First E Ride

[Dadam]

I've never experienced anything like that on 2 rear hub drive and 2 mid drive bikes. The geared hub motors have a very small drag you can't even detect when riding. You can only notice it when spinning the wheel on a stand and it runs down slightly quicker. The mid drives have no difference at all due to having a freewheel type ratchet in the bottom bracket/motor area.
What you do notice especially on the Bosch motor eMTB is the contrast between assist on and off due to the weight of the bike, i.e it's really hard work to go above the assist speed unless downhill.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

My ebike conversion had a sensor that applied the rear brake when I stopped pedalling
I got the shop to disconnect it!

My first 2 ebikes (long story!) had a sensor on the brakes so that the hub motor disconnected when you pulled the brake lever

It didn't apply the brake immediately - you had to pull an extra cm or so for that - but the motor cut out so you just freewheeled unless you were pedalling

I found it very useful as both systems tended to over-run and keep the motor running when you stopped pedalling so approaching traffic lights

actually my third one didn;t have it on the back brake - but only because it was faulty - so I got into the habit on pulling the front brake so it would coast gently to a halt

 

[classic33]

Noticed that there's more on e-assist or ebikes that are pedalling going downhill on roads I'd be freewheeling on.

If there's no drag from the system, why are more pedalling downhill?

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Noticed that there's more on e-assist or ebikes that are pedalling going downhill on roads I'd be freewheeling on.

If there's no drag from the system, why are more pedalling downhill?

It has to depend on the actual system because I have had 4 ebikes (still have 2) and all have freewheeled like a normal bike downhill

 

[Slick]

Noticed that there's more on e-assist or ebikes that are pedalling going downhill on roads I'd be freewheeling on.

If there's no drag from the system, why are more pedalling downhill?

To be honest, I'm not buying the no drag thing.

I'm still mostly on my road bike, but I can definitely feel a drag on the ebike.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

To be honest, I'm not buying the no drag thing.

I'm still mostly on my road bike, but I can definitely feel a drag on the ebike.

It makes sense on a hub drive
I have heard that some more powerful hub drives do have resistance on "freewheeling" - but the 3 I have owned have not had any that was enough to notice
although in each case it was the only bike I rode at the time - clearly if you are riding an ebike and a "proper" bike then you would hjave a better frame of reference

on mid drive if the pedals are still then the chain is still and so the freewheel operates just like a normal bike

 

[Slick]

It makes sense on a hub drive
I have heard that some more powerful hub drives do have resistance on "freewheeling" - but the 3 I have owned have not had any that was enough to notice
although in each case it was the only bike I rode at the time - clearly if you are riding an ebike and a "proper" bike then you would hjave a better frame of reference

on mid drive if the pedals are still then the chain is still and so the freewheel operates just like a normal bike

Yeah I get that, but that's not how it feels.

It may be something else, but it very much feels like drag.