Getting a bit of an itch for an eBike but can’t decide wether to go for a hybrid type which I could probably share with wife who could use it for work , or to go for a road bike style like the Cannondale Synapse Neo . To be honest , I fancy the latter , but am wandering if people who have bought them have been disappointed with the 25kph motor assist limit. My fitness is ok and I can manage 50 mile rolling course at around 18 mph. Ive hired them on trails with the wife before but most of my riding would be on road. So the question is, has any fairly fit road riders bought a decent road eBike and loved it or regretted it.

Have a search through my posting history – but in summary the 15.5mph limit is overly restrictive on my 700c ehybrid to that point I was massively disappointed and ended up chipping/hacking it.

The speed restriction does seem to only make them suitable for riding in very hilly areas. On the flat you would never be able to use the motor to keep up with other riders on normal bikes as they’d never go that slow.

They did feature one on GCN where the motor was always on and just added 100 Watts, which would work for keeping up with a group (assuming you could provide the other 100-150Watts).

“To be honest , I fancy the latter , but am wandering if people who have bought them have been disappointed with the 25kph motor assist limit”

Well I’ve ridden a few Electric Mountain Bikes and even then I found the 25kph motor assist limit disappointing. Especially on road sections.
Even tho it was faster than I usually ride, I didn’t like the feeling of it cutting out.

In hilly areas it was ace, its the flatter stuff where it’s a problem. On flat roads it was very unexciting. On steep climbs however it was felt like having 4x the power!

So if you ride lots of steep climbs they are ace, if its mostly flat then probably not much point unless there is a bad headwind.

I would definitely want to buy new , so would not be hacking or chipping it as it voids the warranty . I have flat roads to the east and hilly , very hilly roads to the north , south and west so my intention would be riding in the hills . Probably wait to see if I can get a Black Friday deal.

Ebike commuting

@RustyNissanPrairie

Have a search through my posting history – but in summary the 15.5mph limit is overly restrictive on my 700c ehybrid to that point I was massively disappointed and ended up chipping/hacking it.

Of course, you obtained insurance to cover yourself and the risk to others when you did this, right?

No and I fully understand the implications of riding a bike ~5 mph faster than it was legally meant to on a public road.

That’s not really your decision to make though, is it.

Id go with an MTB, the OH got a Carrera Vengance from Halfords and its great because it means she is about the same speed as me riding a mountainbike on the road. I can ride off ahead, but its an unsustainable effort.

My fitness is ok and I can manage 50 mile rolling course at around 18 mph.

I cant figure out if Im just riding hillier routes or if Im really that much slower than average. My last ride was 15.6mph, 65 miles and 3600ft climbing, that was in a group of 3 but I was probably on the front or riding alongside for 75% of it. Im not at my fittest but Im a lot fitter than I was a couple of years ago.

That’s not really your decision to make though, is it.

Well it’s done, it’s staying ‘hacked’ and I except the legal ramifications.

Read my thread above for the reasons that lead to my ‘hacking it’

My fitness is ok and I can manage 50 mile rolling course at around 18 mph

I guess it depends on your definition of rolling but if that is what you are genuinely able to do I’m struggling to understand what possible need you have for an ebike for your road rides. I can’t think of many Sunday club rides I’ve been on where every rider was a cat 3 roadie or better where the average pace was as good as that.

Don’t really care why you’ve hacked it @rustynissanprairie – and you’re welcome to accept (not except) the legal ramifications on *you*.

But insurance is there to protect third parties too…

I guess it depends on your definition of rolling but if that is what you are genuinely able to do I’m struggling to understand what possible need you have for an ebike for your road rides. I can’t think of many Sunday club rides I’ve been on where every rider was a cat 3 roadie or better where the average pace was as good as that.

Pretty much this. If I was averaging 18.5mph on a 50 mile ride solo that wasn’t flat I’d be delighted. The club rides i go on are rarely that pace.

My Uncle hacked his E-Mountain Bike. Mainly because he has to ride 20 miles on fairly flat-ish roads to get to the trails and back and 25kph just does not cut it.
He absolutely flies along. He even keeps up with traffic.
He wears a full face helmet and armour at all times.
Despite this being illegal – it is far less destructive than driving a car to the trail head and I think it’s great.
His average speeds on strava are phenomenal in mountain biking terms.

He is absolutely loaded so probably doesn’t give a toss about voiding his warranty on his motor.
He also is incredibly good at anything to do with engineering/mechanics so he can probably fix it himself anyway.

Riding an unrestricted E Mountain bike, thats what I call living

Riding an unrestricted E Mountain bike, thats what I call living

It’s what I call points on your licence and a fine if it’s not registered, insured, MOT’d, has a plate and is being ridden on cycle paths or bridleways.

I’ve just not been “feeling” the cycling recently and thought it may add a new dimension to it . I’ve been cycling nearly thirty years and realise you have peaks and troughs , to be fair I do 90% of my cycling on Zwift now. The mountain bike idea may be the best as I have nanaged to get HID out on the trails on hired mountain bikes and there’s no way she would ride on the road at the moment. @rhisisnotaspoon , what bike are you using to get your 65 milers , would I need a 500w/hr battery, something like the Cube hybrid pro 500?

