Electric bikes

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buster said:
I’m 60 years old with dodgy knees and hip pain after using my road bike , I live where each way I turn I’ve got an uphill route to take.

I bought an Orbea Gain late last year , I only use the assistance on the steeper inclines and gives me help up to 15 mph. Switch it off on the flat and down hill.

I get out more , do more miles , and return home in less pain than I did before and certainly less stiffness the next morning.

You still get the heart going , and the leg muscles get a good work out .

I would have tended to agree with your opinion in the previous years , but since buying this bike and the extra use I get out on it , frankly you are talking bollocks.
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Don’t talk such sense man, if ever I get to the point I can’t manage a good ride out I will be doing exactly what you do.
 
Captain Slackbladder said:
We all will.....electric bikes have opened up social mobility to thousands who otherwise just couldn't ride under normal circumstances.
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My brother did the NC 500 two years ago, spoke to a German couple in their 70’s who were doing it on electric Bikes ,it had opened up another source of freedom for them and they were loving it.

Yet we still have some who almost ridicule people who use them as not being real cyclists.

I just don’t understand that attitude, never will to be honest.
 
buster said:
My brother did the NC 500 two years ago, spoke to a German couple in their 70’s who were doing it on electric Bikes ,it had opened up another source of freedom for them and they were loving it.

Yet we still have some who almost ridicule people who use them as not being real cyclists.

I just don’t understand that attitude, never will to be honest.
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I can get my fitness kicks from various other means. As I alluded to in the OP I'm looking to get out a bit more with the mrs and give her fitness a boost which isn't great by any stretch of the imagination. Having said that, she grafts all day.
There's no way she'd consider going out with me in a regular bike and to be fair to her, even the fittest of people can struggle if they aren't regular cyclists. Using different muscle groups etc.

The big thing for me though is getting out in the fresh air and doing more exercise together, seeing sights etc.
 
buster said:
My brother did the NC 500 two years ago, spoke to a German couple in their 70’s who were doing it on electric Bikes ,it had opened up another source of freedom for them and they were loving it.

Yet we still have some who almost ridicule people who use them as not being real cyclists.

I just don’t understand that attitude, never will to be honest.
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Agreed. I don't think anyone should ever mock anyones fitness methods. Some of the runners I see out go so slowly or just look daft, but they are out there. Whatever it is they are doing is better than being sat on their arse. You probably have a few levels of people who will mock, those who never do anything and will likely be breathless going up the stairs by the age of 55, those who are just very good athletes or very young and have never struggle to run, cycle etc, and the rest (who are the vast majority) understand days when you struggle, understand dips in fitness and understand that even if you don't break a record how much better a run or cycle can make you feel.
 
Roger said:
They actually help massively, you still have to pedal and it gets you out there.

I have one and used to cycle to work regularly, and there were mornings when I felt a bit ropey and just would have taken the car instead of a regular bike, but I knew the electric one would help me up the hills - so still used it.

The thing is, when you push on a bit you actually get very little assistance (with the legal ones anyway). Above 15mph you get no assistance, so when you are feeling fit its just like a regular heavy bike. When you struggle up a hill or into the wind it assists you, but you still need to put some effort in.
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So what are the makes to look out for- ones with good normal bikes bits but also robust electrics/batteries?
@Roger
 
Big Jeff said:
So what are the makes to look out for- ones with good normal bikes bits but also robust electrics/batteries?
@Roger
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I don't honestly know. I have had mine for a lot of years now and its a rapidly developing market which I haven't kept track of.

I think its generally true as with most bikes that you get what you pay for and a bike with good quality parts is always going to cost more but will obviously last longer, have better support if it fails and be better to ride.
 
ivanthereasonable said:
Yes, thats the impression i get watching those mountain down hills.
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There’s a bank at the end of Fort Bill and it’s the steepest thing I’ve ever ridden down. I would have bottled it if my mate hadn’t talked me through it. Came off the bottom so fast I hit a tabletop and went fully airborne for probably the only time in my life. Shit my pants. Then I saw Steve Peat on telly nonchalantly doing the exact same drop with a broken seat post after his saddle snapped off. Imagine landing on that.
 
Roger said:
I don't honestly know. I have had mine for a lot of years now and its a rapidly developing market which I haven't kept track of.

