Cycling 30 miles with an 80 year old gent today

[johnnyb47]

Hi.
Today we had great day out of cycling. I don't usually enjoy cycling in groups but i got persuaded into coming along and I'm glad i did it. The guys i went with, where somewhat older than me and it was nice relaxed affair bumbling down the quiet country lane's.. One guy in particular though was in his 80s and has been a life long cyclist.He was dressed in 1970/80 style cycling gear and looked more like the famous Barry Hoban wearing his cap back to front. He chatted almost all the way around the 30 odd miles we did about his cycling years and had wealth of experience and information of bikes from his younger days. It was really interesting to listen to all his stories. As age was starting to become an issue with his cycling abilities he came out today on his brand new E road bike. I could tell he felt a little self conscious about using it whilst everyone else was just on there non E bikes but he was soon made welcome and got many complimentary remarks on his fantastic looking bike. In fact he came very handy by riding up front in the strong head winds, as it gave the less capable riders like me some shelter from the elements. On the hills it was great fun. He would put his e bike into full assist on the climbs giving us others the chance to try and keep up (which ended in defeat)
These E bikes really do have a great place in the cycling world. It means people who are not in there first flush of youth can still enjoy cycling within a group and cover a decent mileage. I got the impression cycling is a big part of his life and would be very unhappy, if he had to given it up. No doubt in the not so distant future, i will come to the point where a normal bike will become to hard work, and it's great to know there will be the options to be able continue with the invention of Ebikes :=)

 

[roadrash]

good to hear , as you say ,it means he can carry on doing what he enjoys

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I've got a couple of older friends who now use E Bikes, it's lovely that they can keep on pedalling and extend their cycling into their senior years.

 

[Globalti]

Hmmm.... do these E bikes come with tow ropes?

 

[Supersuperleeds]

I ride with some old fellas, to be fair they are fitter and faster than me so they don't need an e bike yet

 

[13 rider]

I ride with some old fellas, to be fair they are fitter and faster than me so they don't need an e bike yet

Is that aimed at me
I know you so well ,saw you posted in this thread and guessed the tone of the reply before reading it

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Is that aimed at me
I know you so well ,saw you posted in this thread and guessed the tone of the reply before reading it

I never mentioned any names

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Is that aimed at me
I know you so well ,saw you posted in this thread and guessed the tone of the reply before reading it

The only time I've met you you were on a hybrid and you're pace was a bit lively even then.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

A number of riders on this forum rides e bikes and it is great they can use them to keep up with their more able mates.

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good afternoon,

I am definitely a fan of e bikes for those who want them, my only real concern is longevity.

I know that you can get e bikes for £600ish, but £1,500 plus seems to be more likely for a bottom of the range decent bike and a fun one like a Ribble is £2,500 plus.

Having coughed up this much, especially if on a limited income and a bit out of touch with how the bike industry and battery powered devices industry don't seem too concerned about spare parts, the owner may be in for a nasty shock if something breaks or wears out.

Going by the production life of 10 speed Di2 I can easily see someone getting a "bargain" end of range bike, breaking something and being told sorry try ebay for that part as it is no longer available.

Hopefully those e bikes with hub motors such as the Ribble will be easier to keep on the road than say the Pinarrelo Nytro with crankshaft drive, but I wouldn't be surprised to find new hub motors being incompatible with old controls units.

This from Ribble would scare me "Battery has a live expectancy of around 500 charging cycles.", this is towards the optimistic end of Lithium Ion battery recharge cycles which are normally quoted as 300-500 recharge cycles.

This could easily be less than two years and if you are a very keen rider and a bit unlucky as little as 18 months, it would be a quite expensive consumable and possibly a difficult one to fit if battery size changes as it fits within the frame.

Bye

Ian

 

[Blue Hills]

Fair points ian which deserve answers.

Couple of years ago I popped into an ebike shop for a look.

Bod in it very nice but he annoyed the hell out of me when I asked about continued availability of key bits. Essentially he said that in well under ten years (can't remember exact number) folk should expect to scrap their bikes and buy another. And this after he had bigged up the green agenda.

All the best to the 80 year old in the original nice post - long may he stay awheel - fair few other ebike riders way less than 80 of course.

