Does EV mean you drive more?
Discussion
leef44 said:
In UK, it seems the average cyclist look like they are on a time trial or Tour De France.l
I bought a hybrid bike to commute to work, plan was to be relaxed and chilled rides.....but soon got bored of that. I've slammed the bars as low as I could, put on some aero bars - yes I've put aero bars on my commuter bike, so the bike may not be a Tour race machine at least its got some aero for a TT.......Let's be honest we are all on this forum because we like speed, regardless of what of how many wheels or power source, speed is just fun
.
Hopefully dry roads tomorrow and no luggage to take, so am taking this to work tomorrow. Meandering along at 10mph, sitting up bolt up right and smiling like Chesire cat isn't what I enjoy about cycling. Its all about aero and smashing it
.
Edited by gangzoom on Tuesday 6th October 18:17
gangzoom said:
Meandering along at 10mph, sitting up bolt up right and smiling like Chesire cat isn't what I enjoy about cycling. Its all about aero and smashing it .
The thing is, once you add in the time taken to change and shower, you'd probably be quicker riding slower in work clothes..LG9k said:
The thing is, once you add in the time taken to change and shower, you'd probably be quicker riding slower in work clothes.
Not if your bike is also an EV, and also feature a mini 'insane' over power mode that may damage the hardware in the quest for more power;)
Edited by gangzoom on Tuesday 6th October 18:36
gangzoom said:
Not if your bike is also an EV, and also feature a mini 'insane' over power mode that may damage the hardware in the quest for more power;)
I'm not sure what any of that means.Is your Trek an electric bike? If so, it's impressive how they've hidden the battery and motor away.
How far is your commute and how long does it take you? (Also, what's your average speed?)
Boardman is electric, Fazua motor, upto 300watts support but I only use 100watts normally and the support cuts off at 15.5mph.
My commute is 5 miles quick way and 7 miles scenic route, I take different routes depending on what I feel like.
I average 15mph on the Boardman on the way in with 450ft of climbing, aim is to get into work not sweaty. The way home I push harder with the motor not doing much, normally manage 17mph ish.
On sunny days (hopefully like today) I take the Trek, I tend to average similar speeds as on the Boardman on the way in as its about not been sweaty but its like driving a F1 car at 30mph, the cold weather actually makes things more 'fun' as I don't over heat quite so quickly when pushing on. The way home is fab though, 18mph is doable if no head wind, actually quicker than driving even with no traffic
Split between eBike and road bike use on the commute had been 50:50 over the summer, but with all the rain+wind this month has been 100% eBike so far. The electric motor really helps to resist the temptations of driving when its dark/cold/wet. But road bike is so much more responsive and fun, IMOH you have no idea what 'road feel' is until you have done a 30mph+ decent on a unclassified back road with 23mm wide tyres at 100PSI, on a ultra stiff carbon frame where you literally feel every pebble. Its utterly addictive!!
Am lucky enough to be in a situation where am doing far more miles on the bikes than the EV, my aim is to get my car usage below 5k a year, genuinely feel awful about the 15k+ miles I was doing for no reason the previous years just because running an EV is so cheap.
Currently am saving up for a 2021 Emonda SLR, because aero now appears to trump weight but I don't want a heavier bike than what I got now (current Trek is 7.8kg with pedals+cages+Garmin), so it has to be a SLR frame on any replacement. But at £5k road bikes make EVs look good value!!
My commute is 5 miles quick way and 7 miles scenic route, I take different routes depending on what I feel like
.I average 15mph on the Boardman on the way in with 450ft of climbing, aim is to get into work not sweaty. The way home I push harder with the motor not doing much, normally manage 17mph ish.
On sunny days (hopefully like today) I take the Trek, I tend to average similar speeds as on the Boardman on the way in as its about not been sweaty but its like driving a F1 car at 30mph, the cold weather actually makes things more 'fun' as I don't over heat quite so quickly when pushing on. The way home is fab though, 18mph is doable if no head wind, actually quicker than driving even with no traffic
Split between eBike and road bike use on the commute had been 50:50 over the summer, but with all the rain+wind this month has been 100% eBike so far. The electric motor really helps to resist the temptations of driving when its dark/cold/wet. But road bike is so much more responsive and fun, IMOH you have no idea what 'road feel' is until you have done a 30mph+ decent on a unclassified back road with 23mm wide tyres at 100PSI, on a ultra stiff carbon frame where you literally feel every pebble. Its utterly addictive!!
Am lucky enough to be in a situation where am doing far more miles on the bikes than the EV, my aim is to get my car usage below 5k a year, genuinely feel awful about the 15k+ miles I was doing for no reason the previous years just because running an EV is so cheap.
Currently am saving up for a 2021 Emonda SLR, because aero now appears to trump weight but I don't want a heavier bike than what I got now (current Trek is 7.8kg with pedals+cages+Garmin), so it has to be a SLR frame on any replacement. But at £5k road bikes make EVs look good value!!
Edited by gangzoom on Wednesday 7th October 07:35
gangzoom said:
Boardman is electric, Fazua motor, upto 300watts support but I only use 100watts normally and the support cuts off at 15.5mph.
My commute is 5 miles quick way and 7 miles scenic route, I take different routes depending on what I feel like.
I feel this! Even on serious trips, I still take detours towards hills for the descents on my ebike. Life is about the journey. And the same is broadly true for EVs in a different way. Hilly, scenic terrain is much less tiring and much more enjoyable. My commute is 5 miles quick way and 7 miles scenic route, I take different routes depending on what I feel like
.Edited by gangzoom on Wednesday 7th October 07:35
Edit, OP states depreciation/ insurance are fixed and not milage dependent. But is this true? Depreciation is mostly milage no?
Edited by lothianJim on Wednesday 7th October 09:47
Interesting stuff. Given I manage about 15mph on my very heavy bike with additional pannier weight, I don't think I'm quite ready for an electric bike yet. One day, though.
Just a thought, 5 miles takes:
20 minutes at 15mph
17.39 minutes at 17mph
That means it gives you 2 mins and 21 seconds to get changed in and out of your gear at each end. Good luck with that!
One thing we can agree on is that people should think more about their choice of transport and walk/cycle if possible. Far too many short, unnecessary journeys are made in cars (whether EV or ICE).
Just a thought, 5 miles takes:
20 minutes at 15mph
17.39 minutes at 17mph
That means it gives you 2 mins and 21 seconds to get changed in and out of your gear at each end. Good luck with that!
One thing we can agree on is that people should think more about their choice of transport and walk/cycle if possible. Far too many short, unnecessary journeys are made in cars (whether EV or ICE).
Edited by LG9k on Wednesday 7th October 10:47
LG9k said:
That means it gives you 2 mins and 21 seconds to get changed in and out of your gear at each end. Good luck with that!
That's almost blasphemy, Trek's justification for the 'all new' Emonda with aero changes over the old one is a massive 18 second saving over 1hr of riding at 350watts at 8% gradient!!! I think Canyon is quoting a life changing 4watts saving for the new Aeroad versus the old one at 40km/h......But in a similar way my current EV is quicker than my old DC2 Teg on a B road, my road bike is simply so much more engaging/fun to ride than heavier/fatter bikes, the speed/time is almost not relevant apart from to keep track of my own fitness. However though it is does raise a very valid point about a new £4-5k+ road bike versus my current 10 year old one
. Edited by gangzoom on Wednesday 7th October 12:47
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