Tech Roundup: Hold Mode

Bicycle tech is all about optimizing your ride-time whether it’s reducing the weight of the frame, fine-tuning suspension to get through some gnarly chunk, or inserting a super-computer into the bottom bracket to calculate the precise gear needed for any situation. Features like these are often highlighted because they affect how the bike rides.

But what about the times that riding isn’t feasible? A foot comes down, a hill looks overwhelming, or it’s just too crowded to ride - and suddenly you’re pushing a bike up a street that looks something akin to a Colorado ski slope. Sure, all of our bikes feature Walk Mode (an assist mode made to aid in the slog of pushing a bike up a hill) but what about when you need a break?

Hold Mode introduces a way to keep your bike from rolling back when you’re taking a breather from pushing your bike up a hill. For 30 seconds increments at a time, Hold Mode keeps your bike from rolling back when being walked up any kind of slope. Activated automatically by releasing Walk Mode, Hold Mode is the solution for all sorts of hauling ascents.

This feature was designed as both a convenience and a safety measure. While we do our best to keep our bikes at a manageable weight, it’s still a significant amount of bike to try and get up a hill. Before Hold Mode, the bike would simply start to roll back on the rider when Walk Mode was turned off (lest you hold the brakes). Hold Mode takes out that last bit of work and simplifies the process by keeping the bike planted in place while you take a breather on the way up the hill.

Hold Mode can only be activated by releasing Walk Mode. To activate Walk Mode, simply press and hold the “-” button while the bike is an Assist Mode (ie. Eco) and the bike will begin to slowly move forward. Release the “-” button to activate Hold Mode and a screen with a timer will appear to indicate that Hold Mode is in use.

Either wait 30 seconds or press the “+” button to return to the previously selected Assist Mode.  

If 30 seconds isn't a significant enough break, the timer can be reset by pressing the "-" button again to reset the timer.

Hold Mode offers a solution to grueling hike-a-bikes and mid-hill chats. As part of the recent Firmware Update, this Over-The-Air Update is one of the new features available on all ACU-equipped, hub-drive bikes!

Update your bike today and enjoy the ride!