I don’t understand how buying an e bike when not wanting to buy an e bike is evidence of immunity to, or failure of, marketing? Surely it’s evidence of successful marketing?
I agree.
The fact that I was aware of them and their capability, and the massive price reductions around cyber week, or whatever its called, shows it was successful.
But to suggest I bought its purely because of those things denies my agency in the process, no? So few aspects of peoples decision making is binary.
These threads do make me laugh. I don't know who is more ridiculous the hair shirters who enjoy climbing - ruddy weirdos! climbs are to be tolerated for the fun bits.<br />Or the ebikers who claim they turn the motor off or only use minimal assistance - aye right! Why bother with an ebike then?
climbs are to be tolerated for the fun bits.
I just don’t get this view.
2/3’s of most rides are up hill, if you only like the downs then you’re spending the majority of a ride doing something you don’t like.
Climbs are great fun, particularly hard, twisty ones that are a good test of both skills and fitness.
Are for the OP, well it depends what you ride for. Personally, the fitness and the graft is a huge part of the appeal, but if you only ride for the downhills then an eeb isn’t giving up, it’s just removing the bits that you don’t find fun.
These threads do make me laugh.
Literally or metaphorically? I don't know you in person, but based on your history of posting, I've never imagined you actually laughing out loud. You could resolve this by posting a video of you laughing, preferably in response to reading a STW thread.
And, just in case anyone pulls the "you show me yours and then I'll show you mine" evasion, I have been well conditioned to never laugh out loud in public, through beatings inflicted with the blessings of the Holy Father, although I have been known to chuckle, a weakness I work on. However, I do not laugh and there is no video evidence in existence that I have ever done so.
I thought MTB riders were a lot more open minded about e-bikes than their luddite road cousins. It seems there's a few too many roadies on here......
If an e-bike enables more people to get out into the countryside/ bike parks, then that's good in my view. And it's not cheating either......
I don’t know you in person, but based on your history of posting, I’ve never imagined you actually laughing out loud
And I’d never have imagined he happily rides with helmet wearing friends on illegal electric bikes but he bloody does!
I thought MTB riders were a lot more open minded about e-bikes than their luddite road cousins. It seems there’s a few too many roadies on here……
Ever been on pinkbike? The comments sections are filled with Ebike hatred. It's bonkers
And I’d never have imagined he happily rides with helmet wearing friends on illegal electric bikes but he bloody does!
LOL.
I don't think the e bike I'd want exists yet. None of this eco mode stuff, max power up technical climbs for at least 40 miles on a single battery, downhill bike levels of performance for the fun stuff, not ridiculously heavy, reliable or at least easy to fix. Sign me up in 10 years when this is a thing.
I'd still have a normal bike as well though, I kind of like the suffering I think it does me good.
Lunge – Weirdo!
@tjagain, I’d argue it’s weirder to participate in something you don’t enjoy 70% of the time.
An ebike pretty much wipes out the option of parts of the trail where you have to suffer a lot, like steep climbs. The option of upping the assistence level is too easy to succumb to. If that's what you want as it is an important part of your fitness training, then keep the ebike for fun or lazy days. Climbing a hill in zone 2 doesn't really count as suffering...
A good option would be if you could get an add-on to your turbo trainer so it charges your battery up, then you can do the pain part on your trainer, and not feel guilty just having fun on the ebike as you've already earnt the climbs.
Some people talk an awful lot of bollox
I just don’t get this view.
2/3’s of most rides are up hill, if you only like the downs then you’re spending the majority of a ride doing something you don’t like.
Exactly. Perfect description of UK mountain biking.
Aren't all rides 50% up and down unless you're finishing in a different place to where you start?
“The option of upping the assistence level is too easy to succumb to.”
But is it though? I’ve seen people killing themselves on rowing machines that don’t even go anywhere! And plenty of people I know do Zwift races on static bikes - why don’t they just sit on the sofa instead?
No when I used to lead group rides all rides were mostly uphill inspite of ending up back where we started!
Bike riding must involve some physics I don't know about.
What Is the range of an eBike using sensible amount of power? ie not turbo every where and not eco mode.
What Is the range of an eBike using sensible amount of power? ie not turbo every where and not eco mode.
