Etiquette on hills

Electrically assisted bikes, trikes, etc. that are legal in the UK
KTHSullivan
Posts: 587
Joined: 4 Aug 2017, 1:15pm
Location: Wind Swept Lincolnshire

Re: Etiquette on hills

Post by KTHSullivan »

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. :lol:
Manc33
Posts: 2217
Joined: 25 Apr 2015, 9:37pm

Re: Etiquette on hills

Post by Manc33 »

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 :lol:

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.
Grumpy-Grandad
Posts: 69
Joined: 2 Apr 2021, 11:25am
Location: Crewe, Cheshire

Re: Etiquette on hills

Post by Grumpy-Grandad »

KTHSullivan wrote: 13 May 2021, 12:19pm I am enjoying myself on the bike and I consider that's all that matters.

K
Exactly that ..... just ride and enjoy it :D
Steve
Bonefishblues
Posts: 10978
Joined: 7 Jul 2014, 9:45pm
Location: Near Bicester Oxon

Re: Etiquette on hills

Post by Bonefishblues »

Almost as competitive as car drivers, these cyclist-wallahs :D
User avatar
Cowsham
Posts: 4951
Joined: 4 Nov 2019, 1:33pm

Re: Etiquette on hills

Post by Cowsham »

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 am here. Where are you?
arnsider
Posts: 448
Joined: 27 Jul 2011, 12:44am
Location: Carnforth, Lancashire

Re: Etiquette on hills

Post by arnsider »

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!!
User avatar
Cowsham
Posts: 4951
Joined: 4 Nov 2019, 1:33pm

Re: Etiquette on hills

Post by Cowsham »

Well said -- I'll be getting one when I need it and won't be one bit guilty about it
I am here. Where are you?
mumbojumbo
Posts: 1525
Joined: 1 Aug 2018, 8:18pm

Re: Etiquette on hills

Post by mumbojumbo »

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.
stodd
Posts: 705
Joined: 6 Jun 2018, 10:24am

Re: Etiquette on hills

Post by stodd »

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.
Mike Sales
Posts: 7860
Joined: 7 Mar 2009, 3:31pm

Re: Etiquette on hills

Post by Mike Sales »

mumbojumbo wrote: 28 Jun 2021, 7:57pm but will carry on manually.
A hand cycle?
It's the same the whole world over
It's the poor what gets the blame
It's the rich what gets the pleasure
Isn't it a blooming shame?
mumbojumbo
Posts: 1525
Joined: 1 Aug 2018, 8:18pm

Re: Etiquette on hills

Post by mumbojumbo »

Yes-hands are as important as legs when riding-this was view of Malcolm Elliot.
djnotts
Posts: 3024
Joined: 26 May 2008, 12:51pm
Location: Nottingham

Re: Etiquette on hills

Post by djnotts »

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!
Merlin
Posts: 38
Joined: 8 Apr 2021, 8:47pm

Re: Etiquette on hills

Post by Merlin »

I ride an E Bike now for medical reasons.

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.
Marcus Aurelius
Posts: 1903
Joined: 1 Feb 2018, 10:20am

Re: Etiquette on hills

Post by Marcus Aurelius »

You should have flown past him, on full assist, and said “Dig Dig” as you did so.
Marcus Aurelius
Posts: 1903
Joined: 1 Feb 2018, 10:20am

Re: Etiquette on hills

Post by Marcus Aurelius »

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.
Post Reply