Slightly annoying to be overtaken by one when out on the roadie but I look at it as one more person out being active and one less car the road. So overall not a bad idea.
I regularly see an older gent probably in his 80s out on one. He must have been a pretty decent cyclist in his day but sadly not up to it now so the e-bike gives him the opportunity to still enjoy the roads of North Worcestershire. I can see myself going the same way one day but hopefully that's a while off yet!
Had an interesting game of cat and mouse with a couple of e bikes riding up Whinlatter to the Copeland Chase the year before last. I was on my MTB and they caught me just at the start of the first steep section. Then they dropped back but gradually overhauled me once the gradient eased off, eventually passing me. I closed the gap again each time it got a bit steeper but couldn't quite catch them. Neither rider appeared to be serious riders so I suspect the assistance available from the bikes was enough to speed them along the flatter bits but wasn't powerful enough to get them up steeper hills fast.I think if they'd been fitter riders they would have managed a better climbing speed but would they then be riding an electric MTB on a road? Perhaps not!
Or maybe their batteries were flat and they were heaving heavy bikes up a steep hill in a more traditional manner.
Last edited by Mark G; 23-08-2020 at 07:39 PM.
I think they are two types: those that can travel up to 45kph, 28mph if you're Brit, and those assisted up to 25kph, 16mph.
I have probably never been passed by the 25kph. But I've been passed by the 45kph ones.
Amazing how many people, here in Hamburg Germany, ride on ebikes. Mostly oldies. But also youngsters.
This is interesting stuff. I'd quite like my wife to have one as it would extend our range (and mean she might be the one waiting for me at the top of hills instead of the other way round). Personally I could see myself getting one in the future but if I continue to ride my ordinary bikes in the meantime I should be able to postpone that for a good few years yet I hope. It could be the case that once you buy one you then need one!
Last edited by Mark G; 25-08-2020 at 10:32 AM.
Had a great day at Coed y Brenin yesterday with my son and his friend. I was huffing and puffing around on my 8 year old Cube Aim but still more than able to keep up on the uphills. The downhills were a different matter as I quickly realised that my bottle has gone, not that it was a big bottle in the first place.
Running downhill is a different matter, its my legs that have gone.
Anyway, the point of this post is that at the top of one steep rise I caught up a bloke and his two sons. I was sweating like a pig but they were only slightly out of breath. I noticed that they were on full suspension e-bikes and on chatting to him he told me that they had hired them for the day at £95 each.
They were from the south coast and had visited CyB previously when they had brought their own bikes but said that due to lack of fitness they had not enjoyed themselves as much as they would have liked.
They were loving it this time.
At £95 a pop I'll continue to sweat like a pig!
Visibility good except in Hill Fog
The thought of £95 for the use of a bike is making me shake never mind sweat!
Poacher turned game-keeper