E-Bikes Who , What , Why

reduce friction as ulysse says.

remove fat tires and fit regular tires

make sure the bearings in the hub aint binding

Reduce frontal area

Climb less

Ha Ha what a fun day today so much I forgot to take piccys so only the one

I think I am sold on the E concept it was like being 20 years younger on the climbs so had some energy left for the downs
and still had a pretty good workout
Thanks to Allterraincycles for the loan of the demo bike

Quite a few out in the Peak today, really looking forward to trying one out

Yesterday for the first time in a very long time I went out for a ride on a singlespeed.
Does anyone make an E assist singlespeed? 😛
Recon it be the awsums as with the gearing I had on I couldn’t get over 13.5 mph on the flat.
The extra 2mph would have boosted my strava times up a treat.

second ride on the beast twisleton scar in the dales no way i could ride up there on my non e assist
popped it into sport mode and away it went

mind you the Jumbo Jim tyres had no grip on the damp limestone

Just resurrecting briefly, anyone know how to derestrict the motor in the specilalized turbo levo (brose motor). Seen a few dongles and gadgets on some sites costing a lot of euros but saw a reference to someone who did it in a minute without the gadgets on one he was flogging on ebay but hasn’t responded to asking how he did it. No lectures on the rights and wrongs please, can make my own decisions etc. Cheers

No lectures on the rights and wrongs

It’s wrong.

And i can comment because it’s a decision that, cumulatively, may affect all Mountain bikers access to the countryside.

ha ha – its a blurred line boys!!

Well it was a thought for road use commuting and private land, predictably shot down in flames then, that told me, yawn

it was a thought for road use commuting

wrong *and* illegal then.

hth.

Also wrong (and maybe should be illegal as save a lot of time on forums) not to read the OPs post

“all the haters please go and read some other threads ”

just buy a motorbike 😯

Anyone else had chain suck problems with Bosch e bikes ,I’ve had it real bad when gets a bit muddy and a few others I know have to ,done little internet search and does seem to be a prob .
I’m goner try a chain guide from the chain stay

“all the haters please go and read some other threads ”

like that’s going to happen 🙂

I think e-bikes are probably a good thing.

The issue (as with all new technologies) is people who take the piss and end up giving the whole genre a bad name with the likelihood of repercussions for all.

So Scott were at Cathkin Braes on Sunday with a bunch of e-bikes to demo.

I had no idea they were there I was just up there for a quick spin, I asked them nicely and they let me have a go on a Scott E-Genius 710 Plus.

What a riot! They are so much fun. I spent the first 10 minutes laughing like an idiot.

Granted they are about a subtle as a sledgehammer, plus tyres and a motor just hammers the terrain flat. On anything but the steepest sections I was pretty much on the limiter the whole way round.

You have to adapt you pedaling style a little bit to get the most from them though, quick stabs at the pedals to get you over small obstacles don’t really work as the motor doesn’t respond instantly. Using a higher gear and pedaling smoothly and more slowly lets you make best use of the motors torque.

Would I have one?

No, not now. I jumped back on my bike after doing a lap on the e-bike. The giggle factor on the climbs dissapeard but the sharpness and precision of a well sorted mountain bike was back. It “flowed”. The e-bike didn’t flow it smashed! I would rent one on a day out though just for a giggle.

When I’m 60 I’d probably change my mind though

I had a chat with an old fella (67) on a Scott eBike at QECP yesterday. I thought it was fab that he was able to get out and have a go at mtbing at his age and size 🙂 Trying to ride the chalk on semi-slick tyres wasn’t advisable though! I caught up with him on singletrack so had to go off track to get past, was apologising for spooking him when we got chatting.
It’s still a different type of riding though and shouldn’t be in ST mag 😉

Acoustic guitar Vs electric guitar.

One is far more technical and authentic, one is more simpler and easier.

Just like we’ve seen music develop due to the instruments we’ll see mounting biking develop due to the bikes.

Reckon the haters will see it as playing guitar vs playing guitar hero on PlayStation…

Acoustic guitar Vs electric guitar.

Yeah its a good analogy, good technique makes both better but one rewards precision a lot more.

Reckon the haters will see it as playing guitar vs playing guitar hero on PlayStation…

Majority of haters won’t even have tried it though so their opinion, however much they shout it, is moot

Moot my arse

100% human powered bicycle Vs non-100% human powered bicycle

It’s just not cricket

I heard that a shop in the Surrey Hills took a group of 20 e-bikers out on the weekend.

All these E-bikes are gonna start making a pretty big impact on delicate areas pretty soon

Acoustic guitar Vs electric guitar.

Yeah its a good analogy

Actually, it’s not. Electric guitar just makes a different sound, it doesn’t play the guitar for you.

It’s like playing the piano Vs hitting that button on an electronic keyboard that plays a saved tune for you.

And an e bike doesn’t ride a bike for you. If you don’t pedal it doesn’t go anywhere!

