Torque sensors vs. cadence sensors for electric bikes: Which one is right for you?
In the booming world of electric bikes, there’s an ongoing debate – torque sensors or cadence sensors? If you’re new to the scene or even a seasoned e-bike enthusiast, understanding the difference between the two can help optimize your riding experience and bang-for-your-buck. Let’s dive into the mechanics and merits of each to help you make an informed decision.
The difference between torque and cadence sensors
First let’s start with the basics. Both torque sensors and cadence sensors are methods used to activate pedal assist on an e-bike. When the rider pedals, the sensor reads that pedaling input and tells the e-bike’s speed controller to apply power to the motor. The major difference is just how the sensor reads that input, and that difference has a big effect on the e-bike’s performance.
Cadence sensors: These sensors detect the speed at which you’re pedaling. They don’t know or care how hard you’re pedaling, just how fast. Once you achieve a specific pedaling speed, they generally tell the motor to start working, providing a predetermined level of assistance. On most e-bikes with a cadence sensor, that means the assist is more of a binary system: The motor is either on or off, based on your pedaling speed. There is usually some lag time between when the pedaling begins and when the motor kicks in, which is caused by the cadence sensor waiting to see how many sensor magnets pass by in a given time period. Some e-bike companies have been able to program in slightly more refined cadence sensor-based pedal assist, such as Lectric eBikes. But at their core, cadence sensors are still a very simpler option that results in more of an off/on motor activation feel to the ride.
Torque sensors: Torque sensors, on the other hand, measure the force you apply to the pedals. They aren’t as interested in the speed of your pedaling, but rather the strength of your pedaling. The harder you pedal, the more assistance they will tell the motor to provide, making the e-bike experience feel more intuitive and akin to traditional biking. This sensor essentially gauges the tension in the bike’s drivetrain, either at the pedals or along the chain line, and adjusts the electric assist proportionally. The more effort you exert, the more boost you get. There’s also very minimal lag between the time a rider starts pedaling and the time that the assist kicks in.
The difference in the riding experience
Cadence sensors: For those who prefer a lower price tag, cadence sensors are the way to go. They’re particularly useful for riders who may not want to or be able to exert too much force, like those with certain physical limitations or those who simply prefer a more predictable, cruise-control type of ride. However, this can sometimes lead to an abrupt start, especially if you’re pedaling fast from a stationary position. The lag time of 1-2 seconds can also be a pain, especially when the bike is in high gear or riders are starting up a hill, since the familiar electric assist is absent at start. Lastly, cadence sensors can make it hard to ride in a group unless everyone is on the same type of e-bike and in the same power level. This is because each power level usually brings riders up to set speed, such as 5 mph for level 1, 8 mph for level 2, and so on.
Torque sensors: E-bikes with torque sensors often feel more “natural” to traditional cyclists and newcomers alike. The intuitive relationship between your effort and the motor’s output makes for a smoother transition between power levels, offering a ride that closely mirrors the experience of riding a non-electric bicycle (just with less sweat). It provides a greater sense of control over the bike’s power and speed, especially beneficial for tackling varying terrains. Climbing a steep hill? Push harder, and the bike responds in kind. It feels more like the bike’s power is an extension of your own power, as opposed to cadence sensor e-bikes which feel more like an e-bike on cruise control.
A hybrid approach
The comparison of pure cadence vs torque sensor pedal assist is really only applicable on most hub motor e-bikes. Many e-bikes with a mid-drive motor will actually use multiple sensors, including a combination of cadence and torque sensors, as well as other sensors such as an angle sensor to help increase power on hill climbs.
The hybrid approach used on most mid-drive e-bikes is helpful because the torque sensor can be used to give nearly instant feedback and intuitive power selection, while the cadence sensor provides added information, such as if the rider is downshifting and thus pedaling at a much higher speed (likely indicating a hill).
My personal preference
I’ve been riding e-bikes for nearly 15 years and have thrown a leg over several hundred different models. While any e-bike will work for most people, the two different styles of pedal assist sensors definitely make a big difference.
For me, I prefer a torque sensor on any e-bike that I’m riding either for fitness or the actual pedaling experience (like joy rides through nature when I want to go slow and enjoy the surroundings). Unlike a cadence sensor, a torque sensor gives me more predictable and intuitive pedal assist that doesn’t rocket me up to higher speeds when I start pedaling, but instead feels more like it “checks in” with me to find the appropriate power and speed for the motor assist.
However, torque sensors can often add a few hundred dollars to the price tag of a bike, and thus when I’m looking for a budget e-bike, I know that I can make do with slightly less intuitive pedal assist as a trade off for saving some serious cash. And of course on any e-bike that is used for mostly throttle-only riding, the issue of cadence vs torque sensor is largely irrelevant.
