[Closed] Chasing an E-bike at Swinley today. Blimey!

Off road (or should I say non utility bike purposes) if you don't have a medical condition there is no need.

I'm not entirely sure there's a need for most of us to ride offroad at all, a lot of us ride mostly for fun.

2 older guys (70) going up cleeve hill in Cheltenham yesterday on them, no way to keep up until we went off road, then only when steep+mud+rock = no traction for anyone and we were all pushing. Saw them again on the hill having a brilliant time! When I can't peddle myself up the hill I'll def be getting one

I'm 65, ride 2 or 3 times a week with my mates, they are always waiting for me on rides, probably wastes 30 mins on a 2.5 hour ride. My mates are really fit and don't complain about waiting, we usually do about 15 miles off road. As I get fitter it just means we do more miles but they are still waiting every ride. For me getting an e bike is a win win no brainier. We will ride further, no waiting and I'll be fitter towards the end of the rides which is when I usually make mistakes and come off ( just recovering from rotator cuff surgery !) as for being lazy I did the tour de my blanc 2 years go, also did penmachno, mcynletth, afan, and lots of peak rides. Instead of winding down as I grow older, I want to keep having riding adventures with my mates. My ebike is not my only bike and I'll use it only on rides with my mates, I'll use my mega 650 am or my buck saw when I ride alone, keeping up my fitness and not " cheating". I will never overtake my mates on a ride, I just want to keep up and repay them a bit for all their patience and not spoil their/our future rides. I'm looking forward to recovering from my surgery just in time for some Sumer trails, can't wait.
For me having the ebike as one of my bikes has no downsides whatsoever, makes me look forward to riding even more.

Since my wife got one all our rides seem to include every steep hill where we live 🙁 As she passes me she looks back , grins and says sorry !
Seriously though having broken her leg then had a knee replacement she thought it was game over , 1st ride on " Sparky" round Exmoor lanes was really emotional for both of us , we didn't think it would ever happen again .

Off road (or should I say non utility bike purposes) if you don't have a medical condition there is no need. They just lower the entry barrier to ****isum, which is painfully low already.

From a couple of responses above I agree with you, but I suspect we aren't talking about the same people.

They're not bicycles they're motor bikes. A bicycle by definition is human powered.

The law disagrees with you both points there. Oh and an ebike is also human powered but let's not let facts get in the way here eh?

If you are unfit, just work you way up to being fit(er). Stop chasing fake instant results.

Currently in training for 4 xc endurance races this year, is that acceptable or do I still need to burn my ebike? Would be a bit irritating that, as it's part of my training...

Oh and just so I can complete my 'ebike haters bingo card' how many haters have ridden them?

Lester says it well.

Haters always turn up on Ebike threads with some holier than thou rubbish .

Tom you missed an entry on your bingo card
How many haters also use uplifts the bloody cheaters

So....if an E-bike ridden inside an aircraft carrier,will it take off?

Some people wear white socks and sandals, some people wear sunglasses at night, some people have number plates that, with some tweaking, almost spell a short version of their name, some people put the milk in first.

These people should be helped to see the wrongness not pandered to. Same with e bikes. I met a bloke at Afan, no legs below the knee, rides like a demon on speed. There's few with a valid enough excuse. What do they bring to the MTB party exactly?

What...people with disabilities?
Balloons I'd hope or those popper things.Scrap that.....sausages on sticks.Definitely tiny food.

Love the look of the Specialized Turbo Levo HT 29. I wonder how much the battery and motor is to replace when it's out of warranty.

@ td75
When it breaks out of warranty, don't replace it, take the motor out and the battery and keep it as a hard tail and use the saved money to buy a newer one by which time the prices would have come down a bit 🙂

Lester

Maybe said a little tongue in check, and I'm a fan of the ebike.

The motor is an integral part of the bottom bracket , so simply removing the battery and motor won't work as a bike.
Still be able to pedal it without the battery, but the heavy motor will still be there.

See my earlier thread, I have been burnt by the new ebike technology, going to take a lot of convincing that it is robust enough on trails for me.