Mines got a big battery - 50 ish miles if doing a fair amount of climbing or less if loads of climbing - its the climbing that eats battery range - just riding along you soon go over 15.5mph ie not enough for long rides or overnighters
What Is the range of an eBike using sensible amount of power? ie not turbo every where and not eco mode.
This Orbea was in Boost all day mostly and did 2 bars out of 5 in 17 miles, plenty of climbing at FoD too. So I'm estimating 40+ even in boost. I'll find out more in coming months. I think its 540w
What Is the range of an eBike using sensible amount of power? ie not turbo every where and not eco mode.
Thats a bit of a ‘how long is a piece of string’ question.
It depends on the power of the motor, the size of the battery, the weight of the biffer sat on top, type of tyres, etc.
My Rail for example, with a 750wh battery & Bosch full power motor, with my chiselled 85kg physique on top, can do 2500m of vertical elevation in EMTB, probably close to 3000m in Tour & a bit more in Eco.
I have the settings turned down a bit, but not much.
I have other friends who like their pies a bit too much, who can just about get 1000m of vert out of a 540 battery.
Just plodding along normal riding, rather than Up&Down, probably a fair old way I would guess. I’ve never done that though, as that’s not what riding is for me.
ON a previous kitted ebike I had I managed to do a 375 battery in 8 miles
Thanks chap, I realize it's not an easy answer, but I wondered how much I would worry about the range with a ebike. My partners works van is electric and range worries are quite real.
climbs are to be tolerated for the fun bits.
I just don’t get this view.
2/3’s of most rides are up hill, if you only like the downs then you’re spending the majority of a ride doing something you don’t like.Climbs are great fun, particularly hard, twisty ones that are a good
Exactly. All this crap spouted by some of the early posters about ebikes being better on fire road ascents shows how completely they've missed the point. If you're going up ( or indeed down, or along) a fire road then you've picked the wrong route. 😉
If you’re going up ( or indeed down, or along) a fire road then you’ve picked the wrong route. 😉
Are you american? We do not have fire roads in the UK 🙂
Are you american? We do not have fire roads in the UK 🙂
What's your definition of a fireroad then ?
A road built into forests in the US to allow access for firefighting. thats what a fire road is. In the UK we have forestry roads, estate roads and various other things like BOATs. We do not have fire roads
I’ve always understood it to be a colloquialism for the double-track roads through woods, which in plantations are often along the fire breaks (gaps in the wooded areas to stop forest fires spreading as easily). Any plantation in the UK has these.
“If you’re going up ( or indeed down, or along) a fire road then you’ve picked the wrong route.”
In busier areas at busier times it’s often good manners to ride up the fire roads rather than the singletrack, so you don’t spoil someone else’s descent.
Yeah I say fire road.
I am both lazy and efficient.
Always called them forest roads (off the key of early orienteering maps) or logging roads (picked up in BC).
@colp
Yep shitest of the shit.
All he ever does is roll down a hill.
Back on topic.
If previous evidence is anything to go by the ani brigade that protest the hardest will be the ones that suddenly go quiet for a while and are then reborn as if they invented it.
There's at least one of them already [s]on[/s] started this thread. 🤣
What Is the range of an eBike using sensible amount of power? ie not turbo every where and not eco mode.
It depends on how you manage it.
My Ribble Gravel Al-e has a 250wh battery and saw its first serious distance ride at the Dorset Dirt Dash in May (excellent event, BTW)
As it's a bike packing event (loaded up) it's pretty hilly (purbecks), and I'm not the best of climbers (biffer) I was a little concerned whether the battery would last the 50 miles to the campsite (and charging facilities) on the first day.
My fears proved to be unfounded - my bike has a light which changes colour as the charge drops...
White - 100% to 75%
Green - 74% to 50%
Amber - 49% to 25%
Red - 24% and below
All day long, my riding buddy kept asking "hasn't it gone green yet?"
The answer was consistently "no" - until just after the pub stop at about 45 miles in, so I felt justified in going full turbo over the last (fairly long) hill.
Arrived at the campsite with 68% charge, which was very pleasing.
On the second day, I felt confident enough to use the assist quite a bit more, and just went full on turbo for the climb up from Old Harry Rocks, back to Swanage.
