[Closed] Ebike Haters Talk To Me

People don't like change.

And

1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works.
2. Anything that's invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it.
3. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things.

I chatted with two chaps of about my age riding them in Scotland. For them both, E-bikes were a way to return to rides that they couldn't do any more. I can see that, with health issues, I may need one for that reason. Also because a long lay-off means a slow and depressing return to fitness, so help may be useful there. But I'd want to ride a normal bike, too.

Hooning around Swinley and claiming Strava records are something else, altogether.

its cheating

Not racing? It isn't. Be sure not to scratch your bike putting it on the uplift truck/gondola.

its not cycling

You turn the pedals, the bike goes forward...

motor+bike=motorbike

Totally different to a motorbike. So says the law.

heavy

No heavier than a DH bike of 10 years ago, will get lighter as tech improves, much like DH bikes have...

if the battery dies you'll be stranded

You turn the pedals, the bike goes forward... a bit slower.

erosion

Power delivery is smoother, so less mashing the pedals, causing the bike to lose traction. Not powerful enough to 'roost'

i saw one go 100mph

That's a motorbike. Not an ebike.

strava

If it means that much to you, report it. But, 15mph isn't [i]that [/i] fast. Train harder?

only for the old/disabled/injured

Exactly how old/disabled/injured?

Pretty sure that's it, not doubt they'll have a few surprises in store though. Hating on ebikes means you are a real, super fit, pure cyclist, full of machismo. That and trolls be trollin'.

slowoldgit nails it.

For. My neighbour is awaiting a heart transplant and can now get out and about.
Against. Chipped up e bikes turning into the favoured transport of pikey chavs.

My beef is the creep towards them being the 'norm' in successive years we've been told they're the next big thing, they're going to be massive and sure enough people who are paid to give their opinion on such things (and perhaps told what to say) are cheering from the rooftops about how great they are, how it's not about making it easier, it's about going further in the same time and most dubiously of all about how much fun they are up AND down hill and how you don't notice all the extra weight.

For someone like me it represents a problem and a solution - reaching 40 this year I'm being reminded that I'm on the downslope of life and one day I might need an E-Bike and for that I'm more than glad they exist and they're getting better all the time, but on the flip side one day, probably soon because of all the hype and PR surrounding them someone is going to turn up for one of our group rides on one, they'll leave everyone behind on the climbs and because it's new they'll say how wonderful it is and because they won't want to seem lazy they talk about it being different, not easier and a few more will get them and then the normal bike riders are holding them back and in the end we'll all have to buy one just to stick with the pack. Bit over the top? My little riding group has been in a bike space race for over ten years, more travel, more slack angles, more carbon, bigger wheels, carbon wheels, more gears, less gears, droppers etc etc every innovation has played its part in making us all a little bit quicker but they're not life or death - our newest member on his 10 year old hand me down bike is still in the mix with the lads with the latest carbon everything bikes - but e-bikes are such a game changer it won't end well.

P-Jay - Member

For someone like me it represents a problem and a solution - reaching 40 this year I'm being reminded that I'm on the downslope of life

Poor old soul - 40? That old? So you might need an e-bike in 30 years then?

Fortunateson09 - Member
So my simple question is, what is your beef with ebikes?

My honest, simple, answer?

If you want to ride a motorbike, buy a motorbike.

Having ridden powered and non-powered two-wheelers for longer than I care to remember, I see no difference between ebikes and motorbikes.

@Andy R

Yes, the hole mid-life thing is a reminder that I'm not immortal and yes one day I will be old so I'm glad they exist for when that day comes.

P-Jay - Member
@Andy R

Yes, the hole mid-life thing is a reminder that I'm not immortal and yes one day I will be old so I'm glad they exist for when that day comes.

I'm already old and when I can't be arsed to ride a mountain bike anymore I'll just probably go back to riding a trials bike. I think pretty much like bensales ^^^, to be honest.

Having ridden powered and non-powered two-wheelers for longer than I care to remember, I see no difference between ebikes and motorbikes.

Either you are not telling the truth. Or you are not very clever.

