I've got an E-bike. Ask me anything.

Ebikes aren’t any faster than normal bikes yet you covered twice the distance in the same riding time? Is that all through not needing to rest as much??

47. yep got it in one. You don’t need the breaks after the climbs and your legs will stay fresher longer allowing you to cover more distance. However I did say ebikes are faster climbing.. much much much faster. Flats and DH not so much. 😀

Fair play to you answering these questions, some of which are bordering on sexist never mind flat out offensive.

I’m the lightest I’ve been in years and doing more miles than i ever have. I’m even doing quite well in road races (until glandular fever hit me). I wouldn’t mind a go on one, they look bloody good fun.

No it will kill your Strava times…. which are much more important than going out and having fun or just riding ….:D

48. Hahaha yea. I got a bit to Strava a few years back and just decided to stop using it. I switch it on for big rides as I like to see how far I’ve gone. Strava has an E-bike option now (it also forces you onto it if you go to fast). I think they were a bit to slow to implement it and it’s messed up the already messed up leaderboards a bit more.

Hahaha yea. I got a bit to Strava a few years back and just decided to stop using it. I switch it on for big rides as I like to see how far I’ve gone.

I’m pretty sure the ebike will tell you that 😀 and you won’t kill yourself trying to beat a time set on a motorbike to boot.

Also there is this “new invention” I’ve seen for non e-bikes… where you stick a magnet on a wheel and it has this novel cable idea that goes to a display and even tells you speed and time.
I realise this might be all a bit modern for some… and who’d have thought they would be invented when Strava already exists…

You can even get these wireless and even straight to your phone and add cadence in as well…

Fair play to you answering these questions, some of which are bordering on sexist never mind flat out offensive.

I’m the lightest I’ve been in years and doing more miles than i ever have. I’m even doing quite well in road races (until glandular fever hit me). I wouldn’t mind a go on one, they look bloody good fun.

49. Find a demo day and give a few a blast. However I guarantee on the next long and slow climb you’ll mutter to yourself “wish i had an ebike”.

45. Ebikes aren’t that fast on the flats or even on some DH sections. Their is an element of engine breaking going on once you pass the limit of 15mph assistance. That combined with the excessive weight of the bikes means getting it past 16mph is really difficult. You need some big leg muscles.

Engine breaking? Don’t they have freewheels?

they do have freewheels – but it does feel like engine braking once you go off boost – a combination of a bit more drivetrin drag and the weight of the bike

46. Men on E-bikes – they find it irresistible.

Worth every penny then. 😀

Most enjoyable Ebike thread ever! Well done!

Ebikes aren’t that fast on the flats or even on some DH sections. Their is an element of engine breaking going on once you pass the limit of 15mph assistance. That combined with the excessive weight of the bikes means getting it past 16mph is really difficult. You need some big leg muscles.

Hello, who said that? can’t be arsed to scroll back! What rubbish! Really.
Maybe if specific Ebikes had been mentioned, but it certainly doesn’t go with my experience of a Scott, a Cannondale or a Cube.

they do have freewheels – but it does feel like engine braking once you go off boost – a combination of a bit more drivetrin drag and the weight of the bike

50. It’s a weird drag effect when you try to pedal faster than the assist. Especially on DH bits, it’s a combination of all all you’ve mentioned. it’s like when you slip your car into a lower gear by mistake and engine braking kicks in.

Q: Have you considered fitting a dongle to remove the 15mph restriction?

Hello, who said that? can’t be arsed to scroll back! What rubbish! Really.
Maybe if specific Ebikes had been mentioned, but it certainly doesn’t go with my experience of a Scott, a Cannondale or a Cube.

51. I said that, it was me. 15mph limitation on my Scott bike.

Flat = I will accelerate away from a normal rider up to the point of 15mph. Past this point it’s an effort to get more speed out the bike. A fitter rider on a lighter bike would pass me and reach a decent speed of say 25mph much faster than I ever could on a bike.

DH = I will accelerate into the DH section faster than a normal rider. Hitting an average DH speed of of 30mph quite quickly. Any attempt to pedal faster than this and im contending with engine drag and bike weight. It’s a weird sensation like hitting a brick wall in speed. My normal bike is a lot faster on DH.

Just my experiences and feelings on it. E-bikes aren’t the complete “cheat” package everyone makes them out to be. Up-hills are win all the way though. 😀

Have you considered fitting a dongle to remove the 15mph restriction?