Many e-bike models are adding torque sensors now, such as the recently updated Aventon Soltera, since more riders are starting to demand the highly refined riding experience.
In conclusion
Choosing between torque and cadence sensors ultimately boils down to your personal riding style and preference. If you’re seeking an e-bike experience that closely mirrors traditional biking with a responsive, dynamic feel, torque sensors are your best bet. This is especially true if you want to ride with a partner or in a group. However, if you value consistent, straightforward assistance regardless of pedaling force, and you want to save some cash, cadence sensors might be more up your alley.
Remember, the best e-bike is the one that aligns with your riding habits and budget, ensuring each journey is both efficient and enjoyable. So, take a moment, assess your biking goals, and choose the system that resonates best with your vision of the perfect ride. Safe cycling!
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If you ask the average American which country is doing the most to improve e-bike battery safety, most people probably wouldn’t guess China. But that’s exactly where the world’s strongest, most comprehensive lithium-ion safety rules are coming from – and the latest round just went into effect today.
Beginning December 1, China has officially banned the sale of all e-bikes built to the older national standard, replacing them with a new, far stricter rule set known as GB 17761-2024. Under the announcement from the State Administration for Market Regulation, any e-bike sold in China from today forward must carry a valid CCC certification under this brand-new standard. Older certificates are now invalid, and retailers caught selling non-compliant bikes face enforcement from local regulators.
The new rules go far beyond what most countries require. They tighten fire-resistance requirements, restrict the amount of plastic allowed on an e-bike, cap total vehicle weight, and mandate improved electrical safety. The regulations also work hand-in-hand with a second standard, the already-implemented GB 43854-2024, which sets some of the toughest lithium-ion battery testing requirements in the world, including mandatory over-charge protection, thermal abuse tests, puncture tests, and a ban on repurposed or second-hand cells, a major cause of past fires.
Balancing safety and convenience for existing owners, Chinese regulators also built in consumer protections. Bikes that were already purchased and registered under the old rules won’t be forced off the road. And companies are required to support repairs and spare parts for at least the next five years. But unregistered “old-standard” bikes must have been formally plated already, or they’ll no longer be legal to operate.
For a country often stereotyped as producing unsafe batteries, the reality is almost the opposite. China is now setting the global pace on e-bike safety – aggressively tightening standards, sharply reducing fire risks, and pushing manufacturers to meet levels of testing that most of Europe and the US still haven’t matched.
via: ITHOME
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Environment
Tesla Model 3/Y with Chinese LG batteries showing ‘catastrophic’ failure rates, repair shop warns
A prominent European EV repair specialist is sounding the alarm on Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles equipped with LG battery cells manufactured in China, claiming they are seeing “catastrophic” failure rates and significantly shorter lifespans compared to Panasonic packs.
For years, the narrative around Tesla’s move to Chinese battery suppliers has been generally positive, with the LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) packs from CATL proving to be extremely durable.
However, Tesla also sources Nickel Manganese Cobalt (NMC) cells from LG Energy Solution’s Nanjing facility for its Long Range and Performance models in Europe and parts of Asia.
Now, EV Clinic, a Croatia-based independent research and repair facility known for diving deep into battery diagnostics, has issued a severe warning regarding these specific LG NCM811 packs.
According to the firm, data from its repair center suggests a stark difference in quality between Tesla’s two main higher-energy-density packs: the US-made Panasonic NCA packs and the Chinese-made LG NCM packs.
“We are raising serious concerns about Tesla Model 3/Y LG NCM811 battery packs (LGES Nanjing), which exhibit very high failure rates and significantly shorter lifespans compared to Panasonic NCA packs (Made in USA).”
The shop claims that while Panasonic packs are generally repairable and can last up to 250,000 miles before cell failure, the LG equivalents are approaching end-of-life at around 150,000 miles.
More concerning is the nature of the failure. EV Clinic states that in over 90% of the cases they see with LG packs, cell-level repair is “impossible.”
The issue appears to be widespread degradation across the modules rather than a single bad cell bringing down the pack. They found that LG cells often show extremely high internal resistance.
“A failing Panasonic cell hits roughly 28 mΩ, which is the measurement for LG cells when brand new… Out of 46 cells, it’s common to find 15 cells over 100 mΩ ACIR, and the remaining 30 cells above 50 mΩ ACIR.”
The lab shared an example from a Tesla battery module:
Because the degradation is so uniform and severe, replacing a single faulty module is described as “operationally unsustainable,” as the remaining weakened cells are likely to fail in a cascade shortly after.
