Bikewolf

I was wondering how you commute, having an e-bike. What’s your style and why did you choose electric assistance?

Me, I don’t make constant use of my pack because I love to exercice too.
An e-bike really is a joy in severe windy conditions!

Khb

When I started, I had only a 7 mile 1-way commute, but it was quite hilly and I have fairly extensive knee damage dating back to college. In addition, I had family commitments, so adding a lot of time to my commute wasn't an option. By car, it was a 15-30 minute commute (good weather, traffic variability ... bad weather, could be an hour). With an ebike (Stromer ST-1) it was a consistent 20min, which made daily commuting viable.

Since, my commute has grown to 13miles (1 way) and I've ditched my car entirely.

sergiol83

I bike to exercise. I use E-bike for commuting

Rootman

I live in the Ozarks in Arkansas, I can't go but a few miles and hit a lot of hills. I'd like to devote more time to riding and get to the point I can handle them on my own again, but work and everything else don't allow me to. Truth is, even when I was in my prime a few years ago I sucked on hills, always have and I probably always will. It got to the point where I would be planning where to go and would dismiss wonderful rides because I didn't want to tackle the hills. So it was either an ebike or dial back on my biking. So I go an ebike.

The hills just melt away. If the soreness of my thighs after 3 weeks of ebiking is any indication I am getting a BETTER workout on the ebike. I am not spinning up hills and being forced to coast to recover. While I didn't get it for speed, with the days waning shorter and shorter this fall I really like the time saved so I can take longer riders and still get back before dusk. I don't like riding at night. With m regular bike a group of guys I rode with would never drop me - and I appreciate that - I couldn't help but feel guilty that I was holding the entire group back.

I took a 62 mile ride last week and took off 3 hours off the total time. On the regular bike most of that time was walking up hills and sitting and recovering for 10 to 15 minutes ever group of hills. This time I made it all the way out only using the electric assist going up the hills. I made it all the way out and had like 95% left when I got to the end point. I used it more going home and had nearly 30% left when I got home.

So an ebike just made perfect sense for me.

kcflyer

Yep....I work harder on my ebike than I did on my "real" bike. I just smile more.

lkoyanagi

I use the lowest power setting on the flats, which is zero. There is enough power to assist. In headwinds I use One. For grades, I use Two and hills I use Three, the max. I have seven internal gearing speeds as well. The power settings compensate for not needing 21 speeds. I can go up to 20 mph with no sweat safely with 2.125" tires on my Tern eLink D7i.

gregf83 

I have a copenhagen wheel which I use on occasion while commuting. It cuts my commute time by 7-10 min and flattens the hills so my effort is steadier. I put out the same effort while riding, but it takes less time so I end up expending a little less energy. I usually will use it at the end of the week (Fri) when I'm getting tired. I still get a decent workout with the electric wheel but lose some of the intensity when going up hills.

MikeyMK

I've always cycled for the enjoyment of it. Since I was about 3yo. I don't know at what point people feel the need to bring fitness into the equasion.

If there's one thing I always disliked, it was spending ten mins struggling up a long hill, only to have to drag the brakes down the other side. It's terribly inefficient, and quite disheartening.

When I was younger, before ever hearing about electric bikes, tinkering with old cars and learning about alternators, i wondered about an electric skateboard or scooter that'd give assistance up a hill and then recharge going back down. I drew one with a 12v motorbike battery and a heavily-geared car alternator with a clutch. But I didn't build it, and I promptly dismissed any ideas of fusion or perpetual motion.. but I went through a phase of it.

A couple of years ago I was hurt in a car crash, and cycling became an issue. That's where I found the e-bike. Experiencing it reminded me of my old ideas back in the day, so I looked into it. And last year I built one with regeneration and pedal charging.

Here in Milton Keynes our cycleways are shared with pavements, not roads. This means they work around the roads, and use underpasses and bridges instead of junctions. Whilst this is far safer and more enjoyable as a result, it does mean we're always cycling up or down hill here, as a result.