I think its generally true as with most bikes that you get what you pay for and a bike with good quality parts is always going to cost more but will obviously last longer, have better support if it fails and be better to ride.
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OK thanks. The standard bikes bits I'm comfortable with and understand its the elecric element I know little of. I have tried one very briefly and really liked it. I am just getting a toe in the water and advice from current owners is really useful concerning things like battery life as I am assuming they have a specifc number of cycles ( no pun intended) that they can be recharged
Captain Slackbladder said:

11 of the best e-bikes for around £1,000 2021: Electric bikes on a budget

Updated March 3, 2021 With e-bikes now very much part of cycling's mainstream, more and more are becoming available at affordable prices as production ramps up and there are even plenty that now come in at around £1,000. Just a few years ago e-bikes would have been out of the question if your...
ebiketips.road.cc ebiketips.road.cc
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cheers really useful
Can I clarify - can you vary the speed you get and when it cuts in or do you just gently pedal and you are going 15 mph? Thanks for advice in advance
 
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The lycra louts hate electric bikes. They’ll hate you even more if you have the audacity to wear your Sky branded Lycra whilst riding one - frauds
 
Herr Lipp said:
The lycra louts hate electric bikes. They’ll hate you even more if you have the audacity to wear your Sky branded Lycra whilst riding one - frauds
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Well I’m a road cyclist who wears lycra, I certainly have nowt against people on electric bikes. If it means them getting out and some exercise then I’m all for them.
Just like when I see really big people jogging and going really slow, I always think good on them and there are millions sitting on their arses. Would never laugh at people doing some sort of keeping or getting in shape

Been taken in a few times early days of them where I’m giving it full beans and barely catching someone older and on a hybrid type bike...

Getting used to it now and like I say good on em’

Full team kit whether on e bikes or normal bikes is a massive f***ing no no mind :lol:
 
Big Jeff said:
OK thanks. The standard bikes bits I'm comfortable with and understand its the elecric element I know little of. I have tried one very briefly and really liked it. I am just getting a toe in the water and advice from current owners is really useful concerning things like battery life as I am assuming they have a specifc number of cycles ( no pun intended) that they can be recharged

cheers really useful
Can I clarify - can you vary the speed you get and when it cuts in or do you just gently pedal and you are going 15 mph? Thanks for advice in advance
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You pedal as normal , but the electric motor provides assistance up to 15 mph . You still have to put effort in but less than a normal road bike. Over that speed and there is no assistance.

My bike has a push switch which illuminates in three different colours which indicate the level of assistance the motor can give whilst pedalling.

It does not work on a throttle basis like a motorbike.




This is my bike and the video may help you understand it a bit better.
 
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Big Jeff said:
Can I clarify - can you vary the speed you get and when it cuts in or do you just gently pedal and you are going 15 mph? Thanks for advice in advance
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All of the legal ones just assist you. The harder you pedal, the more they assist up to their 250 Watt limit (so it makes you feel twice as strong as you are). If you stop pedalling or you go too fast they will not assist you at all. It's really just like riding a normal bike - but a lot easier!

The beauty is that when its easy and you are going quickly (eg on flat or with wind behind you) they don't do anything - but when you start struggling up a hill and going slow and pedal hard, the assistance really kicks in.
 
Big Jeff said:
OK thanks. The standard bikes bits I'm comfortable with and understand its the elecric element I know little of. I have tried one very briefly and really liked it. I am just getting a toe in the water and advice from current owners is really useful concerning things like battery life as I am assuming they have a specifc number of cycles ( no pun intended) that they can be recharged
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Probably worth a look here:

Pedelecs - Electric Bike Community

The UK electric bike community
www.pedelecs.co.uk www.pedelecs.co.uk

I know the SMB knows the answer to everything, but pedelecs will run us close on this subject.
 
buster said:
You pedal as normal , but the electric motor provides assistance up to 15 mph . You still have to put effort in but less than a normal road bike. Over that speed and there is no assistance.

My bike has a push switch which illuminates in three different colours which indicate the level of assistance the motor can give whilst pedalling.

It does not work on a throttle basis like a motorbike.




This is my bike and the video may help you understand it a bit better.
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Thanks - appreciated
Big Jeff said:
Thanks - appreciated
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to all who offered advice and experience
 
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Big Jeff said:
Thanks - appreciated

to all who offered advice and experience
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I forgot,the bike shop guy said the battery is good for 400 cycles roughly,charge/ discharge.

You can buy a little gadget to override the speed limiter.I think it is made by Bosch.The bikes are limited to 25kph here and a 250watt motor

The old bloke said it is annoying when the motor cuts out ,as cruising is around 30kph.The override means the motor never cuts out so there is no sudden extra weight.
I think the little gadget cost him around £100 - £120 when converted to sterling.Took him about 5 minutes to put it on the bike.

When we hired bikes to test ride them it was annoying going up a hill.The assist is great so you pedal faster,then the motor starts cutting in and out I think there was a problem with the bike I hired though.

The battery on his bike is lockable and can be taken off,then it is a slightly heavier bike with a 9 speed cassette when the battery is taken off.

The bike has four levels of assistance.With the override on and full assistance he can get up to around 50kph.I think the override stops working then.

Get one.
 
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