Check it: [url= http://www.pinkbike.com/news/coastal-crew-skeptical-video.html ]http://www.pinkbike.com/news/coastal-crew-skeptical-video.html[/url]
A nice way to show the haters (me included) what ebikes can do. Not just a 'my mates only got one leg and its the only way he can get out' argument. An eye opener for sure.
For me, they are ****en heavy (the one I have had a go on anyhow), so for those guys to make them ridge like that, fair play I say. Having watched that, I'd have one for the local dh spot!
For me, they are ****en heavy (the one I have had a go on anyhow), so for those guys to make them ridge like that, fair play I say. Having watched that, I'd have one for the local dh spot!
the interview to go with it is quite interesting. low CoG means awesome cornering.
and do the e-bikes haters also refuse to use uplift services like BPW?
e-bikes haters also refuse to use uplift services like BPW?
😆 nope, but thats a bit OT. I had a great time up there last week, but 99% of my riding is on the pedals.
However, as I said up there, watching that makes me want one! Triscombe would be a great venue on that.
Coastal Crew riders are amazing- they could ride like that on a Brompton.
I don't think riders that can 'Shred the Gnar' like that need an e-bike. To ride like that you need a fair amount of fitness, on par with what's required to get back to the top of the trail.
To ride like that you need a fair amount of fitness, on par with what's required to get back to the top of the trail.
a lot of the articles coming out seem to be focusing on this. its not the lazy option, you just go further and faster.
Coastal Crew riders are amazing- they could ride like that on a Brompton.
hear that.
its not the lazy option
Given the weight, i'm not surprised - trying to chuck a ~60lb weight around! They do make it look easy!
Unexpected hike a bike is really going to suck
I that the Specialized bike advertised in thsi months mag?
500W so illegal on UK rights of way and roads.
From a trail advocacy point of view I can't think of a worse way to advertise them.
I'm not saying that they need to advertise them as 'just for cripples and old farts' but I think that they gave to be really, truly considerate over selling e-bikes on 'adrenaline' rather than adventure.
Even more of an issue in the states than the UK for what it's worth as very little of their access is by right.
By way of comparison, see the Shimano XT di2 advert:
Im absolutely convinced that one sells our sport to the masses better than the other, and I think that companies like This have a vital role and responsibility in promoting the best image possible to the wider public
that the Specialized bike advertised in thsi months mag?
500W so illegal on UK rights of way and roads.
Not quite true. The law covers continual power assistance of 250w. The 500w (or whatever spesh quote) is the peak power, which is not covered by the legislation.
Spesh are too big and too smart to sell a bike illegally in the uk...
Ninfan, fair point. I'm sort of on the same wavelength.
However, it goes to show the opportunities out there.
What happens to them if you drop it down the trail and smash up the computer on the bar? Does it have a limp home mode?
What happens to them if you drop it down the trail and smash up the computer on the bar? Does it have a limp home mode?
That is a good point and one which worries me a tad as the control unit is very vulnerable on mine
could be emergency mode is just pedal the bugger
What happens to them if you drop it down the trail and smash up the computer on the bar? Does it have a limp home mode?
When I was at Swinley recently, I chatted to a few e-bikers just a long from the bottom of baby maker. Nice chaps and great to see them out riding. They all had a reason for not riding a conventional bike; age & injury.
They headed off and I had a chat/drink/snack, and as we started to follow them there was a horrible mechanical crack and a 'ting'. One of the e-bikes had sheared all 4 chainring bolts! They were stuck out at the furthest point from the trailhead. As I said, all had injuries or where rather old. I offered to help push or drag the bike, but the insisted they'd be fine.
Makes me worry about these vulnerable people stuck out in the middle of no where. Not speaking about Swinley, but say 15 miles into the wilderness of Wales with no mobile signal, old age or injury, 20+kg dead weight, SPD shoes and adverse weather.. They can get themselves much further into the wilderness than they could if they rode a conventional bike, without a fail safe to return.
That's a good point Cokie.