Not sure which 😆

I like riding up hills. I can still do it. Some people can't ride up hills or don't want to.
I don't really care what other people are doing as long as they aren't being dicks.

I have no problem with e bikes, I'm just a bit bored of the bull crap excuses some people make, when really all they want is to be first up a hill/round a trail and show off about it as if they did all the work themselves.

Conversely some people hate ebikes because they are scared of having their 28 second strava KOM (ridden by 15 people in total) taken off them.

Basically it's all crap

E bike are for lazy fat people.

They remove the boring bits, ie going uphill from riding a bike. Makes more time for the fun stuff. People who think a 15mph ebike is a motocrosser are morons.

I just like the idea of getting to places under my own steam, however old and crap I might be. Once you add a motor then a lot of that satisfaction must surely dissappear? I can accept that everyone gets something different out of a ride - for me it's mainly about techy climbs and descents (cleaned if possible, naturally) whereas others might focus purely on speed, or distance, or big gap jumps or whatever floats their boat.

Like I've said, I'm just an old ex trials rider but the stuff that I miss doing on a trials bike I probably wouldn't be doing on an e-bike, any more than on a "proper" mtb.

They are a lot of fun, I don't want one but they are here to stay. Tomhoward I would say of the battery ran out then you'd struggle to pedal one very far without being exhausted and they can easily cause more erosion if you're in turbo mode constantly, and yes I have ridden quite a few with different battery systems.

Tried a friend's loaner Spec Turbo Levo a couple of weeks ago and it was a hoot! Wouldn't want to lift it over any gates / onto a roofrack though..

I think Berocca put it best!

OP - if you're curious get and demo one and make up your own mind!

Yes, the hole mid-life thing is a reminder that I'm not immortal and yes one day I will be old so I'm glad they exist for when that day comes.

FFS sake get a grip of yourself. Buy a sports car, go skiing, or whatever. You live, you die, shit happens so crack on and enjoy what you can.

I just think it's brilliant that people who are too crap or unfit or old to ride properly can still get out on the hill. I also darkly look forward to the first mountain rescue call-out to someone with a flat battery in the middle of nowhere... 😉

I've beaten mates up climbs with the battery fitted but disconnected. Granted, I wouldn't want it to happen 50 miles from the nearest phone reception, but it's not like it explodes on reaching zero. I put it in the same bracket at the battery on Di2 gears dying. Planning should avoid any battery life issues

Even in turbo mode, the power delivery is so smooth on my levo It doesn't seem to lose traction, either that or the torque is so low it doesn't make any odds. I guess plus tyres help. It's not like you can wind on the power, then dump a clutch...

Planning should avoid any battery life issues

Just out of interest, how do the batteries cope with proper sub-zero conditions? Do they have some sort of indicator so you can see how much juice is left? Can you replace them with AAs as an emergency measure?

If ebikes become the norm, what will the generation that grow up with them be looking for when they get too old to keep up? An MTB simulator in their living room controlling a hologram avatar out on the trails?

If it gets more people on bikes then what's the issue?

It's the colour schemes for me.

riding an ebike isn't playing fair though is it? you're riding a bike with a motor, ergo it's a motorbike...

i can't think of a running equivalent, but i'm going to try anyway.

imagine you were a runner, into the running scene, in a running club, subscribed to a running mag, went on a running forum etc, had all the gear, had improved your health and fitness along the way, and had achieved certain milestones within the whole running "thing"... then someone brought out some fancy running shoes that made you run and perform 25% better than before... you still had to put effort in, but the gains were there for all to see...

how would that go down in the running world? i think we can all imagine can't we?

yes, people would say "ah, but as long as it gets people out running, then it's all good", or "when i'm in my 60's i'll get those shoes myself" etc...

but runners would know... people who consider what they do a "pure" sport would know... and they would never be happy with these shoe that are a cheat, neigh an affront, to what they love.

"these people running 10k's faster than me without putting in the hard miles, as i have, are bad people... i don't like them, nor the tech they are using", they would think...

and then, to add insult to injury, the mags, the forums, the very scene itself started to embracing this form of cheating.... well this is too much, they would think... this is just too much

then someone turns up on a club run (A CLUB RUN)in these blasted things... bah!!!!