Given the legal power assistance here, I personally don’t see the point of buying a drop bar e-bike at the mo, unless you have a very large budget as far as e-bike costs go.

Given the legal power assistance here, I personally don’t see the point of buying a drop bar e-bike at the mo, unless you have a very large budget as far as e-bike costs go.

Is the point not to give a bit of assistance to those who when riding with other struggle to keep up a bit on the ups. Or those who physically struggle to vary their power output as much as the landscape can dictate. When my hip was at its worst I still could ride relatively pain free if my output remained below about 200 Watts. If I put in efforts above that (even if for relatively short periods of any given ride) I would really suffer for it for a few days afterwards. Paying the weight penalty for dragging around a motor and battery to have it there to minimise the impact of the very worst hills to keep me below 200W would have been nice.

Is the point not to give a bit of assistance to those who when riding with other struggle to keep up a bit on the ups.

If you are struggling to keep up on the ups then presumably the same person would also struggle to keep up on the flats when they top out at 15.5mph?

The use cases for an e road bike are clearly fewer than for an e MTB as 15.5 mph on the road is a fairly average pace given that it is much easier to keep speed on road than off road.

The 25kph/15.5 mph limit is clearly silly for the road. 20mph would be much better. Still a safe speed – fast road riders bez along at this speed and don’t kill people – and would really open up the e-bike road market and get more people on bikes (and out of their cars).

As it stands, road e-bikes are for the oldies, who can’t hack it anymore. Which is fine. My in-laws both have road ebikes and I’ve borrowed one for a quick blast. Blistering on the climbs. Heavy and tedious on the flat.

The 25kph/15.5 mph limit is clearly silly. 20mph would be much better. Still a safe speed

Not on shared use paths it’s not.

But it’s as if the government is on your side keeping ebicycles limited to 15.5 and having a separate class with a few more controls for those who want to go faster (and who are not allowed on shared use paths) with their spedelec catagory.

Not on shared use paths it’s not.

If people are riding dangerously/selfishly, then do you think that’s the bikes fault or the rider’s?

A fit roadie can tap on at 20mph on the flat, but I suspect you know that.

While he may…. Before he gets to 20mph he is liable to have some bike handling skills he is also likely to have realised that the constant speeding up and slowing down makes the shared path a horrible place to “tap out” 20mph.

Buying a bike out the shop and going 20mph every where on tap with no effort is a recipe for stupid.

But I suspect you knew that already.

I’m in favour of banning shared use paths though. Stupid things. -but then we ain’t gonna get dedicated cycle paths any time soon

The ability to travel above 15.5m already exists so it’s a bit of a non arguement to want to go faster. One just has to accept that it is no longer a bicycle and thus is limited to where it can go.

@rhisisnotaspoon , what bike are you using to get your 65 milers , would I need a 500w/hr battery, something like the Cube hybrid pro 500?

Thats just me on a conventional bike, fueled by a bowl of porridge and a bit flapjack. I was just questioning why someone who can already ride significantly quicker than most would want an e-bike.

My OH is the one with an e-bike.

Buying a bike out the shop and going 20mph every where on tap with no effort is a recipe for stupid

as is buying a bike that does 15.5mph everywhere on tap with no effort. I wouldn’t want to get hit by either of them…

While it’s not ideal to be hit at any speed

The graphs of research data shows a clear divergance at 20mph where death on impact begins to rise significantly where as it’s largely linear between 0 and 15.

I suspect that the folk who set the. Limit probably have access to this data which is probably why they allow bikes to do more than 15.5mph but make them distinguishable from bicycles so that it’s clear who is flaunting the law.

Of course people much like car speedlimits ignore it -until caught/kill someone then plead woe/ignorance and poverty

Isn’t it “Road e-Bike” rather than “E-road bike”?

I think we need another category of ebike, one that requires insurance and testing, isn’t allowed on cycle paths or bridleways, and is assisted to 25 or 30mph. Basically a true electric moped, that’s built like a fast commuter hybrid, big utility bike or racing bike. It would be such a great alternative to a car or motorbike / scooter thing in town.

But I think the 15.5mph cut-out is plenty fast enough for vehicles that can be legally ridden without training or insurance on shared paths. Even that speed is fast on paths that appear to assume you’ll be cycling at less than 10mph.

I can’t see the point of an e-roadbike unless you live somewhere incredibly hilly. On the flat, barring evil headwinds, I often cruise above the limiter speed when commuting on an eMTB with huge slow knobbly tyres.

I think we need another category of ebike, one that requires insurance and testing, isn’t allowed on cycle paths or bridleways, and is assisted to 25 or 30mph. Basically a true electric moped, that’s built like a fast commuter hybrid, big utility bike or racing bike. It would be such a great alternative to a car or motorbike / scooter thing in town.

