InTheRain

Just read this article the other day.
https://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear...-20-years-off/

I've let myself get out of shape over the last 2 years. I still take short rides of 10-15 miles and I'll commute to work 7 miles each way. However, I would get a bit resistant to going on a ride of 20, 30, or 40 miles on my road bike and I would avoid routes with hills. With the e-bike, I'll do those rides. I just got back from one of my favorite routes (30 miles roundtrip) that is relatively hilly but ends up at a beautiful harbor on the shores of the puget sound. It's not something I would feel comfortable doing on my regular road bike (the hills would eat me up.) If I keep working at it on the e-bike, I can foresee being able to ride that route again on my road bike in the near future.

Nightcap

DukeO

My ebike got me riding again after 40years and I am loving it. Went for a 15 mile ride with 100+ folks last-night and had a blast. We rode like a snake going all through the city starting at one park and ending at another.

There is no way I could of done it without my ebike. They just dumped 250 Jump ebikes around the city two weeks ago and some folks where ridding those. It is a good time to be getting back into biking/ebiking again with all the new paths and bike-ways cities are putting in. There are a lot near me.

Hey Nightcap hows it going. I grew up in Dennis MA right down the street from you.

Watchdog

Around the time I turned 50 I found it too tiring to do my work commute 5 days a week in a reasonable time. So I got an electric bike and now I ride to work every day. Some days I'll still take my Cervelo, but the ebike makes riding 5 days a week possible. If I'm ever feeling tired, instead of a rest day I take the ebike. Which I guess is kind of a rest day because the effort is so much less than my road bike.

Ohiopicker

2old

OP (literally); great and another success story.

MikeyMK

I've always been an avid leisure rider, cruising slowly all day or evening on everything from MTB's to Sturmey shoppers. There wasn't much gonna get me out more than i already was.

Oh there was. I've always been a petrol-head too, my last car was a 25yo pocket rocket with 3x it's original power. And yet, since my latest e-bike, i've been car-less. I ride everywhere. I don't even walk, let alone drive. Not only do i ride to work, now i even take my kid to school on the back.. I use it for shopping, commuting, leisure.. i use it for.. everything.

I've always been a cyclist. But as an e-cyclist, i'm an evolution of my former self. My life is. And still, the masses remain oblivious to what i've found, but for a handful of friends who just think i'm crazy.

sandeept

I completely agree.

In order to come back in shape, start using the eBike in the highest assist mode and as you get more practice and your endurance picks up, bring the assist level down.

linberl

Retiring at 62, I hadn't been on a bike in 30 years! I bought an e-bike because I was terrified I would get stranded somewhere on a regular bike, exhausted. I rode that bike and improved my skills and overall conditioning for a little over a year. Sold it and bought a non-powered bike because I wasn't crazy about the heavy weight of the e-bike and I was ready to ride purely for exercise under my own power. Six years later, I've restored and ridden a couple 700c bikes (now sold) and a couple Bike Fridays (I have one now as my only bike). Soon, I will also have (for me) the perfect "e-assist" solution. A 10 second on/off friction drive that weighs less than 6 lbs including batteries. So I can ride completely under my own power with no added weight on the bike - or - I can take my unit out of my bag and pop it on and get some assist. This will encourage me to try longer rides. Currently I do around 20-25 miles. I'd like to try out some 40-60 mile rides and having the motor will give me the confidence I can make it. It will also help pull my trailer when I have 40 lbs of dog food in it, lol. Imo, ebikes are a gateway drug........to spending lots of money and more time on bikes!

fietsbob

FWIW in order to hit a 6 pound goal , motor; small, battery; short range..

might as well just ride without electric assist..


