Chatting to a mate today ..........

Electrically assisted bikes, trikes, etc. that are legal in the UK
Jdsk
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Re: Chatting to a mate today ..........

Post by Jdsk »

stodd wrote: 20 Apr 2021, 9:08pmWe have found our (now electrified) tandem an excellent way to make sure my wife and I keep pretty much the same pace on the level or up hills.
: - )

Jonathan
Jdsk
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Re: Chatting to a mate today ..........

Post by Jdsk »

richtea99 wrote: 20 Apr 2021, 6:25pm - the complexity kicks in when they go wrong. Most things on a standard bike can be fixed with some skill & ingenuity. That's not so true of ebikes. Its often a lump/unit replacement (whole motor/battery/controller replaced) - which then feeds into cost...
I don't know how this will evolve. But they're rather similar to car starter motors and alternators which can surprisingly often be repaired locally.

Jonathan
Grumpy-Grandad
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Re: Chatting to a mate today ..........

Post by Grumpy-Grandad »

I ride a Carrera Crossfuse ebike ....... and I'm regularly passed by ordinary bikes ..... maybe its just that I'm old, overweight and slow ..... or that I'm not really bothered about racing around.
I'm just happy that having an ebike has meant I can get out and ride ...... which I haven't done for many many years :D
Steve
stodd
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Re: Chatting to a mate today ..........

Post by stodd »

Grumpy-Grandad wrote: 21 Apr 2021, 11:57am I ride a Carrera Crossfuse ebike ....... and I'm regularly passed by ordinary bikes ..... maybe its just that I'm old, overweight and slow ..... or that I'm not really bothered about racing around.
I'm just happy that having an ebike has meant I can get out and ride ...... which I haven't done for many many years :D
Yes. I haven't checked, but I suspect that the average speed for ebikes as actually ridden is lower than the average speed for non-electric bikes. I certainly ride our ebike slower than I rode my regular bike 30 years ago.
markjohnobrien
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Re: Chatting to a mate today ..........

Post by markjohnobrien »

Grumpy-Grandad wrote: 21 Apr 2021, 11:57am I ride a Carrera Crossfuse ebike ....... and I'm regularly passed by ordinary bikes ..... maybe its just that I'm old, overweight and slow ..... or that I'm not really bothered about racing around.
I'm just happy that having an ebike has meant I can get out and ride ...... which I haven't done for many many years :D
That’s a wonderful positive of e-bikes - enabling people to ride again or prolonging their cycling hobby.
Raleigh Randonneur 708 (Magura hydraulic brakes); Blue Raleigh Randonneur 708 dynamo; Pearson Compass 631 tourer; Dawes One Down 631 dynamo winter bike;Raleigh Travelogue 708 tourer dynamo; Kona Sutra; Trek 920 disc Sram Force.
peterb
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Re: Chatting to a mate today ..........

Post by peterb »

My point here, is that a mechanical rider in company with an electrical rider, is at a disadvantage in hilly rides.
Flat and downhill, the issue disappears.
Depends on how fit the the 'electrical rider' is, and the strength of their leg muscles. When I first got my Orbea Gain it was all too easy to beat (most) of the other club leisure group members to the top of the hill - as long as it was not too long and steep - but I soon realised doing so was a quick route to becoming very unpopular, so I learnt to moderate my riding so as to stay one or two places back. On the descents the weight of the bike pushes up the speed, but on the flat that e-bike weight can be a big disadvantage as most club rides will drift up over 15mph or so and then it's hard work to stay with the group, without assistance. Drafting helps of course, and my average speed with the group would always be higher than when cycling alone. Now my average speed on the e-bike is around 12 - 13 mph, considerably faster than anything I can manage on my other bikes, even the carbon one, as the strength of my leg muscles has been severely compromised by arterial problems - if it weren't for this PVD I would still be riding unassisted, so I'll always be thankful that e-road bikes were becoming available just at the time I needed help to carry on riding.
Last edited by peterb on 21 Apr 2021, 2:50pm, edited 1 time in total.
Oldjohnw
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Re: Chatting to a mate today ..........

Post by Oldjohnw »

It is lovely to hear these life affirming experiences from people who need to use ebikes. Whilst I will do what I need to do, it can be quite dispiriting to constantly hear comment which seem intended to make you feel some sort of pariah. I have, on these very pages, been called the spawn of the devil. An unmoderated comment.
John
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Mick F
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Re: Chatting to a mate today ..........

Post by Mick F »

I'm not being disparaging in the slightest.

If you live in a hilly area and need an Ebike to actually ride .................. and I need to broach the subject with a certain Mrs Mick F :shock: ........................... it can only be a good idea. It could be they only way to get out and ride.
Mick F. Cornwall
markjohnobrien
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Re: Chatting to a mate today ..........

Post by markjohnobrien »

Mick F wrote: 21 Apr 2021, 4:26pm I'm not being disparaging in the slightest.

If you live in a hilly area and need an Ebike to actually ride .................. and I need to broach the subject with a certain Mrs Mick F :shock: ........................... it can only be a good idea. It could be they only way to get out and ride.
Oldhohnw wasn’t referring to you at all, he meant another notorious poster.
Raleigh Randonneur 708 (Magura hydraulic brakes); Blue Raleigh Randonneur 708 dynamo; Pearson Compass 631 tourer; Dawes One Down 631 dynamo winter bike;Raleigh Travelogue 708 tourer dynamo; Kona Sutra; Trek 920 disc Sram Force.
Red Kite
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Re: Chatting to a mate today ..........

