Electric bicycles - who buys them?

[LeadFarmer]

Barchettaman said:

LeadFarmer said:

Having set my ebike up for winter commuting with knobby tyres, mudguards and buying winter gloves etc, my employers have now told me I am to work from home all the time!!

I read an article here in Germany about a bloke who had to WFH in the pandemic, found he was missing his commute, so just scheduled in a morning and evening ride through the week. It worked for him.

Good idea, and I intended to do the same last summer during lock down, but i'm too lazy
I bought the ebike to make me get out riding and commuting. Next summer I do plan to take the bike out on my cars bike rack and go for some nice rides in Derbyshire.

[ddom]

So, I sold my eMTB. A number of reasons really. I wasn't making the time to use it, that's different from not having the time, I was being lazy. Then a mate asked to borrow it, then his mate wanted a spin. When it came time to return it I was offered enough money to accept. That's that. The last time I rode it, I was actually left a bit disappointed. My fitness was at a reasonable level and I wasn't finding it tough, and I have always sort of enjoyed suffering a little. It was also fking heavy, which was good downhill but it felt like a mini motox bike. Lastly, the motor drag, it always pissed me off, it never felt like a 'normal' bike, over the assistance it held back, was just weird. I know the Whyte 160RS is a half decent bike so overall was left a bit deflated. Don't get me wrong, it was fun, but, a few annoyances. So I am back on the leg powered bike, and also looking at the Orbea Rise, as it seems to offer more of what I am after.

[Chicken Chaser]

ddom said:

So, I sold my eMTB. A number of reasons really. I wasn't making the time to use it, that's different from not having the time, I was being lazy. Then a mate asked to borrow it, then his mate wanted a spin. When it came time to return it I was offered enough money to accept. That's that. The last time I rode it, I was actually left a bit disappointed. My fitness was at a reasonable level and I wasn't finding it tough, and I have always sort of enjoyed suffering a little. It was also fking heavy, which was good downhill but it felt like a mini motox bike. Lastly, the motor drag, it always pissed me off, it never felt like a 'normal' bike, over the assistance it held back, was just weird. I know the Whyte 160RS is a half decent bike so overall was left a bit deflated. Don't get me wrong, it was fun, but, a few annoyances. So I am back on the leg powered bike, and also looking at the Orbea Rise, as it seems to offer more of what I am after.

Motor drag on the Bosch? I thought it was drag free? I've got the Ep8 which is drag free but the only drag is from the DD compound tyres. They do stick like the proverbial though. Haven't been out on mine in a few weeks now due to number of things but hopefully get a run on it Friday. I've missed it.

[ddom]

Chicken Chaser said:

Motor drag on the Bosch? I thought it was drag free? I've got the Ep8 which is drag free but the only drag is from the DD compound tyres. They do stick like the proverbial though. Haven't been out on mine in a few weeks now due to number of things but hopefully get a run on it Friday. I've missed it.

Definitely was there, as soon as you got over 16mph (or whatever) it didn't disengage fully, you always knew it was there. For the rides I do the E160RS just never got into it's stride.

[PushedDover]

ddom said:

Chicken Chaser said:

Motor drag on the Bosch? I thought it was drag free? I've got the Ep8 which is drag free but the only drag is from the DD compound tyres. They do stick like the proverbial though. Haven't been out on mine in a few weeks now due to number of things but hopefully get a run on it Friday. I've missed it.

Definitely was there, as soon as you got over 16mph (or whatever) it didn't disengage fully, you always knew it was there. For the rides I do the E160RS just never got into it's stride.

That sounds odd to me too

CC, ride out over the weeks ahead??

[Bathroom_Security]

ddom said:

So, I sold my eMTB. A number of reasons really. I wasn't making the time to use it, that's different from not having the time, I was being lazy. Then a mate asked to borrow it, then his mate wanted a spin. When it came time to return it I was offered enough money to accept. That's that. The last time I rode it, I was actually left a bit disappointed. My fitness was at a reasonable level and I wasn't finding it tough, and I have always sort of enjoyed suffering a little. It was also fking heavy, which was good downhill but it felt like a mini motox bike. Lastly, the motor drag, it always pissed me off, it never felt like a 'normal' bike, over the assistance it held back, was just weird. I know the Whyte 160RS is a half decent bike so overall was left a bit deflated. Don't get me wrong, it was fun, but, a few annoyances. So I am back on the leg powered bike, and also looking at the Orbea Rise, as it seems to offer more of what I am after.

