Help me out - potential first ebike purchase

If you solely ride your ebike for a period of time, a normal bike will feel like dragging a lead anchor. Road bike might not be so bad, but MTB will. 

However if you regularly intersperse your ebike riding with normal bike riding, you'll be fine. 

I try and make myself go out without assistance once a week/fortnight. But in winter the draw of the ebike only does get a lot stronger

I bought my Rise with the intention of using it for bigger days out and told myself I'd still ride my HT. 

The next time I rode my m HT was 2 years later, and it near on killed me. 

I generally only get to ride once a week so made a point of doing 'big' rides where I'd do as many miles and as much climbing as I could. I'd end every ride knackered and satisfied that I'd had a good workout. 

Being a 'lower power/ lighter weight' ebike, I ride it in the lowest power mode as much as possible and turn off the assistance wherever I can. My legs were still fairly strong but the rest of me just couldn't keep up. General fitness had gone down the pan.

You know the point were you're honking up a hill, cranking out the saddle desperately trying to get I to the top before you run out steam. Or the moment where you realise that although you feel like you're already at 100% but then there's a rock or a step that you need to speed up to clear. I just didn't have that level of endurance anymore.

Without realising, I'd become so dependant on the assistance that although I was working my muscles on every ride, my cardio fitness had suffered massively. 

I think the first ride on the HT after 2 years on the ebike I managed 12 miles with about 1800' of climbing. It was in Surrey so we're not talking big climbs and I was absolutely done in.

That was about march this year. I didn't ride the ebike again until July and in that time, I'd got back to a reasonable level of fitness. I'd got back to a level where I could do say 25 miles and 3k' in the Peak District and still feel OK at the end. It didn't take long to regain some of the fitness that I'd lost.

I now try to focus on my HT for most of my riding and the transition from one bike to the other doesn't really bother me. At first it's hard going back to a non assisted bike. You become accustomed to the sensation of speed that you get from the ebike. Gentle uphill doesn't even register with the motor on. You'll whizz up a climb at 10mph and it'll feel like nothing. When you swap to a normal bike and you're having to work hard and barley doing 4mph, it can feel frustrating like you're not really moving. It's easy to feel like you're not making enough effort because you think you should be going faster. Its easy to burn yourself out quickly as you're chasing the speed of the ebike. Once you get used to it though, it stops being a problem. 

It's really easy to look at your bikes and think, I'll take the ebike because I can do double the miles or, I'll take the ebike because I'm short on time and I'll get more riding in. I just fell into the trap of never riding anything else. It's too easy to fall into that trap.

If you're more disciplined that me, and you carry on riding your normal bikes I don't think you'd lose much fitness. Ebikes are great if you've got tired legs because you can still get out for a ride. They're great for doing big days that you wouldn't manage on a normal bike so as a suppliment to your existing riding, it'll be brilliant. If you're fit already, you'll lose some of that if you just ride the ebike. 

I bought an ebike at 66 (still got it 4 years later), partly because all my old riding chums had them.  It's been brilliant, haven't regretted it for a second.  I never used my 'normal' MTB again.  However, I do have a road bike and (recently) a gravel bike which I enjoy using.  I don't seem to have lost any fitness, but I have to to take age and various injuries into account and we don't punish ourselves on the ebikes, we just have fun - 25-30 miles max, Dales and Lakes mainly.  Do it - you'll never look back!  We all ride 'full fat' bikes, btw.

I got an ebike a bit earlier this year and then one for my daughter in the summer. They are just fun machines and brilliant for building skills as you can just keep sessioning the best bits. Unexpectedly, I love demanding climbs too, who knew they could be so much fun 🙂 other thoughts:

I ride my normal enduro bike most weeks too and my fitness feels like it’s improved. A few caveats, I was probably doing too much high intensity pre ebike and I still do a fair amount of higher intensity on the ebike. I find if I push on a bit in the earlier parts of a ride, my brain resets and it doesn’t feel like you’re dragging a wagon full bricks behind you 🤣 both bikes feel ace but if I had to choose one bike, it would be the eeb.

