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OFOG* finally decides on E-Bike

JezmondTutu said:
Which give you zero exercise. That’s the thing about an ebike, it takes the sting out of hills etc but is still good exercise.
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I'm in a long running discussion with one of my friends who's been getting some great use out of his e-Bikes for a few years now, but it's been a debate for a while about how much of the work is him and how much is the bike. He reckoned he was putting in 200W's worth most of the time but I've been trying to persuade him that's unlikely, as that'd be a reasonable low-end club rider FTP and, given his HR etc. when riding, it's likely he's putting in a lot less. He's a bit of a numbers geek though, as it's 100% the case that he's getting much more exercise than he would without an e-Bike.

Sadly neither of my power meters will fit his bike however the next time he visits he wants to take one of my mountain bikes out with the power meter fitted and see what sorts of results he gets which will be interesting. I've not ridden with him yet so it'll be interesting to see how him on his e-Bike and my on a non-powered one compares. I suspect I'll be miles behind on the climbs but quicker on the flat. Not sure about downhill though as he used to be a competitive motorbike trials rider and was a lot quicker than me back when we used to ride motorbikes together.
 
JezmondTutu said:
It’s certainly likely to be less than 200w
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That is what I've been telling him! No doubt he'll put out 200W at times but if he was averaging that in the type of leisure rides he does, and with such a low HR, then he wouldn't need an e-bike. He's been a lifetime smoker and has various issues including problems with his lungs and the e-bike has been fantastic for getting him out and about (and he uses it a lot) - but he spends far too much time wondering about power and the like though.

Will be very interesting to see the numbers when he tries my bike - the one I'm going to get him to use is about half the weight of his e-Bike as well, so will be a very different experience for him. I'll be interested in trying his bike as well. I'll probably end up with one at some point but hopefully it's still a good few years away.
 
doctorf said:
If I didn't use my ebikes, I wouldn't ride a bike because my knees would be too painful, so whatever energy I expend can only be a bonus.
That plus the fresh air and beautiful Yorkshire scenery.
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I have the same sort of problem. I once had a knee blow up like a football and I needed a keyhole operation to fix the meniscus. I have no pain, but the knee sometimes has what I can only describe as a "dead" feeling. When I tackled our hill on the old bike, I could feel the knees straining (as well as my heart trying to exit through my ribcage), so I decided that discretion was definitely the better part of valour. Now suddenly all sorts of things become possible, even in the hilly area where we live.
 
SteveG said:
That is what I've been telling him! No doubt he'll put out 200W at times but if he was averaging that in the type of leisure rides he does, and with such a low HR, then he wouldn't need an e-bike. He's been a lifetime smoker and has various issues including problems with his lungs and the e-bike has been fantastic for getting him out and about (and he uses it a lot) - but he spends far too much time wondering about power and the like though.

Will be very interesting to see the numbers when he tries my bike - the one I'm going to get him to use is about half the weight of his e-Bike as well, so will be a very different experience for him. I'll be interested in trying his bike as well. I'll probably end up with one at some point but hopefully it's still a good few years away.
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They are amazing things, puts a smile on your face. Especially when derestricted to 27mph - what they were designed to do in the US.
 
Thorn said:
About the same price as a Vespa 125.
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Someone said exactly that a while back. Was it you? Does the argument of having freedom without the paperwork and costs of stuff like V5, insurance, MOT, and whatever road tax is now called not appeal? You can hop across pavements without ending up in court? You don't make a noise and you don't have to buy petrol, you can ride with the breeze in your hair and not get arrested. You won't even lose your licence if you ride it back from the pub pissed.
 
I accept the health virtues of cycling, but I find no fun in exercise. It's just a chore. An electric bike is better than a straight pedal bike for getting from A to B, but give me an petrol engine any day.
 
My wife had an electric bike (Chinese) in 2004. They'd already been around for some years even then. It was cute, had a 200W motor and lead-acid battery, which enabled her to do a daily round trip of 22 miles (it would do 25+ when new). I rode it for years and had a replacement battery (£80+) until it started falling apart and I got a new car.

What's new about the ones mentioned in this thread, or have they just had a resurgence? Okay, batteries prob. Ni-cad (which was also around in 2004) or at least improved, but surely they only differ by refinement and build.
 
