# Walk Assist - any use??



## ebikeerwidnes (10 Jun 2021)

Hi all
I used to have an old ebike - pre 2016 regs - and it had a throttle.
I hardly ever used it but it was great for getting the ebike up steep paths where riding was not practical - and paths with steps.

It also came in useful when I got a puncture and had to walk home up a hill.

Anyway - I now have a newer and more modern ebike - so no throttle but it does have Walk Assist.

It is kinda OK if I am riding the bike on a very narrow path and need both feet to fend off walls and stuff - or something. But this is rather rare!
Pushing the bike it seems to be of pretty much no use - especially up hill - as there is naff all power. You even have trouble noticing that it has kicked in it is so weak.

Now obviously there is a limit - I think it is 6 mph - but the power it uses to get there seems to make it useless.


Is this normal???
Or is it just my bike

For reference my ebike is a Raleigh with a Bosh central motor - Activeline - and if UK legal so 250W.

And comments??


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## welsh dragon (10 Jun 2021)

Walk assist is great. The path up to my house is quite steep and I find the walk assist invaluable. The assist on my bike is quite powerful and makes it go at around 4 MPH.

Maybe someone else will have an answer, but I am glad I have walk assist.


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## Drago (10 Jun 2021)

Walk assist is for weaklings! But then so are ebikes and I have one of those


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## ericmark (10 Jun 2021)

Never managed to get walk assist to work on my wife's e-bike, Bosch centre motor, and my bike in the wheel so has twist grip, but set to around 4 MPH, but if I am walking up hill more like 2 to 3 MPH, it is graduated, but when walking adjusting speed not easy. I use it, but not easy. Glad I have it, but more important is folding pedals so don't catch shins when walking. 

My wife has the best idea, she gives bike to me to walk up the hill with.

I have two routes to garage, one around a 1:6 hill, the other steps, normally use the steps.


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## gbb (10 Jun 2021)

Works well on mine, if I'm on a track in some local woodland, exploring, just looking round on foot, some of it's too steep to ride up, chuffin hard to push the bike up, walk assist is perfect for those kind of circumstances.


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## Bobario (10 Jun 2021)

I find you have to change up to a high gear before it becomes of any use at all. In 1st gear it will be so slow as to be almost useless.


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## ebikeerwidnes (10 Jun 2021)

Bobario said:


> I find you have to change up to a high gear before it becomes of any use at all. In 1st gear it will be so slow as to be almost useless.


Hmmmm - good point
I will see if that helps - should have though really!

Although I think maybe the power on WA is a bit rubbish on the Bosch system!


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## Pale Rider (11 Jun 2021)

Walk assist on the first Bosch motor was a dead loss, but later versions are a bit more pokey.

It does vary with gears, easy enough to experiment if you have hub gears, less so with derailers.


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## DRHysted (11 Jun 2021)

I use it to clean and lube the chain.


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## ebikeerwidnes (11 Jun 2021)

After reading the replies - thanks BTW - I went out before and gave it a good try out

Especially trying it in different gears and different assist levels

I also checked if the pedals need to be fixed or not as they generally spin a bit when it operates

nothing really helped much - it even cuts out at time on flat level tarmac

it is of use riding it on very narrow paths slowly

Not enough power/torque to help when pushing it up a hill


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## Biker man (29 Aug 2021)

ebikeerwidnes said:


> After reading the replies - thanks BTW - I went out before and gave it a good try out
> 
> Especially trying it in different gears and different assist levels
> 
> ...


Try it in the highest gear .


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## gbb (29 Aug 2021)

Track and trail riding locally, i cant push the thing up some of the short inclines, it hurts my hips too much. Walk assist definately has its uses.


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## Stul (29 Aug 2021)

..never used it on mine....


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## Ridgeway (29 Aug 2021)

We use it quite often, 3 reasons:

1) we tow a trailer with 2 x 20kgs dogs in so total trail weight is 55kgs. On occasion there is a need to drag that lot along when on foot and walk assist is good for that.
2) my wife often dismounts when faced with a steep hill (off road) and then struggles to push the heavy 22kgs e-bike up hill, walk assist sorts that out
3) we do some times use the bike/trailer to carry SUP's and Kayaks (precariously balanced on top) from where we camp to the waters edge, it's quite useful for that as well

We use it in 3rd or 4th gear on a 9spd set up


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## CXRAndy (30 Aug 2021)

I've got it but not really used it.


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## numbnuts (30 Aug 2021)

I've just found that I too have walk assist


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## ebikeerwidnes (31 Aug 2021)

I have had a few more goes with it

I must have been having a thick moment - I have only just realised that the drive goes through the gears and hence it has more grunt when in first gear but only reaches a very slow speed
In 7th gear it has naff all grunt but reaches about 5 mph as long as you don;t ask it to go up even the slightest hill!
dunno why it is done like that - it could easily just give some power and look at the speed??

I have also noticed that the power delivery (such as it is) is not smooth - it tends to move the bike forward then stop then start then stop

all in all quite irritating!

it was far better on my old pre-2016 ebike with its legal throttle! However, you did have to be careful as it had full power available and could fly off!


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## Biker man (7 Oct 2021)

ebikeerwidnes said:


> I have had a few more goes with it
> 
> I must have been having a thick moment - I have only just realised that the drive goes through the gears and hence it has more grunt when in first gear but only reaches a very slow speed
> In 7th gear it has naff all grunt but reaches about 5 mph as long as you don;t ask it to go up even the slightest hill!
> ...


The walk assist is a devil to use I have to press hard then it does not always respond.


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## ericmark (7 Oct 2021)

I find walk assist easy to use on the flat, but on the flat you don't need it, on a 1 in 6 hill I can't walk at 4 MPH, so want the walk assist to be really slow, my bike still has a throttle, but useless with walk assist, end up with bike charging off without you, wife's bike is mid motor where mine is on rear hub, but hers is fixed frame where mine folds, so with mine the peddles also fold, with hers the peddles end up hitting ones shins as it goes either too fast or too slow, so in both cases theory is OK, but in practice does not work, I end up carrying my bike up the steps at side of house rather than use walk assist around back of house as just to hard to use. Or I fit the bike rack on car and take bikes on that.


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