This bike spreads my energy out, much as I always imagined. Instead of struggling up hills, then coasting down them, I now just pedal a stable, consistent resistance whether i'm going up hill or down.

It does have losses under normal use, but it extends the range nicely. If i wish, i can actually ride it infinately, though that would make for a slower journey than a manual bike... It makes my riding more sociable, as I don't need a run-up for hills, and i'm slower down them. It makes it more enjoyable. More efficient use of my energy means it goes further, and my ventures are more rewarding.

And that's good for me, because I ride every day. It's so good I never leave home without it, and I still don't plan to get another car.

lkoyanagi

I do not like to sweat in our 24/7 365 days of humidity for pleasure riding. Sitting and eating lunch while sweating doesnt appeal to me.

dabac

linberl

I bike to exercise and for all transportation. I use a motor to allow me to continue doing that - I turn it on for hills I can't climb because I know my knee will blow up afterwards, I turn it on if the headwinds are really bad (20mph+), I turn it on if I am riding with my adult son and he gets tired of waiting for me, and I turn it on if I am hauling 40 lbs of dog food on my trailer. Mostly I prefer to ride without.

fietsbob

Local How, is often; Mid drive conversions of MTB, (& fat bikes)
because the why is Hunting Elk & Deer on timber company property..

daoswald

You answered your own wonder as to why (historically) fitness has been part of the equation for enjoying the ride.

It is perfectly fine to enjoy eBiking. I don't know why people get defensive about it. eBikes allow you to enjoy it without putting in the considerable time and effort it takes to become fit enough to handle whatever hills you typically come across enjoyably (or at least not to the detriment of enjoying the ride). And at the same time, eBikes do encourage exercise even if it is not as strenuous as unassisted. And eBiking remains accessible even to people who cannot ever achieve the level of fitness necessary to conquer big hills unassisted.

There is nothing wrong with this. People also get enjoyment from watching a good movie or taking a scenic drive in the car. I would say that riding an eBike is a more worthwhile pursuit than either of those things. But it is different from general cycling, where some of the enjoyment and satisfaction can be derived from the accomplishment of overcoming physically difficult challenges, as well as from the scenery.

I have a good friend who used to road race. He raced until his physician discovered a heart problem that put him on the sidelines -- he's not allowed to go into those high heart rate zones. He has an eBike now, and loves it. I have another good friend who has a medical condition that prevents him operating a motor vehicle. But it does not prevent him from riding an eBike, and so that has become his primary mode of transportation. I admire both of these individuals' resourcefulness. And frankly, I wouldn't mind having an eBike myself just for fun and utility (my Cannondale Quick is my unassisted fun/utility bike). But for many people, fitness can and should be part of the enjoyment equation.

boggy

linberl

Exercise and fitness are part of biking as well as e-biking. The difference is that traditional cyclists let the terrain determine the degree of physical challenge whereas e-bikers let the motor determine the degree of physical challenge. A motor ameliorates the difficulty to the amount determined by the rider's selection of power, but it is still exercise. Much like a rider using gearing to help them get up a steep hill, the ebiker uses the motor to assist. Yes, it is assist at a much higher level, but one can still get some decent exercise if one wants. And both traditional bike riders and e-bikers can pootle around if they want to just enjoy the scenery. Over the past year and a half, I have watched this guy (who was very large, had to be 300+ lbs) ride daily on an ebike. He started out wearing a ginormous tee shirt because that was all that fit him. I'm assuming he also was eating a better diet, but now he can fit into a visibility vest with just a single "roll" underneath. He's been out there every day regardless of weather and he pumps that ebike hard! Who knows, maybe once he gets in great shape, maybe he will just become another lycra roadie, lol.

