E-bikes and exercise intensity

[XXtwindad]

Haha. This just popped up in my inbox. Timing is everything.

https://www.bikemag.com/news/equestr...5394951a47629a

[fa63]

Originally Posted by XXtwindad

But for me, climbing up hills in not about suffering. Or racing. It's about clearing my head and giving me balance. It's my Zen. Life slows down for me when I'm on my bike.

It would seem logical that an eBike might be the antithesis of that. It has the capability to go much faster, after all. If I could go 25 MPH on a bike, why would I go ten MPH? That just seems to be a matter of human nature.

Does eBiking provide the same amount of mental satisfaction? I'd like to hear from any Forum members who have used an eBike for longer recreational rides.

I am not a recreational e-biker (I commute on one), but I will give my perspective. Here in North Georgia, we have beautiful mountain climbs all over the place. I do these regularly on my "acoustic" bike, and there are many sections where it is more about survival (for me at least) than clearing the head and enjoying the scenery (Hogpen Gap, for example).

With an e-bike, a ride in the mountains could be a lot more enjoyable. Instead of pure suffering on the climbs, I could actually clear my head and enjoy the beautiful views :-) Not always, because there are times when I actually enjoy suffering a bit, but it would be a nice break from time to time.

Also, with something like the ebikemotion hub motor, you can dial the assist way down to the point where it only gives you enough to offset the additional mass of the system. Then you can up the assist to make the super steep sections more manageable.

I have been eyeing an Orbea Gain for a while for this reason, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. I wouldn't sell my acoustic bike for that; it would be an addition to the stable.

[Ralph]

When you talk about E bikes….I think it's important to acknowledge there are several different levels of E bike power. And I understand that E MTN bikes may need more power than paved trail use.

Most of the ones on the paved trails my wife rides....are 250 Watt E assist only. No throttle. Top speed about 19-20 MPH. And it's not easy to get them to 20 MPH around here.

Some of these 500 watt and over E bikes with throttles seem more like motorcycles to me. Some have a top speed with throttles that make them into a totally different kind of bike.

[Burnette]

Originally Posted by Ralph

When you talk about E bikes….I think it's important to acknowledge there are several different levels of E bike power. And I understand that E MTN bikes may need more power than others.

Most of the ones on the paved trails my wife rides....are 250 Watt E assist only. No throttle. Top speed about 19-20 MPH. And it's not easy to get them to 20 MPH around here.

Some of these 500 watt and over E bikes with throttles seem more like motorcycles to me.

Can the ebikes with throttles spin the rear tire at will for distance? Or are they just quicker and have a higher top speed than the lower watt bikes?

[fa63]

Originally Posted by Burnette

Can the ebikes with throttles spin the rear tire at will for distance? Or are they just quicker and have a higher top speed than the lower watt bikes?

There is no tire spinning Also, the throttle cuts out at 20 mph. If you want to go faster than that, you have to pedal. Class 3 e-bikes cut off assist completely at 28 mph.

[Burnette]

Originally Posted by fa63

There is no tire spinning Also, the throttle cuts out at 20 mph. If you want to go faster than that, you have to pedal. Class 3 e-bikes cut off assist completely at 28 mph.

It's funny but I'm a zinger, I would try to turn mountain biking into road biking. Friends would meet up at a trail and I would eventually gravitate to the fire road section and fly, having a ball, zing zing zing!. They would get me back to the technical stuff but I preferred the speed of the gravel roads.

I'm a light weight (135lbs to 145lbs depending on ice cream intake), my mountain bike weighs (which I gave to my sister because I didn't ride it much and I secretly hope she gets hooked and gets a road bike someday) something over twenty pounds and it's a hard tail. The technical trails gave me a full body workout, working the bike over obstacles.

Some Ebike mountain bikes are awfully heavy, do you feel that heft on the slow, technical directional change sections?

[fried bake]

I’ve thought about putting a power meter on my ebike just to understand what are the actual levels of assist (there are three) on my Orbea gain. However, that’s unlikely, as it’s damn expensive bike to begin with.

I have actually realized the limits of my and the bikes combined power on a 15% gradient but there are many factors beyond pure power to consider (gearing for one) and the fact that I cant get my heart rate above 150 for any sustained period.

Still, I ride more hills and feel much fresher (duh) afterward so the effort is clearly less. However the corollary is I ride more (typically each ride and over a given time period) and feel much more fit overall than when I rode exclusively analog.





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