I wouldn’t feel the need to go crazy and spend a fortune, although solid components are a must. Decent forks, shock, saddle, brakes and bomb proof wheels. With some careful swapping and buying, I got an Overvolt AM, Bosch G4, 750 battery, Fox 38 performance elite forks, Fox X2 extra volume shock, Specialised Bridge comp mimic saddle, Hunt E-Enduro wide wheels, GX drivetrain and Shimano XT brakes, all for not much over 3.5k. It’s pretty much perfect and feels spot on for everything from mega steep tech to big gap jumps and drops and never feels lacking. My point largely being, don’t be afraid to buy a cheaper model if you can then add all the parts you want for a decent price, sales are your friend… you can obviously do that over time too. 

I got an emtb last October aged 51 after hip issues

Best decision ever , makes mtb riding much more fun. Due to my hips I’d put weight on, lost fitness etc.

Imediately I was riding stuff /distances I’d not ridden since my 20’s . You can work as hard as you want / don’t want to on an emtb . This has made me now fitter than I have been in years.

I’m noticing my power/strength is up on the road bike too

At the back end of the summer I wondered if I would prefer a normal mtb again but no, now the weather has turned and I’m not getting out quite as much it’s great to get out once per week maybe but still know I’m not going to absolutely struggle 

I bought a Rise LT. More downhill orientated than any bike I’ve had before, my recommendation would be to get a ‘fun’ orientated emtb , climbing efficiency isn’t that important as the motor takes care of that

Test ride as many as you can, the motors all have different feel and they all ride differently 

The only negative if you like that I note is that if I do a 25 + mile ride on my emtb my upper body is knackered too I assume from the heavier weight of the bike. They are also more awkward getting in/out of a car. 

Don’t get obsessed my chasing weight. ie ‘SL’ e-bikes used to be <20kg and enduro bikes prob >25kg. Personally I’d look at battery size first and everything else 2nd. My rise has 630wh and will do roughly 20 miles on full power, or 45/50miles plus on lower powers. The battery is the one thing that determines the main system weight of the bike followed by everything else. I find that generally I double the mileage I would have done on an analogue mtb for the same time

Posted by: velocipede

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For those of you who've jumped onto e-MTB, how do you get on when you get back on your other bikes?

At 57 years old I've had various different ebikes  since I was 50.

I have no problems at all switching between ebike and pedal bike apart from always wanting to ride one of my pedal bikes instead of the ebike.

This feeling of wanting to ride the ebike less and less seems to be getting stronger the older I get.

I only seem to ride ebikes these days when mates come up to visit and they're all on them.

I think I've done around 15 rides this year with assistance, where as the other bikes get used at least 4 times a week year round.

Yes they are kind of fun at times but as time has gone on I'm just finding they leave me feeling a bit lacking in something after a ride.

I can't quite put my finger on what it is but that feeling seems to be growing.

Posted by: TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsSTR

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If you solely ride your ebike for a period of time, a normal bike will feel like dragging a lead anchor. Road bike might not be so bad, but MTB will. 

However if you regularly intersperse your ebike riding with normal bike riding, you'll be fine. 

Exactly that, in my experience. I have seen a number of people buy an ebike to 'get fit' and its had the exact opposite effect'

 I was very conscious of A) buying a lighter/SL type ebike and B) not actually riding it all the time. As such I have maintained my level of fitness pre-ebike times.

I still do most of the riding on a regular bike, and as such the ebike is brilliant. I actually find that when I do use it - I absolutely bury myself, it persuades me to go hell for leather and right up to the point of exhaustion sometimes! But if I was riding it all the time, I would definitely have started to slack off. 

It’s also worth thinking about an ebike and exercise in the same way we approach other forms of exercise like running; it’s easy to monitor intensity and actually decide what you want to do each week to optimise fitness. Because of the frequently winch and plummet nature of MTB, and the difficulties it presents for planning training, I suspect a lot of people carry that habit into the ebike world, which has obvious implications for fitness. 🙂 A little bit of planning and monitoring goes a long way…

Something I didn’t put in my post above, but makes me grin, if you also pedal above the cut off regularly, it makes your normal bike feel like it suddenly has a motor above 15 mph 🤣 😀 

I'm planning to buy an eMTB next year and have already planned to sell my normal MTB as soon as I get it as I know I'll never use it. I will be keeping my gravel bike though.

Just to add, had my first heavy ebike ride the other night

found myself slightly tired, not mechanical bike tired, but did a similar sort of ride as a shorter standard ride.. but in 60% of the time. Strava reckons i did 600 cals, I'd usually see 1000ish on a similar ride. I have however set my Garmin up with HR display and intend to solo ride the EEB 130-150BPM as a way to maintain CV fitness at least, obviously on a mech bike id usually see a higher running average, hoping that helps me reign it in a little

Posted by: singlespeedstu

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Yes they are kind of fun at times but as time has gone on I'm just finding they leave me feeling a bit lacking in something after a ride.