MikeyMK

Because e-cyclists are so often under fire, then there's a wonder we sound defensive the more we repeat ourselves.

lkoyanagi

I live in Honolulu with lots of hills and grades. It sounds like you are talking about me and my situation exactly. Thank you for expressing my situation.

Ky_Rider

Same here in Kentucky. Lots of hills. Ebiking has me taking routes that I would normally avoid. I'm riding more frequently because even when I'm tired I'll go ride the ebike. My commute is over an hour each way on my non assisted bike. Sometimes it would take me almost 2 hours if the wind was against me and leave me exhausted. This year I want to return to commuting and not arrive a sweaty mess. I can take the long way home and just enjoy it. I've never been great on hills either.

fietsbob

They sold well in Holland , because after a full working day, confronting a 20 to 30 knot headwind on the way home , blowing off the North Sea..

is not something to look forward to doing many days in the year..

Buglady

I'd been a year round bike commuter and distance cyclist for ten years when various internal organs decided to try and kill me in 2015-16... I had a couple of surgeries and was back on the bike relatively soon, but my endurance was pretty well shot and I've wound up with some residual chronic fatigue. (Still alive, though, so that's a minor complaint) Cycle commuting was just too much, even though it's only 5km; the hill on the way home was just too much. Plus last year we had such terrible air quality all summer, because of wildfires in BC, that my asthma got in on the act and kicked my ass. Fun times.

I test rode an e-bike in August, and bought it a week later. I have ridden it every day, including this morning when it was -16C (BRRR), and because I can choose the level of assistance, I've been able to regulate my effort to match the level of fatigue; this means I am not overdoing it and exhausting myself, but I *am* able to get the benefit of movement, and I am gradually regaining fitness. I usually have the assistance level set to be similar to a brisk walk.

LOVE MY E-BIKE. Her name is Dory because she is blues and helps me "just keep swimming".

Bikewolf

@Buglady: Thank you for sharing.

Sometimes I get sick, or don’t have the energy / muscle pain ..., and that’s when an e-bike keeps me rollin’.
However, my e-bike doesn’t have spikes, so on snowy or icy days I go with a regular bike.
So I’m definitely not shying away from exercice :-)
On those days I simply take short breaks.

Q: Never got to –16°C myself. How does that feel? I imagine it is quite different than –5°C. Any advice for cycling at that temperature?

Buglady

I've ridden down to -35C once, by accident, and I can't advise that (I was coughing for a week, my poor lungs did NOT appreciate it), but short rides down to -20C are quite manageable with the right clothing. I live in Calgary and our weather is kind of ridiculous, but I have also had a lot of practice dressing for it in 14 years

Generally you want to dress with slightly less insulation than you think you need on your body (because you will generate heat by moving; how much heat is pretty variable between people, terrain, and riding styles), and a LOT more insulation than you think on your hands, feet, neck, and head. Something to cover your mouth and nose, warming the air a bit before you pull it into your lungs, makes a big difference as well.

I wear merino wool base layers, a wool sweater, and windproof softshell nylon jacket and pants. Flat pedals and Columbia Omniheat boots for my feet, merino wool gloves and softshell over-mittens for my hands, Buff neck tube that also functions as a breathing mask, windproof skullcap, wool hat.

On the bike I have a Schwalbe Winter Marathon tire on the front; I haven't needed studs on the rear because the weight and long wheelbase of the bike make it very stable. I slipped around a bit in 20cm of fresh snow, but that would have happened with any tire on any bike.

Lots of good suggestions to be found in the Winter Cycling subforum here!

Buglady

And now it is +3C, the barometric pressure took a dive, and I have a 50kph head wind to contend with on the way home WOOOOOOO CHINOOK!!!!!! (Ow. About half the city now has a headache, including me)

Oh, man, I am SO glad I have the e-bike. Uphill and into a headwind, with a developing migraine, would about kill me on an unpowered bike.

BrocLuno

Yaeh, it's a headwind fighter, hill tamer, and distance improver

Bizman