Forum Discussion

Wim's avatar
Wim
Steady Solver
2 years ago
Solved

Pedal assist preference on ebike

In citibike help pages I see this info

https://help.citibikenyc.com/hc/en-us/articles/360039406631-Riding-with-an-ebike

In instances where there are no classic bikes at a station, members can now rent one of our new, next-gen silver ebikes in “classic mode.” This means that you can rent this ebike for no extra charge, but there will be little to no e-assist for the ride. 

To make this choice, you’ll see a screen after scanning the QR code that allows you to choose between riding with full assist or riding with low assist. 

But in divvy (chicago) help pages, which otherwise looks pretty similar, it doesn't have that section

https://help.divvybikes.com/hc/en-us/articles/360046649911-Riding-with-an-ebike

We have those same bikes as NYC, except they have a cable lock fitted for docking out of station.  Is the low-cost ebike ride also possible in Chicago, riding with low assist? If so, how to select it? If not, why not?

divvy
feedback
  • Wim's avatar
    Wim
    16 days ago

    I tried out the low-assist mode feature on Divvy today. Toggled on the setting in the app, and then when a station only had e-bikes available the low-assist mode was indeed selected by default, and the ride was free. The bike indicates it is in low-assist mode with a little message on the screen:

    I've also verified that a station with some classic bikes docked but with the dreaded red dot (i.e. unavailable) still has low-assist mode enabled when taking an e-bike.

    The bikes feel noticeably slower and heavier in low-assist mode, but there is still enough assist to get you going comfortably from a stand-still at a red light.

    This feature works as expected, no complaints - thanks!

     

5 Replies

  • Wim's avatar
    Wim
    Steady Solver
    16 days ago

    I tried out the low-assist mode feature on Divvy today. Toggled on the setting in the app, and then when a station only had e-bikes available the low-assist mode was indeed selected by default, and the ride was free. The bike indicates it is in low-assist mode with a little message on the screen:

    I've also verified that a station with some classic bikes docked but with the dreaded red dot (i.e. unavailable) still has low-assist mode enabled when taking an e-bike.

    The bikes feel noticeably slower and heavier in low-assist mode, but there is still enough assist to get you going comfortably from a stand-still at a red light.

    This feature works as expected, no complaints - thanks!

     

    • Jess's avatar
      Jess
      Bike Angels Team
      16 days ago

      Thank you for taking the time to document and share your experience with the feature. I'm so glad to hear it's meeting your expectations! Thank you for your contributions here and on the ground. 😊

  • Jess's avatar
    Jess
    Bike Angels Team
    2 years ago

    Hi, Wim , good question! This feature is currently not available for Divvy riders. As you mentioned, the dockless-capable nature of the Divvy system complicates introducing this feature a bit. Since the Divvy system is a hybrid model, supporting pedal bikes and ebikes alike, this feature isn't something we can currently support in Chicago.

    Thanks for posting your interest in this feature. Community feedback is super helpful for our team to pinpoint what riders and BAs really want and need. I've marked this conversation as feedback to track interest in this feature.

  • RedDragon's avatar
    RedDragon
    Steady Solver
    2 years ago

    Jesson a similar note, would you happen to know if there are Citi Bike has any plans to offer the option of low-assist mode for eBikes docked at stations that have classic bikes and not just when no classic bikes are available? For me there are two reasons why I'd like to see this:
    1. I'm 6'3 and get knee problems when using classic bikes for long distances or when going up hills because the seat doesn't go high enough, but the next-gen eBike seats do go to the ideal height for my size.

    2. On more than one occasion I don't get the pedal assist option for eBikes because there's one classic bike at a broken dock that can't be removed so I'm forced to pay for a full power eBike ride when I don't want to.

    • Jess's avatar
      Jess
      Bike Angels Team
      2 years ago

      Hey there, RedDragon, great question! Thank you for your post explaining the use cases for pedal assist. 

      I'll ask around on my end and see if I can learn anything about the future of this feature. This might be a good topic to post on it's own to deepen visibility and see if other Angels would like this feature. Feel free to create a new post. 😇