Electric bicycles
JackVet
Posts: 8
What do you guys think about electric bicycles?
Does anybody have them?
Does anybody have them?
0
Comments
-
Loads do. But not me yet.0
-
I think that's a very short sighted view.
If an ebike gets someone out cycling then brilliant. I know one person who's using one for work rather than drive the three miles in a huge 4*4 to work. They are no cyclist. They'd never think of cycling normally buy with the boost she can do the commute.0 -
Ignore the prejudice and sneers. Thankfully they are getting fewer as more and more cyclists wake up to the fact that e-bikes are brilliant. It reminds me of the way in which clipless pedals, indexed gears etc took time to gain approval from diehards. The improvement in technology means that modern e-bikes are way ahead in performance than the bikes of only a few years ago.
I reckon even the most sceptical traditional cyclist would love the way a road e-bike gives you the ability of a Tour de France pro or the way in which an electric mountain bike would enable you to get up the steepest terrain. They really are great fun.
My wife's belt-drive hub gear Kalkhoff has a range of around 125 miles on eco power on regular roads. She's done an 80-mile round trip from the Shropshire hills to Lake Vyrnwy and back mostly on full power on some of the hilliest roads in the U.K. and still had juice in her battery when she got home. She got her first e-bike some years ago on the Cycle to Work scheme. Her 30-mile round trip commute was too gruelling to do every day on her regular bike as the return journey was all uphill. The e-bike paid for itself in 18 months. She's not obese or unfit and still uses her unpowered regular bike for 40 and 50 mile rides with her friends every week and cycling holidays to Italy and the Pyrenees.
Another e-bike enthusiast is my occasional cycling companion Dennis Milsom, who in 2008 became the first 80-year-old to get under the hour for a 25-mile time trial and who still holds several national records. He is still out every week on his steel Colnago but loves his e-bike for the steep roads around his holiday home in the Caribbean. Another friend - a long-time group ride leader - finally ignored the anti electric jibes of traditionalists after he realized he could no longer keep up. His e-bike has given him a new cycling lease of life into his 80s.
I see that Epic Cycles of Ludlow, one of the country's best shops for serious road cyclists, is now selling a big range of e-bikes. The main advice I would give is to avoid cheap Chinese e-bikes and be prepared to spend money on something with a good crank-based motor such as a Bosch. Then there will be little risk of you being overtaken by super-fit oxoman.0 -
Just had a look on the Epic Cycles website.
Must say my pre-conceptions have been well and truly trashed. The Orbea Gain is, IMHO, a great looking bike and could well prompt some stealth attacks on traditional bike riders. The rear hub drive is the secret to producing a design that doesn't look like a tank.
Link to technology and specs in the Gain range
http://epic-cycles.co.uk/e-bikestore/orbea_gain0 -
Anything that gets you out more is a good thing... if you need an elctric motor to get out more, then it's absolutely fine to buy one... I see a lot of couples, typical male bike fanatic and wife with an e-bike... they can enjoy some quality time together that previously was not an option... what's not to like about it?left the forum March 20230
-
They're brilliant - enable people who otherwise may not cycle to get out there, mean people with lesser fitness levels can keep up with faster family/friends, make commuting by bike accessible to far more people and loads of other reasons.
Anyone coming out with the "they're for lazy people" nonsense is an absolute dick.0 -
Personally I fancy an electric cargo bike like this. Dave Atkinson of road.cc reckons it’s one of the best bikes he’s ever tried. Great for reducing reliance on a car.
http://ebiketips.road.cc/content/review ... n-gsd-16400
