E-Bikes, what do we think?

hsiaolc

E bike is the future and they are here to stay.

End off.

I don't have one yet. I am hmm fit but more assist up hill is never a bad thing. I like MTB for downhill and not some kind of physical challenge of my endurance.

So in the future I will get one. If I ever go to bike park wales again I don't have to pay for the damn lift. a few times I can't even get the slot for the lift!!

rockmonkeysc

E bikes are not the future. They won't ever replace proper mountain bikes. They'll only ever be for a minority.
They won't ever be allowed in any mountain bike races, BC and UCI have said there will never be e bike categorys in any cycle races and said they see that it as a motor sport, not cycling.

Anonymous

Who cares !

I have a Ktm e mtb and it's great

It does what it says on the box and I enjoy riding it

They got my 80 year neighbour out on two wheels ..... they got my wife back into cycling

If these bikes get people back on two wheels and they enjoy them and spending cash at the local bike shop then it's a good thing

Mine got me back on two wheels after a 20 year break - it got me to spend a great deal of cash at my local shop on a carbon fibre road bike and ALL the kit that goes with it

So instead of putting people down who have one .... let them enjoy their ebikes

cooldad

So e bikes turned you into a roadie. It's worse than I thought.

LimitedGarry

hsiaolc wrote:

E bike is the future and they are here to stay.

End off.

I don't have one yet. I am hmm fit but more assist up hill is never a bad thing. I like MTB for downhill and not some kind of physical challenge of my endurance.

So in the future I will get one. If I ever go to bike park wales again I don't have to pay for the damn lift. a few times I can't even get the slot for the lift!!

A bike that generally doesn't go above 25km/h on flat is hardly the future.

FishFish

What do I think of them? I don't like them. Just that.

Anonymous

FishFish wrote:

What do I think of them? I don't like them. Just that.

So what type did you test ride ?

Angus Young

RockmonkeySC wrote:

E bikes are not the future. They won't ever replace proper mountain bikes. They'll only ever be for a minority.
They won't ever be allowed in any mountain bike races, BC and UCI have said there will never be e bike categorys in any cycle races and said they see that it as a motor sport, not cycling.

Yes they are*. Yes they will. No they won't. Yes they will. They'll change their mind. I won't.

DALESMAN999 wrote:

So instead of putting people down who have one .... let them enjoy their ebikes

Apart from the fact there's not been any putting down of people in this thread (oh, O.K., perhaps some mild putting down), see my first post in the thread.



* Manufacturer revenue for e-bikes already outstrips that from 'real' bikes in some EU countries.

cycleclinic

there might actually be UCI e-bike races. These would be very technical. Imagine the DH championships not being just downhill, you have to go up the mountin first on the knarliest, steepest course possible. that is what is to come.

The thing is that is not a sport for me. I more like motorcross I dont watch that. Sport evolves though I suppose.

Angus Young

thecycleclinic wrote:

Imagine the DH championships not being just downhill, you have to go up the mountin first on the knarliest, steepest course possible.

Doesn't sound too bad when you put it like that.

FishFish

DALESMAN999 wrote:

FishFish wrote:

What do I think of them? I don't like them. Just that.

So what type did you test ride ?

I didn't.

I don't like cats but I've never owned one. It is just a prejudice - I'm entitled to them.

Angus Young

FishFish wrote:

DALESMAN999 wrote:

FishFish wrote:

What do I think of them? I don't like them. Just that.

So what type did you test ride ?

I didn't.

I don't like cats but I've never owned one. It is just a prejudice - I'm entitled to them.

You're entitled to have them. And I'm entitled to call you dumb for having them.

robertpb

"* Manufacturer revenue for e-bikes already outstrips that from 'real' bikes in some EU countries."

That's is very long way from volume. A lot are being bought to strap on the back of motorhomes so you can pootle to the shops from whence you are parked, lots are being bought by tourist and hire companies for non cyclists to tour towns and such like.

I would think the amount that are being bought to replace someones bike is quite small.

I think they are a good replacement on the road for some of those 2 stroke mopeds and scooters that pollute everywhere they go. I was in Cahors recently when a group of some 200 Mobylettes went up and down the main road, you had to use a knife to cut through the air.

As for off road I have no interest in them, I enjoy a challenge, my wife tells me I'm very competitive as I'm always racing people up and down stairwells in tall buildings and love riding uphill, nuts he must be say some of you but that's the difference between people that want an ebike to make life easy and those of us who will stick to their trusty stead.

It may come to it in the distant future in order to get out and about on the trails I may need some assistance but at the moment that seems a very long way off as I'm only in my 62nd year of riding on two wheels

Angus Young

robertpb wrote:

"* Manufacturer revenue for e-bikes already outstrips that from 'real' bikes in some EU countries."

That's is very long way from volume.

Nobody gives a crap about volume, they're only interested in revenue. Business 101. Samsung makes all the phones, Apple makes all the money. Who do you want to be, Apple or Samsung.

rockmonkeysc

They definitely won't replace proper mountain bikes. It might develop in to a separate sport but it just completely goes against what a lot of people enjoy most about mountain biking.
Also, they won't ever be allowed in Olympics as it's too heavily reliant on technology.
I don't see there ever being a e-bike downhill series replacing proper downhill races. Downhill is purely about descent, add in climbs and you can't really call it downhill anymore. There have been races between downhill bikes and moto cross bikes down WC tracks and the downhill bike was quite a lot quicker so pure downhill on e-bikes doesn't really make sense.
I don't see e-bikes as cycling. It's somewhere between cycling and motorcycling. Cycling is all about pure leg power and human endurance, not using motors to make it easier.

Angus Young

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Cycling is all about pure leg power and human endurance, not using motors to make it easier.

