Originally Posted by
gregf83
I think people are overestimating the assist from ebikes. Beyond 28mph they provide no assistance and I don't think 28mph is going to win any sprints on an A-ride. The reality is there are many points in a ride where an e-bike rider would simply get dropped. If they were strong enough to ride with no assist they wouldn't have the e-bike. It's a non-issue.
I've seen coaches use them to keep up with pros on training rides. Although with the size of the batteries they wouldn't be useful for anything other than short rides.
Wait till people start modifying those motors/systems just for the heck of it. My son attends a high school with an engineering specialty center. Their STEM First Robotics team ended this season ranked 4th at the world championships. They have a fully supported shop with more than enough technology and tools to do the job. CAD programs, CNC machines, 3D printers(one is a CF printer) etc, etc. But what they really have going for them is about 60 students with big brains and the interest and knowledge to do it. Also about 10 mentors that are electrical/mechanical engineers and do that sort of thing for a living. If I let them work on one for a couple of weeks it would come back a lot faster than before. The question would be how much would it cost me.