I totally get this too. 

It is good fun zipping around on an Eeb, however I also rather like the "pain" of a normal bike ride (once I get home with a beer!) 

Posted by: velocipede

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Does it suddenly feel like hard work and de-motivating?

I went ebike because riding a normal bike became too much hard work and demotivating (heart issues, blah blah). Going out riding for 2-3 hours on a normal bike and enjoying it, was beyond my abilities. 2-3 hours on an ebike, I can come back with aching legs and sweaty, just not completely ****ed! Then I met a woman, and she wanted to come out riding with me, she bought a Trek Rail and we've had so many great rides (ahem). That wouldn't have been possible on mountain bikes.
I still do ride to work without power assistance, and occasionally get the urge to grab one of my proper mountain bikes and go for a blast around QECP, or some local trails, just to prove I ain't dead yet, but I do suffer! Probably would've given up MTBing without ebikes..

Bosch CX power is amazing, however its vastly different from normal MTBing! I changed to a lighter weight Shimano EP801 powered bike, cos I wanted a lighter bike and didn't need the beast mode of the Bosch. 

Posted by: singlespeedstu

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I'm just finding they leave me feeling a bit lacking in something after a ride.

I had this for while, yeah. Definitely not as fulfilling an experience as doing a ride under your own power. But I got over it 🙂

Yes they are kind of fun at times but as time has gone on I'm just finding they leave me feeling a bit lacking in something after a ride.

I can't quite put my finger on what it is but that feeling seems to be growing.

Sounds like you need to take up running !

I used to love running because of its simplicity and it really was up to you how far you would get where as any bike gives you mechanical aid that helps you go further, an ebike just take that one giant leap forward.

I sometimes wish I was on an analogue bike over the emtb, it tends to be when I am remote natural trails, but those are the places where I would have preferred to have been running too (hips dont allow running these days). Last year I rode up Snowdon.

I enjoyed it, but it didnt feel challenging, whereas when I did it 30 years ago on a hardtail it felt much more of a challenge. However the difference was, on the way home I went and rode around Penmachno too.

It’s also worth thinking about an ebike and exercise in the same way we approach other forms of exercise like running; it’s easy to monitor intensity and actually decide what you want to do each week to optimise fitness. Because of the frequently winch and plummet nature of MTB, and the difficulties it presents for planning training, I suspect a lot of people carry that habit into the ebike world, which has obvious implications for fitness. 🙂 A little bit of planning and monitoring goes a long way…

Agreed - yes they have a stonking big motor which you can use to make life as easy as you like, but it doesnt have to.

The example I have given before is the exceedingly boring 3 mile climb at the start of Llandegla. I still my bike in full power mode and see just how fast I can get up. Most times I get to max/near max HR and when I look at my power output I am working as hard as I would say on the road bike. It takes discipline and the want to do this though, and many people buy ebikes to make life easier.

Ebike here since Spring and still riding my normal bikes too. I even took the Airdrop over the Levo to Gwydr and the Golfie recently as more of my friends were not on eebs. Like you, I value my fitness too much.

But it has to be said, it has only added to my pleasure 🙂

Just do it.

for me it’s been a life extender and enhancer, as my world gets ‘smaller’ with age, I find  surfing - too much effort, windsurfing ditto, so I got a sup, I used to be able to do a hockey and football match on same day, now it’s walking football and I take the day before a tennis match easy, as I feel the carry over, biking, well if I want a big day on the bike I can still do it (*well with a motor),  but I also ride it motor off quite a lot. It’s a sort of insurance policy, bonked miles from home - motor, bad legs day - motor, cold miserable, hurting -  Turbo. Still use my old orange 5 as well. 

If I get one, it'd be when I retire - because then I'd have so much more spare time, it wouldn't take away from my normal riding.

No need or desire yet at 52, I feel like I need every ride to help me stay in shape and feel good.

Posted by: singlespeedstu

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I have no problems at all switching between ebike and pedal bike apart from always wanting to ride one of my pedal bikes instead of the ebike.

This feeling of wanting to ride the ebike less and less seems to be getting stronger the older I get.