The situation has become so problematic for the shop that they announced they are introducing a “feasibility fee” just to check if these specific packs can be repaired, noting that they are “losing over €20,000 each month” attempting to fix packs that are effectively dead.
At this moment, during ongoing experimental testing with real customers experiencing LG failures, we are losing over €20,000 per month in operational time while investigating whether LG’s Chinese NCM811 systems can be sustainably repaired. At this stage, we can confidently say: the cells are, to put it mildly, catastrophic. Panasonic has mostly single-cell failures at 250,000km, and it is repairable, whereas LG has multiple-cell failures.
Their advice to owners with failed LG packs? Swap it for a used Panasonic pack or go to Tesla for a full replacement.
Electrek’s Take
This is a pretty damning report from a shop that is well-respected in the aftermarket repair community for actually tearing these things apart and attempting to fix them rather than just swapping them out.
We know that Tesla has been diversifying its battery supply chain aggressively, and for the most part, it has worked out well. The CATL LFP packs are tanks, heavy, but durable. But the NCM chemistry is trickier, and if these findings from EV Clinic hold up across a larger sample size, it could be a headache for Tesla, especially in Europe, where many of the China-made NCM packs end up.
It’s worth noting that this applies specifically to the LG NCM811 packs from Nanjing. Many US Tesla owners have Panasonic packs, which this report actually praises as highly durable and repairable.
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Thanksgiving may be over, and the official Black Friday date may have passed, but that doesn’t mean savings have slowed down any, with us now having shifted over into Cyber Monday sales. Many of the previous Black Friday Green Deals we spotted up until today are continuing – some ending tonight with the holiday, while others are continuing on through the rest of the week. If you didn’t jump on these deals last week, you still have time to score the best prices of the year across e-bikes, EVs, power stations, tools, eco-friendly appliances, and much more. We’ve thrown all the best deals into this one-stop shopping hub for all your greener needs and will continue updating it throughout the week. Head below to browse all the best Cyber Monday Green Deals while they last.
Cyber Monday Green Deals
Cyber Monday EV Green Deals
- Lectric’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale offers up to $893 bundles with e-bikes starting from $999
- Lectric launches Black Friday accessory flash sale with up to 40% discounts for add-on gear starting from $14
- Cash in during Lectric’s Black Friday battery sale with up to 30% off new and legacy models starting from $250
- Lectric’s XP4 e-bikes get best bundles of up to $514 in FREE gear for Black Friday starting from $999
- Upgrade off-road commutes and adventures with Lectric’s XPeak 2.0 e-bikes and up to $583 in FREE gear from $1,499
- Score $518 in FREE gear and commute up to 60 miles on Lectric’s XPress 750 long-range e-bike at $1,299
- MOD Bikes offers rare Black Friday/Cyber Monday e-bike discounts to lows starting from $1,799 (Up to $400 off)
- Tesla’s Universal Wall Connector with dual NACS + J1772 connectors and customizable 48A speeds retains $50 cut to $600
- Segway’s official Black Friday sale now live: Best price of the year on latest e-scooters, e-bikes, more starting from $150
- Segway’s feature-packed E3 Pro electric scooter with Apple Find My hits new $500 Black Friday low (Save $200)
- Rad Power expands Black Friday e-bike lineup and increases savings to new lows starting from $999
- Autel’s MaxiCharger AC Lite level 2 EV charger grants up to 50A speeds at new $398 Black Friday low (Save $171)
- Schumacher’s 12A level 1 portable EV charger is perfect for stowing in trunks at a $110 Black Friday low (Save $50)
- Aventon takes up to $400 off new e-bikes: Security-packed Pace 4 smart cruiser at new $1,599 low (Reg. $1,799)
- Aventon’s Level 3 smart commuter e-bike gets a first-time early Black Friday discount to $1,699 (Reg. $1,899)
- Hop on Aventon’s latest Aventure 3 all-terrain smart e-bike with first-time savings to $1,799 (Reg. $1,999)
- Save up to 41% on Navee’s smart e-scooters, like the flagship ST3 Pro at its second-ever $660 low, more from $315
- Heybike’s new-gen Ranger 3.0 Pro folding commuter e-bike gets first post-launch cut to $1,399 low for Black Friday
- Heybike drops new Mars 3.0 folding e-bike back to its $1,199 low during Black Friday sale for first time since launch