 

[LeetleGreyCells]

I spoke to my aunt the other day. She's 82 and is missing cycling which she's done all her life. My uncle cycled too but now walks with a frame. He misses it too. I suggested they look at e-bikes / e-trikes. My aunt could cycle along on the e-bike with pedal assist, and my uncle on an e-trike because I think the main issue he has is supporting his own weight while walking. An e-trike would take care of that and the pedal assist would help reduce the amount of power he would need through his legs. I suggested they try some from a cycle hire to see how they got on before buying and offered to go along to support. They both really miss cycling and want to get out and about. E-bikes are perfect for this and would make them very happy.

Good afternoon,

I am definitely a fan of e bikes for those who want them, my only real concern is longevity.

I know that you can get e bikes for £600ish, but £1,500 plus seems to be more likely for a bottom of the range decent bike and a fun one like a Ribble is £2,500 plus.

Having coughed up this much, especially if on a limited income and a bit out of touch with how the bike industry and battery powered devices industry don't seem too concerned about spare parts, the owner may be in for a nasty shock if something breaks or wears out.

Going by the production life of 10 speed Di2 I can easily see someone getting a "bargain" end of range bike, breaking something and being told sorry try ebay for that part as it is no longer available.

Hopefully those e bikes with hub motors such as the Ribble will be easier to keep on the road than say the Pinarrelo Nytro with crankshaft drive, but I wouldn't be surprised to find new hub motors being incompatible with old controls units.

This from Ribble would scare me "Battery has a live expectancy of around 500 charging cycles.", this is towards the optimistic end of Lithium Ion battery recharge cycles which are normally quoted as 300-500 recharge cycles.

This could easily be less than two years and if you are a very keen rider and a bit unlucky as little as 18 months, it would be a quite expensive consumable and possibly a difficult one to fit if battery size changes as it fits within the frame.

Bye

Ian

I don't know about on e-bikes, but on mobility scooters the 'battery' that you see is just a container for the actual batteries inside which can be replaced as needed. Some are sealed units, but not all. Does anyone with an e-bike know if this is the same for e-bike batteries?

 

[ColinJ]

I posted a link elsewhere on the forum a week or so back - I'll search for it ...

Found it - ex top pro rider Sean Yates turns to e-bike to keep riding after health scares.

I'll certainly get an e-bike if/when I need one as long as I could afford a decent one (which I couldn't at the moment).

I agree about potential extra costs down the line though. Buying the bike is one thing, but buying multiple expensive batteries is another.

 

[Blue Hills]

I posted a link elsewhere on the forum a week or so back - I'll search for it ...

Found it - ex top pro rider Sean Yates turns to e-bike to keep riding after health scares.

I'll certainly get an e-bike if/when I need one as long as I could afford a decent one (which I couldn't at the moment).

I agree about potential extra costs down the line though. Buying the bike is one thing, but buying multiple expensive batteries is another.

Yes this bothers me - I hate built in obsolescence for all sorts of reasons and I'd keep pedalling in some form rather than let some marketing whizz do that to me. Hoping that by the time I have the need for one of these things the market will have simplified somewhat and it won't be hard to get something with a standardised type battery and control system - quietly optimistic on that front - I won't be going for anything cutting edge.

 

[Pale Rider]

Battery obsolescence can be a problem depending on what you buy.

Bosch undertake to produce spares for their system for at least seven years after they stop making it for original equipment.

My two-year-old Bosch battery is still current (ho-ho) so I can be confident of spares being available for a good while - at a price.

Some of the newer model roadie ebikes have batteries fully integrated into the frame.

Replacement looks more complicated, although I have no experience of it.

Battery service life is another factor.

My first ebike has a battery from 2011 which is still holding as much charge, give or take, as it ever did.

That is a now discontinued Bosch battery, although spares are stil available.

The Bosch motor is no ball of fire, which means it's not harsh on the battery.

A cheap Chinese kit motor could wear out its battery in a couple of years.

Bosch batteries are about £700, but they do seem to last longer than cheaper Chinese batteries, so there may not be a lot in it in terms of 'whole life' costs.