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Riding E Bikes up hill is an absolute piece of p**s with turbo mode on.
But Christ, lifting it over those fences/styles/locked gates is HARD.
Lifting a big heavy awkward object over a fence that could potentially be 5 foot high and putting it down on the other side puts the back, shoulders, arms and neck in an awkward position while under tension and load.
Riding one with the motor off is HARD as well on any sort of incline! It's not just the weight, it feels like there is additional power loss as well.
"Just to recap, sorry, they have walk mode? Seriously?"
Walk mode is seriously useful at getting yourself out of trouble at times.
I went out exploring on one and hit the most horrendous uphill piece of trail imaginable. Super Steep, narrow, bendy lumpy, No room to pedal. If it wasn't for walk mode, what a job that would have been trying to push a big 24kg EMTB up that!
Also these things can even wheel themselves up steep staircases in walk mode.
Compare that to the usual struggle I see daily of people lugging regular bikes up staircases.
I was really uplifted after reading that BBC piece. Reminded me of the power of cycling, and why I ride a bike.
I'm a luddite, and never considered 'pedalelecs' as a positive development, but this article brought home to me the opportunities that they offer.
Shame some people seemingly only want to detract. It's really sad if people still want to detract after having actually read the article. What's not to endorse?
Physically, mentally and environmentally, cycling or e-biking is better than doing nothing or getting the bus.
PS if anyone (!) was to have a guilty conscience about riding the push up track at Aston Hill, there's the XC loop off to the right that goes straight back to the top and is fully 'legit'. Both are equally exhausting in my (non assisted) experience 😀
Riding one with the motor off is HARD as well on any sort of incline! It’s not just the weight, it feels like there is additional power loss as well.
depends on the type - shimano motor has almost no extra drag - just the drag of a freewheel. Bosch has the extra drag of a reduction gear when pedaling power off
[I]Just to recap, sorry, they have walk mode? Seriously?[/I]
Yep, too posh to push, mate. When their chubby little legs get tired of being pushed round in circles by the pedals, they can hop off, engage walk mode and the bike trundles along by itself, with just a light steering touch from their soft, girly hands...
But 5 hours out on my bike makes me sweat like a bitch because I’m doing it under my own steam. 5 hours out on an ebike....
Great. But how would the effort of 5 hours on an ebike compare to doing the same journey on a train, or in a car, or on a motorbike ?
Please don’t tell me you are blinkered enough to believe the ebike is the least healthy alternative Of the four 🙄
Bosch has the extra drag of a reduction gear when pedaling power off
AFAIK the new 2020 Bosch motors have zero drag now
PS if anyone (!) was to have a guilty conscience about riding the push up track at Aston Hill, there’s the XC loop off to the right that goes straight back to the top and is fully ‘legit’. Both are equally exhausting in my (non assisted) experience 😀
Quite agree. Despite visiting aston for 8 years or so I have never ridden the xc trail back up until I got an ebike this year. Not that I feel guilty about riding the path back up, just try not be be a dick whilst doing it.
Double the runs in half the time. Whats not to like?
If your only method of commuting around town is a bike and you have hills or a long way to go, then an ebike makes a lot of sense. One of our friends bought one as she uses her bike to take her son to school and back. It makes her commute easier and faster, so a win for her.
They are not for me. They do, however, give me a good excuse to go faster and use them as a cheeky tow. Yes, some are used by idiots, but a lot of them are just being used by people trying to get to work.
I want an eMTB. Which should I get?
My shortlist prioritises suspension components with Shimano Steps favoured for local servicing:
- Propain ekano
- Commencal meta power
- YT Decoy
I'm open to others. I expect LSC adjustment on both fork and shock. Riding will be technical, steep, gnarly, fast. Budget of £4k. £5k is a stretch and I'd rather not go there.
Iainc - no longer the 20t chainring that has a epicyclic gear?
Electric MTB's in Turbo mode to me mean 30% more distance in the same time on a big ride in the Peaks or Pennines. (Compared to a regular MTB)
It means an average speed of 20KPH in Hilly Off Road terrain vs my normal average on a regular MTB of 13 or 14kph.
Or 7 DH runs to every 4/5 (If its Ride-up)
Or 7 DH runs to every 2 (If the E is riding up a Push-Up!!)
What is there not to like about them ??? Are they the best thing to happen to mountain biking in many years ??
Are they better for the climate than an average uplift service? Or is that canceled out by the bikewagon to get to the trails?
By far the most destructive thing about mountain biking is the amount of Driving people do to get to and from the rides.
It's not uncommon for people around where I live (Greater Manchester) to drive as far as the Lake District, Wales or Cannock just for one ride!!