Electric bicycles - who buys them?
Discussion
Took ours to Skye last week - Got them places (I) would have struggled to pedal my regular bike. Not just the hills where they did well...boggy ground was a laugh - just keep peddling away and instead of getting your energy sapped the bike just pushed through. Almost a motorbike type feel to it.
And anyone who thinks it's "cheating" is welcome to try sticking a 20KG bike on their back and climbing the gulleys/rockfalls along the quiraing path while avoiding the fall down the mountain. Exhausting and a laugh - and in the high winds we had, probably a bit mad!
Sa Calobra said:
The price some of them are I'd rather get a second hand Vespa. One day the tech will be good enough that they'll be light enough to enjoy off road PROPERLY.
At the moment a 45lb mountain bike can't do the same things off road. It's just as heavy as old school DH bikes. No fun on techy roots, jumps, drops.
I will beat you DH on mine against you on a Vespa!At the moment a 45lb mountain bike can't do the same things off road. It's just as heavy as old school DH bikes. No fun on techy roots, jumps, drops.
They might not go down a drop like a 10KG bike but they are pretty good for most casual riders. I have a Santa Cruz full carbon regular and a Moustache full carbon Ebike.........Santa Cruz is for sale!
And talking of "fun" - they make climbs a hoot. I look out for rooty tech climbs that I could NEVER get up normally and just blast up them. My rides have gone from climbs 1/10 fun and DH 10/10 to 8/10 for both (and more of it) - a compromise I am really happy with.
Tiggsy said:
I will beat you DH on mine against you on a Vespa!
They might not go down a drop like a 10KG bike but they are pretty good for most casual riders. I have a Santa Cruz full carbon regular and a Moustache full carbon Ebike.........Santa Cruz is for sale!
And talking of "fun" - they make climbs a hoot. I look out for rooty tech climbs that I could NEVER get up normally and just blast up them. My rides have gone from climbs 1/10 fun and DH 10/10 to 8/10 for both (and more of it) - a compromise I am really happy with.
exactly.. Rather than pain and strains on the steep up which you don't look forward to, you now do and you ride for longer and further then you could on a normal bike due to the help just on the ups. I try to have the assistance at the lowest level I can without putting undue strain (and thus aggravate an injury) to my knees be that going ups or on muddy sections. Its a hoot and brings a smile every time I ride it. They might not go down a drop like a 10KG bike but they are pretty good for most casual riders. I have a Santa Cruz full carbon regular and a Moustache full carbon Ebike.........Santa Cruz is for sale!
And talking of "fun" - they make climbs a hoot. I look out for rooty tech climbs that I could NEVER get up normally and just blast up them. My rides have gone from climbs 1/10 fun and DH 10/10 to 8/10 for both (and more of it) - a compromise I am really happy with.
Hoofy said:
WolfieBot said:
My partner has a retro bike that she never uses as it's too 'old, heavy and clunky'. This seems ideal for an electric upgrade with a cheap eBay kit.
What sort of spec is ideal? They seem to range from 250w to 1500w!
This is PH. 1500W is the answer.What sort of spec is ideal? They seem to range from 250w to 1500w!
Cupramax said:
Hoofy said:
WolfieBot said:
My partner has a retro bike that she never uses as it's too 'old, heavy and clunky'. This seems ideal for an electric upgrade with a cheap eBay kit.
What sort of spec is ideal? They seem to range from 250w to 1500w!
This is PH. 1500W is the answer.What sort of spec is ideal? They seem to range from 250w to 1500w!
Chris Froome apparently averages 400-450W with short bursts at around 550W.
While a 1500W motor might be fun, it'll presumably be a lot heavier.
Trophy Husband said:
Not strictly true in my experience. Mine weighs in at 21.5kgs which is about 6kgs heavier than a very good/pricey pedaller. The motor and the battery do a great deal for CoG in bringing it lower down and I can have some great fun on the trails around Trefriw where I live. At 50 this has got me back out there to places my body would not get me to unless I was seriously, seriously fit. The thrill is the same and with fully adjustable suspension front and back you can tune the bike to where you plan to go.
You can 'tune' the drive in various ways with the easiest being moving the rotation widget on the spokes further towards the rim and adjusting the sensor on the bottom arm to suit thus kidding the bike that you are going slower than the 15.5mph max.
Best money I have spent in years and some great 0% deals out there.
Bergamont Trailster C7.0
Very nice. You can 'tune' the drive in various ways with the easiest being moving the rotation widget on the spokes further towards the rim and adjusting the sensor on the bottom arm to suit thus kidding the bike that you are going slower than the 15.5mph max.
Best money I have spent in years and some great 0% deals out there.
Bergamont Trailster C7.0
Edited by Trophy Husband on Tuesday 1st May 08:18
My mum and step dad bought ebikes recently and they love them. They’re both about 60 years old, my mum works 2 days a week at a hospital and rides hers 9 miles there and back when the weather is nice. Takes her 40-45 mins. They cycle to cafes and have coffee and cake and cycle back. They go shopping for small stuff on them as they have panniers.
They looked at buying road bikes but neither of them wanted to do the uphill aspect and the ebike suited my mums “relaxed” riding style.
I think they’re neat, you get some exercise, without polluting the environment with some crappy two stroke engine, and it’s nearly as quick as a scooter anyway. And you can leave them right outside the shop you want to go in.
They looked at buying road bikes but neither of them wanted to do the uphill aspect and the ebike suited my mums “relaxed” riding style.
I think they’re neat, you get some exercise, without polluting the environment with some crappy two stroke engine, and it’s nearly as quick as a scooter anyway. And you can leave them right outside the shop you want to go in.
