Electric bikes such as the Wired Warrior and Wired Freedom are designed for speed and durability. While both models come with factory settings aimed at balancing safety and performance, riders often find that tweaking these settings can significantly enhance their riding experience. This guide offers a detailed walkthrough of the settings adjustments that can increase top speeds, as well as the results of practical testing.

What Controls E-Bike Speed?

The speed of an electric bike is influenced by various factors, including motor power, battery capacity, and the electronic control system. However, the settings configured in the bike's control panel or app can limit or unlock additional performance. Key settings include:

• Throttle Follow Pedal Assist Levels: Determines if the throttle output depends on the current pedal assist level.
• Pedal Assist Levels: Different levels provide varying amounts of motor help while pedaling.
• Throttle Output Percentage: Controls how much power the throttle delivers independently.
• Start Strength: Influences how aggressively the motor engages from a stop.

Default Limiting Factors

In factory settings, the throttle often follows pedal assist levels, meaning that even if the throttle is used, it only outputs power proportional to the pedal assist setting. For example, at pedal assist level 7 (the highest), only delivers 70% power. This restricts the bike's top speed artificially to comply with certain regulations or to enhance battery life.

Disabling Throttle Follow Pedal Assist

The first and most impactful change is to disable the throttle's dependence on pedal assist levels. This adjustment allows the throttle to operate at 100% power regardless of the pedal assist setting, unlocking the bike's full throttle potential.

Setting Pedal Assist Level

While the throttle is separated from pedal assist, setting the pedal assist to the highest level (level 7) ensures the motor provides maximum assistance when pedaling.

Adjusting Start Strength

Although not needed for top speed. Lowering the start strength to zero increases the initial motor engagement strength, which can improve throttle responsiveness and reduce lag. This setting fine-tunes how the bike accelerates from a stop.

Throttle Strength

When you receive your bike, the throttle is only set for 50% power. To hit top speeds during throttle use, it must be adjusted to 100%.

Implementing the Changes

By adjusting these settings—turning off throttle follow, maximizing throttle output to 100%—riders can experience the true top speeds these bikes are capable of.

Wired Warrior Performance

With the optimal settings applied, the Wired Warrior reached a top GPS-verified speed of approximately 51.8 miles per hour. The display on the bike showed a maximum speed of 54.6 mph, with a power consumption of 5,239 watts. This high wattage indicates the motor was operating at near full capacity during the test.

Wired Freedom Performance

The Wired Freedom, with the same settings applied, achieved a top speed of about 44.1 miles per hour as per the bike's display, with GPS readings around 43-44 mph. Power consumption during the test was 3,95 watts, considerably lower than the Warrior, reflecting a less powerful motor or more conservative tuning.

Test Conditions

Tests were conducted on flat terrain with a favorable wind at the rider's back, ensuring optimal conditions for speed. Both bikes were tested with full rider gear, including a full-face helmet for safety, emphasizing real-world riding scenarios.

Power vs. Speed

The Wired Warrior's higher wattage correlates with its superior top speed, highlighting that motor power and battery output are critical factors in achieving faster speeds. The Wired Freedom, while slightly slower, still performs impressively within its category.

Importance of Settings

The key takeaway is that factory default settings often limit a bike's top speed for regulatory or battery conservation reasons. By customizing throttle and pedal assist settings, riders can unlock much faster speeds that the hardware is capable of delivering.

Safety Considerations

While higher speeds are exhilarating, riders must always prioritize safety by wearing proper protective gear and understanding local laws regarding e-bike speed limits. High speeds increase risk, so responsible riding is paramount.

Conclusion

Optimizing your Wired Warrior or Wired Freedom e-bike settings can significantly enhance your riding experience by unlocking higher speeds and better throttle response. By disabling throttle follow pedal assist, setting the throttle to 100%, and adjusting start strength, riders can confidently push their e-bikes to their true performance limits. Always remember to ride safely and enjoy the thrill of faster, more powerful electric biking.