Electric bicycles - who buys them?

[Toltec]

HardtopManual said:

You can always count on PH to provide a spurious analogy.

Here's mine: riding an eBike for exercise is like going for swim on a speedboat.

One of those speedboats you need to hang off the back and paddle to get it to move?

All those people that have power assisted steering or servo brakes in any of their cars cannot drive properly either.

[Zoon]

Toltec said:

HardtopManual said:

You can always count on PH to provide a spurious analogy.

Here's mine: riding an eBike for exercise is like going for swim on a speedboat.

One of those speedboats you need to hang off the back and paddle to get it to move?

All those people that have power assisted steering or servo brakes in any of their cars cannot drive properly either.

Not like in Fred Flintstones day where you powered the car yourself.

[anonymous-user]

Zoon said:

bulldong said:

RizzoTheRat said:

Surely very few people who aren't keen regular cyclists get much over 15mph on a normal bike, so it seems a pretty sensible limit to me. On the flat I cruise at about 20kph (12.5 mph) on a normal bike, and few people who aren't lycra clad road racing types come past me at more than a few mph difference. Putting people who don't cycle that often on e-bikes that do double the average cyclists speeds might not be the best idea IMO.

I was speaking to a friend the other day who runs a bike shop. He said that most people who buy e-bikes from him are not enthusiast cyclists, and have very little cycling ability. They buy an e-bike and then ride it like a and fall off, even when it is limited to 25km/h. Most of them have never been 25kmh on a bike before, or ridden a motorbike, and these things will do 25kmh all day. He thinks that the speed caps are very sensible.

So he doesn't advise them on the purchase then?

- There are free e-bike courses run by the Austrian equivalent of the AA, that he hands them a brochure for. Whether they go on them is up to them. You don't need a licence for one, so if someone wants one they can have one. I was merely pointing out that 25kmh for 99% of the population is enough, but then again you knew that.

[Trophy Husband]

bulldong said:

RizzoTheRat said:

Surely very few people who aren't keen regular cyclists get much over 15mph on a normal bike, so it seems a pretty sensible limit to me. On the flat I cruise at about 20kph (12.5 mph) on a normal bike, and few people who aren't lycra clad road racing types come past me at more than a few mph difference. Putting people who don't cycle that often on e-bikes that do double the average cyclists speeds might not be the best idea IMO.

I was speaking to a friend the other day who runs a bike shop. He said that most people who buy e-bikes from him are not enthusiast cyclists, and have very little cycling ability. They buy an e-bike and then ride it like a and fall off, even when it is limited to 25km/h. Most of them have never been 25kmh on a bike before, or ridden a motorbike, and these things will do 25kmh all day. He thinks that the speed caps are very sensible.

Utter BS. Total and utter BS.

Everyone, and I mean everyone I know who has an E-MTB is or was in the past a keen cyclist. I was doing 25MPH downhill on my Chopper when I was 11!!!

FFS Usain Bolt can run at 28mph!! 25kmh is 15.5mph.

And no, they won't do 25kmh all day. You have to pedal to make them work don't you know?

The speed cap is 15.5mph. I have reached 42mph downhill on my e-bike and could do the same on a normal MTB. Why is the speed cap sensible? It is purely a legislative tool to avoid them having to be registered as motor vehicles.

[Cupramax]

The biggest problem I find when out on the road now is motorists perception (or lack thereof) of your speed. I tend to sit around 20 or a little more on mine when on open roads, cars assume I’m going slower and regularly pull straight out in front of me which can be a pain at times.

You have to ride more defensively, but then again around town you can more easily hold your own without holding cars up, so it’s swings and roundabouts.

[Toltec]

Cupramax said:

The biggest problem I find when out on the road now is motorists perception (or lack thereof) of your speed. I tend to sit around 20 or a little more on mine when on open roads, cars assume I’m going slower and regularly pull straight out in front of me which can be a pain at times.

You have to ride more defensively, but then again around town you can more easily hold your own without holding cars up, so it’s swings and roundabouts.

That is not really a new ebike thing though you may just be noticing it on one, it is harder to do on an mtb, but on a road bike even a moderately fit rider would be at 20+ on the flat most of the time.

[hkp57]

Dog Star said:

Link??

Search Facebook for Levo Range Extender

or read up on this thread

https://www.emtbforums.com/threads/levo-kenevo-ran...

[benny.c]

Just reading this thread in NP&E discussing the death of a woman who stepped out in front of an electric bike and was killed.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7238430/woman-killed...

Now clearly she stepped in front of the cyclist but if the bike has been modified then I could see serious repercussions for the rider. He left the scene of the accident with his bike which means nothing in itself other than the guy is clearly a scumbag, but maybe he had something to hide.

[gazza285]

benny.c said:

Just reading this thread in NP&E discussing the death of a woman who stepped out in front of an electric bike and was killed.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7238430/woman-killed...

Now clearly she stepped in front of the cyclist but if the bike has been modified then I could see serious repercussions for the rider. He left the scene of the accident with his bike which means nothing in itself other than the guy is clearly a scumbag, but maybe he had something to hide.

Or was concussed himself, reports mention he had a head injury.

[benny.c]

Yeah, possibly.

[anonymous-user]

Trophy Husband said:

bulldong said:

RizzoTheRat said:

Surely very few people who aren't keen regular cyclists get much over 15mph on a normal bike, so it seems a pretty sensible limit to me. On the flat I cruise at about 20kph (12.5 mph) on a normal bike, and few people who aren't lycra clad road racing types come past me at more than a few mph difference. Putting people who don't cycle that often on e-bikes that do double the average cyclists speeds might not be the best idea IMO.