"but it's not a race" someone would pipe in "where's the issue?"...
"so f$&%ing what!?!?" the [u]real[/u] runner would scream, (internally).

and they (the ones who consider themselves to be the real runners) would spout bile everytime these new [s]ebikes[/s],sorry, shoes were mentioned...

does that cover how i feel? cos it should.

Tomhoward, different battery/motors put out power in different ways, some are much punchier than others. They aren't unrideable with the battery flat but it's not pleasant.

Kind of depends on the kind of riding you're doing. If you're into all-day / multi-day wilderness trips, they're less than ideal. I must admit, I'm a bit of a luddite - I resisted disc brakes for ages due to worrying about possible failure half way round a remote route. If you have cantis / V brakes you can fix pretty much anything with a minimal tool kit. This was borne out when I fell off at Camasunary (Skye) and had to bend my rear disc back into some sort of shape by standing on it - still left me with half a brake all the way back to Sligichan.

If you like to blast around trail centres, it's a different story - I can see the benefits of getting to the top refreshed and ready to head down, never more than a few miles from a bike shop / power point.

But for me, the simpler the better when it comes to two wheeled adventures.

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I'm 44 fit and healthy and commuting 16 hilly miles a day and for the last 13years. If I had the money I'd buy an ebike - haterz or not because I like riding bikes of all types, and I reckon I'd have the shits and giggles on one not provided by one of my 'normal' bikes.

So in summary ebike hating Luddites can **** off back to golf or whatever dull as dishwater hobby they came from.

i can't think of a running equivalent, but i'm going to try anyway.

[img] [/img]

What's the point?

bensales - Member

Having ridden powered and non-powered two-wheelers for longer than I care to remember, I see no difference between ebikes and motorbikes.

I feel like maybe you should come back to the thread once you've riden an ebike and have seen the difference.

http://www.wired.co.uk/article/running-jetpack

as a bloke who rode a ebike for 2 years when ill with a heart problem, i think they are fantastic, but for that kind of stuff and for people who are not able bodied.

cant get my head round why someone well and able to cycle unaided would want to use one.

They may be fun but its not cycling its like giving in when you get a bit old and slow and need a mobility scooter .Some people wont because they have pride buying an ebike is the same.

I can't wait to get one. As the tech gets lighter and I can get it onto a 160mm trail bike without a massive weight penalty, I'll have one for mashing up the local climbs (circa 500-1000ft) and flying back down, just like an uplift day.
Just can't see the issue. its different.
Unless there is a massive difference in fitness, on a group ride (my local bike shop fit lad gives one to his girlfriend to ride when he goes out training, gives him a target!) they aren't going to mix well, but then that's not what they're all about in my mind.
I will however keep the other bikes for just going for a ride...

I'll try one when I'm old and ****ed but not before. I'm not an overly proud person, but I do have [i]some[/i] pride. It's MTBing made easy. Unless you're somehow impaired, it's strictly for the golfing brigade.

how would that go down in the running world? i think we can all imagine can't we?

Arent Nike trying something along these lines with their special shoes for a 2 hour marathon?
Apparently x percent more effective without breaking the rules around technology in shoes.

For e-bikes. If it keeps people riding I cant see a problem. Only real issue would be dealing with the e motorbikes being confused with them and hence normal bikes.

I'm not an bike hater per se, but they concern me as a development simply because they have potential to cause major issues in Access negotiations for sensitive/contested locations.

There's a lot of walkers and horsey peeps that already think mountain bikes are too much like motorbikes, add any sort of engine and they aren't going to stop and listen to anyone explaining pedal assist, they're just going to lose their shit at the idea.

Then you have hackers, danglers, app modders, etc rigging things for twist throttle operation instead of legal assistance or over rating the output beyond the legit - all illegal, but not going away while the option is there.

I see obvious benefits for injured and otherwise in need of assistance riders, but to be perfectly honest these people would be as well served by fully motorised transport (the sort that is currently illegal sold under this designation).

I'm fully expecting to be proven wrong by time as new expensive shiny that makes life easier is usually a winning proposition, but I'm not convinced at all they're a good thing for the UK MTB seen however much fun people can have on them.

