Off Road Throttle which one do you prefer?

geosped

100 W
Joined
Mar 18, 2015
Messages
258
For those of you that ride off road like dedicated mountain biking trails. Do you prefer:

  • thumb throttle on left only
  • thumb throttle on left with PAS assist
  • thumb throttle on right
  • thumb throttle on right with PAS assist
  • twist throttle only on right
  • twist throttle on right with PAS?

With what ever option you prefer does your display allow you to change? Like if I'm riding a very technical trail and I dont want PAS I just want to turn that off completely does the settings menu allow you to turn that off so your only using your throttle twist or thumb to control your speed?
 
I like a half twist throttle only. It takes a while to get used to the throttle curve etc... but it gives me great modulation. I have been running at full power on the mtb trails lately but I'm able to still contribute some leg power when necessary just by being in the right gear etc...
 
Right hand half twist throttle with 3-speed switch and off and on button used for headlights.I think I just got to look on the left hand side and off and on kill switch with horn button done.
Never carry things on your handlebars no 12-pack no bowling ball cetera exceter.
..
 
I'm strictly speaking from an OFF ROAD perspective. I will be going down hill's and up hills over roots and gravel. I dont see how a thumb switch is even possible. Are you guys going off road and managing your throttle with your thumb and you have enough grip with the rest of your left hand to hold on? Maybe I'm just not seeing it. But just wanted to confirm with folks posting that I want to hear from people that are strictly riding there e-bike on a dedicated mountain bike trail. If this is the case then great I just want to make sure were all on the same page. I'm just not seeing the thumb throttle as an option. But that's the point of this thread is to help figure out what the best option is when riding on a real trail where you can get seriously hurt if both hands aren't on the grips.
 
markz said:
Thumb throttle on right only.

Another vote for RH thumb throttle.

EVERY handlebar equipped whatever I've ever ridden/driven, 60 years worth of mini bikes, ATV's, snowmobiles, jet skis, motorcycles of all sorts, and now e-bikes, have had the throttle on the right. No plans to change that history here....
 
pwd said:
I like a half twist throttle only. It takes a while to get used to the throttle curve etc... but it gives me great modulation. I have been running at full power on the mtb trails lately but I'm able to still contribute some leg power when necessary just by being in the right gear etc...

Can you recommend a good half twist throttle and supplier? Thanks man.
 
AHicks said:
markz said:
Thumb throttle on right only.

Another vote for RH thumb throttle.

EVERY handlebar equipped whatever I've ever ridden/driven, 60 years worth of mini bikes, ATV's, snowmobiles, jet skis, motorcycles of all sorts, and now e-bikes, have had the throttle on the right. No plans to change that history here....

If you only have a rear shifter on the right, and no front shifter on the left, then the left side is often a better place to put a thumb throttle.

Both my bikes have right side throttles at the moment (with other controls on the left), but I have had no problems adjusting to left thumb throttles in the past. If you ride it, you will get accustomed to it.

I like the Wuxing 130X throttle because it's not specific to right or left side. I also like it because it doesn't take up much room on the handlebar.

157371381148wap.jpg


I don't like that it's somewhat fragile, and I don't like its abrupt signal ramp compared to some other thumb throttles.
 
Balmorhea said:
I don't like that it's somewhat fragile, and I don't like its abrupt signal ramp compared to some other thumb throttles.

But you do like its price value, I always have a few new ones laying around. Not sure if it the same throttle but I had one once that reversed its signal. WOT was off, and OFF was wot, rain was the cause. Another was frying the throttle, another was physical damage.
 
Buy several full twist throttles, and cut off a bit more than half. Then on the empty end part of the handlebar use a nice bicycle grip (that you have to cut to size) that has an allen bolt to tighten an aluminum ring, locking the outer part of the grip in place. The end grips that come with half twist throttles are crap and can twist or slide off or I've even had them slide tighter to the throttle and prevent it from twisting properly. One time I turned a bike on before getting on, and it started to go because the plug held the half twist at a low throttle position. Picture me on the left side of a bike trying to corral a pretty heavy bike that is speeding up going around in a circle around me until I finally get a good enough grip of the seat with my right hand to lift the wheel off the ground so my young son could approach and turn the key off. I wish I had video of that 2009 incident.