I'm kind of the same. I have an elderly Levo that a mate loaned me to help get over long covid and it was fantastic for that, but mostly these days, I just ride normal bikes. The e-mtb's great for recovery rides when you still want to go ride something vaguely hilly - everything round here is either up or down - but I like the feeling of pushing really hard on a non-assisted bike, I like not having a background motor whine and I find the extra weight/bulk of the e-mtb intrusive on nadgery technical stuff. 

Rationally I know that with top-end power, as per Joe Friel's book 'Fast After 50' if you don't lose it, you lose it, but also I think the novelty of assisted riding has worn off for me and it was never that strong to begin with. Ultimately, I guess it's one of those things that's going to depend partly on how you're wired and partly on the strict physiological stuff - vis, if you want to carry on riding normal bikes at the same level, you need to ride them enough to keep that kicky, top-end power kick topped up and have the mental thing to dig in when it hurts. If you ride e-bikes a lot, unless you're particularly masochistic, the chances are that you'll be okay for zone two-ish endurance just by dint of turning things over, but you'll lose the stuff about threshold. 

Mostly though, I just like riding unassisted bikes. It just feels cleaner and more satisfying to me, a bit like the way 'natural' trails feel less contrived than trail centres. I have no problem with anyone preferring e-mtbs, I don't think they're 'cheating' and I enjoy the odd outing, but for me that's as far as it goes, ymmv.

Posted by: FunkyDunc

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Sounds like you need to take up running !

I really don't.

Although I'm kind of accidentally fit through my current circumstances I have no real interest in being fit for the sake of it.

I ride a lot which enables me to ride even more which is great but I think even a five KM run would kill me.

I have an E Road bike and just love it I was concerned it would have an impact on my "normal" MTB riding but it hasn't in anyway.

I wasn't enjoying road cycling and was starting to find it more and more of a grind, found this was most likely down to this weird Glucose/Adrenaline issue I have.

So when I stopped racing this year I got a Orbea Gain and it's been a real game changer it just gives me the extra boost when I need it mainly on climbs or when I was struggling, my ride distances have pretty much doubled, did my first 66 mile sportive and enjoyed it rather than grind.

I spent a couple of months riding it, got on my MTB and it all just felt normal. I'm sure at some point I'll end up with an eMTB   

Posted by: bens

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Without realising, I'd become so dependant on the assistance that although I was working my muscles on every ride, my cardio fitness had suffered massively. 

See I find this quite odd... I appreciate we're not all the same, but I'd say if anything, since riding eBikes far more than normal bikes, I'd say that my fitness has actually gone up (will explain in a second) but that my peak muscle strength is lower for sure, which is the exact opposite of what you're saying.

So how has my fitness gone up? Well firstly, I'm more inclined to ride the thing and not make excuses not to go out (I appreciate that might not be you, but it is me, and a great many other riders for sure)... Also, it's FAR easier to regulate the workout on an eBike, and I find myself consistently in HR zones 2-4 for 95%+ of the ride, where on a regular bike I'm seeing a lot more time in zone 1 (time spent simply not being able to turn the pedals fast enough on long slow climbs or time spent recovering!), the occasional spike into zone 5, and the rest of the time the HR is up and down like a yo-yo... eBikes can provide a far more structured workout if used wisely!

Then there's the fact you're more likely to get back on it again the day after another big ride... The recovery factor. Some people think "fitness" is all about going as big and hard as possible for a single effort, having impressive stats to show for it, then not riding again for a week or more... I know I was certainly in that camp a few years ago, and would often spend the next day or two after a big ride absolutely dead and no use to anybody, but hey "look at my strava stats"... Now I am mostly just riding more, at slightly lower intensity, but recovering much more quickly and doing more as a result... I have friends for whom eBikes have been life changing, the difference between being seriously overweight and not being able to enjoy MTBing at all, to getting on one, getting the HR consistently into the fat burning zone, riding far more because they're enjoying it, and then the weight starts to fall off...

If you're worried about losing strength then obviously interspersing eBike rides with riding unassisted bikes is going to help you retain a level of muscle memory. Most I know tend to just do some gym work to keep their muscle strength though, and just ride an eBike these days.

I don't think there's any hard and fast answer, it's a "what works for you" kind of answer... I'd love to feel the need for a nice unassisted trail bike again, but the reality is that for all my MTBing needs, they're covered by having 2 eMTB's (one full fat, one SL) that I use all of the assistance modes on (varying them based on who I'm riding with typically, so I maintain an effort even if the pace slows down), and my old XC bike for occasional local pootles on non technical terrain.