BishBosh said:
Trophy Husband said:
Not strictly true in my experience. Mine weighs in at 21.5kgs which is about 6kgs heavier than a very good/pricey pedaller. The motor and the battery do a great deal for CoG in bringing it lower down and I can have some great fun on the trails around Trefriw where I live. At 50 this has got me back out there to places my body would not get me to unless I was seriously, seriously fit. The thrill is the same and with fully adjustable suspension front and back you can tune the bike to where you plan to go.
You can 'tune' the drive in various ways with the easiest being moving the rotation widget on the spokes further towards the rim and adjusting the sensor on the bottom arm to suit thus kidding the bike that you are going slower than the 15.5mph max.
Best money I have spent in years and some great 0% deals out there.
Bergamont Trailster C7.0
Very nice. You can 'tune' the drive in various ways with the easiest being moving the rotation widget on the spokes further towards the rim and adjusting the sensor on the bottom arm to suit thus kidding the bike that you are going slower than the 15.5mph max.
Best money I have spent in years and some great 0% deals out there.
Bergamont Trailster C7.0
Edited by Trophy Husband on Tuesday 1st May 08:18
The best way to describe the experience is that it is like a magic carpet ride. You see an incline and instinctively your mind says "fooook me I'm going to really struggle to get up that!"..............and then you don't!! Don't get me wrong there is plenty of cardio exercise involved but, at my age I try to keep a steady and regular max BPM at around 120-130. This is easily done with a combination of the mechanical gears and the power assist. Thus I am getting fitter, having fun doing it and not about to die due to the strain. You can almost make riding a bike to where you want to go as steady as swimming or rowing at a set pace in terms of cardio.
A good friend of mine used to ride semi-pro downhill for GT (IIRC) and he has a Haibike of very similar spec to mine albeit it with, I believe, the Yamaha motor. He will never get on his pedaller again and probably does 100 miles per week in the hills above us here in the Conwy Valley and is the fittest he has been for 25 years.
I believe e-bikes are now entering mainstream competition, obviously single series, in the mini enduro. That's how good they are and how seriously they are being taken. I can't wait to see where the tech goes with these and will hopefully be able to get on the Marin trails down the road from me well into my 70's!!
WolfieBot said:
My partner has a retro bike that she never uses as it's too 'old, heavy and clunky'. This seems ideal for an electric upgrade with a cheap eBay kit.
What sort of spec is ideal? They seem to range from 250w to 1500w!
How good are the brakes? Adding weight and speed to an already heavy and old bike may make things a little hairy when it comes to stopping. What sort of spec is ideal? They seem to range from 250w to 1500w!
Trophy Husband said:
I believe e-bikes are now entering mainstream competition, obviously single series, in the mini enduro. That's how good they are and how seriously they are being taken. I can't wait to see where the tech goes with these and will hopefully be able to get on the Marin trails down the road from me well into my 70's!!
I suppose there are fewer complaints about the lack of noise from ebikes compared to ecars vs GT and F1 cars!Willow1212 said:
Absolutely, brakes on purpose built modern bikes are great. But I was responding to the question around adding an Ebay after-market kit to an old and clunky retro bike, which sounds unlikely to have discs I suspect.
Yes they will not doubt be ineffective and quite dangerous.Trophy Husband said:
I have a pal who has this which is utterly illegal even on trails but my oh my how it moves. Up to 40mph, twist and go. Linear acceleration up to V-max. More like an electric trial bike than a mountain bike but does have pedals.
I think it was north of £4k.
Bultaco Brinco
I see the value in these - and it's one of the reasons I've started to get into MTBing. Where I live you used to be able to get away with going on trails and on the moors on MX bikes and enduro bikes. People don't half get shirty about it though (which pisses me off - I live there, I get pissed off with hordes of townies descending on us in cagoules and alpine walking sticks). However nobody bats an eye at MTBs and eMTBS. I will be able to do a lot of the stuff I used to do and stay under the radar. And stop at the pub.I think it was north of £4k.
Bultaco Brinco
Dog Star said:
Trophy Husband said:
I have a pal who has this which is utterly illegal even on trails but my oh my how it moves. Up to 40mph, twist and go. Linear acceleration up to V-max. More like an electric trial bike than a mountain bike but does have pedals.
I think it was north of £4k.
Bultaco Brinco
I see the value in these - and it's one of the reasons I've started to get into MTBing. Where I live you used to be able to get away with going on trails and on the moors on MX bikes and enduro bikes. People don't half get shirty about it though (which pisses me off - I live there, I get pissed off with hordes of townies descending on us in cagoules and alpine walking sticks). However nobody bats an eye at MTBs and eMTBS. I will be able to do a lot of the stuff I used to do and stay under the radar. And stop at the pub.I think it was north of £4k.
Bultaco Brinco
Trophy Husband said:
Dog Star said:
Trophy Husband said:
I have a pal who has this which is utterly illegal even on trails but my oh my how it moves. Up to 40mph, twist and go. Linear acceleration up to V-max. More like an electric trial bike than a mountain bike but does have pedals.
I think it was north of £4k.
Bultaco Brinco
I see the value in these - and it's one of the reasons I've started to get into MTBing. Where I live you used to be able to get away with going on trails and on the moors on MX bikes and enduro bikes. People don't half get shirty about it though (which pisses me off - I live there, I get pissed off with hordes of townies descending on us in cagoules and alpine walking sticks). However nobody bats an eye at MTBs and eMTBS. I will be able to do a lot of the stuff I used to do and stay under the radar. And stop at the pub.I think it was north of £4k.
Bultaco Brinco
I never had bother on my (otherwise road legal) enduro bikes over many years, but I never had a numberplate on anyway.
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