All this is based on the Bosch system, even with the warranty it's just too much hassle to keep resorting to ringing up the dealer with issues.

This is a general grumble about a lot of mountain bike stuff , droppers going wrong, forks not doing what they should, bottom brackets falling to bits etc.
Hope the Specialized is a better thought out design, I will wait a while before spending bit cash again though.

Maybe I'll get one for my 68th birthday next week....no way!

I'd rather use my own body to propel my mtb.

I think e bikes are great to get people out of their cars but I really can't understand why a fit and healthy (so called mtb enthusiast) would ride one!

Basically to ride more often and further.

Less of a grovel and slog on some of the climbs, just a more enjoyable experience.

It's a different type of approach to riding, can actually assist in training as a recovery ride , ride more often, burn more calories, get fitter by actually riding more.

I wore a heart rate monitor whilst riding.

Normal bike, average hr at about 145, ebike ride about 135.

Not that great a difference really.

When it breaks out of warranty, don't replace it, take the motor out and the battery and keep it as a hard tail and use the saved money to buy a newer one by which time the prices would have come down a bit

If that were possible, then surely you'd just use the now cheaper motors/batteries?

I suspect they won't get cheaper though, the batteries are batteries which are only going up in price as car manufacturers will enter the market for them, and it's not like bosch have setup costs to recoup in making motors is it? it's probably the same motor as in any number of applications.

I can see some of the appeal, I won't get one though. The whole point of most sports is to get better, not be better.

E-bikes for all the protestations that they're legally a push-bike, are still pedal powered, etc. They are just under-powered electric motorbikes with access to more trails. If an e-bike is better than a mountain bike for people that can no longer pedal, or it allows the injured/unfit to ride faster and further, well a 10kW motor is even better surely? 15mph isn't some magic figure at which the trails come alive and 20,30, 40, 50 would be rubbish.

@ dennis, thisisnotaspoon
didnt realise, sorry, it was a genuine, but ill informed suggestion
lol

I'm going to make it my mission to beat every e- biker I see using pure fitness.
I like a challenge.

They are the future.

They are the future.

Mm yes. I think everyone is agreed on this. When they get old/decrepit/lazy/fat in the future then they'll buy an e-bike.

Earlier today i was undecided whether or not to try and squeeze in a quick ride between chores and doing the shopping. Popped onto STW, read bit of this thread, then went and rode my bike (p-bike). If it wasn't for e-bikes i'd have probably just went to the shops. I'm a fan.

Is there anything available to convert on older mountain bike into an e-bike? Just curious if there was a motor and battery package available.

Wish I'd had an e-bike at Swinley today (okay not really). Very wet and slow going.

If there's any bits of Swinley missing they'll be in my car \ shed \ arse-crack.

[b][/b][b]well I bought one, a scott 710 e genius about 12 months ago, I thought there is no way I would ever have one until some one lent me one for a day, and it was FUN, and that's why I ride for fun, im never going to win anything so I don't train, I like to ride and it just made it more fun, I am pretty fit, 47 years old and not over the hill just yet, if you want one and can afford one why not, I find it very hard to make the back wheel spin out because the power delivery is very smooth, its been trouble free since I bought it and if I ride with other people I tend to only use eco

for all the haters, get over your self, they are here and they will become more popular if you don't like it fair enough you don't have to, we are all entitled to our point of view, but remember the countryside is for everyone not just you with the holeyer than though attitude

I can't shake the feeling that its cheating a bit

Td75 look up bafang motors, my mates just converted his using one.

E-bikes for all the protestations that they're legally a push-bike, are still pedal powered, etc. They are just under-powered electric motorbikes with access to more trails

No, they aren't. Try again.

If an e-bike is better than a mountain bike for people that can no longer pedal, or it allows the injured/unfit to ride faster and further, well a 10kW motor is even better surely? 15mph isn't some magic figure at which the trails come alive and 20,30, 40, 50 would be rubbish.

I have no idea why the cut off speed was put at 15mph (or whatever it really in in KPH).
And I'm sure if you just use a tiny little bit of common sense, you can answer your own question about why the power is limited and why you can't buy an e-bike that does 50mph.

