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Hey all, I trail I ride often is getting popular with these "e-motocross" bikes. It's in a nature reserve, single path etc. and can get quiet hairy with them zooming past. We've confronted them about the issue and their defence is "it's just an ebike and ebikes are allowed". I'm not too sure what to do. Is there some formal definition of what is an e-bicycle vs an e-motocross bike that we can clearly state on the rules?

Hi. I am evaluating the purchase of an ebike for myself. I would like rent one or try it out for a period of time before hand. I am based in JHB. Any recommendations.

I recently discovered an old friend had moved into my area. He's always been an avid cyclist, so we've been getting together for some awesome rides around Durbanville. He has both a *normal* bike and a very high-spec Specialized eBike. When he's on a *normal* bike the ride is long and decent and comfortable for me... but when he's on his eBike, even with it on the eco mode, it's a hard workout. This isn't bad, in fact it's great, but I'm not always capable of doing that kind of ride and part of me thinks that perhaps it's time for an eBike. I don't expect him to ride his normal bike (if you've got it, flaunt it) and I feel like the time is coming where if I want to ride with people I may need to have the option of an eBike. There's no way I'd be able to keep up with an eBike if the rider went for it. My multiple personalities don't all agree that an eBike is a good idea, but that's a whole story on its own. In the Specialized range, a reasonable crossover of price/value seems to be the non-SL aluminium Turbo Levo. They've got 500Wh batteries, which seems substantial, especially if combined with an addon water-bottle battery, something *like* this one from the classifieds: https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/dual-suspension-mountain-e-bikes/419663/2020-specialized-turbo-levo The one above is bleh though because it is fitted with a SRAM NX 11 speed (!?) cassette, which seems crazy. So the question is: - If I currently ride a carbon fibre dual-suspension normal bike (around 13kg in weight, I'm around 89 kg = 103 kg all up) and can produce 250w comfortably and continuously, would a Specialized Alu eBike (non-SL) level the field when riding with other eBikes? A 250w eBike at maximum output, plus 250w from me is 500w over two hours, which is decent, but that's going into extra weight: Alu non-SL is ~21kg, so all up weight of 110kg aka extra 100% power at an extra 10% of the weight. And then there's also the question of second-hand vs new; one seems to save around R 20k on the latest bikes if you go second-hand. But I think this kills the warranty? I suppose this is about accessibility and leveling the playing field. Thanks!

I've being contemplating converting my commuter bike to an ebike for a while now and have decided to go for it, but before I did I wanted to try another bike with the same conversion. So I toodle off to my local LBS that sometimes does this kind of conversion and arrange to take a converted bike for a ride. In all honesty I was a bit disappointed. I couldn't feel any pedal assist at all and no amount of tinkering with the settings solved my problem. When I was on a flat road I could feel something there helping me (modestly) but when the road turned up it was as if the motor stopped working and the only pedal assist was coming from my imagination trying desperately to find some kind of boost. Was I doing something wrong that the pedal assist wasn't working for me or was there an issue with the test bicycle? Has anybody on this forum done this kind of thing and can give me some feedback because I'm in a bit of a quandary. If the videos on you tube and on the various websites are to be believed than doing this conversion is easier than making omelettes for breakfast and twice as tasty.

Is it now completely acceptable that e-bikes are considered a Bicycle and allowed in Cycle Races? I think they should banned from Cycle Races and given an event just for them. I won't mention names but 2 riders switched bikes (one e-bike and the other on a road bike) in the 99er, yes you know who you are. So how is this a fair result even if it's just a fun ride. I mean why then complain when Cyclist draft a truck or bus, it's then just a fun ride.

The Haibike HardSeven SL makes use of a Yamaha electric motor to assist your pedal stroke. In all other respects, the bike is a normal mountain bike. But does it ride like a mountain bike? Watch our review to find out. Click here to view the article

Giant entered the mountain bike e-bike market with two distinct models. The Full-E a 130mm rear and 140mm front dual suspension bike and the Dirt-E hardtail. Click here to view the article

A pedal-assist concept mountain bike at BMC Switzerland’s Eurobike booth reveals yet another project that has been cooking at its Impec Lab. Despite its futuristic appearance, the bike is a realistic interpretation of what will be seen from the brand in 2017 and shows riders what BMC thinks e-mountain biking should be all about - the ride experience. Click here to view the article

At Trek World, Trek's annual retailer show in Madison, Wisconsin, the company unveiled Powerfly, a new line of full suspension and hardtail pedal-assist mountain bikes. Powerfly's North American release builds on what has quickly become one of Trek's most popular bike lines in Europe. Powerfly will allow everyone to experience more of what makes mountain biking great, letting more riders go farther, ride more often, and tackle more challenging terrain. Click here to view the article

In the early days of mountain biking, riders were forced to settle for products that had been designed for use on road bikes. Modifications were made, but the roots of the design were not completely purpose built, not mountain biking specific. Suspension got better and frame design improved. We began to question the conventional wisdom—challenge the old design ideas that limit what can be done to push the sport into the future. SRAM 1x technology was an incredible step forward for the mountain bike drivetrain, and has had a profound effect on not only the way bikes are designed but also the way people ride them. Click here to view the article