I test rode a Cannondale Moterra last weekend. Full sus and 650b plus.

I had no preconceptions before trying and don't mind seeing them on the trails.

First and lasting thoughts .... It was fun, a different sort of fun to normal riding. How can anything with a turbo setting not be fun.

I did a short 8 mile loop with plenty of twisty singletrack but as this is Suffolk a distinct lack of climbing.

I tried all power/aided settings including off, the latter was hard work!

In turbo mode through the trees it was brilliant fun as you would maintain 16mph pretty easily on tight twisty singletrack where half that can seem fast.

Had some fun powering out of bomb holes too as a quick turn of the pedals at the bottom engaged the motor!

Over 16mph it wasn't fun though. I'm not a fast rider but with the "help" you're soon riding everywhere at 16mph almost as a minimum. Pushing passed this the motor cuts out and it becomes a heavy bike flipping between assisting and not as you drop beneath 16mph or above it.

You'd need to take a different approach to riding it over a conventional bike ..., or I would.

If I had the money, meaning it were truly disposable, and the space I would have one just for the fun of it.

They may be fun but its not cycling its like giving in when you get a bit old and slow and need a mobility scooter .Some people wont because they have pride buying an ebike is the same

You know that could come across as mobility scooter drivers have no pride and have given in.

It could also come across as if e-bike riders have no pride and have given in.. people have been talking shit since god created Adolph and Evander, it ain't gonna stop today is it? 😀

I have to agree with Ton back up the page, they serve a purpose for those with a genuine [u]Need[/u] for assistance, but there's plenty of people buying them using the excuse that it will "motivate" them to get out riding or go further than they would otherwise. The harsh truth is it's laziness holding back their cycling ambitions, not health, or the lack of a 3k+ e-dandyhorse... Who ever got fitter by delegating effort?

And then there's the people chipping them, having the 15mph limit or need to turn the cranks removed, I've seen them out and about and they basically are just bellends... They should have just bought one of these:

Id have killed for one Tuesday when my quads gave in at the top of Simons Swamp at Gisburn on Tuesday, and by the stream crossing at the bottom of Hully Gully my knee went. what a dick i felt pushing up Bottoms and the last blue run...

My main problem with them is the use by older people. Here in Germany they have become the thing to have for all senior citizens. Now before these people would be bimbling along at 7 kmh where as now on their ebikes they are bimbling along at 30 kmh resulting in some nasty injuries when things go wrong.

That KTM is awesome, but id imagine a few problems learning that the rear brake isnt a clutch!
Approves!

I've got a levo..... And I've got a bucksaw.... And I've got a codeine 29er...and I've got a nukeproof mega am. I love them all, I'm 65, not given up just yet. I'm hoping to do the tour de Mont Blanc next year, again !! On the mega am 650b. I ride all the bikes and have fun on them all, it's just different fun, I'm a bit embarrassed before I get on the levo, buts it's a great laugh, and I soon forget. I enjoy all my bikes, isn't that what it's all about ?? I don't give a t**s what anyone else thinks, I'm just enjoying myself.

@ Andy 10011 p**ss off, I'm sure you ride every where and never put your bike on a rack, or in your car or van, because that would mean you might be considered fat and lazy.

Well said Lester, bravo for still hammering stuff at what some folk consider 'old.

Folks like you are what keeps us going mate.

*likes*

Well I was 40 this year and I don't want one. If anyone else wants one, fine, if they don't, also fine. I ride to keep fit and have fun. An e-bike could let me go further for the same effort, but I'm ok doing what I'm doing currently. A 29er xc hardtail would probably get me further for the same effort, but I'm ok doing what I'm doing currently.

Most of the issues with E-bikes can be resolved by simply not giving a damn about what other people choose to do.

not read the above posts, usual shizzle I expect. My Mums fella has been a long time roadie, out twice a week for years with the local club, many years on CTC meets, proper dedicated roadie all his life. Now has parkinsons disease which would have ended his biking years ago, but an ebike means he's still out with his mates. It's been an absolute life saver for him mentally and physically IMO. When it stops I really think he will stop, totally. I genuinely believe it's given him a few more years of sort of normality.

