Proper funny thread. Uptight roadies, strava-gods, mentalist ebikers, old-timers, keyboard warriors.

Only thing we’re missing are animated gifs. I’ll see what I can find.

EDIT – try doing that on your 7k Pinarello

Is it really that big a deal?

E-bikes are primarily for Normal people (not “proper Cyclist” types) to get about on, as well as allowing those suffering from some form of limiting illness to get out, nothing wrong with that at all IMO, all part of life’s rich tapestry…

As with anything there will be those who misunderstand and think that what they are doing is “Proper Cycling” but don’t worry, this fella sounded pretty harmless TBH, so what if you end up in a half arsed race with someone who’s missed the point cycling, nobody died did they, did he seriously affect your uphill drag coefficient that much?

Just sit smug and secure in the knowledge that you’ve done X miles all under your own, ultra-manly, power, and that in a proper, fair race you would doubtless trounce that battery assisted octogenarian…

However, i confident that 90%+ of full-suss E Bikes will be bought by lazy fat people – who will then use them on our trails

Get over it FFS, There are no great hordes of Fat, Lazy, pedal-phobic Closet MXers with several Grand to throw away on a comedy E-bike waiting to wreck your trails…

The real market is for an E-Sports M/C, to go on the road as an economical replacement for peoples commuting 500, once the range and pricing is there (and it’s close already), then they can save the “Proper” bike for spannering themselves on B-roads at the weekends. But they care not a jot for our little patches of muddy woodland.

Those who want to play on a two wheeled vehicle in the mud have had access to reasonably priced MX bikes for Years, an offroad E-bike is far less of a threat to your trails that a Chav on a half inched KX250…

Got over taken in the FoD by a eMTB. No issues flew past effortlessly. Can’t see any issues you ride what you want how you want

I’ve not been drafted by one yet, but you see quite a few of them round this Lahndan and I always put in an extra effort to speed past them, just for the personal challenge. As already in this thread, I don’t get why fit looking normal people use them – if you want a scooter / motorbike then get one; if you want a bike then get one… 😕

scuttlers post sums this thread up.

Recreational cycling is different as it’s basically pointless but what’s wrong with an electric mountain bike? It’s like an uplift service, anywhere you want it. The only people who would object to what other people ride are the sort who like to express their opinion on what constitutes “real mountain biking”, and who cares what they think?

Depends, the person deciding “what constitutes “real mountain biking”, ” might be the Council’s ROW officer, if they decide that e-bikes are no worse than MTB’s, and bikes are having a negative impact then they could slap a TRO on bridleways banning bikes.

I’ve nothing against them for commuters and the infirm, but I think of them in the same way as mobility scooters. And if the population as a whole is getting fatter and less fit, then they need licencing like mopeds before they become more of a problem. The rules governing moped were written back when a 50cc engine was about as powerfull as these E-bikes are now, you were supposed to pedal them uphill as the engine coudln’t do it alone.

Its bad for 2 reasons, you’re relying on their ability to follow closely without touching your wheel and causing a crash, and if you dont know they’re there you cant warn them of potholes, debris, changes of speed/direction, etc, resulting in a crash. And asside from the safety aspect it’s bad etiquet. Whether you view that as snobish or cliquey is a different matter, but most people wouldnt object if you introduced yourself and took a turn.

Nail, head. And contrary to some of the vehement reactions on here, I don’t read the OP as being in a frothing rage.

None of those problems are anything to do with e-bikes though?

Not a big into road riding, starting to get out a bit more, but all this is a bit new

I don’t sit behind others on the commute cos I don’t like blocking that much of my view. I couldn’t really care if someone sits behind me, though, there are so many other people on the road that you can’t really get too upset by other people (central London).

If you’re out on a ride for pleasure, it’s a different matter. But calling unannounced drafting “bad etiquette” makes it sound as though it’s something particular to road biking, part of a secret code of conduct. It isn’t, it’s just not polite.

If you were out for a walk in the countryside and you were on your own, you met someone at a trail junction and they just followed 2 paces behind you for half an hour that would be incredibly weird. It’s not nice to have someone following you, lurking behind you saying nothing and if you’re with friends, listening to your conversation.

Substitute walking boots for bikes and it’s still wierd. It’s a personal space issue more than anything else.

Its bad for 2 reasons, you’re relying on their ability to follow closely without touching your wheel and causing a crash, and if you dont know they’re there you cant warn them of potholes, debris, changes of speed/direction, etc, resulting in a crash.

But if you do know they are there, but they haven’t had the decency to say they are there. it’s ok to try and make them crash by obscuring pot holes? Crazy.