Sounds unrelated to the ebike and more related to poor pedal placement and timing, happens to all of us. Glad to hear she was able to keep on riding.

 

For sure but she was adding speed via the assist which made the abrupt stoppage more violent

 

Damn! I hope she recovers from it okay. It took me a few rides to get used to the new equipment, especially the forward weight distribution from the battery and the motor over-run. Initially I thought I would never be able to hit jumps or drop-offs but now that I've gotten used to it I can.

 

Yet another reason to leave the electronics at home.

j/k - glad she's ok

 

Hidden pedal grabbers are absolutely my greatest fear when bombing spring-time singletrack. Poop happens indeed, glad it was mostly an uneventful crash.

 

Oh man, and a pedal strike on a heavy e-bike feels a lot more forceful than on a regular bike.

 

#1 killer of Motors (at least in Specialized world), not to mention can end your ride badly too!!

High BB setting for me on the Levo and ALWAYS be cautious with peddlin' through techy stuffs....

 

Pedal strikes can be incredibly violent.

Shattered my big toe in about 5 places, and broke a few ribs on one a few years back. It "wasn't very pleasant". 0/10, do not recommend.

 

Had more than my share of peda strikes since picking up the Rail a few months ago, not fun. Tried running the flip chip in high position, great for climbing, not so much descending. Definitely helped with the strikes. Going to order some 155mm arms and see how that goes. Looking at going 170 on the fork too.

 

Pedals in the way is a challenge for someone going from dirt bike to mtb.

 

I have the Ride concepts shoes (flats) and they have a very stiff toe box and sole which seems to protect my toes and provides a more solid base on the pedals.
But speed and obstacles at speed can still cause injuries.

 

Perforated my small bowel from a pedal strike. Went to tuck and roll and my abdomen landed in the edge of my handlebar.

 

Just got my cheapo Amazon 152mm crank arms to try out....too bad it's 113 degrees right now 😅

 

wait, a biker crashes while riding a bike? the world is going crazy....

 

My buddy rode my bike yesterday and told me my pedal is bent....shocker! I didn't even notice.

 

Got up early to test out the short crank arms before it got too hot. Figured I'd try them w/o changing anything else and found out pretty quickly the seat would have to go up some. Too cramped pedaling uphill. Made a quick adjustment and felt much better. Still could tell I was spinning shorter, faster circles but not in a bad way. Descending, I really didn't notice my feet being closer together, so that was good.
Best thing was NO strikes! I had one slight scuff late in the ride totally being lazy and not paying attention 🙄. Previously, I'd get at least 2-3 strikes on this test/tune ride of varying intensity. The trail has some techy, rocky climbs requiring some ratcheting to clean.
Only other downside is I'll need some taller bars to go with the increase in seat height to make my jacked up neck happy.
The climb gets worse from here around the corner. I don't always pick the best lines either....monster truck!

Saw a couple of coyotes out roaming the trail too.

 

What trail is that?

 

Hmmmm, after a few more rides I'm seeing a few drawbacks to the shorter cranks. Had to raise the seat a bit more due to knee pain which makes it feel like I'm too up in the air instead of 'in' the bike. Higher seat also makes the bars too low causing back/neck discomfort. Might pick up a cheap taller bar to try out but I'm afraid that might negatively affect climbing/cornering, making the front too light. If that doesn't work maybe I'll try some 160mm arms. Going from 165's to 152mm might have been too much. But then 5mm isn't much difference.
There is no free lunch...

 

Pedal strike crashes suck hard.

Not sure why there's blame on the E. It's 100% rider error.

Ps +1 for shorter cranks. I run 150mm on the e and it's glorious.

 

Oh, it's not just an ebike thing. I went with shorter cranks on the Fuel too, just not as drastic. Just having a hard time with the seat being so much higher. I'll try some higher bars first and see how it goes.

 

Properly clocking the cranks is an art.

 

I'm no Picasso!
Definitely need more practice, the first couple years out here I rode mostly moto. It's gone now so I'll get more mtbing for sure.
I did javelina canyon to Mormon to national last week for the first time....crickey! Gotta admit I walked some sections.

 

I would also make a call that on average E bikes have shorter cranks and pedal tagging is less likely rather than more likely than on a mtb.

 

Mine came with 165's. I take fault for a lot of the strikes, getting used to the desert coming from Ohio is a big change.

 

My Scott RC Comp standard mtb has 170mm and the Rail 7 emtb 165mm. The Scott's pedals are noticeably closer to the ground, and I even hit them on a paved trail corner if I am not careful. I really pay attention to pedal strikes on the Scott but has almost been non-existent on the Rail. I am sure I my muscle memory is automatically adjusting because the Scott is such a problem, but even then I smack them on occasion. Pedal strikes are user error, but some bikes are significantly worse that others with this whether is it an e-bike or standard.

 

Matching the rear shock with frame leverage curve, and running lower sag has helped me. I also started using a shock that allows me to change the positive and negative chamber volumes independently, THAT has been a godsend on South Mountain. I didn't have to give up suspension compliance to reduce pedal strikes. Fewer rib fractures is a major fringe benefit. Revel Ranger with a Mara Pro.

 

I run 165 on all my bikes e and mtb. I have long legs and like to spin at higher cadence. Still get some strikes here and there but I am in the Rocky Mountains afterall!

 

Think I found my goldilocks setup!
The 152mm cranks were hurting my right knee for some reason. I put the 165's back on and found a used Lyric with 170mm travel, push acs3 and hc97 for dirt cheap. Also put the flip chip in the high position. Coupled with the 170mm fork it feels pretty close to the 160mm in low. Just did a ride this morning and only had a few grazes in the techy bits.
I thought the Yari with an avalanche damper and dsd runt was going to be hard to beat but I gotta admit, coil is the shizz! Practically nothing fazes it and small bump compliance is insane. It really excels at climbing tech, just stays glued to the ground and eats rocks like they aren't there. Bonus points for having a bit longer steering tube that allowed another spacer under the stem. My neck and back felt much better after the ride and it's easier to look farther down the trail. Very happy camper!

 

Forgot to mention one downside...gonna have to find a coil shock. The rs select plus feels even worse now!

 

Thats not going to help with pedal strikes. It will likely make pedal strikes more common on the Rail. A progressive shock to match your frames leverage curve is your best friend. The RS has an upgrade air can called Megneg that increases the negative chamber volume and makes the shock travel higher in midstroke without losing compliance. You can install it yourself. You live by me and I have a brand new one you can have for cheap. I am certain that a linear coil shock will be a step backward. The fork doesnt have a leverage curve problem, definitely a good move.