Finding My Flow on Cannock Chase
- John Nickolls
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
Torque on Cannock Chase
A Technical Ride Report from My Scott Aspect eRIDE 910
This ride was not just “a spin round Cannock Chase”.
The data shows a proper mixed-terrain e-bike ride: gravel, climbing, pauses, flow sections, faster descents, steady aerobic effort and short bursts of rider power.
I covered 20.15 km, which is 12.52 miles, in 1 hour 20 minutes 58 seconds elapsed time. Of that, the bike recorded 1 hour 12 minutes 57 seconds of timer time, meaning around 8 minutes were spent stopped or paused.
That matters because the ride was not a flat-out fitness test. It was a real Cannock Chase ride: move, climb, flow, stop, look around, check the route, then get going again.
The average speed was 10.3 mph, with a maximum speed of almost exactly 20 mph. On tarmac that would sound steady. On Cannock Chase gravel, with 248 metres of climbing, it is a decent controlled pace.
The elevation tells the real story.
The ride climbed 248 metres, or about 814 feet, and descended 244 metres, about 801 feet. That near-perfect balance shows it was a loop-style ride rather than a simple out-and-back. I earned the height, then spent it coming back down.
The altitude ranged from about 80 metres at the low point to about 219 metres at the high point. That is a noticeable vertical spread for a local ride. Cannock Chase does not always feel mountainous, but it quietly takes the money out of your legs like a pub fruit machine.
Speed distribution was interesting.
Most of the ride sat in the 9–12 mph zone, which is classic gravel cruising speed. Around 40 minutes were spent in that band. Another 14½ minutes were spent at 12–15 mph, which is where the ride would have felt properly flowing. Only around 1 minute 15 seconds was spent above 15 mph, which suggests the fast bits were short downhill bursts rather than long road-style speed sections.
That suits the Chase perfectly.
This was not about hammering along. It was about rhythm.
The power data is where things get more revealing. The FIT file recorded an average rider power of 107 watts, with a maximum of 361 watts. That peak is significant. It means there were moments where I was properly stamping on the pedals — probably short climbs, accelerations out of bends, or getting the bike moving again after a slower section.
But the important figure is the average. Around 107 watts is sustainable, controlled riding. It says I was working, but not blowing myself to pieces.
The non-zero pedalling power averaged around 108 watts, which lines up beautifully with the official session figure. In plain English: when I was actually pushing through the pedals, I was producing a steady, sensible effort.
This is why e-bikes are misunderstood.
The motor helps, but it does not ride the bike for you. The Bosch system responds to what I put in. If I pedal smoothly, it helps smoothly. If I surge, it answers. If I stop pedalling, it stops helping. There is no magic carpet nonsense here — just a clever bit of German engineering doing what it is told.
Cadence was another useful clue.
The ride recorded an average cadence of 68 rpm, with a maximum of 103 rpm. That tells me I was mostly spinning at a sensible pace rather than grinding a huge gear. For Bosch e-bike riding, that is important. The motor generally feels happier when the rider keeps the legs turning instead of trying to muscle everything at low revs.
For future rides, I would aim to lift that average cadence slightly towards 72–78 rpm. That would probably make the bike feel smoother on climbs and may improve efficiency. In old-school cycling terms: less tractor, more sewing machine.
The ride also included several recording gaps and pauses, which match real-world riding. There were route stops, slower sections and natural interruptions. That is exactly what I would expect from a Cannock Chase gravel ride rather than a closed-road time trial.
Heart-rate data was limited. Only a handful of readings appeared in the FIT file, ranging roughly from 119 bpm to 167 bpm. Because the sample is so sparse, I would not treat it as a proper heart-rate analysis. It does suggest the ride reached a genuine cardio effort at times, but there is not enough data to build proper heart-rate zones.
What I like most is the shape of the ride.
It was controlled.
It was not frantic.
It had climbing, but not panic climbing.
It had speed, but not reckless speed.
It had power spikes, but not repeated explosions.
It had pauses, but not laziness.
For a bike I have only had since last Thursday, that is a very promising profile.
The data says I am already starting to ride Torque properly. I am not just sitting on an expensive grey machine and letting it drag me round the woods. I am pedalling, choosing effort, responding to terrain and beginning to find rhythm.
The technical verdict is simple:
This was a well-paced early e-MTB gravel ride with good climbing volume, sensible speed, efficient rider output and plenty of room to improve cadence smoothness.
The coaching advice would be:
Keep using the Bosch assistance, but concentrate on cadence.
On climbs, change gear earlier.
Try to keep the legs spinning above 70 rpm rather than waiting until the climb bites.
On flowing gravel, relax the upper body and let the bike move slightly underneath you.
On descents, look further ahead and carry momentum where the surface allows.
Do not chase maximum speed yet.
Chase smoothness.
Because smoothness is what will make Cannock Chase feel magical.
And that is the big thing this ride shows.
Torque is already doing exactly what I bought it for. It is turning Cannock Chase from somewhere nearby into a proper riding playground.
Twelve and a half miles.
Eight hundred feet of climbing.
A twenty mile-per-hour top speed.
A 361-watt rider power spike.
A steady 68 rpm average cadence.
And one very happy bloke learning how to ride his new e-bike properly.
Not bad for a Tuesday morning.
Not bad at all.
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