But then again you're just trolling so it makes no odds!

It's not a race it's having fun, lots of fun, loads of it, more than you've ever, ever had on a bike!

You need to ride more bikes

£5500 of motorbike from Specialized

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£5600 of motorbike from Honda (I'm allowing the £100 extra because it comes with lights).

[img] [/img]

you can answer your own question

Had a go on one for about 100m up a gentle hill at Cannock today. Feels a bit odd and certainly weighed a bit but, when I am old, this will definitely be a way to keep me on the trails. Amazing things really.

You need to ride more bikes

My Dad is 81 and had a ruptured aorta 2 years ago - he's ditched his collection of road and MTB's in favour of a Giant Dirt-E mob - it's an amazing thing and means he can still get out on the road/trails.

When I'm getting to his age, I will definitely be investing!!! 😀

Each to their own.

Personally, the only time I'd get an e-bike is when I can no longer pedal my MTB sufficiently well enough to keep me happy!

I hope that day is a very long way off.

I like them and although I've never ridden one I'd love a proper go on one. I like the idea of them for utility as well.

Saw my first one 'on the trail's' the other week, as a chap passed me on the climb from Rowsley up to Chatsworth plantation. Ridden by an older guy, we exchanged the usual plesentaries which seemed easier for him than me 🙂 he was carrying more speed than I could keep, so steadily left me and he seemed to be having a great ride, and so was I. I just see them as a different tool for a similar but different job, they are for people that want an assisted ride. Seems a sensible choice to me if you want to keep getting out, and I'm pretty sure at some point in the future i would have one if i couldn't ride where i wanted without one. It's a development in cycling so I'm happy to discuss, as all progress. It's all good in my book, but haters gonna hate.

Haters gonna hate, like racists, no matter how you counter, they'll always justify their prejudice

I've never joined the e-bike debate previously, but I honestly can't see where all the hate is coming from - seen a lot of it from folk who'd relish an uplift day or a gondola delivering them to the top of the trails too... 😆

At 38 my knees are shot from years of football / running etc. - a lap of the black at Glentress leaves me in agony for 2 days afterwards, i'll happily knock out 60 miles on the road bike with nary a whimper but the steep technical nature of many mtb climbs & the constant rocking around of the joints under load absolutely kills me, so yeah - if I had a load of cash to be spunking on a new mtb i'd be seriously considering one with a motor to take the grinding climbs out of the equation & allow me to do more.

Taking the injury angle out of the question, wasn't there an article recently with someone riding the full trail network at GT on a single charge - 70-odd miles or something? Allowing people to go further than they normally would is surely a good thing - same (rider) energy expended but 70 miles knocked out in a day instead of 30, one guy I know who's not short of fitness or ability absolutely loves them as with a bit of effort you can hit the uphill sections at the same speed you'd usually be reserving for the downhill sections instead of picking your way through rocky climbs at crawling pace.

j

Sounds like trail centres doing their job! Keeping all the 'lesser mortals' - the unfit, the unskilled in one nice place so us proper riders can get out and enjoy mountain biking in great locations without all the hoypoloi getting in our ways.

I hear Bedgbury is amazing on an e-bike, pure adrenaline...

Don't miss Thetford either...

Well, let's be honest - most of the mega epic natural legendary XC proper real hardcore manly mountain stuff you so desire can usually be tackled quite easily on a cx bike... places like GT were attracting plenty of "real" mountain bikers before they were revamped as trail centres

Taking the injury angle out of the question, wasn't there an article recently with someone riding the full trail network at GT on a single charge - 70-odd miles or something?

If it's the article I'm thinking of it was a pretty light & fit female rider so I expect 70 miles at GT on a single charge wouldn't be likely for most eBike riders. Having said that, in my unfit days I struggle to get to the top of the red (and it took ages) and certainly wouldn't have wanted to do it twice in a day - whereas doing two loops of the red on an ebike is likely to be viable for most people. I'm fortunate to be in the position where I could also solve the problem by losing some weight and improving my fitness, but for people with more permanent fitness issues I can certainly see the benefit of an eBike.

