Ed Wiser

Now there will be an ebike race series starting next year.

https://www.techradar.com/news/new-e...treets-in-2022

350htrr

Sounds good in theory, but guess what, real life interferes and guess what,, a 250/350watt E-Assist bike works wonders, like it did for me, for the last 10 years, I have gotten to ride my E-Assist bike just like my regular bike, instead of just calling it quits... or.. riding a moped...

EDIT; The only difference I feel is, In my mind, (knowing I am being "assisted") everything else is 100% the same... So, to "justify" the assist I calculate the assist form the motor, and bingo. I KNOW that if I ride 100Km, I actually only rode 70KM under my own steam.... THAT is the only difference with an EU 350Watt system, as to what happens in any particular ride, on average...

EDIT 2: as for going big, I am 100% sure it WILL be way more fun riding that E-Bike rather than a smaller E-Assist E-Bike,.. But, the satisfaction of the ride will not match the satisfaction of a ride where you actually still put in 70% of the "effort"... JMO after riding my "E-assist" bike for the last 10 Years.

fooferdoggie 

wee went on a ride on out e tandem I mean car. somehow I got a pretty good heart rate going with around 135 most of the time a lot of climbing. when we got to the last leg onto the bike path my Bosch computer showed 9 miles range left but with the fast bike path with a fair amount 1% negative grade it went up to 23 and we did the tide on one battery. somehow my garmin and my bosch computer must be lying how can a car get your heart rate up?

350htrr

I guess it depends on who is driving...

fooferdoggie 

if my blind wife was my heart rate would be much higher while I lived anyway

terrymorse 

I’ve been having these e-bike conversations with fellow ride buddies who are at or near Medicare age.

While we still have plenty of strength and power to hold our own on climbs and in fast pace lines, when we start falling off the back and forcing others to wait, that’ll be the time for one of these lightweight road bikes with e-assist.

kingston 

It's not a theory. It's the way my brain works. As I get older, I just use lower gears and ride slower. I literally have zero interest in motor-doping. Someday I won't be able to ride a bike anymore, and I'll find something else to do. It's not that big of a deal to me.

shelbyfv

Same situation with my riding group. We are probably slower overall because the guys are in their 70s when they begin having trouble. Several have gone to ebikes and continue riding with the same group. We are happy to have them. Sometimes they will flaunt their motors and zoom up a hill but we all get a laugh out of it. A number of folks have dropped back to slower groups so they can continue to ride their regular bikes. Not sure what path I'll take. Hopefully I can put the decision off for another couple of years, there are still a few slower than me.

big john

This has been the story of my riding for 30+ years. I like to do the rides the fast riders do, so I get dropped a lot. Always have. Lucky for me they don't seem to mind waiting most days.

PeteHski

You could take both paths, doesn't have to be one or the other. You could ride a regular bike on slower rides and ride a nice e-road bike with the faster guys. That's probably what I'll do at some point when my power starts to fade.

PeteHski

I'm thinking the same. Might also be worth considering for multi-day Alpine touring. Still putting in a lot of human effort, but just enough assist to keep up the pace on those lengthy climbs and when you are simply knackered at the end of a long hot day!

PeteHski

Motor-doping is irrelevant if you are not competing. It only requires a literal lateral thought to make a link between lower gearing and a little motor-assist. They amount to the same thing essentially, except you don't have to ride slower. But yeah, you can just stop riding if you prefer.

OldRailfan

Had to look up when medicare age starts.

I'm past that point by 11 years and I really like to catch and pass those e-bikers on our Okangan Rail Trail.
e.g. https://vimeo.com/578840723 on a little test run to get the Action Cam issues sorted.

PS Here in Canada we start drawing "Old Age Pension" at that age. Doesn't equate throwing the towel.

Cheers

HJ

kingston 

Wow. That's a leap I wasn't expecting. Now electric motors are the same thing as lower gears? I don't even have a response for someone who thinks lower gearing and an electric motor are essentially the same thing. To me they are so obviously fundamentally different that it is beyond my comprehension that someone could equate the two.

OldRailfan

You know how that goes when philosophy enters the picture.

350htrr

It's NOT the same, but id does/can, have the same "effect"... One is mechanical advantage the other is motorized advantage, Both "allow/assist" a rider that let's say can't/couldn't make it up a hill, to make it up that hill... When using either "advantage" compared to lets say when riding a single speed, that the rider could not make it up that hill with .

shelbyfv

Yep, most folks would agree and that's one reason why there is a happy place for ebike threads....

shelbyfv

Incorrect

PeteHski

That’s because you are unable to think laterally.

I’m not saying gears and motors are the same thing. I’m saying that as your legs start to fail you and you start riding slower in a lower gear, you have the alternative option of riding in your original gear with a small motor assist. It would actually be more like your current riding experience as you would be riding at the same speed and perceived effort (if you keep the assist level low). Or of course you could get a massive motor and throttle, which would be a completely different experience.

PeteHski

Really? Which part? Explain.

PeteHski

Exactly. Obviously you will ride slower with the lower gear, which is why I would have thought the motor assist would be a better option at some point.

350htrr

Please explain what part on my statement is Incorrect... I agree it is not the same thing, using a motor compared to using gears... But the "results" have the "same effects". IMO

EDIT; and I am talking 350 Watts or less... any more and the "effect" IS different, it is no longer an "assist" it is a motorized bicycle making the pedaling of the bicycle .not necessary, where as you still must pedal with a 350 watts assist or go nowhere...

KPREN

I concur even after all the either or people have chimed in. I don't really give a damned about the semantics. I care about how it feels and how I feel on the bike. I don't try to confuse touchy feely things by applying logic Logic is worthless against emotion. Those whom don't think so are bound to be disappointed a lot. .

Touch, feel and perceived emotional satisfaction are the most important issues to me on a bicycle. If those issues are not met to my satisfaction, I am out of there.

kingston 

Human power is human power. Motors are motors. They are totally different things. If we don't agree on that basic fundamental premise, I don't know how to respond. Have fun on your ebikes, and please be courteous when you pass us old guys on the bike path riding slow on bikes with low gears. This discussion has been very enlightening for me. I didn't understand the appeal of ebikes other than for commuting before. It never occurred to me that there are people in the world who think motors are essentially the same thing as gears. That explains a lot. I don't agree with you, but at least I understand where you are coming from.

PeteHski

I don't think you've gained anything from this discussion. Clearly you don't see how motors and human power can work in parallel to give you much the same riding experience once your own power inevitably drops off. For someone who doesn't care about e-bikes you have invested a lot of time in this thread. Why? (that's a rhetorical question btw)