Electric Mountain Bikes on a MTB race.

[Shebeen]

First rule of CTCT - not sure it has been strictly enforced up until now though (ebikes)

 

2.  Cape Town Cycle Tour Rules

2.1       Every rider may only walk or ride a human powered vehicle to complete the course.

what happens if you charge the battery using human power?!

[nonky]

*are

 

pedaling pedant properly puzzles poster's plural problem

[SCD]

There was day back in history when somebody clever came along with a new sort of contraption with two wheels, and he asked to be allowed to participate at the local marathon run. To his surprise all the other runners were not pleased and asked him to not use his thing but rather his feet to run the many many miles.

So after his disappointment had settled he saw an opportunity, and soon after the first bicycle race was held. Runners were not allowed, btw.

 

eBikes at a bike Race? The question alone... what is next, your 500cc Enduro?

[GemmerKat]

After watching the Paralympics track cycling, I got a new appreciation for my health and that I am able to ride my bike. I have the world respect for them.

 

For me people using e-bikes in races or even trails without disabilities is just plain simple lazy.

Appreciate your health by doing a bit of exercise.

 

Rant over 

[Mamil]

I've never ridden an ebike but i think this is going to be real issue soon. People with below average skills riding at above average speeds and wanting to overtake. Disaster awaits.

 

I'm a year into the sport and i reckon if electronics allowed me to keep up with the proper riders i'd be a menace to everyone's safety.

 

It would become a problem on the bigger events. It is the same situation we have with the seeding. The moment you have a flat race. Groups form and guys with lesser ability all of a sudden manage to stay with stronger guys which normally becomes a problem wrt safety. Imagine a bunch of novices all of a sudden latching onto the A-group. For this I feel a line must be drawn.

['Dale]

Unfit and unwilling to get fitter does not mean

 

Differently abled

[Gerlach]

Sad part is, when you mentally drained and giving it your all after 89km of hard riding and climbing hills, this person go's past you like with no hard work passing between other riders, and i was in A group.   

[rudi-h]

i'm no fan of e-bikes either, but you should see how popular these things are in europe...

 

just spent a few weeks in france and in some towns you struggle to rent road bikes or MTB's, but you can rent e-bikes everywhere.  Many of them are enduro bikes, they have pike forks, long travel etc. we even saw some okes on dowhill trails with them...  crazy how this "junk technology" in my books are taking over

[Eldron]

How is this even a question? It's a human powered sport. No motors/engines allowed.

 

If some dude comes shunting past me in a race using a motor he better be prepared to have his ears comprehensively boxed at the finish.

[Bateleur1]

How is this even a question? It's a human powered sport. No motors/engines allowed.

 

If some dude comes shunting past me in a race using a motor he better be prepared to have his ears comprehensively boxed at the finish.

 

E-bikes still have spoke wheels.  I might still just carry a trusty cycle pump with me.

 

#JustSaying 

[NotSoBigBen]

How is this even a question? It's a human powered sport. No motors/engines allowed.

 

If some dude comes shunting past me in a race using a motor he better be prepared to have his ears comprehensively boxed at the finish.

 

Chased an oke like a madman at Thaba a while ago only to find him busy checking his e-bikes stats and stuff at the coffee shop and there was nothing wrong with him 

[Shebeen]

I think mtb e-bikes have their place, they're definitely not going away. This is going to be an issue if it's not handled.

 

I think the disability clause is probably the best, or even just an age/weight provision.What should be done is that they should be embraced - maybe e-bikes get given totally different boards or tags so you can see them (first time i got chicked on an e-bike was in amsterdam and it was scary how quickly this bokkie was going in her smart clothes with very little effort!).

 

The problem is that you get chops in all walks of life, and there's no reason to think that there won't be chops on e-bikes. 

[Gerlach]

Comment from out of the Karoo to Coast Event post:

"Hyt verby ons gekom op ou wapad op. Hy het soeveel comments gekry dat ek dink hy die power opgedraai het net om weg te kom."

 

https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/156917-event-karoo-to-coast/page-34

[JXV]

E bikes could be a lot of fun to ride and I won't hold it against them. But cycling races, as in most athletic sports, is about skill, tactics and endurance.

 

The endurance aspect goes out the window with E-bikes. Even if we create a new class for them there still problems. Technology marches on so there will be improvements in power output and battery capacity - how do you ensure fair competition even within the e-bike group.

 

If you ever raced or flew electric powered cars/planes you'll know the huge performance gains made possible by Lithium batteries and brushless motors

 

 

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

[nickc]

Also caught up to one the other day and when trying to figure out whether he was able bodied or not, saw he was wearing a Blue Bulls top which then qualifies him as mentally deficient - not sure if that is a criteria for an E MTB though.

['Dale]

Sad part is, when you mentally drained and giving it your all after 89km of hard riding and climbing hills, this person go's past you like with no hard work passing between other riders, and i was in A group.

 

Exactly

Racing is dynamic and helluva painful