Are cheap bikes harder to ride

[SkipdiverJohn]

In this industrialised world, where machines do nearly all our heavy labour, why are some people so afraid of putting in any extra effort?

I was once having a conversation along these lines with a female friend, concerning why women were prepared to tolerate dieting but not so willing to be more active and burn calories through exercise.
The explanation I got, was along the lines that dieting didn't make you sweaty and smelly or mess up your hair, whereas strenuous exercise did. Don't underestimate the vanity/appearance factors, especially in the case of people who have jobs that require them to look presentable when they walk in the door.

 

[RichardB]

I have an ebike, a 10-speed road bike and a 'vintage' MTB. Although the two pushbikes have different gearing, layout and riding positions, they are broadly similar in the effort needed. One is faster on the flat, one is easier up hills, but similar. Both are a mile away from the effort needed on the ebike. It's night and day. (I tend to ride the ebike at maximum effort as I do with the others, so I still get a workout, but my average speeds are probably 50% better.) If the OP thinks that a better pushbike will be easier to ride and come close to the ease of an ebike, he's in for a disappointment.

However, I disagree with people who are snooty about ebikes and regard them as cheating, or only for the old and infirm. I hadn't cycled seriously for years, and wanted to start cycle commuting again. I could never have managed the commute on a conventional bike in the state of fitness I had then (13 hilly miles each way on poor rural roads). But on the ebike I could manage it easily and soon built up a level of fitness that meant I could start riding conventional bikes properly again, first for short distances and then for longer. I probably only use the ebike about 5% of the time now (mainly when there's a heavy load of shopping to do) but I wouldn't be without it because it is such massive fun.

 

[Blue Hills]

Not everyone rides ebikes like you though. I see a fair amount of folk purring along on them putting not a lot of work in. Many of these folk are a lot younger than me. Of course I don't know about the cycling of these folks drifting past me but i suspect many don't do much "physical" cycling at all and just go out for heavily powered shortish rides.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I see a fair amount of folk purring along on them putting not a lot of work in. Many of these folk are a lot younger than me. .

I see exactly the same thing myself. I've come to the conclusion that most e-bikes are not being ridden by people who actually need one to enable them to keep riding due to age or medical conditions. Most of them are clearly just being bought by people who are lazy and don't want cycling to involve any more physical exertion than absolutely necessary. That means in some cases, it will simply result in someone who already cycled anyway, reducing their activity level for the same mileage. It won't necessarily encourage riders to do more miles, or over tougher routes. That will depend if the individual is prepared to put some work in or they are just a slacker looking for, literally, an easy ride.

 

[Eziemnaik]

Cheap bikes are not harder to ride
But cheap components are definitely harder on my nerves....

 

[Blue Hills]

Cheap bikes are not harder to ride
But cheap components are definitely harder on my nerves....

luckily I don't think shimano does anything which is actually bad.

 

[Eziemnaik]

True that
Even tourney just works
Nevertheless there are still cheap headsets, cheap wheelsets, cheap screws loosing the thread, dirt cheap tyres which are deathtraps in the rain and my favourite are cheap inner tubes losing the air without an apparent reason

 

[Lovacott]

Hi, I have 2 bikes. I often see people riding normal bikes around and think do I need a ebike

I really don't get the E Bike thing. I own and run a motorbike, car and I also cycle to work. The motorbike gets me there quickly, the car gets me there dry and the pushbike gives me a life experience I will never forget and keeps me fit.

What is it again that E bikes do?

 

[rivers]

What is it again that E bikes do?

Allows someone who for some reason needs a bit of assistance to ride a bike. My wife is a fulltime fitness instructor, so pretty fit in the grand scheme of things. But she rides an e-bike. It means she can cycle to work without putting added pressure on her body. It also means we can go on longer rides together without her struggling or being too tired. It basically enables her to ride a bike when she otherwise wouldn't.