I've also had one of those half twist plugs slide off the end of the handlebar when turning left pulling out into traffic, and my right hand went off the bar too. I've had a full twist throttle come apart in exactly the same way. Those were close calls barely maintaining control with left hand only, which off road would be a sure crash. That's why it's only homemade half twists for me with end grips that are securely fastened to the handlebar.
 
theloadedquestion said:
pwd said:
I like a half twist throttle only. It takes a while to get used to the throttle curve etc... but it gives me great modulation. I have been running at full power on the mtb trails lately but I'm able to still contribute some leg power when necessary just by being in the right gear etc...

Can you recommend a good half twist throttle and supplier? Thanks man.

This is the throttle I use on two bikes. The seller I bought it from a few year back no long has it but the throttle is identical. Nothing terribly special about it but it has held up perfectly after a few years. I also like the grip pattern on the throttle; it feels better than the hard plastics ones.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000868090013.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000169611088.html
 
Balmorhea said:
AHicks said:
markz said:
Thumb throttle on right only.

Another vote for RH thumb throttle.

EVERY handlebar equipped whatever I've ever ridden/driven, 60 years worth of mini bikes, ATV's, snowmobiles, jet skis, motorcycles of all sorts, and now e-bikes, have had the throttle on the right. No plans to change that history here....

If you only have a rear shifter on the right, and no front shifter on the left, then the left side is often a better place to put a thumb throttle.

Not "better". Maybe for your personal tastes, but still wouldn't be an option here. Too old, set in my ways, with 60 years of muscle memory. LH throttle not an option. -Al
 
AHicks said:
markz said:
Thumb throttle on right only.

Another vote for RH thumb throttle.

EVERY handlebar equipped whatever I've ever ridden/driven, 60 years worth of mini bikes, ATV's, snowmobiles, jet skis, motorcycles of all sorts, and now e-bikes, have had the throttle on the right. No plans to change that history here....

I will add it as an option. All of the ebike pics I've seen have had thumb throttle on the left side of the handle bar but twist throttle on the right like you suggest and on my other ebike I had 1/2 twist throttle on the right aswell.

Seems like it's 1/2 and 1/2 some prefer the right twist throttle and some prefer the thumb. Personally I would rather have my entire hand on the grip when it comes to throttle. When I'm riding off road I have both hands securely on the grips. I think the best option for me since it's not clear which is best is to get the universal thumb stick it on the left and get 1/2 twist grip and put it on the right and test both out and see which I prefer.

Thanks for everyone's input. It's clear as mud lol.
 
The only thing for off road is a full twist on the right side.
Try going off road for an hour with a half twist and see what the fingers feel like.
Thats right, you would have lost all the feel in the fingers on the throttle.
You need a full twist to be able to use all fingers.
You need somewhat soft grips too, the hard plastic chinese will sure take its toll on your hands after a while.
You will get blisters after 30 min riding with those.
I think a thumb throttle on the left works very good for regen though.
 
j bjork said:
The only thing for off road is a full twist on the right side.
Try going off road for an hour with a half twist and see what the fingers feel like.
Thats right, you would have lost all the feel in the fingers on the throttle.
You need a full twist to be able to use all fingers.
You need somewhat soft grips too, the hard plastic chinese will sure take its toll on your hands after a while.
You will get blisters after 30 min riding with those.
I think a thumb throttle on the left works very good for regen though.

I definitely agree on the hard plastic, another reason to stay away from ready to go half twists. Regarding losing feeling on fingers on the twisting half, I don't have a clue what you're talking about. The problem with full twist is that the tube you hold onto (your grip on the bike with that hand) is held on the bike with a very thin piece of plastic, which is easily broken. I have one ebike with a full twist, but the hall throttle is a cable pull, so I use a normal motorcycle throttle which is safely and securely attached to the bike. I still plan to cut that throttle tube short and turn it into a half twist, because I prefer the precision control and more solid grip on the bar using a half twist. With a motorcycle it's the clutch that gives you the precision control.
 
