E-bike comparo with road bike in Dolomites

[eddief]

Just for fun. I wonder when I'll need one / want one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8tV8cWeY3Y

[kookmyers]

Went and test rode Trek's new e commuter bike this weekend. It was fun but I don't see myself on one quite yet. If / when I do, I think it will replace my regular bike.
I did go faster than I have ever gone by myself. I hit 49.8 on a downhill with a slight tailwind. Fastest ive gone otherwise is a bit over 40.

I really should have done the same route on my bike considering I had it there and would have had the same conditions to compare.

[Mr. Pink]

Ha. I was just researching that exact ride. Thanks for the YouTube.

[rounder]

I don't need one or want one. But just was wondering.

If a regular guy were to ride an Ebike (like a Giant or other Ebike), what chance would the regular guy have of winning the Tour de France or any of the stages.

[kookmyers]

I'd love to see someone try. With a support van carrying charged batteries, I have to think Joe regular would win.
I just posed the question to my GF and she said I wouldn't win. Nice.

[rrudoff]

Quoting from Bike Radar Review from Giant Website:

The main Horn (Kitzbuehl) segment on Strava is 6.7km long and climbs 851 vertical metres, making for an average gradient of 13 percent. Average. At its steepest it’s around 22 percent. The fastest ascent of the this serpentine strip of tarmac is credited to Spanish professional rider Victor de la Parte, who managed it in an astonishing 27 minutes and 57 seconds. According to the ride file I uploaded that magical day, I’d just done it exactly nine minutes faster, at an average speed of just over 21km/h.

Reviewer took 55 mins on a regular bike the next day-so I think the answer is you would have a good chance of winning a climbing stage etc.

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/articl...-review-47443/

[rounder]

Thanks.

On our club rides, there is a guy who had been going through knee surgeries who has been riding a Giant Ebike, because that is what he can do.

For the most part, the bike looks clunky but otherwise looks like a regular rider. But, on hills he blows us away...like there is a motor in it.

[Mr. Pink]

Should start saving for my 75th birthday.

[KidWok]

I ride a Class 3 e-bike year-round as my main source of transportation. I only have 35 Nm of torque and I don't use it all because I'm usually in Eco mode. I lead a weekly hills/power workout ride on Tuesday nights and have brought it out a few times when my legs are still spent from a long ride the weekend before. Even 35 Nm is damn nice...I can't imagine what it would be like to have 80.

Can't say I'm a huge fan of mid-drive e-bikes, at least in theory. All that torque likely wears out chainrings, chains, and cassettes quicker. My e-bike has a motor hub and I only recently replaced the chain at about 3,600 miles.

Having an e-bike has been wonderful for my road cycling. Normally I would gain about 10 lbs during the winter from doing less road rides here in rainy PNW. I got the e-bike in April of 2016, right before major road closures made driving hell, and this was the first winter I had it, which was also the wettest winter on record in a long time. I added a rain guard on the handlebars to keep my hands dry and engineered some long mudflaps (water does very different things at 25mph). Combined with rain gear head-to-toe, I was happily riding through the winter. When I started getting out on my road bike a couple of months ago, I was the leanest I've been in years (6'2" 190 lbs) and had a nice base level of fitness, even though I was lacking in power. I've since gained a few pounds as I've developed more power.

I'm not a weak cyclist or an old one. I think the notion that e-bikes are for old folks or slower cyclists is a bit contemptuous...as if people who use them need some help or need to be looked down upon. As I go about my own business commuting to work, its always the lycra clad male roadies that get bent out of shape as I pass them. Some start drafting me without asking or line up next to me to "race" me off the line. Some go so far as to call me a cheater! Dude...I'm dressed in business casual work wear and clearly commuting to/from work! Talk about fragile egos.

My e-bike has 80% replaced my car and it has done so in an incredibly cost-effective way, while also improving my general health and happiness ('cus I even enjoy riding it even in the rain). Over a year later, I still have a big $#!+-eating grin every time I swing a leg over it...it's just fun. On the weekends, I still get out for long rides on my road bike and it hasn't made me any less of a road cyclist.