Posted by: velocipede

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For those of you who've jumped onto e-MTB, how do you get on when you get back on your other bikes? Does it suddenly feel like hard work and de-motivating? Has it curtailed your other riding, or made it better? I don't want to go down a slippery slope too soon of losing all my fitness in favour of an easy ride and pure "fun" - fitness will be important for me for a few years yet.....

Im quite a bit younger than you (40’s) but to answer this part specifically. Yes, it makes riding a normal bike not very interesting. To the extent that I haven’t ridden my trail bike since I came back from the Alps in the summer, because it’s slow & boring.

Riding bikes for me is all about fun, I don’t do it for fitness, I run & do other sports for training for that & fun on a bike for me is more downs than ups so I’d quite happily never ride a pedal bike again with more travel than my XC bike.

I have a full power long travel ebike & a SL weight, mid power trail ebike now & can’t really see the need for ever buying a non assisted version again. Happy to race e-bikes for enduros these days as well.

Posted by: mboy

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See I find this quite odd... I appreciate we're not all the same, but I'd say if anything, since riding eBikes far more than normal bikes, I'd say that my fitness has actually gone up (will explain in a second) but that my peak muscle strength is lower for sure, which is the exact opposite of what you're saying.

I struggle to get my heart rate up on the ebike. If I take on big climbs, sustained and steep then it goes up but a lot of my riding just doesn't have the elevation for that. 

I don't use an HRM but just going by feel, on my normal bike my heart rate is higher for longer. I get a much better cardio workout on the normal bike. 

I reckon power to weight plays a part in this too though. The ebike is probably 30% of my body weight and with short cranks and heavy tyres, it tends to work my muscles a lot harder. I tend to run out of leg power before I run of lung power on the ebike. On my HT, it's usually the other way around. If I up the assistance to help my legs, I'm usually at the top of the climb before I get my HR up properly. 

I keep meaning to play with the settings on the bike. I've already reduced the max power available in each mode which felt better. Shimano refer to one of the settings as 'characteristic'. Rather than affect the maximum power in each mode, this is basically how hard to you have to work to get the assistance. Dropping that down in theory would get me working a bit harder. 

When it comes back from its little warranty excursion, I'll have a play. 

I was a fairly early ebike adopter - I’ve had it 7 years now, it’s my daily commuter (80% off-road, quite steep and jumpy - have been v lucky with where work and home are). I sold my other full-sus and kept my hardtail but I didn’t get on with that bike brilliantly on my worse days, whilst I’ve loved my Levo’s handling since I got it (my first ride I was two wheel drifting muddy flat corners better than I ever had before).

So for a couple of years my Levo became my everything bike and on group rides when almost everyone was on a normal bike I’d tend to ride it with the power off, knowing that if my legs died I’d use the motor, and then I’d use the power for my solo start and end of the ride. I’ve never been someone who trains like an XC rider and I’m not that fast uphill but I certainly don’t hate pedalling and pushing myself fairly hard.

Then about 3.5 years ago I got a new hardtail which I set up singlespeed and use that for all my group rides and most proper solo MTB rides since, apart from a four day trip to Wales where we all took bouncy e-bikes.

Maybe I’m weird (see pedalling full-fat ebike with the motor off) but I really like having this pair of bikes. The singlespeed is so simple and so rewarding, the ebike is so fast and lets me have an easy time when I’m tired but I also like to pedal it hard when I’m in the mood.

And because I like riding the singlespeed I know I need to pedal the ebike hard to keep the fitness and leg strength. Having the upper body and core strength to manhandle the ebike down twisty trails (and onto the roof of the car) makes going to the gym more worthwhile too.

I was 40 when I got my ebike. Obviously everyone’s life is different but running my own business and having three children and no local relatives means that I can’t kill myself on the bike and then laze about - there is just too much to do. The ebike lets me intuitively adjust how hard I’m working to keep me from burning out. I don’t know about Z things or use heart monitors, I just go by feel.

I guess you could lose fitness quite easily with an ebike if you choose to let it do all the work - on Turbo if I can’t be bothered or am tired my Levo will haul me along at a hell of a pace without me putting much work in.

Basically, do you like pedalling? If you do then you’ll be fine.

Posted by: mboy

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since riding eBikes far more than normal bikes, I'd say that my fitness has actually gone up

I hate to break it to you but it hasn't unless you weren't really riding your pedal bikes to start with.

