How to get more range out of your eMTB on long rides

Go anywhere with a new eMTB, and chances are someone will ask you how far you can ride with it. Just like an electric car, the range of an e-bike is a huge deciding factor for riders when they’re considering whether to get an eMTB, and what eMTB to get. While there are a couple of obvious factors like the size of the battery in Watt hours (Wh) and the level of support you use, the best answer to the question on range is probably also the most frustrating one: ‘it depends.’

There are a lot of minor, and not so minor, factors that will determine the range an eMTB will achieve, and a few tools to help you understand what that range is, and how to get the most out of your bike each and every ride.

Understand the modes of your system

This is probably the big one. While keeping your bike in Turbo is going to feel awesome, it might also mean that out of tight corners you’re also covering the brake more than needed and in general – wasting the capability of your eMTB battery to give you more range. Clearly, sticking your bike in ECO is going to give you excellent range, but for many of us ECO feels like a bit of a fail safe if you get too optimistic with the range you will have, and it doesn’t really equate to the amount of fun you could be have on the trail with your new eMTB.

READ: How to travel with your eMTB

To help fight decision fatigue and wondering if you’re in the best mode for the riding you’re doing, Bosch have two dynamic modes. You can select TOUR+ or EMTB. Both modes offer a very wide band of support that adapts to how you’re riding. EMTB will give up to 340% of support, and on a Smart System bike will included Extended Boost, whereby you still get support for a very short period after you stop pedalling. With the higher level of support, and the ongoing assistance fot hitting jumps or clearing obstacles – this is the choice when riding singletrack. When you need everything the system has got, you’ll get it. But when you’re cruising, the system will cruise with lower levels of support, preserving your battery and therefore extending your range.

The TOUR+ mode has all the dynamic response of EMTB but without the Extended Boost feature, and compared to EMTB mode you will find it has a slightly more natural feel at lower outputs on flatter terrain. While not specifically designed for the best mountain bike performance, this mode is another great one to use to optimise your range without losing assistance. 

Customise your modes

With the use of the Bosch Flow App, you can fine-tune all the modes available on your eMTB system. The modes can be easily customised via a slider on your phone screen – and you can quickly restore default settings if you feel like you got it wrong. You’er adjusting the support at first, which is the overall level of assistance available. The next thing to adjust is how dynamic the support is – think of this as how quickly the support becomes available. You can also reduce the top speed where the assistance cuts out, back from 25km/h. This may put more load on you depending on the terrain you are riding – but it can make a big difference to the range. Lastly, you can increase or decrease the level of torque, to the maximum of 85Nm. The higher torque provides more support, especially at lower cadences, which could include very steep climbing. If you reduce the torque here you will save on the work the system needs to do – and increase the range you can get. Some small adjustments across all the elements will add up! Of course, with the pre-programmed modes already offering different levels of support to find the right mixes between range and assistance – the Bosch engineers have done a pretty good job already. But if you like to tinker – you can.

Look after your battery

The battery on your eMTB is an expensive component, and a big part in getting the most range out of your bike not just on one ride, but for the lifespan of the battery. Charging and storage are two key things to consider. A battery should not be stored totally full or empty, and Bosch recommend 30-60% charge when storing.

READ: Is range anxiety still a thing?

When you charge your battery, it is best to do it at regular room temperature. So if your garage is in blazing sun it is not ideal – and for those with cold winters, charging in a frozen shed isn’t optimal either. Bosch also recommend disconnecting the charger after charging. While their charges won’t overload the battery, it pays to be careful. Bosch also recommend avoiding running your battery to empty frequently. 

In general, aim to store your battery as close to room temperature as possible, and prevent depleting it entirely too often or over-charging. All these things are small details on their own, but you’ll end up with more battery cycles and therefore greater use of the battery over its lifetime.

Plug in a range extender

Last year Bosch released the PowerMore 250Wh range extender. Many newer Bosch-equipped eMTBs like the Pivot Shuttle AM are compatible with this extra battery pack, and it is a surefire way to really boost the range of your existing eMTB. Some bike designs are even opting for a Bosch 625Wh battery, to then be used with a PowerMore 250Wh range extender for big days. We love this idea as you end up with a lighter bike with plenty of range for most of your rides, but a whopping 875Wh for the big jobs. Or add 250Wh to a 750Wh battery and you’re packing 1000Wh to run the EMTB mode and Extended Boost for hours on end

Optimise the system – and system choice

In terms of the bike and rider, a few things come into play for optimising range. While your battery size in Watt hours can be looked at as a fuel tank, range is about how efficiently you can use that fuel. Using the modes as mentioned above make a big difference, but so do the motor type, bike type and system weight.

READ: Bosch Performance Line SX

Bosch produce the popular CX system with 85Nm of torque and a 600W peak power, along with the SX system with 55Nm of torque and the same 600W peak power. Typically the CX system will come with a larger battery and the SX system will come with a lighter 400Wh battery. However, given the maximum torque is lower, it will use the 400Wh more conservatively than the CX system. Unless of course, you tune your CX system to limit the overall support via the Bosch Flow App. So again – it’s a balance.

What won’t change is the weight difference between an SX motor and CX motor, which is close to 800g, and the weight difference of a stock battery, which may be a 2kg difference between a Bosch 400Wh battery and 750Wh battery. And herein lies an important point: heavier bikes, or rider and bike systems, will use more Watt hours than lighter systems. Some differences won’t make a huge impact, but unfortunately a light rider is likely to get more range out of an equivalent system to someone 20kg heavier under the same kind of use and terrain. You can consider a few changes, even things like tyre casings will make a difference. If you don’t need to heaviest casings, you could potentially save 600g of rotating weight, and likely increase the range of your system without changing any of the support levels.

Most bike brands take this into account, with the Bosch SX mid-power system being built into the shorter travel eMTBs with a more dynamic ride, and the powerful CX system and larger batteries going into the longer-travel, burlier and heavier eMTBs. 

How will you get the most range out of your eMTB?

There is a bit to consider here. Do you buy the bike with the biggest battery so you have the most range for a few big rides a year? Or do you get the bike that suits you most and purchase a PowerMore range extender? Should you get an SX bike, or just tune your CX modes in the Bosch Flow App over breakfast ahead of a long day of trails? The bike takeaway is understanding what you want out of your eMTB. If you want to rip trails hard and boost up the climbs – increasing your range is probably down to increasing Watt hours. If you want to explore big backcountry loops without getting stuck in the backcountry without the support you want, you may be best to use the right modes. Either way, look after your battery and charge it correctly to get the best range, every ride, for more rides.