Tai

[a4racer]

for an e-bike, does the motor drive the crank, or does the motor drive the chain? Is it like a fixie--if the motor is on and driving the crank, you have to be pedalling (albeit with much less required force), or could you basically coast, uphill (if the motor drives the chain, not the cranks).

How does it feel--ie: if you are pedalling, and stop, does the motor automatically stop? I would presume that would have to be the case.

I guess I could figure all of this out in about 30s by trying one out...hahaha!

[KidWok]

Originally Posted by a4racer

for an e-bike, does the motor drive the crank, or does the motor drive the chain? Is it like a fixie--if the motor is on and driving the crank, you have to be pedalling (albeit with much less required force), or could you basically coast, uphill (if the motor drives the chain, not the cranks).

How does it feel--ie: if you are pedalling, and stop, does the motor automatically stop? I would presume that would have to be the case.

I guess I could figure all of this out in about 30s by trying one out...hahaha!

There are a lot of different types of e-bikes that work differently. For pedal-assist (Class 1 and Class 3), they typically have a torque sensor built in that measures the output of the cyclist and then amplifies that according to several different presets levels, usually called eco, sport, turbo, power, etc. When you stop pedaling, then the motor assist cuts off as well. In all cases, there is some coasting/freewheeling mechanism and they are not "fixed"...that would be scary!

With a mid-drive, the torque sensors and motor are built into the bottom bracket area and the power is delivered at the cranks and transferred via chain.

Rear hub drives usually have the torque sensor built into the frame, usually the DS dropout, and the motor built into the hub. The motor provides the power after the torque sensor measures power delivered by the rider via the chain, so there is a lot less wear and tear on the drivetrain.

Some bikes also have a throttle feature, or some hack to activate it. This would allow you to just motor along without pedaling. Class 2 bikes are only throttled with no pedal assist.

Most pedal-assist e-bikes are designed to be fairly intuitive for cyclists. You should just be able to hop on and ride as you normally would. The measurement and amplification of the rider's power should feel just like you have some really amazing legs. And I guess that's one of the drawbacks of riding an e-bike is that you get used to that sensation. Sometimes I push down the pedals on my road bike at the beginning of a ride and miss that motor push and acceleration.

There are kits from BionX and other companies that allow you to add a motor-hub to your bike, but I feel like they are compromised solutions. The frame might not be built to take the additional torque of the motor. Carrying the additional weight of the battery/motor at higher speeds will also subject the frame to greater stress that it might not be designed to take. With greater speed and weight, you also need bigger (think DH) brakes. Handling of an e-bike is optimized for much higher speeds. Bigger tires or some form of suspension is a MUST. A few months after I started riding my e-bike, I noticed my left testicle was always a bit achy. I was worried that I might have testicular cancer or something. Turns out, it was just because the left one hangs lower and it was getting whacked by the saddle. A 70 lb weight displacing 1/4" into one's testicles is a LOT more force than a 20 lb weight. I had to change my riding style to stand up more when I saw road construction ahead.

My dream setup would be a Pinion belt-drive with a rear motor hub.

Tai

[Ralph]

Your Stromer is a top brand.

[classtimesailer]

When the choice is wheelchair or electric bicycle, then I will choose. My wife says that she will divorce me if I get a motorcycle but they look like fun. I had a moped for awhile but the authorities made me get a license and insurance and that took the fun out of it.

[Bentley]

Originally Posted by kookmyers

I'd love to see someone try. With a support van carrying charged batteries, I have to think Joe regular would win.
I just posed the question to my GF and she said I wouldn't win. Nice.

Zero, every stage is longer than the battery life, the bike is heavy and you would get crushed, unless of course you get a "fecal transplant"

😄😄

Ray

[Pelican]

Originally Posted by eddief

Just for fun. I wonder when I'll need one / want one?

As soon as you try one! We're in SF if you'd like to demo a Karmic.

I can see Tai loves his Stromer, but mid-motors are the future. Yes there is added wear on the chain and cassette, but that's a small trade-off for how much more fun you'll have.