Mike Reed said:
My wife had an electric bike (Chinese) in 2004. They'd already been around for some years even then. It was cute, had a 200W motor and lead-acid battery, which enabled her to do a daily round trip of 22 miles (it would do 25+ when new). I rode it for years and had a replacement battery (£80+) until it started falling apart and I got a new car.

What's new about the ones mentioned in this thread, or have they just had a resurgence? Okay, batteries prob. Ni-cad (which was also around in 2004) or at least improved, but surely they only differ by refinement and build.
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The batteries are lithium (as in electric cars), hold their charge for much longer, last longer and can be recharged more often. They can be made smaller and lighter, and the range of the bikes has greatly extended. The controlling electronics have also made (if you'll pardon the expression) great leaps forward.
 
Thorn said:
I accept the health virtues of cycling, but I find no fun in exercise. It's just a chore. An electric bike is better than a straight pedal bike for getting from A to B, but give me an petrol engine any day.
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You only get exercise on an e bike if you lower the power.

It sounds like you have never experienced one but have an opinion.

They completely changed my life in a way no other technological advancement has in recent years, ie in a very positive way. I feel much freer. The city is so much more easily accessible.
 
Mike Reed said:
My wife had an electric bike (Chinese) in 2004. They'd already been around for some years even then. It was cute, had a 200W motor and lead-acid battery, which enabled her to do a daily round trip of 22 miles (it would do 25+ when new). I rode it for years and had a replacement battery (£80+) until it started falling apart and I got a new car.

What's new about the ones mentioned in this thread, or have they just had a resurgence? Okay, batteries prob. Ni-cad (which was also around in 2004) or at least improved, but surely they only differ by refinement and build.
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Probably about 100 times better at a guess- torque sensing too which I cannot imagine anything was 15 years ago.
 
My main worry about spending multiple thousands on an e-bike would be manufacturer support. Will I be able to get a replacement battery in 5yrs, 10yrs etc. If there's no replacement battery the bike is totally useless. Otherwise they seem like a great thing.
 
JezmondTutu said:
Probably about 100 times better at a guess- torque sensing too which I cannot imagine anything was 15 years ago.
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Think you'll need to elaborate on that. I've no idea what torque sensing is either (gobbledegook?)

Electric bike; 200w motor; pedals. 25 mile + range. Sufficient oomph to climb reasonable hills without pedalling; can fit in the car; lead/acid battery lasts about 8 years. That's certainly all I need so what vast improvements have manifest themselves in 15 years, apart from smaller batteries ?

All I can think of which would be advantageous is: lighter bike (ours wasn't heavy though); vastly improved range; far more power/torque for hills; more efficient braking (discs?); weather protecting panels a la scooter or m/bike; greater luggage carrying capacity; superior lighting, even when stationary.

Tones above has mentioned some pros of lithium batteries.
 
Mike Reed said:
Think you'll need to elaborate on that. I've no idea what torque sensing is either (gobbledegook?)

Electric bike; 200w motor; pedals. 25 mile + range. Sufficient oomph to climb reasonable hills without pedalling; can fit in the car; lead/acid battery lasts about 8 years. That's certainly all I need so what vast improvements have manifest themselves in 15 years, apart from smaller batteries ?

All I can think of which would be advantageous is: lighter bike (ours wasn't heavy though); vastly improved range; far more power/torque for hills; more efficient braking (discs?); weather protecting panels a la scooter or m/bike; greater luggage carrying capacity; superior lighting, even when stationary.

Tones above has mentioned some pros of lithium batteries.
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The technology has come on in leaps and bounds hence my comments.

Frame stiffness which translates into handling (fully integrated battery on mine too), hydraulic disk brakes, faster charging, major improvements to batteries, motors and critically torque sensing which means the electric motor assistance is dependant on pedal pressure. Generally bikes have evolved over
that time.

You could say nothing much has changed in EV’s
in that time too - clearly you’d be wrong!
 
sean99 said:
My main worry about spending multiple thousands on an e-bike would be manufacturer support. Will I be able to get a replacement battery in 5yrs, 10yrs etc. If there's no replacement battery the bike is totally useless. Otherwise they seem like a great thing.
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You go on reputation as with most things. My bike has the motor, battery and computer from Bosch.

Cheers,

DV
 
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