So, this and subsequent rides have given me a really good feel for battery range from a distance/climbing point of view - no more range anxiety.
This will, of course, vary from one individual to another, depending on fitness, weight etc. but you'll probably be pleasantly surprised.
Or the ebikers who claim they turn the motor off or only use minimal assistance – aye right! Why bother with an ebike then?
Never claim to turn it off (a 50lb bike with 2.8 tyres is bloody horrendous to pedal), but as I've said many times, I ride mostly in eco (minimal assistance?). It gives enough assistance to keep up with the fit lads, or have a nice pedal on my own. Turbo is only needed for the really tricky technical uphills, but it does get used. A full ride in turbo wouldn't be what I want out of an ebike
I have lowered the gears on my road and gravel bikes to cope with hills. I don't discount buying an ebike at some point but still value bikes being simple mechanical objects that are relatively easy to maintain.
I looked in a posh road bike shop window, they had a road bike where the only sign of cables or brake pipes were tiny bits of brake pipe near the discs. In one way it looked quite elegant but I can't imagine trying to repair it.
It just bothers me a little that ebikes could ditch me miles from home with a broken bike or dead electrics which is not easy to fix on the road side.
A road built into forests in the US to allow access for firefighting. thats what a fire road is. In the UK we have forestry roads, estate roads and various other things like BOATs. We do not have fire roads
We have fire roads where I live. They are roads wide enough for fire engines and goes through most part of the forest. They have gates and are not for general car use. Don't think there is an official designation but their purpose is for fire and logging activities (and the postman!)
Arriving late to the party, riding either MTB, road, wife, is about being spent at the end of it. The more I do, the fitter I get, the more I get out of it. I don't want anything to assist me getting up 'that hill' as getting up and down is the challenge.
Each to their own I guess, but for me, at 40, an e-bike is losing that element of 'I achieved it' and therefore giving up.
For everything else it feels like it’s just the human race’s quest for convenience over a bit of hard, but ultimately rewarding, work. Always backed up with excuses like too old, bad knee, not enough time.
+1
You're just making excuses to justify your lack of oooomph.
All this crap spouted by some of the early posters about ebikes being better on fire road ascents shows how completely they’ve missed the point. If you’re going up ( or indeed down, or along) a fire road then you’ve picked the wrong route. 😉
Depends on the ride planned, and I’m guessing your emoji means you know that.
There are plenty riding spots that use fire roads to get up as quickly as possible before coming down through the trees. The climb isn’t part of the fun, it’s just an unavoidable necessity. I’ve missed my ebike this year for those days. If you don’t do that kind of riding, then you might not understand. <br /><br />
There are plenty of other types of riding where I enjoy the climb Borrowdale Bash and the Lakes generally always come to mind, Glentress Black climb I like as far as trail centre climbs go - all of those I prefer on a non ebike (for now).
I don’t want anything to assist me getting up ‘that hill’ as getting up and down is the challenge.
I don’t see what’s challenging about slogging up the climb to NYNY for example, sat there for an hour on a fire road, when you could do in less than half the time - and ride the trail twice in the same time. I’ve done that on a normal bike about a dozen times this year, every time wishing I had a motor.
Because it's individual and riding up hill is as much of the fun as descending, be it technical or otherwise. The challenge is getting to the top as quick as possible, whilst having enough in you to go full chat down hill. Sometimes you are the windscreen, sometimes you are the fly and I tend to meditate on Rule 5 a lot when I am feeling weak.
Saying that I don't tend to do much trail centre stuff, which I am assuming NYNY is, but when I do, I quite like hammering up fire roads as it gives me a work out and in the longer-term increases my fitness.
Because it’s individual…
…and
The challenge is getting to the top as quick as possible
Yes it is, and no, not for everybody it’s not.
You’re absolutely correct, the climb is part of the challenge for you. Those who don’t view the climbs as the challenge and instead would rather ebike or uplift are absolutely right too. I don’t think both sides need to try and fail to convince each other.
Beef’s coming out soon, which is definitely more important. 😉
You’re absolutely correct, the climb is part of the challenge for you.
This is me, but now I can approach climbs that were previously off the menu as being too difficult, or too energetically costly to tie into a ride. Options for routes become much more multivariate. It's great!
Merry christmas everyone, by the way.
