Oldjohnw wrote: ↑13 May 2021, 9:21am
On my ebike I get passed by non ebikes. Now that really is good for morale.
I get passed by the local "Breeze" group out for afternoon tea. I have just got used to it as I have got older. There was a time when I would leave mopeds behind but alas the years have caught up. I am enjoying myself on the bike and I consider that's all that matters.
K
Just remember, when you’re over the hill, you begin to pick up speed.
ChrisF wrote: ↑1 May 2021, 10:02pmI didn't really want to pass him, though, because I though it would annoy him.
Pass him and annoy him
We are too well mannered in the UK. If he hears your electric motor whirring, he has no reason to get annoyed because he knows you're not legitimately "beating" him up the hill. Also, would he get annoyed if an electric scooter passed him or a motorbike, or a car? Of course not. The fact is if someone like that gets annoyed, it's their problem and they should have a think about why they are getting annoyed.
We'll always be together, together on electric bikes.
I was riding home from work 15 miles away on my mountain bike, had another 5 miles left to do and was at the start of the penultimate climb doing about 10MPH.
I was in work clothes complete with bomber jacket and full backpack.
This guy in full Lycra steams past on a hybrid type bike about 14 MPH. At first I thought electric bike and didn't alter my pace.
After he was about 100 yards away I noticed he wasn't gaining any more ground in fact he seemed to be slowing a fair bit.
I smelled blood and gave chase and caught him fairly quickly before the next road junction. I said hello and startled him cos he really didn't expect to see me again. I told him I'd thought it was an ebike when he came past before but credit to him it clearly wasn't.
A nice chap about 45 , a bit more portly than I'd first thought and said he just did a wee circuit around the hill and back home -- I complimented him on his nice new Trek bike. He turned off at the next junction while I carried on up to the windmills near home.
I have the lowest 40 NM torque motor on my Whyte and I am 105 Kgs. I'm normally conserving power so I'm quite happy to let more powerful E bikes andf fit younger riders pass me.
I try to stay in Echo mode on my Shimano Steps equipped bike as long as I can and have done some quite hilly rounds on my 418 wh battery.
Most recently, my gang rode from Colne, over the Herders to Stanbury, Oxenhope and Hebden Bridge, returning via Widdop. A round of 31 miles with 4315 feet of ascent. I used three bars out of five, eking out the power for the steep climb up to Widdop.
Out of eight riders, five of us rode E bikes, two Whyte Conistons, one a Cannondale with electric gear change, one an ultra light Ribble carbon and one Orbea Gain. The pedlars rode a Cannondale, a cube and an old Scott mountain bike.
There is a knack to riding an E bike and those of us with declining health will still get a thorough work out.
Just ignore the wisecracks!!
What others do matters not-riding an electric bike is quite different to pedaling, and comparison futile .I might get one in my 80s but will carry on manually.
mumbojumbo wrote: ↑28 Jun 2021, 7:57pm
riding an electric bike is quite different to pedaling
That depends a huge amount on the ebike and the way it is ridden. A lightweight low power bike behaves very like a regular bike. For faster riders on the flat it is almost identical except for being a few kilos heavier; the motor isn't working at all and is disengaged by a clutch most of the time.
There's much more difference between different ebikes than there is between a comparable regular bike and a lightweight low power ebike. Similarly, more difference between different qualities and styles of regular bikes than between a comparable regular bike and a lightweight low power ebike.
I'm just pleased when it's an electric assist that passes me, uphill or level! An "on your right" would be welcome though when coming through.
As other non-assists pass me I often find myself thinking "well, a bit younger than me", usually corrected to, "... over 40 years younger than me and probably got more than 50% lung capacity."
Electric beckons, just the weight and price put me off!
I don't go up hills as quickly as I did before I got old and ill.
If I overtake the non equipped rider, he's not exactly a pacesetter. I was before 2016 so I don't feel guilty.
In fact I'm trying to replace the Bosch powered machine I currently have, convert it to a gravel bike, and get hold of a hub motored unit with down tube battery. I'm also looking to buy overseas to not get stuck with the awkward speed limit. I'm sufficiently aged and sensible to ride at a sensible pace.
I’ve never understood why anyone would get the hump about being passed by an e bike. It’s just the same as being passed by any other sort of motorised vehicle.