If you don’t steer it round the tree, it hits the tree. If you dead sailor off a drop you will probably crash, just like a “real” bike

I heard that a shop in the Surrey Hills took a group of 20 e-bikers out on the weekend.

A shop ride, who’d have thunk it?

20 extra riders on the Surrey Hills at the weekend? Did the county run out of cake or did this unexpected exodus go largely unnoticed?

And an e bike doesn’t ride a bike for you. If you don’t pedal it doesn’t go anywhere!

If you don’t steer it round the tree, it hits the tree. If you dead sailor off a drop you will probably crash, just like a “real” bike

Yeah, I think you know what I mean. I’ll say it again – an electric guitar just makes a different sound. It provides no assistance.
And it’s f-all like a bike of any kind.

oh dear, well I hope they stay away from my delicate area !

oh dear, well I hope they stay away from my delicate area !

😯

Okay Dez, i think we are at crossed purposes. You’re disagreeing with the analogy not that e-bikes ride themselves. Perhaps not the best analogy then.

Can’t see what all the fuss about e bikes is

I’ve got two mtb which I use several times a week , doing between 20 and 40 mile rides, and I love it.

We have a motorhome , and used to take two bikes for getting round , my wife struggled keeping up with me as she is not as fit as me , so we got her a cube reaction e bike.
It was a game changer for her, she can now keep up and overtake me, and thoroughly enjoy the cycling, she uses the motor infrequently but it gives her backup.
Since we got,her the bike she now wants to cycle further afield, and I was getting ****, which I don’t mind usually, but on holiday wanted an easier ride, so last week I bought a cube reaction e- bike, which I will uses when we are in the motorhome.

My wife is not a lazy person, I still ride my mountain bikes twice a week and love it, but now we both have an electric bike as well , is that a problem folks?

nope, seems fine to me, more people, more miles, more fun

similar story here easygirl
I bought my wife an E-bike early this year and she loves being able to ride at a reasonable pace again .
Then got interested in them and started this thread this thread .

now joined the Ebike community with this fine machine

first ride on it sunday with my friend Luke who is 33 years my junior and had a great time waiting on top of mastiles climb for him .

its true what they say about them
Eco mode is like being 20 years younger
Tour mode is like being 20 again .

I dont understand the venom some folks have against them
what is the difference to doing uplifts to enjoy the downs
or ebike uphills to enjoy the downs ( at least you get some workout )

Anyways as I said in the OP Haters bugger off and annoy some one else

Did you vote for Brexit….thought so 😀

Nope didnt vote

Christ that bike is ugly!!!!

Bet he cheats at scrabble.

I take it all back about e bikes giving you an unfair advantage. Go to 14 minutes in.

“…..This thing really shines on the trail”

LMAO 🙂

Majority of haters won’t even have tried it though so their opinion, however much they shout it, is moot

Most objection isn’t based on whether it’s fun or not. Of course it’s fun, it’s riding a bike. You have to be able to think outside your own bubble. I’m no hater but I believe I am objective enough to see some issues on the horizon is all.
As you were…
🙂

It’s worth bearing in mind that when people demo an ebike many of them just whack the bike on 100% and leave it at that (because ya know, that’s fun!). I typically ride mine at 10% and I’ve adjusted the modes on the bike so that top is 50%. I will use 50% if I want a quick blast after work but that contains quite a lot of road getting to and from the trails. At 10% I think I could ride all day, at 50% nowhere near. Even at 50% I don’t think I could get near the top of some of the strava climb segments round here (I have all the activities private, don’t panic).

I rode Brechfa (Raven n Gorlech) at the weekend with my housemate (he rides singlespeed) and I think that we were pretty evenly matched with me at 10%, he maybe had to push himself a bit harder than normal. I use 25% on descents just to give me a bit of the pedal power back that I’ve lost (and will likely never regain). On the steep climbs I was certainly faster, and a couple of times he had to walk which means that there’s no way I’d manage them on my normal bike and walking uphill really, really screws my legs up.

Now, I’m not saying that everyone uses their ebike like this, in the same way as not everyone rides a normal bike the same way. For me, this may let me hold onto my fitness for longer (as paradoxical as that sounds) and means that I can ride for 2 days in a row.

I can see how there could be future issues with more people on them but I’m not sure there will be. However, I live in mid Wales so maybe don’t see the user conflict that others may see in more urban areas…

Most objection isn’t based on whether it’s fun or not. Of course it’s fun, it’s riding a bike. You have to be able to think outside your own bubble. I’m no hater but I believe I am objective enough to see some issues on the horizon is all.
As you were…

Except your point is moot, however loud you about about it, because you haven’t tried one. If you’d tried one you would, besides understanding how fun it is, also appreciate that issues of speed, erosion and conflict that you perceive are non existent. You haven’t felt or understood how they operate so you are throwing invalid arguments into space.

Several pages ago I’d hoped this would be a sensible thread based on experience and fact, but now the uninformed have turned up it’ll probably turn into another slagging match.