How e-bike torque and cadence sensors work
What your e-bike sensor is really reading
Cadence Sensor Notes explains how torque and cadence sensors tell an e-bike motor when to help and how much. Each page starts with a symptom, such as late or jerky assist, and works through the causes in order. We only report what makers and reference sources say.
All the sensor notes
- What an e-bike sensor does
How an e-bike motor knows you're pedaling and how much help to give, and what to check first when assist feels late, weak or too sudden.
- Cadence sensors explained
What a cadence sensor measures on an e-bike, how it switches the motor on, and what to check if assist feels like an on-off switch or runs out of steam.
- Torque sensors explained
What a torque sensor measures on an e-bike, how it matches motor help to your effort, and what to check if assist feels slow to arrive.
- Torque sensor or cadence sensor: the differences
How torque and cadence sensors differ in the way assist is delivered, as makers and reference sources describe them, with a side-by-side table.
- Where the sensor sits on the bike
Where e-bike sensors can sit, from the pedals and crank to the chain, wheel and hub axle, and why the location matters for what they can read.
- Assist levels and how sensors shape them
Why the same assist level can feel different on different e-bikes, and how sensor type, gear choice and controller settings all play a part.
- Sensors, pedal assist and e-bike classes
How legal e-bike class definitions, quoted from US federal and West Virginia law, relate to pedal assist and throttle, with a note on the EU rule.