The other concern I'd have about ebikes and "adventure" riding is the limited range and the weight for those unexpected hike-a-bikes or carrying across expanses of bog.
I came round to ebikes on the "old and infirm" angle and I don't really have a problem with the "you can descend twice as much" argument that's now being pushed by Dirt and others - but it certainly wouldn't be for me.
What happens to them if you drop it down the trail and smash up the computer on the bar?
The Spesh ones haven't got a computer on the bar to smash off.
A mate has the Spesh 1. We aren't getting tired of the jokes yet. He has had to to fashion a bash guard under the bb, as it has taken more than a few hits there.
A mate has the Spesh 1. We aren't getting tired of the jokes yet. He has had to to fashion a bash guard under the bb, as it has taken more than a few hits there.
As well as the one that's already fitted?
500W so illegal on UK rights of way and roads.
Not if you are providing 250w of it from your legs
sorry 500 W bike is illegal to be used on roads or rights of way. Not illegal to sell but illegal to use except on private land with the landowners consent.
Its people selling bikes that cannot be legally used on public roads that might kill e bikes.
tjagain - sorry 500 W bike is illegal to be used on roads or rights of way. Not illegal to sell but illegal to use except on private land with the landowners consent.
As above, 500 peak not 500 continuous.
They can get themselves much further into the wilderness than they could if they rode a conventional bike,
I think the narrowing of the difference between adventure and mis-adventure, through better kit, has been going on for a couple of decades now.
You can buy waterproofs that keep us drier and warmer for longer - but at somepoint, should you get wet or cold, you have to know where and how to get warm again. We have kayaks that can fall off waterfalls, resurface quickly and handle well - but they still get pinned sometimes and need a very quick rescue reaction, we have GPS and tech that gets us such accurate information we can rely on it in appalling conditions - until the water gets in or battery quits, and then we are faced with needing the same natural navigation and map reading skills of old.
I think eBikes are ace - but they are not without downside or issue.
I forsee an explosion in electric motorbikes, an explosion in eBikes to just blatt the trails somewhat antisocially, an issue of getting out into middle of nowhere and needing a rescue etc. I think we will have a good few issues over the next few years - and the arguments are going to be rather nuanced and value laden, of which many will not 'get'.
If you look closely, you can almost see the wake of dead baby robins.
I've got to say using an ebike (a legal one) as an alternative to uplift is probably a good thing, but I could pay for a lot of uplift days for the cost difference between an unassisted bike and an e-bike. And the unassisted bike would be a lot lighter - for people who want to do that sort of thing where there's not an uplift available or more often than I do, I can see the point.
I think we do need to make sure we keep things legal though.
and do the e-bikes haters also refuse to use uplift services like BPW?
Whats your point caller?
As above, 500 peak not 500 continuous.
This is from the page on the Specialized website fo rthe turbo range
Hikers on Mt. Tam used to say we're crazy. Roadies called it a fad. Clunkers, tension discs— we left our eyes open, heads down, and kept designing. We kept evolving, and today, the Turbo Levo FSR embodies a design unimaginable 40 years ago—a trail bike with 530 watts of power on the climbs. A trail bike that gives you the power to ride more trails.Whether you're riding trail, speeding up your commute, or just having the time of your life out on the road, our Turbo electric bikes give you the power to go farther and faster then ever before. On the road, these e-bikes are capable of achieving 45 Km/h while you pedal, and on the dirt, they give you the power to ride more trails. Think of it like superhuman strength, only it's more like a superhuman is helping you as you pedal."So these are clearly not legal on UK rights of way or roads. This will wreck e-bikes for those who want to use them on trails. Which I could really see me doing in retirement
From the page for the Turbo Levo FSR
ampthill - that's the not the UK spec. They sell them to meet each country's laws.
ampthill - that's the not the UK spec. They sell them to meet each country's laws.
It is the Uk spec, or at least it says its it on the Uk website
https://www.specialized.com/gb/gb/men/bikes/mountain/turbo-levo/turbo-levo-fsr
from the same website (the Uk website)
"The exclusive, custom-tuned motor smoothly and quietly puts out up to 530 watts of additional power to the pedals to make climbing the steepest of trails nearly effortless, and the output is fully adjustable to conserve energy."
it is confusing, the bike on paper does appear to break the law, but I'm sure specialized wouldnt knowingly be doing this.