I've got lazy on mine I think. Ride it 3+ times a week but with analogue riders. The bigger front cog is enough to put me out of sync with them up hills. I can also ride up hills they can't. So am forced to get off and push when they do if I can't get past.

I am hooked on the speed down trails it's so fast. I'd not be able to match some of the guys I ride with for speed they are ridiculously fast.

Only thing that annoys me is its weight into depressions. That could be a bomb hole or the base of a reasonably sized step up jump or flying into a berm and railing it. The bike just bogs down it becomes a bit disconcerting. No getting round that. Jumping anything with a steep face again even after 3 months of owning it has taken some adjusting

Other times the weight is a bonus. Stability when jumping and extra grip.

Thinking of buying a Transition Patrol to run alongside it but then I'm not so sure. It'll just not be as fast. It won't provide the assistance on those days after work when I cant be arsed etc

[ddom]

Bathroom_Security said:

I've got lazy on mine I think. Ride it 3+ times a week but with analogue riders. The bigger front cog is enough to put me out of sync with them up hills. I can also ride up hills they can't. So am forced to get off and push when they do if I can't get past.

I am hooked on the speed down trails it's so fast. I'd not be able to match some of the guys I ride with for speed they are ridiculously fast.

Only thing that annoys me is its weight into depressions. That could be a bomb hole or the base of a reasonably sized step up jump or flying into a berm and railing it. The bike just bogs down it becomes a bit disconcerting. No getting round that. Jumping anything with a steep face again even after 3 months of owning it has taken some adjusting

Other times the weight is a bonus. Stability when jumping and extra grip.

Thinking of buying a Transition Patrol to run alongside it but then I'm not so sure. It'll just not be as fast. It won't provide the assistance on those days after work when I cant be arsed etc

That's what's attractive with the Rise. It's 17kg, crazy.

[Bathroom_Security]

ddom said:

That's what's attractive with the Rise. It's 17kg, crazy.

One dude I ride with has one. Motor broke. Replaced it with a normal EP. Almost as fast as my levo.

[LeadFarmer]

ddom said:

Lastly, the motor drag, it always pissed me off, it never felt like a 'normal' bike, over the assistance it held back, was just weird..

I never liked the treacle effect on my Bosch CX motor, I had to fit a Badass dongle to derestrict it.

[Chicken Chaser]

PushedDover said:

That sounds odd to me too

CC, ride out over the weeks ahead??

Defintely, although I've only managed 2 1/2 days off over Xmas/NY Might sort a morning out when on lates.

[Barchettaman]

Chicken Chaser said:

Motor drag on the Bosch? I thought it was drag free?

Newer models are apparently better but the older CX Performance motors, like mine below, have plenty when the motor is off or the speed is above 15.5 mph.

Other manufacturers decouple the motor completely when not in use, and have zero motor drag (Yamaha?)

It’s one of my pet peeves on e-bike reviews; they never, ever talk about motor drag above 25km/h and it’s such a fundamental part of the ride experience. Grrr.

Edited by Barchettaman on Friday 17th December 11:52

[Dog Star]

Motor drag seems to be going down as tech improves, our original Cube Acids were Bosch CX and they were well-nigh unrideable with no power, my following 2019 Haibike (Yamaha) was better but still hard work unless on a flat. We now have Canyons with EP8s and they are a lot better, and what with the 52T rear cassette you can still get them up hills.

[redback911]

So.... In the interest of making sure the eMTB I got for wifey was "suitable", I've been putting in some miles on it. Purely in the interest of science :-D

I took a usual route, direct from house via trails to local Fell Summit.

Ibis Ripley Carbon MTB



Time was 1:26:46 for around 12 km Strava Effort was "34" (based on HR, which was average of 129)

Moustache Race Carbon eMTB



Time was 1:28:05, but slightly longer distance 12.3km with a Strava Effort of "19" (based on HR, which was average of 119)

I guess it just underlines what I'd read about eMTB. You still get a decent workout - if you want one - but you have the option of going for longer, with less effort.

