Throttle and 7-Speed Shimano

You can ride the Blackrock X1 two ways. Pedal it through the seven Shimano gears with the motor helping you, or twist the throttle and let the 500W rear hub motor do the work while your feet sit still. Most people use both without thinking much about it.

Pedal assist, and the five levels

Pedal assist means the motor helps while you pedal. The X1 has five levels of it, set from the buttons on the handlebar and shown on the LCD screen. Level one is a gentle push. Level five is a firm one. You are still pedalling in all five, you are just choosing how much of the work is yours.

Underneath that sits the seven speed Shimano drivetrain, which does what gears do on any bicycle. Use the low gears for climbs and for pulling away from a stop, and the higher gears once you are rolling and your legs are spinning faster than they want to. Gears and assist levels are two separate dials on the same problem, and it is worth learning to use them together instead of leaning on assist alone.

The throttle

The throttle bypasses the pedals. Twist it and the motor drives the bike whether you are pedalling or not. It earns its place in a few specific moments:

• Pulling away from a stop on a hill, or on gravel where you want to be moving before you worry about your feet.
• Carrying a load. With the rear rack loaded, getting the first few metres out of the way without standing on the pedals is welcome.
• When you are done. Long day, headwind, or you would simply rather not arrive worn out.
• Awkward ground. Walking pace through a yard or a gate, with both feet ready to go down.

The throttle is included with the bike, and it ships in a separate package. Fitting it is a handlebar job with basic tools.

The rest of the bar controls

The same cluster handles the things you reach for while moving, so your hands stay on the grips. There are turn signal lights, a bright LED headlight, and a horn, alongside the buttons that step the pedal assist up and down. The LCD screen in the middle reads out battery level, speed, trip and total kilometres, average speed, and power use.

Braking is hydraulic disc, front and rear. Rules on throttles and assist levels are not the same everywhere in the country, so it is worth reading e-bike laws in Canada before you ride somewhere new. Full drivetrain details sit on the specifications table, and the battery page covers what feeds all of it.