Are electrically assisted bikes cheating (poll)

[jonny jeez]

I'm interested to see how we as a group perceive assisted ebikes.

I'm asking about assisted ebikes...the type that add power to each pedal stroke (not the type where you don't pedal and just press an accelerator button)

 

[vickster]

No, unless they are being used in a race

 

[CanucksTraveller]

If you ain't competin, it can't be cheatin!

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Cheating who?

Johnny has posted this poll as a response to another thread; @Phil Fouracre wrote an OP defending them against those who claim riding an e bike is cheating.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Cheating at what?

 

[winjim]

If you ain't competin, it can't be cheatin!

True, but I would love to have a bike with a hidden motor so I could cruise past all the sportive MAMILs who think they are competing.

 

[jonny jeez]

Cheating who?

That's for contributors to decide

 

[Yellow Saddle]

It is only cheating if you get caught.

 

[Drago]

They're not for me, doesn't mean they're not right for someone else.

 

[crazyjoe101]

It depends

 

[ufkacbln]

Posted before..

My wife is disabled and her Bionx powered Gekko gives a new lease that allows her to cycle. The assisted input also allows regulation of the input, with a high input for the last stretch home, but allowing an unassisted mode at the start



We then found that when we got somewhere we were restricted, so bought a Christiania trike to lug a mobility scooter to allow mobility when we arrived somewhere. However a very heavy trike carrying a 70kg mobility scooter needed a litte assistance on hills, hence the power assist

MY MiL also extended her cycling into her 80's by using an electrical assist system

They have a genuine place in the diversity of cycling

 

[iandg]

If it gets people out of cars and onto 2 wheels that's a good thing.

 

[Pale Rider]

Cheating who?

As an ebiker, I'm bound to like this post.

It is also what I ask the occasional pushbiker who calls me a cheat on the road.

At the risk of taking such remarks too seriously, calling someone a cheat is a nasty allegation, it's akin to calling someone dishonest - not something I would do unless I was very sure of my ground.

The last time I was called a cheat was on a recent forum ride with @ColinJ.

It was on a long climb and I was trying to catch @Sea of vapours.

This involved edging alongside a roadie, who was climbing strongly.

After I'd dealt with the cheat remark, we had an agreeable conversation about ebikes and our cycling plans for the day.

To answer the OP's question about the view of CycleChat members, I've received nothing other than positive remarks from members on forum rides.

Ebikers have their uses - on a couple of forum rides I've provided some shelter for the others into a headwind, and some pacing up a long climb.

 

[Buck]

No.

I'm interested to see why the 2 people who said yes, think so...

 

[EnPassant]

No. It's not a race, so by definition you cannot be cheating.
Anyone on any form of two wheels is far far preferable to another ton of metal on the road.


ETA: However that doesn't seem to stop the tiny evil part of me pushing hard to get ahead of one on occasion. I fight the compulsion, it's not big, it's not clever and it impresses nobody.