycle to me. I like the literal Chinese translation better. Electric one wheel cart. The US customs translation ended up being “electric wheelbarrow”. 

[mrelwood]

1 hour ago, RockyTop said:

Why do they use a bike symbol!? It seems anti unicycle to me.

Unlike the actual riding modes called ”Experient” and... tadaa: ”Cycling”?