eBikes are going to kill me :)
- Thread starter morrisman
- Start date
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Smokin Joe
Legendary Member
- Location
- Bare headed cyclist, Smoker
I would argue that for the majority of people who cycle they would get more exercise on an E-bike than they would on a conventional machine, simply because they would use it more. We all have those days when we don't feel up to it and the thought of having to deal with hills or headwinds is enough to make us curl up in front of the telly or jump in the car rather than going out on the bike. That must effect the average bike rider even more than it does those of us who are enthusiasts, so the thought of having a bit of electric assistance when it gets tough would swing the balance on many occasions.
To most people, hills are not something that give you a reward but are a bloody nuisance to be endured.
gbb
Legendary Member
- Location
- Peterborough
Its a funny thing, i ride both and i'm not sure which i prefer.
Last week, a lovely 18 mile electric assisted ride, felt fresh when i got back but it still makes you work, its just easier. At one point i found myself veering from one side of the road to the other...just like a 14 year old, just because i was enjoying it so much.I will have averaged 15 mph i suspect with a mix of Eco and Tour mode.
Last night i did a quick 15 miles on my roadbike. It felt quicker....apart from the inclines, but i suspect i'll have done 14.5 mph average but then a portion of it was with a fair head/side wind, but i thoroughly enjoyed it, as much as the e bike but in a different way.
I can't do (or can't be bothered to do) the big mileages anymore, i just get out for an hour and try to enjoy it which is difficult given various problems.
Last week, a lovely 18 mile electric assisted ride, felt fresh when i got back but it still makes you work, its just easier. At one point i found myself veering from one side of the road to the other...just like a 14 year old, just because i was enjoying it so much.I will have averaged 15 mph i suspect with a mix of Eco and Tour mode.
Last night i did a quick 15 miles on my roadbike. It felt quicker....apart from the inclines, but i suspect i'll have done 14.5 mph average but then a portion of it was with a fair head/side wind, but i thoroughly enjoyed it, as much as the e bike but in a different way.
I can't do (or can't be bothered to do) the big mileages anymore, i just get out for an hour and try to enjoy it which is difficult given various problems.
EasyPeez
Veteran
- Location
- Cottingham, East Yorkshire
E-bikes are going to kill you? If you believe some of the rabid guff in the Daily Fail, they're going to kill us all....
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...green-trendy-week-claimed-British-victim.html
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...green-trendy-week-claimed-British-victim.html
youngoldbloke
The older I get, the faster I used to be ...
Rabid ill informed guff just about sums it up. Just what is that bike illustrated BTW? Complete with motorbike headlight just to prove their point.
It isn't just the headlight that is motorcycle inspired. The top tube is fuel tank shaped and the large battery is in a case shaped like an ICE cylinder, it even has the cooling fins on the side.
rualexander
Legendary Member
If it was an unmarked crossroads then there is no rule about giving way to the right.
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
The ebike in the Daily Mail pic is an American brand, the name of which escapes me, but a few were sold over here.
As a responsible ebiker, I could take against that Mail article.
But there's no doubt someone riding an ebike killed a pedestrian, so the safety of ebikes is a valid question to raise.
It could be done more tactfully, but ebikes are only getting the same scrutiny now as single speed/fixed/hipster bikes did after the Charlie Alliston case.
As a responsible ebiker, I could take against that Mail article.
But there's no doubt someone riding an ebike killed a pedestrian, so the safety of ebikes is a valid question to raise.
It could be done more tactfully, but ebikes are only getting the same scrutiny now as single speed/fixed/hipster bikes did after the Charlie Alliston case.
EasyPeez
Veteran
- Location
- Cottingham, East Yorkshire
Fair point.
The scrutiny is perfectly valid of course. What I object to though is the prejudiced bias that comes through within this scrutiny, and especially the pervasive use of inflammatory language.
They use it as a way of drip-feeding hatred into the reader's subconscious. This is not a new phenomenon of course, nor one restricted to UK journalism, nor to the right-wing press. But for me the Mail always seems particularly full of this nastiness.
'Silent killer', 'knocked violently to the ground', 'e-bikes have...brought mayhem and a growing toll of injury and death', 'a real danger', 'the rise of the e-bike is potentially bad news for our streets', 'a new giant breed of bikes now on our streets...particularly threatening', 'an invasion', 'deadly risk', 'the laws which govern - or fail to govern - cyclists in Britain', 'the silent new machines can be just as deadly ad the cars they are intended to replace'.
I mean, come on!!?
Maybe it's just me that's weak-minded, but if I didn't know what an e-bike was and didn't have cyclists for friends I'd quite possibly come away from that thinking that anyone riding a bike was an irresponsible street-anarchist and e-bikes were some kind of conveyance of Armageddon - an uncontrollable hybrid of a motorbike and a t-800 android!
It was undoubtedly bad journalism in that DM article and could have been reported much more fairly and accurately. But it does touch on the fact that many legal Ebikes can be made non road legal. It should be realised that in fact most of them can be, if not with a dongle, then simply through the display.
These non road legal Ebikes are far more widespread than the meda realise, and not just the dongled ones, you can buy stupidly powerful kits or ready made non road legal Ebikes. I've started to think that this could be a serious threat to the freedoms that us law abiding Ebike riders currently enjoy.
How long before the media and then the authorities start taking a serious interest in Ebikes...... and imposing restrictions where we can ride them.
These non road legal Ebikes are far more widespread than the meda realise, and not just the dongled ones, you can buy stupidly powerful kits or ready made non road legal Ebikes. I've started to think that this could be a serious threat to the freedoms that us law abiding Ebike riders currently enjoy.
How long before the media and then the authorities start taking a serious interest in Ebikes...... and imposing restrictions where we can ride them.
youngoldbloke
The older I get, the faster I used to be ...
- but it must have taken some searching to find that particular picture - especially as it has been widely reported that a Specialized bike was involved. I believe there is doubt as to whether 'someone riding a bike killed a pedestrian'. Sadly a pedestrian died after walking into a person riding an ebike, which is somewhat different I think.
youngoldbloke
The older I get, the faster I used to be ...
- I should have said 'but it must have been a very deliberate choice to use that particular picture' as it was quite easy to find 'Tracker' bikes online
Pale Rider
Legendary Member
A fair view would be the pedestrian ran out in front of the cyclist - very similar to Charlie Alliston's case.
Another similarity is that illegality of the bike (possible illegality in the ebike case) has very little to do with it.
Evidence in Alliston's trial was the presence of a brake would have made no difference to the impact.
In this case, it seems the speed and weight of the bike did the damage, but the bike wasn't going that fast so whether it was a legal or illegal ebike probably made no difference.
Even as ebikers, we may have to accept the relatively silent running of a bike of that weight at that speed raises questions of safety.
Smokin Joe
Legendary Member
- Location
- Bare headed cyclist, Smoker
E-bikes don't need to cost the earth, this one looks pretty good according to the reviews and it comes in at under a grand.
https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bi...e-mens-electric-mountain-bike-16-18-20-frames
Judging from the comments it has also got a lot of people who wouldn't normally ride a bike to become regular riders, something that should please those who want to see more cyclists on the roads. Halfords prices start as low as £650, which shows how low both those and more appealing machines could go if they continue to catch on.
https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bi...e-mens-electric-mountain-bike-16-18-20-frames
Judging from the comments it has also got a lot of people who wouldn't normally ride a bike to become regular riders, something that should please those who want to see more cyclists on the roads. Halfords prices start as low as £650, which shows how low both those and more appealing machines could go if they continue to catch on.