Post by Red Kite »

Mick F wrote: 20 Apr 2021, 3:30pm
Do Ebikes leave the "normal cyclists" behind?
Depends on where you start from and who the normal cyclist is. I was doing quite well yesterday on a slight gradient keeping up about 12mph in Eco (+40% assist on the Bosch), instead of the 8/9 I would have been doing on my unassisted bike and only then with some discomfort. I have cardiomyopathy, soon run out of puff and have to keep my heart rate down to about 115. A roadie went by at around 20 I'd guess. With assistance only up to 15.5mph I couldn't have caught him even if I had been using 'Turbo' mode.

I had more or less stopped cycling as there is no joy in struggling, I bought an e-bike so I can still get some pleasure from cycling. The 13 mile run I did a few days ago doesn't sound much but it's more than I've been able to do for years.

I'm astonished at how good the Bosch is. It's not even remotely like a motor bike. I can barely detect when the motor cuts in or out, it just feels as if I have better legs and enough breath.

I'm beginning to get the knack. It works better if I keep the cadence up to around 50. At first I was using extra boost for gradients, it's easy to become lazy about changing gear, but the bike can only deliver so much torque. Keeping the cadence up, if necessary in a lower gear, enables the bike to provide proportionate torque and therefore more power without upping the mode. Using mainly Eco, with Tour on hills, and reserving Sport and Turbo for really steep bits it looks as if I should get about 80 miles out of my 625Wh battery. Pretty good, I don't think I'll ever need that much in one journey.
Cube Touring Hybrid One e-bike, Brompton P6R with Swytch conversion
Oldjohnw
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Re: Chatting to a mate today ..........

Post by Oldjohnw »

markjohnobrien wrote: 21 Apr 2021, 4:30pm
Mick F wrote: 21 Apr 2021, 4:26pm I'm not being disparaging in the slightest.

If you live in a hilly area and need an Ebike to actually ride .................. and I need to broach the subject with a certain Mrs Mick F :shock: ........................... it can only be a good idea. It could be they only way to get out and ride.
Oldhohnw wasn’t referring to you at all, he meant another notorious poster.
Not Mick - I find him pragmatic - nor even the other notorious poster! Or anyone in particular. A general comment, including away from these pages.
John
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Re: Chatting to a mate today ..........

Post by Grumpy-Grandad »

Oldjohnw wrote: 21 Apr 2021, 2:17pm It is lovely to hear these life affirming experiences from people who need to use ebikes. Whilst I will do what I need to do, it can be quite dispiriting to constantly hear comment which seem intended to make you feel some sort of pariah. I have, on these very pages, been called the spawn of the devil. An unmoderated comment.
I just ignore moaners and complainers ..... as far as I am concerned having an bike enables me to get out in the fresh air and ride.
Its not only good for my physical health but also my mental health.
So .... to the moaners I say carry on moaning, its your blood pressure you're raising not mine :wink:
Steve
peterb
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Re: Chatting to a mate today ..........

Post by peterb »

Grumpy-Grandad wrote: 22 Apr 2021, 1:38pm I just ignore moaners and complainers ..... as far as I am concerned having an bike enables me to get out in the fresh air and ride.
Its not only good for my physical health but also my mental health.
So .... to the moaners I say carry on moaning, its your blood pressure you're raising not mine :wink:
I must say I can't recall any 'moaners and complainers' in the club group I rode with. There was one other rider in the group with an e-road bike - a Ribble CGR - he has MS, and bought his bike so as to be able to continue riding reasonable distances. We may have had a little 'banter' initially (and gave as good as we got), but I think our use of e-bikes was completely accepted.
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Mick F
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Re: Chatting to a mate today ..........

Post by Mick F »

Oldjohnw wrote: 21 Apr 2021, 7:15pm Not Mick - I find him pragmatic
Thank you! :D
Yes, I'm a practical and realistic thinker and I don't get bogged down with theory.

Using an eBbike sounds a great idea if you have issues with hills.

Only today, I was climbing a steep hill and had to rest in a field gateway. In my defence, I was taking off a base layer as the day was warming up and the hill was steep. I was tired of course!
As I sorted myself out, and drank some water, a lady was striding out up the hill, and we passed the time of day about how nice the day was in a cloudless blue sky.
After getting going again, and struggling up the zig-zags, I eventually caught her up ............ it surprised me how far she'd got in front of me .............. but caught her up I did, and as I passed her, I said that this hill doesn't get any easier!

She replied, "I couldn't cycle up it!"

My point about this story, isn't that she wasn't fit a strong, but the idea of cycling up a hill was impossible for her to think about.
Maybe if she tried an eBike, she may consider cycling the hill instead of walking it.

If she did, she'd leave me for dead.
Mick F. Cornwall
IanH
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Re: Chatting to a mate today ..........

Post by IanH »

Lovely day for a bike ride in the Blackdown Hills!
My electric bike is a West Hill Classic step-through, so quite heavy but comfortable!
Took the electric bike and stayed in power level one; rode 40km at an average speed of 18.7 km/h. Battery at 50% on completion. Quite hard cycling as the route included one big climb and lots of smaller hills and lanes, so no high speed apart from the Blagdon Hill descent. I'm guessing I'd have achieved similar figures on my self-propelled Croix-de-Fer.
So what? Well it's great to have options, especially for those who can't pedal as they might wish. At power level 2 or 3 (out of 5) it would have been much easier. And it was a lovely day.
So after 6 months I'm converted. Ride your pushbike, but don't give up on an electric bike. It's a whole world better than staying home!
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