You may be riding more than you were but a base level of not very much is pretty easy to beat.

I've no bother with folks that ride only ebikes because they just like them but folks that claim they ride ebikes because they make them fitter I can't take seriously.

Ride what you want guys no one cares.

. 

I bought a Levo SL back in may, haven’t ridden a normal mtb since. Don’t really want too or see myself going back. 

got back on my gravel bike recently as the trails are so manky and haven’t lost any fitness. 

Posted by: singlespeedstu

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Posted by: mboy

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since riding eBikes far more than normal bikes, I'd say that my fitness has actually gone up

I hate to break it to you but it hasn't unless you weren't really riding your pedal bikes to start with.

You may be riding more than you were but a base level of not very much is pretty easy to beat.

I've no bother with folks that ride only ebikes because they just like them but folks that claim they ride ebikes because they make them fitter I can't take seriously.

Ride what you want guys no one cares.

. 

 

It’s about intensity, that’s it. A simple objective measure. The human condition that dictates the intensity you actually reach on each activity, that’s a different story. 

Looking at E-bikes myself, my Knees have lost some of their newness (arthritis)

Unsure whether I want full fat, mid or SL.

Budget is small so I suspect it’ll be whatever I can get.

What concerns me is I did a half day pedal  up at BPW with a younger, fitter, lighter (by about 20kg) colleague and he’d rinsed his RM Instinct at around 4000ft of climbing. I’m assuming he wasn’t sparing with the power, dunno.
So with 100kg of me on it, it’d be flattened a lot sooner.

I’m thinking something with a small motor but big battery would be better for me?

Posted by: singlespeedstu

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I ride a lot which enables me to ride even more which is great but I think even a five KM run would kill me.

Just your legs... cycling's a weird, cyclical, non-weight bearing movement, that's roughly comparable to running uphill, but quite different from downhill stuff where your quads are working eccentrically and things like your tibs come into play. Your CV system will be fine, your legs will ache for days 🙂 Don't ask how I know etc

Posted by: BadlyWiredDog

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quite different from downhill stuff where your quads are working eccentrically and things like your tibs come into play.

You're not kidding. Went for a big walk the other day as it was pissing down and i couldn't face another post ride clean up.

Was fine going up the hill but getting back down again gave me somewhat achy legs.

@mboy

Just rear read my post and it comes across as a little harsher than I intended.

Sorry about that.

The sentiment remains but I could have worded it a little better.

Posted by: jamesoz

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I’m thinking something with a small motor but big battery would be better for me?

Or a big motor and a big battery. Or a bike with a built-in battery plus a range extender. One of my takeaways from my relatively brief e-mtb career, is that you can't really assign a 'range' to a particular bike. it all depends on how you ride and where you ride. Boost / turbo, whatever will burn through battery capacity really quickly ime, throw in a bunch of steep climbs and you end up with even less. On the other hand, if you run low assistance levels on flatter terrain, your battery range will be significantly better.

If you ride every climb on boost, you'll kill the battery fast. If you're prepared to reduce the assistance level, you can eke it out for far longer. I don't think the motor power makes much odds tbh, though it'll impact the overall experience of riding and the upper limit of how much assistance you can have at the top end.

Your best bet is to hire or borrow an e-mtb for a day and get a better idea of how you're likely to ride it, ie: is it going to be a boost it everywhere experience, or a minimise the assistance one, or something in between. That's my take anyway. Some riders are all about the power, others just want enough assistance for a pleasant riding experience. 

Thanks for all the inputs everyone 👍

I am definitely procrastinating! I made my mind up to go full fat and fell in love with a bike - only to then read that Shimano EP801 motors are like cheese - which has put me right off - but tbh if you type the right terms into Google you can find problems with every motor out there - grrrrr! 

Posted by: velocipede

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Thanks for all the inputs everyone 👍

 

I am definitely procrastinating! I made my mind up to go full fat and fell in love with a bike - only to then read that Shimano EP801 motors are like cheese - which has put me right off - but tbh if you type the right terms into Google you can find problems with every motor out there - grrrrr! 

