Ribble Endurance ALe Sport for commuting - Part 1 - Buyer's Remorse whilst waiting for delivery

[IanSmithCSE]

Good morning,

Just before Cristmas , 24th Dec I ordered an e bike to use for my commute, 18 miles each way 5 days a week, 48 weeks a year for the last two years. This doesn't sound much but day in, day out it seems to eat into recovery in a very different way to a single 36 miles ride and it also makes other activities tough, so I am hoping that the ebike will make the rides just that little bit easier.

At £1,999 the Ribble seems a bargain at current maket prices, I did almost buy one a year ago when they were on offer at £1,600 but didn't.

Having placed the order and awaiting delivery I have resumed the commute on the me powered bike, I also put Di2 onto the rear and I need to order a band for the front mech and did a bit of a temporary job on the cabling until I can work out how to do it properly, more tape was needed.




Also just before Christmas I experimented a bit with the train which gave me the opportunity to do a few really hard 7 mile rides in the morning and after two weeks off over christmas where I did no exercise other than one half marathon (run) and a 10 mile flat out blast I am wondering if it was a waste of money.

Unless the weather is really bad my average commute speed is 14-18mph so around or over the cut off speed but I was hoping to make the whole ride "flat" with the aide of the motor.

I don't know whether it was the rest or the extra effort in the short morning rides, but the hills all seem to have "disappeared" and I can't see the point in the ebike!

Yestersday and rather surprisingly I got an email from Ribble saying that it has been shipped and should be with me on Tuesay, so at least I don't have many days to fret over it. Will it be a revalation or appear on the For Sales pages?

Bye

Ian

 

[Slick]

It just depends on so many things.

I bought an ebike very recently for various reasons, like it was a bargain, for fun, to explore areas I would maybe tend to avoid, multi day tours and also to help me get back in to cycling in general.

I think it helps with all of the above, but as I cycle mostly just above the cut off speed, I find myself working harder to power what is essentially quite a heavy machine with tractor tyres fitted. Personally, I'm OK with that at the moment as I'm just use those spells to try and increase my own fitness but in general the ebike only helps on the hills but you pay a price on the flat and even on the descent as there is quite a drag on the motor.

Just my initial feeling, but I'm still glad I bought it, as its all about choices for me but it doesn't replace the me powered bikes I already have.

 

[IanSmithCSE]

Good morning,

...... but as I cycle mostly just above the cut off speed, I find myself working harder to power what is essentially quite a heavy machine....

That bit really summarises my worry...... but I will find out soon enough and the Ribble is only 30ish lbs with 700x28.

So I have gone back to the weight of my first 1x5 Raleigh Shadow "racer" and that was fast, coming from a Raleigh Hustler with a 3 speed SA hub.

Bye

Ian

 

[Slick]

Good morning,

That bit really summarises my worry...... but I will find out soon enough and the Ribble is only 30ish lbs with 700x28.

So I have gone back to the weight of my first 1x5 Raleigh Shadow "racer" and that was fast, coming from a Raleigh Hustler with a 3 speed SA hub.

Bye

Ian

I suspect you will enjoy it even if it just means you have more in the tank for the weekend rides.

 

[steveindenmark]

I have a 40km round trip commute all year round just like you.

I also bought an ebike. Mainly to help with winter commutes. I doubt if you will regret it at all

I still ride my other bikes a lot. But the ebike takes a lot of the strain off and I am actually riding more.

You will see it was a good decision.

 

[wafter]

Personally wouldn't entertain the idea of an ebike, however I don't really have an application for one..

In theory I could use one to augment a full-bike-commute (around 25 miles one-way on the roads less likely to kill me) instead of the 13 miles car / 8 miles on the folder I currently do.. however assuming it was to up my typical mean speed from circa 12.5mph to the 15.5mph max. assisted speed it would still be over 1.5hrs each way compared to the hour-ish total journey time currently, with 35-40min of that being cycling.

So, for my circumstances that distance daily remains a step (or two!) too far and would struggle to justify the costs and other drawbacks.

All that said, for your application it sounds like a more viable proposition - you've evidently got a good level of fitness to be able to do that ride consistently (tbh 16 miles total three days a week knackers me) but I don't blame you for wanting to make it a bit easier.

I guess only time will tell - fingers' crossed it pans out to be the right decision

 

[Jameshow]

It just depends on so many things.

I bought an ebike very recently for various reasons, like it was a bargain, for fun, to explore areas I would maybe tend to avoid, multi day tours and also to help me get back in to cycling in general.

I think it helps with all of the above, but as I cycle mostly just above the cut off speed, I find myself working harder to power what is essentially quite a heavy machine with tractor tyres fitted. Personally, I'm OK with that at the moment as I'm just use those spells to try and increase my own fitness but in general the ebike only helps on the hills but you pay a price on the flat and even on the descent as there is quite a drag on the motor.

Just my initial feeling, but I'm still glad I bought it, as its all about choices for me but it doesn't replace the me powered bikes I already have.

Would a change to lighter tyres not help perhaps in the spring?

 

[Pgd]

Hi Ian,
I have no particular opinions on ebikes, but I did my first commute since late November this week and, like you, felt really refreshed and strong. So I'm sure you'll be glad of the assistance in a few months' time when it starts to grind you down again. Good luck either way!

 

[Dadam]

Looking at your average speed to decide how much the ebike will help is misleading. The average is obviously composed of time spent faster and time spent slower. It will boost the average quite a lot in hilly rides by means of faster climbs, and not as much on flatter ones.

I don’t find any noticeable motor drag on my Gain. There is a tiny bit as the rear wheel will spin down slightly faster when on a stand than a normal bike, but it’s not at all noticeable on a ride. Clearly there’s extra weight to accelerate but there‘s no penalty I can feel maintaining a speed over the cutoff on the flat.

 

[Slick]

Would a change to lighter tyres not help perhaps in the spring?

Yeah, probably would but I don't think I will as I'm reasonably comfortable with the set up at the moment and use it to make sure I still get the opportunity to put a bit of effort in.

I wasn't complaining about my own set up or bemoaning ebikes, just trying to be honest about the pros and cons of having one.