Improving prformance in elderly.

[ANTONISH]

I turned seventy this March, but I bought my e Bike last September.
I'd been diagnosed with polymyalgia and was frightened at the prospect of not being able to ride.
I remember the last ride I did before the diagnosis. It was with a couple of mates and a mere thirty mile round trip over mostly flat terrain.
I rode my Kinesis T2 which is pretty light and easy to ride. Well, I ached so bad and I had difficulty getting on and off.
I had an E mail from him recently vdescribing a 62 mile ride he'd done in the Wye Valley invoving around 6000 feet of ascent.
They are a win win win!!

Great to hear and not a million miles different to my own experience. I retrofitted a motor and do week long camping tours three times a year as well as utility cycling an local leisure purposes.

At nearly 71 and only taking up cycling again after 30 years 3 years ago (I used to hill walk and back pack but illness stopped that) I would be stuck without it. A technique is required balancing power input and gears but once acquired is easy.

Interesting about speed and gears.
I am regularly overtaken by someone on an e-bike and his cadence seems very low compared to his speed. Is the assist dependant on cadence ?
(he isn't very communicative - doesn't speak when passing either way )

[Oldjohnw]

Someone more technical than I needs to answer that!

[Enigmadick]

E-bikes are like Viagra.

When your deteriorating performance makes it inevitable, it will undoubtedly help you get a lot of enjoyment.

[reohn2]

E-bikes are like Viagra.

When your deteriorating performance makes it inevitable, it will undoubtedly help you get a lot of enjoyment.

PS,not there yet

[Antbrewer]

I have never thought of my Ebike in terms of Viagra. No experience of Viagra either but I can see your thinking. ( Mind you the last thing you need whilst riding an Ebike or otherwise is the effect of such a pill!)

Having just picked up this thread again I have come to a conclusion about certain posts here. I re read the comments from Cyril as if for the first time and I cannot make any sense of his reasoning.

Arnsider.
I do agree with your comments regarding cadence and using gears. I have two chain wheels on the front on my cannondale which gives me 22 gears which I try and use judisciuosly and engage my motor carefully as I am trying to have a workout whilst on the bike. I feel the motor controls me in some ways as I now know when to turn it on to maximise and sync with my cadence. Not sure if that makes sense.
As you say a Win Win Win situation.

[al_yrpal]

Reading the posts above I feel smug that I didnt need an Ebike until I reached 76 and moved somewhere surrounded by dozens of long 1 in 4 hills. My tourer sits in the garage unloved but will come out when I take a trip to East Anglia or back to the Chilterns, countryside that I can still manage.

Ant, the second chainwheel gives you extra intermediate gears and even lower gears. My Ebike has an 18 tooth chainwheel but its strange because it doesnt feel low geared at all when riding without the motor?

Al

[reohn2]

Reading the posts above I feel smug that I didnt need an Ebike until I reached 76 and moved somewhere surrounded by dozens of long 1 in 4 hills. My tourer sits in the garage unloved but will come out when I take a trip to East Anglia or back to the Chilterns, countryside that I can still manage.

Ant, the second chainwheel gives you extra intermediate gears and even lower gears. My Ebike has an 18 tooth chainwheel but its strange because it doesnt feel low geared at all when riding without the motor?

Al

It's because the Borch motor is internally geared,the next generation after yours isn't and has a 44t chain ring.

[al_yrpal]

Ah, I had guessed as much..

Al

[Antbrewer]

Al
At the moment I think I am riding both my tourer and my ebike about the same amount. I am determined to have a workout while I can. We have a small village which sits on a hill so which ever direction there is always a snort to the church green and the seat and a banana. I have been using the ebike and not engaging the motor and getting very puffed indeed but feeling pretty good when I get there.

It is nice to have the choice of bike and also the knowledge that the bosch will take out the sting in my lungs when necessary.
We don't have 1 in 4 hills around here but I feel certain that I would be using the ebike for that. The very reason for having it.

[ANTONISH]

When I originated this thread I didn't expect it to drift into a discussion of e-bikes, however as that's the way it's going I've decided to ask a question.
I've looked at various sites and I understand that there are two main means of achieving (legal) pedal assist - cadence and torque.
It seems that torque may be better for hill climbing but there are adherents to both types so there is no real meeting of minds on the issue.
There is apparently a hybrid version to add to the confusion.
Anyone in a position to throw some light on the matter?

[freeflow]

Torque delivers power in proportion to the power you are putting into the cranks. Cadence delivers power in proportion to the speed at which you are pedalling. I'd go for the former for road cycling and the latter for off-road riding.

[al_yrpal]

When I originated this thread I didn't expect it to drift into a discussion of e-bikes, however as that's the way it's going I've decided to ask a question.
I've looked at various sites and I understand that there are two main means of achieving (legal) pedal assist - cadence and torque.
It seems that torque may be better for hill climbing but there are adherents to both types so there is no real meeting of minds on the issue.
There is apparently a hybrid version to add to the confusion.
Anyone in a position to throw some light on the matter?

I believe the sensor on Bosch drives assist taking both factors into account. The electronics within the drive decides how to much assist depending on one of the 4 modes that you have selected. To me they have it just right.

Al

[freeflow]

Ooooh. That sound interesting. Can you provide a link.

[Jdsk]

"Bosch eBike Systems"
https://www.bosch-ebike.com/en/products/drive-unit/

Jonathan

[ANTONISH]

"Bosch eBike Systems"
https://www.bosch-ebike.com/en/products/drive-unit/

Jonathan

That explains things - I note that some of the offerings on the Bosch site wouldn't be street legal as an e-bike (250W , 15.5mph).