52. I did consider it as it’s amazing how quickly you get used to the up hill speed – it starts to feel slow quite quickly. However I think 15mph is more than enough for getting up hill. Turbo mode on my Bosh is to fast in some cases. Dongles are quite expensive as well (£150). I think past 15mph it starts to get a bit motor-bikey.

Any attempt to pedal faster than this and im contending with engine drag and bike weight. It’s a weird sensation like hitting a brick wall in speed.

That’s weird. The bikes I mentioned, particularly the Cannondale, just felt like a normal bike once you started going down, pretty tight singletrack we were on. Heavier, of course, but no drag for sure.
Haibike wasn’t mentioned, cos we didn’t like them at all.
You can’t lump eBikes all in together, performance wise, obviously.

just felt like a normal bike once you started going down, pretty tight singletrack we were on.

53. 100% agree – cruising down hill it feels just like a normal bike. If I attempt to put in a few cranks of the pedals for some extra speed the bike doesn’t move like a normal bike. The acceleration isn’t there because of the weight and engine drag. It’s very difficult to explain. Overall I’m left feeling there is no point trying to push the bike past it’s natural momentum on DH bits. Hence why I think a standard bike could/ will in a competent riders hands smash an e-bike.

But to complicate this theory a bit more the e-bike will accelerate out of braking sections stupidly fast giving advantage to the rider.

Part of me can see the appeal- at it’s best it’s like having a built in uplift.
So given that, can fat people go skinny dipping?

What will it be when Charles takes over, will we use Charlesian or Charlsan or Charlean or something else?

The actual answer to that question is, ‘Carolingian’.

Go me.

Do you think that, despite your knee and ankle injuries, if you spent more time on the bike and less answering people’s questions on the internet you could have a similar experience through fitness rather than by using an ebike?

Will they be cheap enough for me to get my dad one when he turns 70?

100% agree – cruising down hill it feels just like a normal bike. If I attempt to put in a few cranks of the pedals for some extra speed the bike doesn’t move like a normal bike. The acceleration isn’t there because of the weight and engine drag. It’s very difficult to explain.

I had a limited play on my brothers and there was a weird feeling just as you start and stop pedalling… very hard to describe except as you said.. “engine braking” .. It feels really like when I use my cruise control on the car to brake

I can’t really see this being different for the same Bosch motor/drive..

Even going uphill when you stop pedalling it’s a more a more sudden deceleration. Its not a BAD thing (or didn’t appear to be) just different.

Does everything start with an “E”??

If I attach a Bosch motor to a Swallow, what will it’s average speed be?

Do swallow s fly south for winter or north for winter?

The actual answer to that question is, ‘Carolingian’.

Go me.
Keep up it’s been answered already

going uphill when you stop pedalling it’s a more a more sudden deceleration

I would certainly put that down to the weight, and that you’ve gone from assisted to not assisted. Wouldn’t say its engine drag.

Go me, I’ve had 2 hours on ebikes and I’m an expert 😆

going uphill when you stop pedalling it’s a more a more sudden deceleration

I would certainly put that down to the weight, and that you’ve gone from assisted to not assisted. Wouldn’t say its engine drag.

Quite possibly (or probably) but it FEELS like engine braking on a car. I was also going through foot high grass and weeds (that the assist was probably overcoming).. it just felt weird.

It really does feel like engine braking… I do it going down a few specific hills on a regular basis…where I’ll set the auto cruise at a speed then just click it off and when I stick it back on its a “feel” (somehow different to brakes)

I hadn’t really put words to it until it was mentioned (my whole experience being less than 1 hour riding round my brothers field)

Do you think that, despite your knee and ankle injuries, if you spent more time on the bike and less answering people’s questions on the internet you could have a similar experience through fitness rather than by using an ebike?

54. It’s just age catching up with me. My options are use a normal bike and suffer with a painful ankle and knee for a week or go for blast on my ebike.

I live in a city centre – it’s not the most conducive environment for a daily cycle to keep my fitness up. I wish I had the time to ride everyday but it’s never going to happen. The ebike is now letting me ride more on the weekends… rather than being shattered after an hour I can keep going for three hours.

There is always a sense that I’m cheating…. and I am. But the only thing it really hurts is my fitness but the payoff in terms of fun and time on a bike is worth it. There is lots of vitriol from other bikers out there, they see my ebike as direct insult to them. It doesn’t affect them or the love of their sport one bit. 😀 😀 😀 A lot of bikers find it hard to put themselves in someone elses shoes. Because they are strong, fit, young (you pick one) they can’t understand why everyone else isn’t. Not everyone is built for 30 mile rides – we come in all shapes and sizes. 😀

You seem to well balanced to have voted for Brexit, is this true or false?

is it embarassing to do a 28 mile ride for the battery to pack in on the final ascent

is it embarassing to do a 28 mile ride for the battery to pack in on the final ascent

55. This actually happened last week. I didn’t charge my battery full. Geezus it was a slog. These bikes just don’t like moving without the motor.