 

[RichardB]

What is it again that E bikes do?

Gets people on two wheels who might otherwise be driving a car, with benefits in health, mental outlook, pollution, congestion.
Gives you a workout which is beneficial, if not as intense as conventional cycling.
Gives people a way to return to cycling when their fitness/the local topography may prevent normal cycling straight away.

Those are three from my own experience. I could also add:

Allowing those whose age or infirmity prevents them from conventional cycling to have the wonderful benefits of an afternoon out on two wheels - if you appreciate how wonderful cycling can be, you surely don't want to deny it to those people, do you?

I can't see why you are so negative, to be honest. Are they hurting you in some way by riding ebikes? Or do you have a moral objection to someone getting pleasure without the requisite pain? Live and let live.

 

[Lovacott]

Gets people on two wheels who might otherwise be driving a car, with benefits in health, mental outlook, pollution, congestion.
Gives you a workout which is beneficial, if not as intense as conventional cycling.
Gives people a way to return to cycling when their fitness/the local topography may prevent normal cycling straight away.

OK, I get that.

But the majority of E Bikes I've seen are being ridden by teenagers whose parents have more money than sense. The local cycle trail is a flat ex railway line some 18 miles in length and is an easy ride on even the cheapest Halfords bike. But this year, it was polluted with kids hooning along on battery power getting zero exercise benefit.

 

[Lovacott]

I see exactly the same thing myself. I've come to the conclusion that most e-bikes are not being ridden by people who actually need one to enable them to keep riding due to age or medical conditions. Most of them are clearly just being bought by people who are lazy and don't want cycling to involve any more physical exertion than absolutely necessary. That means in some cases, it will simply result in someone who already cycled anyway, reducing their activity level for the same mileage.

There are a couple of hills I do each day which really test me and I know that if I had a switch on my bike to turbo me up them, I'd be pressing it.

But because I haven't got a switch, I have no choice but to puff and pant my way to the top. This in turn gives me a brilliant cardio workout and over time, the hills have got easier.

 

[Blue Hills]

There are a couple of hills I do each day which really test me and I know that if I had a switch on my bike to turbo me up them, I'd be pressing it.

But because I haven't got a switch, I have no choice but to puff and pant my way to the top. This in turn gives me a brilliant cardio workout and over time, the hills have got easier.

I was grinding up a steep lancashire hill recently, day ride but well loaded because of covid, two women sat in a car mid slope (not sure what that all about) gave me a friendly thumbs up encouragement/salute of respect. Further on some bloke significantly younger than me purred past on his ebike. I almost went back down the hill to check that they hadn't given him the salute as well.

 

[Blue Hills]

There are a couple of hills I do each day which really test me and I know that if I had a switch on my bike to turbo me up them, I'd be pressing it.

But because I haven't got a switch, I have no choice but to puff and pant my way to the top. This in turn gives me a brilliant cardio workout and over time, the hills have got easier.

and also, puffed out, you might grab the excuse of a pause/sit down on a bench/grassy knoll to eat a snack and admire the glory of the scenery and nature. To think about stuff/let your mind wander. The rhythm of life. I still mean to get back to the west of scotland and the isles on a loaded bike I sped through in a big car years ago. Many of these younger able bodied ebike riders are I think going to be similarly missing stuff as they float ever onwards.

 

[Lovacott]

and also, puffed out, you might grab the excuse of a pause/sit down on a bench/grassy knoll to eat a snack and admire the glory of the scenery and nature.

Fifteen minutes after leaving home in the morning, I take a five minute break at the top of the hardest hill I have on my route. I drink the best part of a litre of water and let my heart rate and breathing get back to somewhere near normal before setting off again. I've come to see it as quality time as the view from the top is amazing with wide stretching coastal and estuary views and Lundy Island rearing up from the Atlantic Ocean some 13 miles away. My daily stop has become one of lifes luxuries and I feel as though I've earned it.