I expect Brompton's long in development front hub motor wheel , and removable front luggage mount
is as minimal as current (non IT 'vaporware') technology will allow..

linberl

Probably not a good idea to comment on stuff when you don't know what you need to know. I'm talking about a friction drive with a 30 mile range @ 20wh/mile, which is standard. Various modes (PAS, tailwind, throttle). Not every system is a hub drive. Sheesh. And, yes, it works quite well especially on my 19lb bike (total weight with rider is under 150lb) - I've used the first iteration. It definitely meets my needs to get up big hills and push through hard wind - not at all like riding without electric assist.

dilkes

Can you share which friction drive it is? I've been thinking of getting one as well.

linberl

Sure, but you won't be able to get one any time soon. It's ShareRoller, which is a long overdue KS/IGG item. After version 1, he just kept improving and delaying but it seems it actually will be shipping to backers (me) in the next month or so. If you're interested, you can read all about the history here (or just skip to page 10 and read the updates): https://electricbikereview.com/forum...kes.223/page-2

Nightcap

fietsbob

[linberl] At my Local shop are several electric bikes , the battery pack on any of them alone weighs more than 6 pounds..

linberl

So that means there are no lighter weight ones? Here's something like the ones BF uses...B362.7_LiGo - Batteries - Ebike Parts - Shop It's .60kg for 98 wh. 300wh is well under 4 pounds. You seem to be stuck in your head with the frame of reference of 40+ ebikes with huge batteries, it seems....that's not the case anymore. Like all technology, things get lighter as time passes. BF uses a Grin Tech kit that is just under 10 pounds and that includes the hub motor! A friction system is going to weigh even less.

fietsbob

But how large is the motor load in wattage? (math)

linberl

750 watts max power on my friction drive; 250-500 watts on the Grin Tech BF Bafang hub motor kit. But that's not the point - you were talking about weight and how it was useless at that low weight basically. Not true. We all have different needs with e-bikes. Not everyone wants to run power all the time, not everyone needs to constantly climb big hills, not eveyone is a large person, etc. For me, a super light weight unit which provides a good boost to get me up certain hills and pull my trailer when it's heavy....that's perfect. I've had a dedicated e-bike and don't need that at this point in my life. Sure, some folks want to ride as fast as they can with the most power (they would be the muscle car drivers in bikes, lol) but some of us are happy with our "VW" type e-bikes.
Saying that a particular system is like not having an e-bike assist at all is just wrong. It might not work for you, but there are folks out there who might appreciate a super light system on a favorite road bike that can give them a slight boost or intermittent hill push. No point in haranging this any further, but I don't think it's good to discourage folks from considering all their options.

streetstomper

https://www.unibas.ch/en/News-Events...our-weeks.html

csrpenfab

I bought 2 Rad Mini's about 2 years ago to get the wife and I bike into riding. 2500 miles later, I've dropped 80 lbs (strict diet too) and moved on to a new carbon Trek FS6 with no motor. E-bike got me off my ass and bike into riding!

NABRXX

For the past 10 years or so I've been commuting 35 miles round trip to work at least 3 days a week. My knees started to bother me with all of the stop and go city riding. I purchased a Raleigh Lore in July and I've already put over 2400 miles on it. So yeah, the ebike gets you out riding more often, now I'm commuting nearly every day and having a complete blast doing it.

Rootman

This story is about the same as mine, I was riding a standard bike and dying on the hills. I would come home after a 40 mile ride and be exhausted.

I ride my ebike everywhere now. I just have never been good on hills, and now I can tackle them just fine. I've returned to a few rides I had given up on. I ride far more, and further too. One of my favorites is a 60 mile round trip, I ride most of the way there with the assist OFF and use it only on ascending the hills. On the way back I use it for the hills and the closer I get to home I ramp it up to combat fatigue. I rarely use it any more than setting 3, usually 1 or 2 (out of 5). I often have 25 to 30 percent of the battery left when I return home. I'm getting more exercisetoo. Instead of spinning like crazy going up hills - or sometimes having to get off and push the bike - I am crawling up. I can continue on instead of having to sit and suck air for 10 minutes to cool off and recover. I can mash more which is building muscle. Even in my prime I always sucked on hills.

BobG

7291 miles on my Bruce Gordon/BionX retro-fit. Installed on Black Friday 2016 so that's just under two years ago! ...

drzdave58

Joey21

Heck yeah its got me out on my bike more. My mtn bike had several hundred mile on it over ten years. Then added a mid-drive. 500 miles last year. 1500 miles this year (doubled my modest goals) and I'll ride right through winter this year. My bike is a stand in for our second car which isn't getting used much. I live in hot hilly humid country. Nothing fun about a long bike ride on a hot day to me. With a little assist I'm all smiles and pedaling many miles. Getting ambitious and riding further and further all the time.