Personally, and especially if it’s cheaper than other bikes, I would go for it. I bought a used ebike for my daughter with the old EP8 and it’s been brilliant, my rationale, replacement motors aren’t that expensive considering the price I paid and then I could send the old one for repair and always have a spare! So it may just need some bike maths… 🙂

made my mind up to go full fat and fell in love with a bike - only to then read that Shimano EP801 motors are like cheese - which has put me right off

I think it’s fair to say earlier Shimano motors were bad but in more recent years they are no better/worse than any other motor

I think before buying any ebike you have to accept that the motors are the major weak point of any ebike and manufacturers haven’t got them where they should be

My ep8 died about a year and half into the warranty. No quibbles, manufacturer arranged a new one from Madison.

I don't think there's anywhere that will repair or service Shimano motors. Shimano don't sell parts. 

As much as I love Shimano stuff, I think that's pretty poor. 

I also think 2 years warranty is a bit crap but that's standard fare across the board now I think.

Anyway, I've had my Shimano powered bike for 3 years now. I'd happily buy another one. 

Posted by: bens

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My ep8 died about a year and half into the warranty. No quibbles, manufacturer arranged a new one from Madison.

I don't think there's anywhere that will repair or service Shimano motors. Shimano don't sell parts. 

As much as I love Shimano stuff, I think that's pretty poor. 

I also think 2 years warranty is a bit crap but that's standard fare across the board now I think.

Anyway, I've had my Shimano powered bike for 3 years now. I'd happily buy another one. 

There are a few places that do apparently, one example 🙂 :

https://www.e-motorrepairs.co.uk/services/

Just piping in here as i had one on my radar and bit the bullet

bought a Raymon 170e from Pauls, big bike, heavy bike.. if anyone buys one, take all the pivot bolts out, ensure Loctite in the correct place, 4 of mine wound out on the inaugural ride, and one was actually loctited into a bearing requiring Pauls cycles to send some spares out for me..., sigh

Anyway, on my watch list was the Saracen e160? there was a couple of 27.5 oranges on Winstanley, not an issue as i had a decent set of 29er forks i'd planned to mullet the bike up....

Anyway, i did two rides one at night on the eeb (on auto power level) , one in the daytime on the Banshee Spitfire

both rides some 14.8 miles, 2000 feet, i didn't have my hr monitor on unfortunately, but the Eeb took 1:25, the mechanical bike 2:20, Strava reckons the Eeb spent something like 550KJ and the Mechanical bike about 950Kj

Seems like a mix of views on here

For those of you who've jumped onto e-MTB, how do you get on when you get back on your other bikes? 

My personal experience has been I've actually maintained my fitness with the ebike, prob 9 out of 10 rides are now ebike over  the regular, but because I primarily ride aggressively my heart rate is consistently in that good fitness zone and does have peeks and troughs from power out bursts.

If I ride with a large group or others that are less fit or lower skill base I cirtainly don't have a good work out though.

Also if I go for a ride on the regular bike with others on ebikes I absolutely kill my self trying to maintain a higher overall levels of power trying to keep up - always on max effort.

My main criticism of ebikes (when I didn't own one) was that when you get to a top of hill ebikers were never out of breath, now I own one I realise that's because they were riding with me on a regular bike. If I ride solo on the ebike, I'm consistently out of breath and at a high but manageable heart rate.

I've had my GT eGrade Bolt since Easter and while I've not done many outdoor rides on my old bikes, for fear of another PEM episode while trying to get to around Old Winchester Hill that the ebike has made so much easier, I've usually used my turbo regularly.

When we've had a prolonged period of miserable wet weather, I've used the turbo a bit more instead of getting wet on the ebike, which has then made the following ebike rides feel supercharged even with 75W eco assist.

On an ebike, you can do anything from a z1 pootle to a vo2 intervals ride, my longest rides this year have usually involved sticking ebike in 250W turbo and giving it everything I have up 200+ foot climbs, with my heart rate going up to ~180bpm. My cardiac fitness is slowly coming back, last Wednesday I raised my Lactate Threshold Heart Rate (98% of highest 20min average) into the 160s for the first time (during a turbo TT) since long covid began three years ago, it used to be 170-175.

So i had a proper ride on the Raymon 170e, i chucked my cheap HR monitor on to see what was what, was hideous out, power was Auto for what its worth

1:28 mins, 16.3 miles, 2372 Feet, average power 101w, average HR 150, peak 180, 667 calories consumed

That would have been probably double the calories under leg power, and probably double the time also due to the conditions, more importantly... i wouldn't have been out riding in it....

Posted by: alan1977

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..... more importantly... i wouldn't have been out riding in it....

 

That part is crucial, I think - has to be better to be out than sat on the couch, no matter how you look at it......