I think if offroad riding mean riding like a motorcycle, then full twist. If it still means riding like a bicycle (with pedaling), then half twist. I like pedaling, and use the bars for leverage so I need the fixed part of the grip. I trust my legs more on steep sections to fine tune the amount of power applied to avoid flipping backwards, but admittedly need more practice with my throttle control on technical sections.
 
John in CR said:
Regarding losing feeling on fingers on the twisting half, I don't have a clue what you're talking about. With a motorcycle it's the clutch that gives you the precision control.

The thing is you have to keep a rather tight grip on the handlebar, at the same time you are constantly changing throttle.
That means you have to keep a tighter grip on the fingers you have on the twisting part, and a loose grip on the other fingers to let them slip when you turn the throttle. Thats why I mean you would loose the feeling in the fingers pretty soon.

I dont have a clutch on my electric motorcycle.
 
j bjork said:
John in CR said:
Regarding losing feeling on fingers on the twisting half, I don't have a clue what you're talking about. With a motorcycle it's the clutch that gives you the precision control.

The thing is you have to keep a rather tight grip on the handlebar, at the same time you are constantly changing throttle.
That means you have to keep a tighter grip on the fingers you have on the twisting part, and a loose grip on the other fingers to let them slip when you turn the throttle. Thats why I mean you would loose the feeling in the fingers pretty soon.

I dont have a clutch on my electric motorcycle.

I'm not sure you're taking into account everything our right hand does while running a full twist. Do you ride around with your wrist staying in the position dictated by the throttle position? I know I don't, because it would often lead to awkward wrist positions. I used a combination of moving my hand on both the twisting part and/or the secured to the handlebar part depending on the circumstances and it seems quite natural and secure with a good grip on the bike at all times. I don't think it could work with an ICE moto due to the far stronger spring return to 0 strength. Also, on choppy terrain I feel the half twist is a big advantage, because the fixed portion of my grip on the bar prevents bump induced changes in throttle position.
 
John in CR said:
Do you ride around with your wrist staying in the position dictated by the throttle position?

Yes, it is important to do so. If you dont you wont be able to release the throttle if you start to loose balance and the body moving backwards. Mainly because of that I like a short throw between zero and full throttle, I want a little shorter than what the domino has.
It is important to hold on to the bike with the legs, and not just hang in the arms.

In these situations you have a good point with the advantage of a half twist, you can keep the grip on the non moving part and let go of the throttle so it returns to zero.
 
I like the Wuxing 130X throttle because it's not specific to right or left side. I also like it because it doesn't take up much room on the handlebar.

My trikes handle bars are vertical and use my right side four fingers to grip the bars and my thumb for regen. Have the throttle mounted just below the palm of the hand and use my wrist to apply throttle.

I found on longer power rides pushing on the throttle gets tiresome. Peddling with pas 90% use my hand to shift and apply regen and the throttle is just below my hand. When throttle is wanted the hand is moved down just an inch or two and the palm pushes on the throttle and can ride with the throttle only without getting tired of pushing on it with my thumb. Fingers are used for gripping the bar not a plastic control.
 
You see?
Each his own preferences. Each his own reasons.

Throttle choice is personal. You need to try and find what you prefer.
 
I have tried a few and my favourite is the grin slim right hand half twist.
so slim can fit shifter without interference.
I like how the twist and grip are same diameter. The Chinese ones all seem to have a fatter twist part, which i can't stand.
Most throttles are cheap enough you can get a few and try, then you have spares
 
SL33 said:
I have tried a few and my favourite is the grin slim right hand half twist.
so slim can fit shifter without interference.
I like how the twist and grip are same diameter. The Chinese ones all seem to have a fatter twist part, which i can't stand.
Most throttles are cheap enough you can get a few and try, then you have spares

Which shifter do you have?
 
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