I see surprisingly few of them around London though - possibly because it's pretty flat anyway - and haven't seen any when out cycling in the lanes in Essex yet. The cycling club I'm in has quite a few older riders and while I don't think anyone has an eBike yet I wouldn't be surprised if some of them are considering one.

"The cycling club I'm in has quite a few older riders and while I don't think anyone has an eBike yet I wouldn't be surprised if some of them are considering one."

Is that a road or MTB club ? I'd be surprised if many road clubs would welcome ebikes on a club run. Maybe some would if the riders were old long time club members, but I'd still be surprised.

Is that a road or MTB club ? I'd be surprised if many road clubs would welcome ebikes on a club run. Maybe some would if the riders were old long time club members, but I'd still be surprised.

It's mainly a road club and I think eBike riders would be welcome on the bronze/social group ride. Not likely they'd be able to ride with any of the other groups though as I can't see an eBike being able to keep up unless the rider was fit enough not to need an eBike.

epicsteve
If it's the article I'm thinking of it was a pretty light & fit female rider so I expect 70 miles at GT on a single charge wouldn't be likely for most eBike riders. Having said that, in my unfit days I struggle to get to the top of the red (and it took ages) and certainly wouldn't have wanted to do it twice in a day - whereas doing two loops of the red on an ebike is likely to be viable for most people. I'm fortunate to be in the position where I could also solve the problem by losing some weight and improving my fitness, but for people with more permanent fitness issues I can certainly see the benefit of an eBike.

Yeah that sounds like the one - I could do a couple of laps or a big mixture of the black / red / blue without too much hassle & not much in the way of a break in between, but i'd not be planning on walking up many stairs the next day 😆

I remember after the article was published a few folk were saying "well, I can do that without an e-bike" kinda missing the point that 95%+ of riders couldn't, but might like to with a bit of help on the climbs.

What are ebikes like on the fun bits? They've always looked like an easier way to get a crap bike to the top of a hill to me, which begs the question why would I bother? i'm assuming the likes of Specialized and Cube can put something half decent together component/suspension wise, but doesn't weight take the pop and bounce out of the ride back down?

(Disclaimer - I only ride hardtails as the terrain around ere is tame enough to need encouragement with under-biking, and it's likely that's where this thought springs from)

I have ridden both an e fat bike hardtail, and a full suss ebike quite a bit.

Have to say that the descending isn't as much fun as a well sorted hardtail or full suss in my opinion.
You can feel the extra weight and they don't handle as well in my experience.

It's not that they are terrible, just not as good, it's a bit more considered, and jumping off stuff with a 21 kgs bike isn't for me.

For me the better fun was to be had on the climbs, the climb became more enjoyable as it was ridden like a good bit of "flat" Singletrack

They weigh the same as DH bikes did 10 years ago. Similar geo too.

Jumping DH bikes isn't a new thing, I notice the weight, but only as my other bikes are all sub 30lbs now.

Thing is, mine is 27.5x3 tyres so I'm not sure if the monster truck feeling is from that, or the extra weight. Prob a combo of the two.

[quote=Denis99 ]I have ridden both an e fat bike hardtail, and a full suss ebike quite a bit.
Have to say that the descending isn't as much fun as a well sorted hardtail or full suss in my opinion.
You can feel the extra weight and they don't handle as well in my experience.
It's not that they are terrible, just not as good, it's a bit more considered, and jumping off stuff with a 21 kgs bike isn't for me.
For me the better fun was to be had on the climbs, the climb became more enjoyable as it was ridden like a good bit of "flat" Singletrack

For me and my bike this isn't the case. I've got a fair few descent PR's (including some steep, tech ones) on my ebike. I don't really notice the weight of mine downhill tbh, it jumps and corners well. I don't really know how this can be the case given that you'd think a 20 kilo bike would be pretty terrible for it. It does have a really low BB though, I get loads of pedal strikes on it.

Thing is, mine is 27.5x3 tyres so I'm not sure if the monster truck feeling is from that, or the extra weight. Prob a combo of the two.

I took those off mine as I found the monster truck thing too and wanted to try get rid of it. Running 27.5x2.6 now and, for me, it's much better.