It already exists! spedelec

I think the reason I’ve got an e bike itch is that I want to go easier on outdoor rides now . I can use zwift for thrashing around and enjoy that but I think I want to ride little easier and still get quite far, especially in the hills , so I think this is where my new desire is coming from . Thinking of up to @ £2500 , don’t know enough about then yet to make a purchase . Thanks for input everyone .

I suspect that the folk who set the. Limit probably have access to this data which is probably why they allow bikes to do more than 15.5mph but make them distinguishable from bicycles so that it’s clear who is flaunting the law.

I doubt it, 25kph sounds like a nice round number (i.e why not 23, 24, 26) and is probably arbitrary more than anything else.

Shared paths just need speed limits if speed is the problem.

“It already exists! spedelec”

The bikes exist but the legal vehicle category doesn’t. A fast ebike should be treated as something unique, not like a 50cc scooter (which I used to own).

I’ve posted this before,
I have a fs ebike, cube stereo, it’s a bosch motor.
My family owns a farm, so unlike many people, i can use a chipped ebike legally there,
So, i set about getting it done, and . . .
It was great, for a couple of hours.
But, I’ve since taken it off and reverted back to standard spec.
The reasons for this are,
1: it seriously impacts battery life, like almost cuts it in half.
2: it doesn’t actually improve the bike or the ride.
3: the legal aspects, it cannot be ridden on a public road, even if the ‘chip’ is turned off.
4: a normal ebike isn’t really designed to be consistently ridden at 30mph plus, you can definitely begin to feel the limitations of the tyres and suspension at those speeds.
Would i do it again?
Nah, a mx bike is infinitely more fun and costs about the same.
To the OP: if you can average 18mph over more than a couple of miles, you’ll find a standard road Ebike really boring as you will constantly be hitting the speed limiter, so I’d say get something your wife can enjoy too.

I was just questioning why someone who can already ride significantly quicker than most would want an e-bike.

This.

There are better tools for the job.

I’m looking at eBikes purely as mrs_oab is struggling with reasonable touring or day rides due to a health condition. We are looking to tour on road and easy tracks, B&B’s and hotel accommodation, in future. We will be carrying small panniers/bags and likely look at places that are likely hilly, windier and quiet as we like places like that.

I don’t think an eBike is about speed – it’s about extending a reducing abilitity, replacing cars or making cycling more accessible.

It’s not for racing.

IMO.

If you are struggling to keep up on the ups then presumably the same person would also struggle to keep up on the flats when they top out at 15.5mph?

Not at all. Case study – old boy I used to ride with. He was pushing 70 and for an older rider was fit as. Could keep up with a crowd half his age on the flats tapping out 150-160 Watts all day. Wiley enough to sit in the wheels and ride clever. When we got to hills and the average power of those around him went up and the aero benefits of sitting in became less useful he was blown out the back faster than a fast thing. Bursts of E power to keep him in touch for those 30 mins of proper hilly riding on a typical Sunday run would have done him wonders.

Totally depends on what your usage scenarios will be like.

I’ve an electric gravel bike (of sorts) with drop bars. And its primary use is for commuting to work and back, which is around 20km in each direction. It’s fully loaded with mudguards and panniers.

I used to commute on a traditional road bike, but could only really manage it a couple of times a week at best what with everything else life throws at you – young kids, other active hobbies, etc.

The e-bike isn’t much (if any) quicker, but the effort required is substantially reduced, which when commuting is perfect for what I wanted. It does have a sweet spot of sorts where you can sit on the edge of the assistance speed limiter, but I find this makes for a pretty decent progress all round really.

how timely:

A man who was riding an e-bike when he allegedly struck and killed a pedestrian in East London has appeared in court accused of causing death by dangerous driving in what is believed to be the first case of its kind, with the prosecution asserting that the bicycle exceeded permitted power limits.

Sakine Cihan, aged 56, died in hospital in September last year a fortnight after sustaining serious head injuries in a collision involving the rider of an e-bike while she was crossing Kingsland Road, Dalston, at 5pm on 28 August 2018.

Yesterday Thomas Hanlon, aged 31 and from Finsbury Park, appeared at the Old Bailey on a charge of causing death by dangerous driving, reports Mail Online.

The offence falls under section 1 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, which applies to motor vehicles.

Bicycles do not generally fall under the scope of the act.

However, electric bikes which have a power output in excess of 250 Watts and a power-assisted speed in excess of 15.5 miles per hour are regarded as a speed pedelec and must be registered with the DVLA.

https://road.cc/content/news/267863-london-e-bike-rider-court-accused-causing-death-pedestrian-dangerous-driving

Unrestricted ebikes are a terrible idea. If they were only allowed on roads then fair enough, but they would clearly be ridden on trails/cyclepaths etc

As someone who regularly uses a cyclepath and is currently recovering after some nobber cycled into me trying to overtake someone else , the last thing we need to see is folks effortlessly cycljng along at 25 mph

Im all for ebikes being used legally, but let’s be honest if you are breaking the law by derestricting them you are being kinda selfish.

It is the speed that is the issue not the effort required. If it is dangerous to ride above 15mph on a cyclepath then put a speed limit of 15 mph on it. The type of bike is irrelevant as all bikes can go 25mph