Thinking of getting a emtb

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

My bike shop man said, 'get an e-mtb, they will go anywhere. Anything else might limit where you can go and the batteries and motors are so good these days (generally) that you can ride on roads quite happily with the thick tyres.'
I took that advice and after 2 / 3 years agree with him.
If I'm doing an exclusively road ride, I pop a bit more air in the tyres - which I THINK helps.

Less rolling resistance at higher pressures.

I've just put my Marathon Supremes on my egravel, replacing the Nanos, that are a bit overkill for my normal rides until now spring through to autumn on moderate-rough lanes. Plus they should roll easier, meaning I get more distance for my limited 250Wh battery on the Mahle X35.

GT eGrade Bolt from Pauls Cycles for £1249, they also have the flat bar Current for £1049 and the Amp for £1449.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Less rolling resistance at higher pressures.

Sort of, but only on very smooth tarmac or a velodrome . On normal roads you’ll find there’s quite a wide range of pressures where you’ll trundle along at the same averages. But higher pressures will certainly make your fillings rattle more.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Sort of, but only on very smooth tarmac or a velodrome . On normal roads you’ll find there’s quite a wide range of pressures where you’ll trundle along at the same averages. But higher pressures will certainly make your fillings rattle more.

I find that if my tyres have dropped a bit in pressure then my bike becomes a lot easier to pedal when I notice and pump them back up to normal

Of course - I have just spent a few minutes pumping them up
so it could be because I expect it to be!

 

[Gwylan]

I find that if my tyres have dropped a bit in pressure then my bike becomes a lot easier to pedal when I notice and pump them back up to normal

Of course - I have just spent a few minutes pumping them up
so it could be because I expect it to be!

Action expects a reaction too.

 

[CXRAndy]

British roads are in general terrible in quality. Have a wider tyre with slightly lower pressure will be rewarded in better rolling resistance.

The only time I have gone with very high pressures is riding in Tenerife where most of the roads , especially up to the top of Teide are fantastic and smooth.

 

[RumbaAzul]

are they a 2023 model - and if so how old is the battery - they don;t like sitting around doing nothing for too long??

Not really if the battery hasn't been initialised/used.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Not really if the battery hasn't been initialised/used.

Is this true??

I have come across a couple of batteries in Halfords that are totally dead and I assumed they were old stock and just hadn;t been kept charged (this was a long time ago so they have probably changed their procedures)

what do they have to do to start them off??

 

[CXRAndy]

Is this true??

I have come across a couple of batteries in Halfords that are totally dead and I assumed they were old stock and just hadn;t been kept charged (this was a long time ago so they have probably changed their procedures)

what do they have to do to start them off??

Sometimes the BMS goes into a sleep mode and can be difficult to wake up if not impossible. Only by opening up the battery and checking the cells to see if they still have above minimum voltage will you know if the BMS can either awoken or replaced

https://cellsaviors.com/blog/wake-up-bms

 

[sevenfourate]

I tried my first / only ever Electric bike last night at my LBS. It was a fully legal pedal assist. And in Turbo mode. I THINK it was a 45kw (?) motor. And supposedly had a 40 mile range.

And I thought it was gutless. Slower than me peddling with not much gusto. And the range is less than I’m currently able to do too. At a slower speed.

I then tried a more powerful (Albeit ladies) bike with a Torque sensor. Whilst I could feel a tiny bit more oomph - as above still applies pretty much. So it wasn’t enthralling / fun / smile inducing from a power point of view……

So for me at this point - I see no advantage in riding on anything like ‘on road’. And felt super heavy - so I’m not sure how either would ‘improve my range’ - as pedalling once the battery had died would be a nightmare.

Maybe the only way I’d consider one right now: would be an Electric full-suspension eMTB for some off-road / Winter fun ?

Maybe I’ve missed the point. Maybe I’m not the intended user. Maybe I’m stuck in my now ancient ways. But that’s how it went down for me. At this point in time….

 

[ColinJ]

Maybe I’ve missed the point. Maybe I’m not the intended user. Maybe I’m stuck in my now ancient ways. But that’s how it went down for me. At this point in time….

You haven't got big hills round you!!

I can easily burn off the fittest riders on flat roads if they are using legal e-bikes on assist.

Steep hills are an entirely different matter..

If I lived up 'on the tops' rather than down in the valley I would definitely get an ebike for trips to the shops. (I don't drive and no way would I cycle up long 10-20% climbs carrying a rucksack with 10 kg of shopping in it! )

I grovelled up one such climb in the summer and was overtaken by a couple of women on ebikes who were chattering away and pedalling easily. I didn't see what machines they were riding but they looked very good and obviously had a lot of oomph. I'm fairly sure that they had mid-bike motors rather than the rear wheel type.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

You haven't got big hills round you!!

I can easily burn off the fittest riders on flat roads if they are using legal e-bikes on assist.

Steep hills are an entirely different matter..

Exactly
The motor cut is set to 15.5 mph (ish)

and if I am on the same road as a "proper cyclist" then they will pass me easily

but normal people on bike are often slower than I am - if only by a few mph
I generally slow down a bit and stay behind them - even though I generally ride in Eco mode

There was a funny thing on a very good cycle path going towards Warrington.
It si quite long and flat and I went over a junction and started on the next long bit
When I got to the end a bloke (mid twenties) pulled up alongside me while I was waiting for the lights to change
he looked at my bike and said
"Thank God for that - it's an ebike - I have been trying to catch you for ages!!!"

I didn;t have the heart to mention that I had been doing 17-19 mph the whole way so the motor was off!!!


but yes - a decent cyclist on a decent bike will always pass a legal ebike of a flat road

 

[sevenfourate]

You haven't got big hills round you!!

True Dat ! But:

There's no Mountains in Chelsea. Don't stop modern Yuppies and Posh Mummies driving Range Rovers........

 

[SteveH80]

As a strong cyclist you're not the intended target.
Target 1 - commuters that don't want to get to work sweating and stinking.
Target 2 - lunatic MTB'ers who want to get to the top ASAP so they can throw themselves off the top again.
Target 3 - folks who aren't as fit as they could be, or used to be, who still want to cycle.
Target 4 - idle gits like myself that like a push up those big hills.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Target 5 - people with sme sort of illness that might not be able to get the whole way round a ride every time and want som extra kick to help them get home if something starts feeling iffy

e.g. asthma like me

 

[teeonethousand]

I have rented an EMTB…one time a Full Suss and the other a Hardtail. Both times we had a day I simply could not have done on my gravel bike. Mainly off road tracks so cruising speed was typically below cut off and typically low/no assist on flatish. Lots and lots of hills and dodgy surfaces. I loved it and have plans to do it again but would not buy one. For the times I want that type of riding it is cheaper to rent.