I was speaking to a friend the other day who runs a bike shop. He said that most people who buy e-bikes from him are not enthusiast cyclists, and have very little cycling ability. They buy an e-bike and then ride it like a and fall off, even when it is limited to 25km/h. Most of them have never been 25kmh on a bike before, or ridden a motorbike, and these things will do 25kmh all day. He thinks that the speed caps are very sensible.

Utter BS. Total and utter BS.

Everyone, and I mean everyone I know who has an E-MTB is or was in the past a keen cyclist. I was doing 25MPH downhill on my Chopper when I was 11!!!

FFS Usain Bolt can run at 28mph!! 25kmh is 15.5mph.

And no, they won't do 25kmh all day. You have to pedal to make them work don't you know?

The speed cap is 15.5mph. I have reached 42mph downhill on my e-bike and could do the same on a normal MTB. Why is the speed cap sensible? It is purely a legislative tool to avoid them having to be registered as motor vehicles.

Big WOW, you hero! I did a casual 74kmh on the way home today freewheeling on my road bike. Big deal if that’s what you do. It’s got nothing to do with anybody else.

This was not a dig at e-bikes. They’re awesome. What I said in my post that in his experience, most of the people buying e-bikes from him are not enthusiasts like you or I and haven’t been on a bike in a long time. They don’t know how to do basic bike maintenance. That kind of person. It’s not every person, just something he, the only bike shop owner in a town of 20,000 people has noticed.

Where we live is hilly and as such most people don’t ride bikes because they’re lazy. You have to go uphill at some point and either arrive sweaty, or get home sweaty, or both. Normal bike is not practical unless there is a shower at each end.

Ebike option comes along and all of a sudden, people who haven’t ridden a bike in years go out and get one, and some of them have an accident.

I’m not saying that only losers who don’t ride bikes regularly buy them. I’m saying that the majority of people where we live who are buying them are not the people doing KOM on the DH section of the local trails and therefore a speed limit on the machine is sensible.

[limpsfield]

Cupramax said:

The biggest problem I find when out on the road now is motorists perception (or lack thereof) of your speed. I tend to sit around 20 or a little more on mine when on open roads, cars assume I’m going slower and regularly pull straight out in front of me which can be a pain at times.

You have to ride more defensively, but then again around town you can more easily hold your own without holding cars up, so it’s swings and roundabouts.

I would agree with this - and how fast you pull away from a standing start.

I have had my e bike for about a year now. Great for the 3km commute to work and a bit of a fun ride at a weekend. Love it - i would have done zero miles on a normal bike over the last year but use this 4 days a week. Halfords relatively cheapo version for about £800 and 0% finance.

If you are humming and ha-ing about it, just do it - they are great.

[jjr1]

ClassicMercs said:

Anyone looking for a good deal right now - selling surplus Haibike stock at the end of season. So gutted - I got my sDuro Trekking 7.5 a few weeks ago - with a discount - now you can get the Trekking 9 for what I bought the 7.5 for. An extra 800 discount on this range topper - grab a bargain while you can.

Link to these bargains please?

[Laurel Green]

50 cycles has something like 20% off at the mo

[bigdom]

I'm currently holidaying in the south of France. I would estimate 1 in 2 bicycles is electric, loads of retirees on them, all sorts from mainstream brands like Giant to any form of folding ones. Interspersed with a few 2 stroke engine ones, which look like quite good fun.

[jjr1]

Laurel Green said:

50 cycles has something like 20% off at the mo

Cheers

It was a spin on a Haibike that sparked my interest at Mallory Park last weekend. The 15.5mph cap on top speed is a right pain in the arse but I definitely can see me adding an E-Bike of some sort to the toys list.

[Toltec]

jjr1 said:

Cheers

It was a spin on a Haibike that sparked my interest at Mallory Park last weekend. The 15.5mph cap on top speed is a right pain in the arse but I definitely can see me adding an E-Bike of some sort to the toys list.

There is no cap on top speed only the assistance limit, think of it this way, you'll be able to accelerate quicker from a standstill and climb stuff that would be impossible for you on a normal bike, if you want to go fast work on your fitness. Having said that I'd be more comfortable if I could keep up closer to 20mph on the road right now, but fortunately I do 95% of my miles off road.

[Laurel Green]

They really have taken off recently; top mountain bikers are using them, even Carl Fogarty has one.

[jjr1]

Toltec said:

jjr1 said:

Cheers

It was a spin on a Haibike that sparked my interest at Mallory Park last weekend. The 15.5mph cap on top speed is a right pain in the arse but I definitely can see me adding an E-Bike of some sort to the toys list.

There is no cap on top speed only the assistance limit, think of it this way, you'll be able to accelerate quicker from a standstill and climb stuff that would be impossible for you on a normal bike, if you want to go fast work on your fitness. Having said that I'd be more comfortable if I could keep up closer to 20mph on the road right now, but fortunately I do 95% of my miles off road.

Ok I want assistance limit increased to double, topping off at 31mph and then maybe I can be arsed to do the rest. I am not the slightest bit interested in riding a mountain bike to gain fitness. I only want to ride it fast for FUN!

[uncinqsix]

I get irrationally annoyed by e-bikes. This is purely due to how they go flying past me as I grind up the hill on my way home from work. It just doesn't seem fair that they're not suffering as well