Are we talking ebikes or pedelecs? Are they the same thing now? Have often thought that a pedelec would allow me to pedal and not have to drive to visit my good friend 15 miles away, while not losing half a day or more cycling and still be left with some breath and time to chill and catch up. That would be worth a lot in itself. Yes I've cycled the route on a regular bike. And yes it's pretty cruel in the summer for those even half my age who've accompanied me in the past. 10 deep river valleys there, 10 back. Nearly 9000 ft of climbing. Beautiful place to cycle (North Devon coast) - but brutal if you like to do it regularly commuting and/or visiting friends. I see very few local cyclists in that part of the world, and probably for good reason.

Pedelecs are great for transport and cargo. Many mtbers seem to have a blind spot to those possibilities, which is weird because surely you would think that those are the first that would cone to mind? Cars are used way too much for short/medium trips. If you already like cycling then why not increase your cycling/decrease car use to do shopping, cargo/school runs and visits?

I can see land owners using e-bikes as an excuse to close off road access to bikes of all kinds, that's my objection to mountain e-bikes. Bikes with motors are motorbikes. Basically what vincienup said.

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cookeaa - Member

The harsh truth is it's laziness holding back their cycling ambitions, not health, or the lack of a 3k+ e-dandyhorse...

And yet, if they get an e-bike and are subsequently happy, obviously there's a flaw in your logic.

Not everyone gives a crap about getting fitter. I cycle [i]despite[/i] the fitness benefits, the only reason I want to be fitter is to ride further and faster so If I could magic a motor and battery onto my bike without a weight and money penalty, or order some bigger legs off amazon, damn right I would.

It's just empathy basically- the reason other people are making different decisions to you is that they don't want the same things as you.

I had my Levo Comp for 10 days before being knocked off it. Now suffering a long healing process before I'll be riding it again.
I've ri?den it on a group ride around Swinley and loved it. As a group nobody had to wait for me and I feel as a group it didnt make me feel like I was spoiling someone elses fun by them having to wait for me. There wasn't a them and me. We were a group. Fun yes. Smiles yes. Regrets none.

yes I am over weight and lacked the motivation to ride my normal bike on my own and at 62
went on a group holiday last year and was tailend charlie every day as could not ride at the pace of the much younger members .
we still had fun and every one said they did not mind the long waits at the top of the hills

but I did mind as felt bad dampening their fun and adding possibly 2 or more hours to their rides .

so my Ebike means I can ride with my mate at his pace so we both get a fun day out .
and I get to sometimes open the gates for him and share the banter as can speak while climbing at his pace .

I fully intend to ride bikes until i am unable to through health or death .

so all you haters just think what you will do when you reach 60 / 70/ and above

I still ride non ebikes to keep fitish but not when out with much younger mates

Good stuff Trouty, will we get to see this ebike @ ardrock this year?

hopefully Nobeerinthefridge
but only sunday as have to go to a wedding on sat
hoping to be start of section 3 again

Ridiculous.

People do what they want. Why would anybody be concerned about what other people ride?

I have zero interest in bikes with above 160mm travel but I'm not going to hate them just because they're not my thing.

Let's at least embrace the fact there is choice for riders to go off in different directions. As long as I can keep my mile munching on my Turner's I don't give a hoot. Besides it's something else to chase down.

As long as other groups don't use ebikes as an excuse to hamper efforts for greater access I'm not bothered at all.

I don't quite see riding an ebike as the same thing as riding my current bikes, but as with all things this view will probably change as I get older, and probably more in need of the assistance offered by one.

Basically the only reason people outside racing object to ebikes is that they have an inexplicable urge to poke their nose into other people's business.

I don't understand why anyone would want to drive a Hyundai i10. They are a car, like all other cars, but I don't like them. But it is absolutely none of my business if other people choose to drive them.

Similarly it's nobody else's business if someone chooses to ride an ebike.

Where the vitriol these people have comes from I don't know but it's likely to have something to do with not thinking it through properly.

I'm all for them..... there was a time when I thought I was a candidate, thankfully for me the shadows on my lungs were remains of an old pneumonia and nothing more sinister.