- Heybike increases Black Friday savings on its Hero 750W mid-drive all-terrain e-bike to a new $2,099 low, more
- Get up to 85 miles of pedal-assisted cargo carrying on Heybike’s dual-battery Hauler e-bike at a new $1,099 low (Reg. $1,899)
- Heybike is clearing stock of its Tyson uni-body folding e-bike with an $800 price cut to a new $999 low
- Velotric’s Black Friday Sale switches gears with up to $750 increased savings and new lows starting from $999
- Score up to 47% Black Friday savings on NIU EVs, like the 2025 KQi 200F e-scooter at its $529 low (Reg. $799), more from $279
- Leviton’s 48A level 2 smart hardwired EV charger falls to new $479 Black Friday low (Save $270), more from $400
- Tenways launches new Wayfarer e-bike with 85-mile range, Apple Find My, and $577 savings at $1,899
- Ride1Up’s early Black Friday Sale gives us first savings on the latest TrailRush German mid-drive e-bike at $1,995
- Get up to 53% Black Friday savings + bonus discounts on Hiboy e-scooters and e-bikes at lows starting from $150
- Gift the kids Hover-1’s Neo I Foldable Electric Scooter this Christmas, it’s only $105 for Black Friday (Reg. $280)
Cyber Monday Power Station Green Deals
- EcoFlow launches next Black Friday Sale phase with up to 80% off expanded lineup – starts from $149
- Score up to $13,289 exclusive Cyber Monday savings on EcoFlow’s DELTA Pro Ultra X power station + bundles, more from $174
- Save up to 67% on 2x EcoFlow DELTA 2 power stations at $698 low + three accessory bundles from $799 for Cyber Monday
- EcoFlow launches DELTA 3 1000 Air power station and bundles with up to $640 early-bird savings starting from $299
- EcoFlow’s newest 10,000mAh to 27,650mAh RAPID power banks with up to 53% Black Friday savings at new lows from $66
- Anker’s extended SOLIX Black Friday Sale increases power station savings up to 70% with new lows starting from $150
- Anker’s SOLIX C300X 90,000mAh portable power station + solar bundle option at new Black Friday lows from $160
- Anker’s popular PowerCore Reserve 192Wh power station with a pop-up light drops to $80 for Black Friday (Save $70)
- Get up to 54% exclusive savings on these Anker SOLIX F3800 units + EverFrost 2 cooler at new lows starting from $699
- Jackery’s Explorer 1000, 2000, 3000 V2 + 5000 Plus power stations are all hitting new Black Friday lows from $332
- Get a 256Wh LiFePO4 capacity in a 6.9-pound unit with Jackery’s Explorer 240D power station at a new $132 low (Reg. $209)
- Jackery’s Black Friday power station sale offers up to 65% discounts with bonus 5% + 7% savings starting from $79
- Bluetti’s Black Friday Sale takes up to 55% off power stations with exclusive bonus savings to new lows from $209
- Bluetti launches new Elite 400 ‘luggage’ power station with up to 53% exclusive savings starting from $1,409
- Pick up Bluetti’s new Pioneer Na(Sodium) power station + bundles at lowest prices with exclusive savings from $735
- Mango Power’s Black Friday Sale takes up to 75% off its lineup of Power E station/bundles + bonus savings – all starting from $1,099
- DJI’s 2,048Wh modular power station hits new $699 Black Friday low ($600+ off) + gimbals, cameras, more from $55
- Take the two-pound ALLPOWERS SOLAX P100 mini power station anywhere at a new $55 low (Reg. $89)
- Save up to 34% on ALLPOWERS’ new Volix P300 256Wh power station and bundles starting from $132
Cyber Monday Appliance and Device Green Deals
- Anker’s eufy solar security cameras, smart locks, more get up to 50% Black Friday savings to new lows starting from $50
- Autel’s new outdoor cams pack a punch with solar design, local storage, and HDMI with kits from $249 (Up to $245 off)
- Save thousands for Black Friday on Samsung smart washer/dryers, refrigerators, ovens, and more starting from $269
- GE’s 2-in-1 Profile smart ventless electric washer/dryer combo with heat pump at $2,000 (Reg. $2,700)
- Aiper’s Black Friday Sale offers up to 50% savings on robot pool cleaners, skimmers, monitors, more from $120
- AeroGarden’s 6-plant Harvest Elite 360 indoor hydroponic system hits new $62 Black Friday low, more from $29
- Jump car batteries with GOOLOO’s GP4000 or use as a 24,000mAh power bank with $60 Black Friday savings at a new $80 low
- Cross Whisker’s Litter-Robots off your shopping list with up to $152 Black Friday savings and lows from $599
- Govee’s indoor and outdoor ambient lighting devices hit new lows with up to 50% Black Friday savings from $24
- Save up to 49% on Govee’s smart appliances, like the electric kitchen composter at its $200 low ($103 off), more
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