shelbyfv

I agree and both can be fun. My point is that adding a motor makes it a very different activity. JMO and I don't venture into their happy place.

Classtime 

We don’t need a 50+ Bicycle Forum if you all think electric motor bikes are bicycles. What is there to discuss? Oh ya. We can discuss e-bikes and what fun they are. Hey Zeus!

Chuck Naill

The 20 year olds might protest at being passed by a 50 year old using a battery powered bike on a hill climb. Yes, I understand the popularity of riding in with others.

PeteHski

If I was riding an e-bike in a mixed group I wouldn’t drop anyone on the climbs. That would be rude for sure. My friend who does sometimes ride with us on his e-bike actually paces us up the climbs and I find that very useful.

If 20 year olds want to race up hills, there are plenty of competitive events they can enter. They have no business to complain about 50 year olds on e-bikes. They should race their own peers.

gthomson

Was on vacation with my wife the other week and we brought our bikes (pedal power) as there were many places with lakeside waterfront trails to ride on. Mostly flat and just one way but they went on for long distances and my wife has a limit after about 25 km. The majority of the couples we saw along route who were our age were riding e bikes.

Wildwood 

Holy moly, lighten up.
It's just a discussion about bicycles. .
It is a big cycling Universe.
Lines blur, there are no unwritten rules (outside one's head).



Be safe, be respectful, roll on.

Clear your handlebars and your mind will may follow.

Classtime 

This and some other recent threads are discussions about motor bikes NOT BICYCLES. There is a forum for these types of recreational vehicles that have motors but resemble bicycles somewhat. But I understand that people who don't want to pedal in the normal fashion to propel their bicycles would like to convince everyone that motorized two wheel vehicles are part of this expanding cycling universe. WAR IS PEACE. EBIKES ARE BICYCLES.

BTinNYC 

I find the exact opposite more often, except the protesters are 60ish. You know, my age.

As to feeling 35 again, I say an e-bike is cheaper than a divorce.

SpedFast

And learning some bike etiquette! My problem isn't with e-bikes, my problem is all the idiots that never learned how to ride.

Wildwood 

@Classtime - I'm with you on almost all this ebike stuff. There are lots of people coming into 'the sport of cycling' who haven't ridden a bike since childhood or longer. Some may have been gasoline powered motorcyclists who like power and speed. But basically, these folks have no bicycle handling skills, no sense of speed limits on mup trails and no desire to pedal. Their machines often have 3"tires, weigh in excess of 50+pounds, not really designed for any pedaling and are impossible to pedal on any incline up. No need to license, like a motorcycle, makes ebikes a no brainer for many....and too many drawn to throttles, power, speed.

Then there are other types of ebikes. Used by cyclists who want a boost - for a bunch of valid reasons. Commuters, older people, spouses wanting to participate, one ebike in a collection, etc. Usually,folks of a different mindset, they want to pedal. Bikes are sub 40pounds, etc.

but lines blur, intentions vary, pedaling gets hard, etc. Then there are the emountainbikers....e-up for bombing down.

ebikes are not bikes. but they are ebikes and share the same routes.

my 'e' is one of a dozen roadies and (with some frequency) allows me to ride more days, more miles with more smiles in our hills and with more energy left for other tasks. X35 rear hub motor with assist to ~14mph when pedaling the 30pound drop bar road bike, size XL. Today, it took me on a hilly 35mi roundtrip to the dentist, that would have been a car trip otherwise. 72yo.

Sal Bandini

https://y.yarn.co/41e96ff9-06cd-4b57...64def_text.mp4

downtube42

ebikes, particularly stealthy ebikes, are a boost to my ego. When a cyclist blows by me, ego says "ebike!"

Jumpski

Have fun an your new e-bike, and stay safe

DonkeyShow

Ebike for outside, strava for inside(cause you can also easily cheat power settings on that too!) The future is now!(and its lame af)

PeteHski

This thread is not about motorbikes (which you don’t pedal). The type of e-bike the OP has is pretty relevant for older cyclists looking to maintain their pace while cycling. Is that so threatening for you that nobody is allowed to even mention them outside of the dedicated e-bike forum? Surely you can skip the odd thread here that doesn’t meet your standards?

Chuck Naill

He has a point. Nothing wrong with an older, weaker person wanting to keep up. Just that they wear a sign that acknowledges, it isn't them.

shelbyfv

To be fair, having a motor makes a bike a motorbike. Does it matter whether it's electric or petrol? And mopeds have pedals.... Propulsion by motor vs by human is key. Having said that, ebikes are the future. We all love ease, comfort and inclusion.

Classtime 

My problem with threads like these, posted here, is that a fifty plus rider looking for information can interpret the e-bike posts as electric motor powered bikes being accepted as bicycles and an alternative to perseverance, training, nutrition, weight loss, aging, etc.
They are not bicycles and should not be promoted as such.

SpedFast

I agree, to a degree. While I'm glad they work for some people and serve a purpose, they are not an alternative to perseverance, training, nutrition, weight loss, etc. Should there be a sub-forum here for wheel chairs? Skate boards are on wheels and so are a lot of other modems of transportation. NOT.

gobicycling

Well here I am at 83 not riding an ebike. I'm slow, have no group to keep up with except my shadow. I have chosen trails and ways to ride off the main routes and have absolutely no desire to be a lemming in a peloton. No desire for an e-bike until I can't turn the pedals.

Random11

Looking good! I'm 73 and hoping that I'll be where you are in ten years. I've been cycling a bit less than six years, and really, when I'm riding, I feel ageless. Not 35 again, or 50 again, but I don't feel my age at all. It's a good feeling. I don't see a problem with cyclists who prefer an ebike, but I enjoy riding under my own power and plan to ride that way as long as I am able.

Classtime 

Motorized wheelchairs belong here apparently.

BlazingPedals

Yeah, e-bikes are the modern incarnation of the original-concept moped. It's a bike with a motor. I don't have a problem with anyone riding one, as long as they don't try to make it a competition. On Thursday I won the sign sprint, even though the guy with the e-assist bike went flying by me at the end. I lost to a motorcycle - no surprise, I lose sprints to cars all the time too.

Edit: just a note: there is a separate e-bike forum on BF..

unterhausen

I guess 50+ isn't mature enough for threads like this, so I'm going to close it. Probably best to post about your ebike experience in ebikes for now