It’s where I got my idea to switch off the motor at the end of each ride to get a work out. 1 mile with no motor felt like a normal 1 hour session on single track.

Shimano steps feels like it has resistance when power is off. Bosch feels more free when power is off. You could pedal home with a flat battery on a Bosch but shimano you’d be walking. In realty though the runtime and range info is so good it’s hard to end up in that situation.

If E-books are powered by electricity, what is cbike up there^ running on?

Q. Why did you decide on an e-bike rather than the conventional method of getting faster/keeping up with your mates?

There is always a sense that I’m cheating…. and I am.

You’re cheating if you think you’re mountain biking… but you’re not – you’re eBiking.
Its a different thing.

56. What is the maintenance like on it ? Do they cost more to maintain than a regular bike and can all the regular mechanics still fix them or do you have to go to somewhere more specialised ?

57. How far can the battery go on hard rides such as the Pennines, Peak District, Lake District ?

58. Is it very hard and awkward to lift it over fences and gates ? Does the uphill assistance make up for this extra effort ?

59. Could I possibly get a decent one for less than £3K with full suss and dropper post that’s not going to just fall apart in less than a year or two ?

60. Do you get get covered in a LOT more mud due to the extra power the wheel is putting down and the increased chance of wheelspin ?

56. What is the maintenance like on it ? Do they cost more to maintain than a regular bike and can all the regular mechanics still fix them or do you have to go to somewhere more specialised ?

57. How far can the battery go on hard rides such as the Pennines, Peak District, Lake District ?

58. Is it very hard and awkward to lift it over fences and gates ? Does the uphill assistance make up for this extra effort ?

59. Could I possibly get a decent one for less than £3K with full suss and dropper post that’s not going to just fall apart in less than a year or two ?

60. Do you get get covered in a LOT more mud due to the extra power the wheel is putting down and the increased chance of wheelspin ?

56. The if the motor goes it will have to go to a bosh service centre. Lucky for me there is one 10 miles away. All the other components are just bike components which I can service myself. I can see me going through brake pads at a quicker rate.

57. Battery – there are 4 modes. Eco mode says it will get me 90ish miles. The top turbo mode is 27ish miles.

58. It is really heavy, I had to lift the bike over a fallen tree yesterday. It’s not easy. I can’t even imagine getting it onto a roof rack of a car. Or over fence.

59. I got one for well under 1.5k – however with all second hand bikes you’ll need to upgrade some components. I put another £200 into it. The battery is rated for 10 years use and guaranteed for 2 years.

60. I didn’t put mudguards on mine and got covered in mud on the first ride. However that would be the same of any bike. There isn’t enough power in them to wheel spin.

You’re cheating if you think you’re mountain biking… but you’re not – you’re eBiking. Its a different thing.

61. It’s mountain biking, im on a bike on a mountain and peddling. 😀 😀 😀

Everyone has a different definition of biking. We don’t slag off downhill mountain bikers for using lifts. We don’t call BMXers sh*t because they can’t do 24miles enduro races. If you ride to keep yourself in tip top physical condition good on you. I ride for fun, bike packing and to explore the country side. An assisted bike does just that… it assists me in my hobbies. It’s just an extra tool in my quiver of 3 bikes.

Genuine question – do Ebikes annoy you and why? How do they affect your enjoyment of your sport?

Why did you decide on an e-bike rather than the conventional method of getting faster/keeping up with your mates?

62. Answered this a few times. It’s combination of persistent injury and not having enough time to ride on a regular basis. Keeping my fitness up for all days rides hasn’t happened over the past 18 months.

I’m still using my regular bikes for short less taxing rides. It’s horses for courses – ebike when im low on pep and want to do a huge ride. Normo bike for when I want to go back to basics.

Are you still checking replies to this thread?

I am.

I have a question.

After getting blitzed on my commute this morning by a yoof on an obviously chipped Haibike full susser (on the road, me in full lycra doing 20+mph on the flat, him in civvies inc baseball cap with nobbly tyres)) I’m curios how long the batteries last if you derestrict them?

Purely to satisfy my curiosity, I’m aware that it’s illegal to ride them on the road then.