A guy in my club rides one and gets the piss ripped but he's a good bloke and accepts it and plays up to it, doesn't use it to storm ahead, etc., it also enables him to keep up where he was struggling before. I also know another guy in another club is a dick with it and is rather hated for it - so it's not the bike, it's the rider in my opinion.

I can see the issues with reliability, as said you don't want to get stranded with a 40lb bike in the wilds somewhere when the battery dies and you haven't made an escape plan. Equally, and as tech improves if it helps people get out and enjoy the farthest reaches of our magnificent countryside that they couldn't have reached before, why not?

I see the running analogy, but people have always adopted new tech, and running shoes now are probably already 10-20% more efficient than they were when people used to run naked apart from leather sandals. I see it more like golf - a 'pro' might get the best feel and control from his set of bladed irons that suit his ability. An amateur can instead have a set with massive cavity backs and oversized heads and perimeter weighting and whatever to compensate for his inability. But they can still play together - and to stretch the analogy further golf also has a handicapping system just so people of different abilities can compete, and that is perfectly normal.

The high handicapper doesn't think he's better than the pro because on a good day he can shoot a nett 6 under par. Just as (most) ebikers don't think they're better than their colleagues because they can get up the hill a bit faster. If they do, they're dicks and would be on any bike.

My sister (dodgy hips) and her husband (terminally ill, cancer) have them - commuting and short camping trips. Appropriate use of a handy technology.

I don't hate them. As a fit 49 old year, though, I'd be f@3kin embarrassed to be seen on one, and would derive no satisfaction from riding further/clearing a climb on one.

To pre-empt some points raised earlier - no, I don't drive a car, and no I don't use uplifts -to the extent I asked for (and was granted) permission to cycle up to the Antur Stiniog trailhead rather than sitting in a van.

they are the mobility scooter of the bike industry. totally valid if you have a genuine ailment such as disability or old age that prevents you from enjoying riding in the way you want to. Otherwise you are no better than the big lazy knackers that ride round on there mobility scooters between shops because they can't be bothered to walk, then walk round said shops like nothing is wrong with them. Don't kid yourself with all the pro ebike marketing hype.

This thread is so judgemental in places. I wish I could afford an e-bike, as due to an ongoing knee injury I can't ride any distance on my bikes.
I rode a Scott hybrid e-bike when I was fit and it was an absolute hoot (who would have thought riding bikes was fun!!). You would think these things are coming to burn your homes down the way some folk respond!!
Lighten up!

MTBing has always had those who just don't like the climbs - they are in it for the DH. I like both, so e-bikes aren't for me while I've still got the legs to get up them.

There are dicks on both ebikes and unpowered bikes. I'd rather people didn't clog up the top tens on climbs on Strava with ebike rides, not because I'm likely to trouble the leaderboard, or even care that much, but because I'm interested to compare my performance with the fastest times and see what is actually possible without e-assistance by some of the fit bastards who live around my way.

so all you haters just think what you will do when you reach 60 / 70/ and above

Just do what I do and put up with not being as fast as I used to be?

@bigwill
I'm old and still enjoy riding the way I want, although I'm recovering from rotator cuff surgery, after landing a gap jump wrong, and finishing it off at bpw. I've had two concussions in the last twelve months from riding the stuff I want to ride. I'm not good but I'm still keen. I usually two evening rides with my mates, whatever the weather and all through winter, on my 29er. i use my mega for bike parks, alps trips and Wales and peaks. I muck about on the fat bike but the longer rides on my own, and maybe even to work a 60 mile round trip I plan to use the e bike. I'm not lazy, I just enjoy the different bikes for different riding.

@ malvern rider, not sure if that Leonardo was sarcastic or not, but it was very funny 🙂

I currently have a Specialized enduro and a Specialized levo, love riding them both. The levo is fast as you like, and turns my normal average trail centre (pines) into something more fun. I still ride my 'normal' bike often , most weekends in the peaks as it happens, mainly for 2 reasons. 1. It keeps me fit. 2. It's faster on the downhills than the levo. End of the day, I was dead set against Ebikes, but after having reluctantly having a go, I'm hooked. Let's be honest, who doesn't like going fast?!?! And it's kinda a myth that a fat lazy dude will instantly become a slayer of mear mortals on a Ebike, it's all down to how much effort you put it (you still gotta be fit!). Last word, all the haters I say this......have a go ! (On a de-restricted one!)

