Is the end of the push bike coming?

[Pale Rider]

One thing about electric bikes: how do you keep warm on cold days without spending half your journey time putting on layer after layer? At least cycling warms your body (if not the extremities) up.

There's little practical difference.

You still need to pedal an ebike, and you still need to pedal harder and/or drop a gear or two for hills.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

There's little practical difference.

You still need to pedal an ebike, and you still need to pedal harder and/or drop a gear or two for hills.

Ok, thanks. I thought there'd be more of a difference but no matter.

 

[Pale Rider]

Ok, thanks. I thought there'd be more of a difference but no matter.

There could be, some ebikes have a throttle which means you could ride it like a moped.

But there's not much grunt, so all you could do is bowl along on level ground and you'd sharp burn the motor out anyway.

Ebike power is a bit like riding with a stiff tail wind, makes a hell of a difference, but won't do a lot for you on its own.

 

[RWright]

I am a little surprised there is not an E-bike section at CC yet. I have never seen an E-bike but read about them here at CC once in a while. I do think there is a good chance they become more main stream but I think regular bicycles are here to stay.

 

[Drago]

Not just here to stay, but I think they've yet to have their day.

 

[RWright]

Not just here to stay, but I think they've yet to have their day.

I feel the same.

 

[Davidc]

Don't think there's any chance of e bikes replacing proper ones, but I think the electric bikes are here to stay. If I get to the stage where I can't sensibly ride a real bike I might consider one, in the meantime riding a real one probably helps keep the evil day away

 

[deanE]

I would say that both the number and the proportion of ebikes on the road will increase over the next few years. More people will desert the motor car as a means of commuting and will favour an ebike over a pedal bike. However, a good number of these will also buy a proper bike for recreational use. I think it is good news all round but watch out for the posts about rude ebike riders getting in the way of cyclists.

 

[Davidc]

I would say that both the number and the proportion of ebikes on the road will increase over the next few years. More people will desert the motor car as a means of commuting and will favour an ebike over a pedal bike. However, a good number of these will also buy a proper bike for recreational use. I think it is good news all round but watch out for the posts about rude ebike riders getting in the way of cyclists.

The usual paraphrase of George Orwell comes to mind - 2 wheels good, 4 wheels bad. All motors, electric or petrol, are better mounted on 2 wheels than 4.

(Can't get into 3 wheels 'cos George Orwell didn't mention 3 legged animals!)

 

[tyred]

Having recently tried an e-bike, I didn't enjoy riding it at all and to my surprise, didn't notice it much easier than a bike with touring/MTB gearing.

 

[Pale Rider]

Having recently tried an e-bike, I didn't enjoy riding it at all and to my surprise, didn't notice it much easier than a bike with touring/MTB gearing.

I don't doubt what you say, but it is surprising.

I've ridden several ebikes, and while the quality of the ride of some may not be up to much, the assistance was very noticeable on all of them.

 

[byegad]

I see eBikes as an extra market for manufacturers to use. However the 'humble' push bike has a lot going for it and, as has been already said, it survived the internal combustion engine being added to it, although the Motorcycle market moved away from Cycling, as a child in the 1950s our LBS sold Mopeds, Motorcycles and Bond three wheeler cars!

Some friends added electric assist to their recumbent trikes a couple of years ago and this enabled them, in their 80s to continue to ride with a group. I may well do the same in years to come!

 

[AndyPeace]

What do you think?

http://extraenergy.org/main.php?language=en&category=information&subcateg=99&id=31757

I am slightly offended they compare a bike to a washing machine? I have never drueled over taking my washing machine for a spin! I can see electric bikes being useful, but they are about as likley to replace traditional bikes as the microwave will replace the traditional oven.

 

[tyred]

I don't doubt what you say, but it is surprising.

I've ridden several ebikes, and while the quality of the ride of some may not be up to much, the assistance was very noticeable on all of them.

It was noticeable, but I couldn't help thinking it was mostly because the bike was so impossibly heavy and sluggish in the first place that it was actually required. I couldn't help thinking that I could have ridden the same route on one of my lightweights in a low gear for a similar level of effort, although it may be I'd be going slower doing that.

 

[Pale Rider]

It was noticeable, but I couldn't help thinking it was mostly because the bike was so impossibly heavy and sluggish in the first place that it was actually required. I couldn't help thinking that I could have ridden the same route on one of my lightweights in a low gear for a similar level of effort, although it may be I'd be going slower doing that.

Are you fairly fit?

I can imagine - sadly only imagine - that a fit rider might not see the benefit in the same way.

If you put Bradley on an ebike, the weight of the bike and the extra drag of the motor when it cuts out at 15.5mph would slow him down.