Downhill I found the Moustache a bit of a handful compared to regular MTB; the suspension and extra weight struggled with some of the steep rocky sections I normally wizz down on my regular MTB.

The eMTB was a LOT OF FUN, and I could see myself yearning after one for "rest day" riding or just as a recovery session after some hard triathlon training sessions.

[mikeiow]

https://jalopnik.com/nine-e-bike-batteries-cause-h...
Yikes!

[Cupramax]

mikeiow said:

https://jalopnik.com/nine-e-bike-batteries-cause-h...
Yikes!

Charging nine ebike batteries at once? More to that story I think. I’ve always been lead to believe you shouldn’t leave batteries charging unattended, or leave it attached to a charger when it’s full.

[Laurel Green]

Cupramax said:

Charging nine ebike batteries at once? More to that story I think. I’ve always been lead to believe you shouldn’t leave batteries charging unattended, or leave it attached to a charger when it’s full.

It would seem that one of the sons repaired E-Bikes.

Article said:

A neighbor told the New York Daily News that the victim repaired e-bikes. The FDNY found seven e-bikes in the apartment. FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro said, “Last year we had 44 fires and no deaths, this year we have had 93 fires, more than 70 injuries and now four deaths caused by lithium-ion battery fires.”

[emicen]

Cupramax said:

mikeiow said:

https://jalopnik.com/nine-e-bike-batteries-cause-h...
Yikes!

Charging nine ebike batteries at once? More to that story I think. I’ve always been lead to believe you shouldn’t leave batteries charging unattended, or leave it attached to a charger when it’s full.

Says in the article the bloke repaired ebikes. Sounds like one of the batteries had a fault and he didn’t realise or identify it.

[trails]

LeadFarmer said:

I never liked the treacle effect on my Bosch CX motor, I had to fit a Badass dongle to derestrict it.

Hitting that wall is v frustrating and for me at least, takes a bit of the joy out of bike riding. How long have you had the dongle...it would be fun to fit and not tell any of my riding friends!

[LeadFarmer]

trails said:

Hitting that wall is v frustrating and for me at least, takes a bit of the joy out of bike riding. How long have you had the dongle...it would be fun to fit and not tell any of my riding friends!

I've had the dongle since the bike was just a few weeks old. It's certainly nice to be able to ride it like a normal bike and not feel the treacle effect. I've put a larger front chainring on mine to get some more top end speed when needed, and its nice that the motor still assists me at the top speed (on private land of course!!) though this does affect the lowest gear making it not quite so low when going up hill. My ride home from work has some very steep hills where I need 1st gear, but then you can always increase the motor assistance to compensate.

You do have to be careful if taking your bike in for a service or repair work whilst its under warranty, as it could invalidate it. I always take it off if im taking my bike to a bike shop. Important to tell them NOT to do any software upgrades either just incase they defeat the dongle. Though I forgot to tell them last time and they automatically updated to latest firmware, fortunately the dongle still worked but the shop said they could return it to the previous software if needed.

Edited by LeadFarmer on Monday 20th December 11:06

[trails]

LeadFarmer said:

I've had the dongle since the bike was just a few weeks old. It's certainly nice to be able to ride it like a normal bike and not feel the treacle effect. I've put a larger front chainring on mine to get some more top end speed when needed, and its nice that the motor still assists me at the top speed (on private land of course!!) though this does affect the lowest gear making it not quite so low when going up hill. My ride home from work has some very steep hills where I need 1st gear, but then you can always increase the motor assistance to compensate.

You do have to be careful if taking your bike in for a service or repair work whilst its under warranty, as it could invalidate it. I always take it off if im taking my bike to a bike shop. Important to tell them NOT to do any software upgrades either just incase they defeat the dongle. Though I forgot to tell them last time and they automatically updated to latest firmware, fortunately the dongle still worked but the shop said they could return it to the previous software if needed.

Edited by LeadFarmer on Monday 20th December 11:06

Thank you, my bike is a year old so may as well have a tryout, 20% off on their site ATM too.