Don't have anything against them per se (other than a nagging feeling that they're not 'proper' cycling - but that's down to me not them).

While I can still ride a 'traditional' bike and have fun on the ups and downs then I don't want one and won't try one. At the point my age or health means I can't get around the trails on my Rocket then I do see an e-bike in my future.

The way the industry seems to be pushing them as the next natural evolution of off? road cycling bothers me a bit.

The potential access issues growing out of chipped e-bikes would be my other concern, but I guess we wait for the first test case to see how that's going to pan out...

@lester as you say your are recovering from injury, recovery can be a slow and spikey process, and as you get older recovery time can get longer, so nothing against someone using an ebike in those circumstances. I've stopped and had a good chat with a couple of people that had a genuine need to use an ebike due to disability or illness, and seen how beneficial they can be. I've also had a go on one and understand that in certain modes you don't need to put a lot of effort in to make the thing move.Its the overweight bloke that gets one because he can't be bothered to make the effort to climb hills and hence lose weight, but still thinks hes a trail warrior on the downs, that falls into the fat knacker mobility scooter category. sorry just my opinion.

I have a Levo, a Spark, and a CX bike. I ride all of them for different reasons, but mainly I ride all of my bikes because I like riding bikes.

The Levo is an electric assisted bike so if I stop pedalling the bike stops. So how is this a motorbike?? And surely it would only be cheating if I were competing! I log all my Levo rides as an [b]e-bike[/b] ride on Strava so do not show up in the normal segments.

As others have said why is anyone bothered what anyone else is riding, as long as we are all riding.

Fishcake.

The Levo is an electric assisted bike so if I stop pedalling the bike stops. So how is this a motorbike??

@bigwill, it wasnt what you said, it was the way you expressed it lol.
of course we are all entitled to our opinions, but who is anyone to hate on why anyone does anything.
if someone doesnt need a cross bike or a down hill bike or a tt bike etc. should they be dissed for wanting one and liking them, if a "fat lazy person" wants an ebike what is wrong with that?
it doesnt affect us so i prefer the "i dont want one because", rather than slagging off or being judgmental on someone that does.
dislike the genre is ok, not wanting one is ok, slagging others who do, is not ok. - IMO

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Is this not a motorbike either then....because it has pedals?

I've got nothing against them (in fact, I hired one on holiday, it was ok, nothing life-changing), I'm just not interested in them.
It's a bit annoying when some bike shop websites list them amongst the mountain bikes (annoying may be too strong a word) - its not what I'm looking for in the mountain bike category, just as them putting kids' Barbie bikes in the same listing would be wrong.
They're just different things. If you want/need one, fine go for it. Same as I would, without giving the slightest shit what anyone else thought.

My Aunt, Uncle and her friend are getting on a bit now (all retired). They've always enjoyed riding and I've got some fond memories of family rides round FOD and in Germany through the vineyards.

Sadly with age they physically can't ride like they used to, coupled with the fact that they live in a massive valley in the Cotswolds, means they don't get out on the bikes anymore.

Then they had a go on e-bikes and it's transformed their lives. My uncle can now cycle to the gym and up to town without a bother. It's the help with the hills that does it for them.

They are leisure and function cyclists- so the e-bike lets them do this with greater access to everything they want. They would otherwise take the car. Nip to the shops and fill up the panniers, go to the friends in the next village and go to the gym, plus all the leisure riding.

In summary, two less cars on the road (most of the time), three more of the aging population keeping fit and healthy and helping to alleviate the burden on the NHS. I think there's an application for e-bikes in all forms of riding. It's just another choice, like Pepsi and Cola, Tesco and Lidle, Board shorts and skinsuits. [b]It's just a case of not being a knob and being courteous in how you use it[/b] (this applies to everything in life).

(They have just spent over £10k though!! That's a huge amount for complete amateurs.)