We who believe that are a tiny minority. The rest of the population are lazy bastards who just want a fix with as little effort as possible. Fact of life.

robertpb

Angus Young wrote:

robertpb wrote:

"* Manufacturer revenue for e-bikes already outstrips that from 'real' bikes in some EU countries."

That's is very long way from volume.

Nobody gives a crap about volume, they're only interested in revenue. Business 101. Samsung makes all the phones, Apple makes all the money. Who do you want to be, Apple or Samsung.

I think you are confusing revenue with profit here.

Plus if I stand on the pavement and I see 15 Fords go by and one Rolls Royce, by revenue the Rolls might be ahead but I would never think that the Rolls was taking over the market in cars.

The stats I have here are for a quarter Apple, Revenue $42.4, OP $7.2. Samsung Revenue $42.45, OP $7.0

Angus Young

robertpb wrote:

The stats I have here are for a quarter Apple, Revenue $42.4, OP $7.2. Samsung Revenue $42.45, OP $7.0

And how much of that revenue was from phones? And how much of that phone revenue was from phones that compete with Apple's offerings?

thomasmorris

DALESMAN999 wrote:

Who cares !

I care, with because they threaten what I like a about mountain biking; getting away from everything, under my own steam. I'd rather there not be a load of e-bikers cluttering my favourite riding spots. They also threaten the land access I enjoy.

DALESMAN999 wrote:

If these bikes get people back on two wheels and they enjoy them and spending cash at the local bike shop then it's a good thing

Why is that a good thing? People could by scooters or motorbikes and enjoy them. It would mean more people on two wheels, and if they enjoy that, that's fine... but I don't see how that would be good for cycling.

DALESMAN999 wrote:

So instead of putting people down who have one .... let them enjoy their e-bikes

But they threaten land access, they make the remoteness of mtbing I enjoy to accessible to day trippers and that diminishes my experience. I feel e-mtbs are just people hi-jacking out sport to gain access to trails that they couldn't on any other motor vehicles.

Where electric bikes are good are for those who are too old or infirm to get out on a bike otherwise. Or replacing scooters on roads for commutes, with less noisy less polluting e-bikes.

Angus Young

thomasmorris wrote:

I care, with e-mountain bikes because they threaten what I like a about mountain biking; getting away from everything, under my own steam. I'd rather there not be a load of e-bikers cluttering my favourite riding spots. They also threaten the land access I enjoy.

Why is that a good thing? People could by scooters or motorbikes and enjoy them. It would mean more people on two wheels, and if they enjoy that, that's fine... but I don't see how that would be good for cycling.

But they threaten land access, they make the remoteness of mtbing I enjoy to accessible to day trippers and that diminishes my experience. I feel e-mtbs are just people hi-jacking out sport to gain access to trails that they couldn't on any other motor vehicles.

All of this.

And most importantly...

thomasmorris wrote:

I'd rather there not be a load of e-bikers cluttering my favourite riding spots.

How many years will it be before you can't move on the trailhead for fat blokes who really would be better off watching the footie in the pub.

thomasmorris

DALESMAN999 wrote:

Mine got me back on two wheels after a 20 year break - it got me to spend a great deal of cash at my local shop on a carbon fibre road bike and ALL the kit that goes with it

Should have got a scooter... you can cover more ground on a scooter. And going faster and covering more ground is what it's all about, isn't it?

robertpb

Apple quarter from phones $28.16, Samsung $26.56.

Profit from these is very vague as Apple are very cagey, but the iPhone 7 has been costed at around $145

Angus Young

robertpb wrote:

Apple quarter from phones $28.16, Samsung $26.56.

Profit from these is very vague as Apple are very cagey, but the iPhone 7 has been costed at around $145

We're kind of missing the point here, don't you think.

rockmonkeysc

Very good for the old and disabled but what will they do when they get a flat battery 30 miles from home/car?

Angus Young

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Very good for the old and disabled but what will they do when they get a flat battery 30 miles from home/car?

It's a good way to thin out the herd.

rockmonkeysc

Angus Young wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Very good for the old and disabled but what will they do when they get a flat battery 30 miles from home/car?

It's a good way to thin out the herd.

Survival of the least unfittest.
I could buy a Landrover and do a sort of AA for fatties on e-bikes.

necromunger

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3qDZxxzU8k&t=6s


i have 2 batts and flat out will get 50 miles

rockmonkeysc

And what's going to stop a mechanical failure?
Ruined wheel, dead motor, electrical failure, irreparable tyre damage, plenty to go wrong other than running out of juice.
Battery life will be considerably less in cold conditions.
Electrics really don't like mud, grit an water. No matter how well it's sealed, that seal will fail one day.
Plus there's that old issue of just forgetting to charge a battery.
50 miles isn't much anyway. Even a fatty like me can manage more than that on leg power alone.

necromunger

i have done over 3000 miles on it and have never had a problem bar braking my xd hub and got it replaced under warranty.

the cold does not effect 18650 cells as they get warm when you are using them any way a lot of ppl riding them in the snow and getting the same range.

i have even put 18650 cells in the freezer for 2 days and went in at 4.2v and came out at 4.19v so not much loss there.

mud




also not a problem as now there is a bearing ring cover for the drive side sprocket.

as for 50 miles my bike has no speed limit and the gears i have i can hit 35mph and avg 28mph wanna race

rockmonkeysc

Motors are much less efficient in the cold. 3000 miles is not a lot, my commuting bike has done near ten times that with complete neglect.
That thing is ugly, I think I'll stick with my Transition, much nicer bike and quite a lot lighter at 28lb. I can guarantee it's faster on descents plus no bike parks have banned pedal powered bikes, unlike your moped.