Hi all, Does anyone have any first hand experience or views on Giant's e-bikes? For some background, my wife had a stroke a couple of years ago, so she is not allowed to do any strenuous exercise as a result of the medication she is on. So we go for the occasional ride, but as an example a 5k trail ride would take between 30-35mins so we keep heart rate in check. This weekend rented an e-bike and we could do the same ride in like 22 mins keeping heart rate in check and do the trail twice. So I am looking at the Giant Stance, based on online specs, some reviews and the brand itself. But at the price point, I want to make sure I get the best bang for my buck in terms of performance, reliability, backup and obviously current stock availability of bikes in general. Much appreciated.

Hi all I'm new to e-bikes, is there a specific e-bike forum? I have done a few Cape Town Cycle Tours but want to do it on an e-bike next year, is second batteries allowed?

So right at the very very bottom of hoegekraal my bosh ebike started throwing a 504 error. Which is related to speed sensor and governance. Awesome feature Bosch, thnaks really enjoyed the 4 hour push up a mountain From my research I established its a know issue for the firmware version However I also discovered that because it has the purion display and not the new smart hub system it is not possible to connect to an app ( such a sick feature on a R120k bike right?, something the don't tell you when you purchase the bike). Is there someone that can help me with this or does anyone in Cape Town area know of a dealer that can do the update? TIA

Good morning! If you have an eBike with a Yamaha Motor System (any of the PW series motors), please get in touch with me. We are looking for some bikes with these specific motor systems, NOT the Sync Drive from Giant. Cheers Ben

Hi. I am interested in starting to ride. Particularly for daily campus commute in the city and it would be nice to use the same bike for leisure otherwise (not too hard trails etc). I've seen the Raleigh Volt 24" e bike on sale and yet I've seen people saying not to buy raleighs or bikes from makro/game on this website? I used to ride when I was a kid (had one of those BMX bikes with reverse brakes for many years...a raleigh which held up well). Since then it's only been hiring bikes on holiday once in a while. I am not fit at all but I am young and do quite a bit of walking. I am about 60kg and 175-180cm tall (and wear size 11s...dk if that affects bike riding). Not fit at all (7 minutes of indoor football has me finished). It's a major reason I'd prefer an e bike. Campus is about 5km away...it's a 40 min walk and a 10-15 min drive. It is near the city centre so regardless of the bike safety is an issue. I'm also an unemployed student. Both these reasons have me wanting a bike that is cheaper. Also I might be carrying heavy textbooks in a backpack/on a rack at the back so weight might increase even above 80kg. I wanted to know if the Raleigh Volt 24" e bike is a worthwhile buy. Both for my size/weight and long term use. Daily commute plus occasional trails. There's another Raleigh e bike called the Glide (29") that's usually cheaper but rn the Volt 24" is on sale. Anyone used Raleigh e bikes? (these 2 and Volt 29" as they seem to be of similiar build and are the only ones available in SA...there's much nicer ones overseas) . I've seen people talking quite negatively about them on this forum but I don't think they've even used them. If anyone has ridden them or knows of someone who has please tell me if I will be wasting my money or is it a worthwhile investment. I'd love for it to last me years but honestly I'd be content if it holds up perfectly for over a year of daily use. I'd also need it to be comfortable enough especially with added textbook weight and not give me any problems to fix. Please assist.

Hi all, Im looking for a replacement charger option for Titan Nitric (2021) charger? I've emailed Titan themselves and I've been told they'll only be receiving stock in May 2023 Can anyone suggest a generic or universal option I can consider? It's an unusual 5pin plug (image attached) I've tried Google but not much luck there either Thanks

I am needing to replace my ebike battery on my specialised levo 1st gen but very expensive is there anyway to have it refurbed

Hi all, I'm looking to buy an additional ebike battery for my 2022 Giant Trance Xe+2 for multi day distance rides through the Karoo. Ive searched online but cannot find a supplier and quoted price for one. Im based close to Cape Town. Looking to buy new or near new 625, 750 or 800 Wh battery, any links or suggestions would be appreciated. Any suggestions on backup portable off grid chargers from someone who uses this method would also be helpful. Thanks!

Hi All im new to daily cycling i have a a fixed speed finnis 540. my issue is I'm really struggling on my daily commute 90% of which is on a steep uphill. firstly i know that a fixed speed bike isnt going to make this commute any easier but as someone who is extremely unfit and overweight(130kg) i want to make sure that I can also enjoy my morning commute with out arriving at work in dire need of a shower. so i have been contemplating getting an E-bike for the ride and also to possibly to start doing some trails on weekends. I come here with a few questions: 1) is it actually worth the purchase? will it make that big of a difference on the daily commute or am i just better off sucking it up for the ride? 2)should i convert my current bike or just get a new one? 3) is there anywhere in and around joburg that i could rent or a hire a bike to try it out for myself to see if it is actually worth it ?