The motor has 2 input sources (battery and legs) and 1 output (chainring) which is why it lists 530w. Never more than 250W comes from the battery.
I believe the 45kph is for the 'fast commuters' that they have on the continent, that spec. Isn't sold here.
Whats your point caller?
The folk that say all cycling should be done under your own power, then load a Bike on to the back of a minibus to go to the top
I was quite amused to see someone having to deflate the tyres on their Specialized 6flippingstupidnamefora27.5+bike to get it on the uplift trailer at BPW - especially when I noticed it was an e-bike! I swear it would take less time and effort to pedal up and not have to pump the tyres back up...
The motor has 2 input sources (battery and legs) and 1 output (chainring) which is why it lists 530w. Never more than 250W comes from the battery.
thats not what it says in the blurb:-
"The exclusive, custom-tuned [b]motor smoothly and quietly puts out up to 530 watts of additional power to the pedals[/b] to make climbing the steepest of trails nearly effortless, and the output is fully adjustable to conserve energy."
It says the motor puts out 530w of additional power .
I suspect it is as you say it is, but their advertising/spec description is really misleading
No power goes to the pedals. The chainring isn't directly connected to the cranks.
530W of additional power and 45 km/h both on the UK website
Motor and battery both specified as 530W I think
So the bike is clearly not legal to ride on road or rights of way.. 45 kph - illegal - 500W illegal.
Poor website / restricted for the UK. They arent stupid enough to be selling one in the UK that isnt legal.
Yes they are and yes they do. If it has 500W and assistance up to 45mph it does not meet the regulations. Most e bike sellers in the UK sell illegal bikes.
I suspect it's nothing more than the peculiarities of advertising and website being run from the USA, whereby it would be OK
I've suggested for some time that the US debate on access for ebikes, and indeed MTB in general, has little to no relevance here, and tends to muddy the waters and confuse people, doing more harm than good.
Most e bike sellers in the UK sell illegal bikes.
Or, to be pedantic, sell bikes which are illegal to use on public roads and on land without the landowner's permission.
tjagain - Yes they are and yes they do. If it has 500W and assistance up to 45mph it does not meet the regulations. Most e bike sellers in the UK sell illegal bikes.
Facts or just your guess.
Facts or just your guess
45 km/h 500W facts from spec'
25 km/h 250 W facts from uk law
no guessing
I'll rephrase that
Most e bike sellers in the UK sell illegal bikes.
Facts or just your guess.
MEDIA.SPECIALIZED.COM Sounds fun to me. If I could hit 45kmh on the road, I could be at the Aston Hill car park in about 25 minutes, ride without worrying about blowing up on the way home. Sounds ideal to me. Sadly I cant afford one anyway!
That said, that top speed is under pedal power, the Spesh bike I rode at Blazing Saddles Im sure only provided power until you are doing 15mph. Not far off half the 45kmh'ish quoted -marketing? So, to hit those speeds you would need to be bloody fit. Ride one if you get the chance, I dont think it will allow a 'free' 45kmh cruise or any where near it unless you are hyper fit.
philjunior - MemberOr, to be pedantic, sell bikes which are illegal to use on public roads and on land without the landowner's permission.
Or, to be even more pedantic, sell bikes which are illegal to use on public highways, any other land to which the public have access, or on private land without the landowners permission
To all that say my levo goes 45mph/kph. It doesn't. It cuts out at 15.5mph/25kph. Regardless of what the website says. Now I haven't measured the power output myself but I'll bet it's compliant.
UK Spec one here, says 250w.
http://www.mbr.co.uk/reviews/electric-bikes/specialized-turbo-levo-fsr-comp-6fattie-2016-review
So the bike is clearly not legal to ride on road or rights of way.. 45 kph - illegal - 500W illegal.
Except it doesn't do that. HTH.