Do eBikes belong on the mountain?

[ChrisF]

7 hours ago, Mamil said:

We rented an ebike for my non cycling partner and spent the weekend a few weeks back in Prince Albert - we rode up the pass and she absolutely SMOKED me to the top - Wearing her tekkies she just turned the pedals over like she was noodling around the Rondebosch common and whoosh - I hadn't quite realised how much of a difference the assist makes. On the way down though it was a different story and on the flat back to town she called me to come back for her because the ebike was broken ---- ie - 25kmph limit!

What a blast and and I'm definitely getting one when I turn 60 in 7 years 8 months time. I am surprised and a little disappointed though that she hasn't gone and bought one after this experience.

Mamil something to consider when shopping for an ebike ....

 

As this is the darkest tip of Africa we buy from both Europe AND the Americas .....

 

European bikes, not by design but by target market, gets programmed for the 25km/h speed assist limit.

 

Bikes from the Americas (both USA and Canada) are programmed to assist up to 20 mph, or 32km/h.  Giant certainly comes pre-programmed to this limit.  I have heard of some models in other known brands also having this setting ..... 

 

Make no mistake !!!  Those extra 7km/h REDUCES the battery range .... BUT it is super handy to have the 32km/h option for those times you/she needs to keep up with a faster rider.

 

 

PS - it is very easy to re-programme later .... but that is the warranty gone .... 

 

 

worth noting the vast range difference when you up the power assist levels .... if she will be using "mid boost" most of the time, dont believe the marketing range ....

[ChrisF]

Okay, just between us ladies of the tea club ..... 

 

NOTHING beats a good pair of cycling legs !!!

 

Doing my long trek on Tuesday I knew I would have to nurse the batteries to get back .... going up Swartbergpass I noted another rider two switchbacks below me .....  Turns out this was a 70-something rider on a normal MTB, just grinding away up the pass.  With me using minimal boost he kept pace with me all the way up the pass.

 

Well actually, when I stopped for a snack he passed me ..... had my blood sugar not tanked, we would have kept the same spacing all the way to the top.

 

 

e-bikes are "nice" .... good legs are "nicer" ....

[justinafrika]

26 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

Turns out this was a 70-something rider on a normal MTB, just grinding away up the pass

 

 

Another level of beast those toppies.  Reminiscent of my 84 year old mate who still adventures like riding a Harley east to west coast USA, like riding a rubber duck from Angolan border to Mozambique border to raise charity funds, like keeping pace as we hike up mountains, like his many dozens of ultra marathons, like trying to persuade us to join him for his 13th Comrades completion.  Interspersed with him flying to watch footie in Manchester (his original home) and F1 in Melbourne and Silverstone.

“… good legs are nicer…”, ne’er a truer word...

Edited September 9, 2021 by justinafrika

[Hairy]

2 hours ago, ChrisF said:

Okay, just between us ladies of the tea club ..... 

 

NOTHING beats a good pair of cycling legs !!!

 

Doing my long trek on Tuesday I knew I would have to nurse the batteries to get back .... going up Swartbergpass I noted another rider two switchbacks below me .....  Turns out this was a 70-something rider on a normal MTB, just grinding away up the pass.  With me using minimal boost he kept pace with me all the way up the pass.

 

Well actually, when I stopped for a snack he passed me ..... had my blood sugar not tanked, we would have kept the same spacing all the way to the top.

 

 

e-bikes are "nice" .... good legs are "nicer" ....

70 something ... was this @Pure Savage

[ChrisF]

37 minutes ago, Hairy said:

70 something ... was this @Pure Savage

 

Probably not .... this guy had real handle bars on his bike ....

[Hairy]

30 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

 

Probably not .... this guy had real handle bars on his bike ....

Probably had bigger leg muscles too

[Emazing]

With all the Ebikes and the massive growth in this market with waiting lists of e-bikes at stores world wide and the fastest growing bike segment in the world ref to USA/Eu and nearly 45% of Eurobike halls full of Ebikes - I suspect the nay sayers above in this thread we're the same old / young bunch that poopooed 29er wheels and tyres! 

All to soon these hard peddles will be alone on that big mountain with hundreds of happy fit healthy Ebikes flying past them doning more km, jumping more trailes and  obviously showing empathy and pity to the bitter and bitterly slow riders trekking along. 

Happy riding folks. 

 

 

Edited September 9, 2021 by Emazing

[Kom]

8 hours ago, ChrisF said:

Mamil something to consider when shopping for an ebike ....

 

As this is the darkest tip of Africa we buy from both Europe AND the Americas .....

 

European bikes, not by design but by target market, gets programmed for the 25km/h speed assist limit.

 

Bikes from the Americas (both USA and Canada) are programmed to assist up to 20 mph, or 32km/h.  Giant certainly comes pre-programmed to this limit.  I have heard of some models in other known brands also having this setting ..... 

 

Make no mistake !!!  Those extra 7km/h REDUCES the battery range .... BUT it is super handy to have the 32km/h option for those times you/she needs to keep up with a faster rider.

 

 

PS - it is very easy to re-programme later .... but that is the warranty gone .... 

 

 

worth noting the vast range difference when you up the power assist levels .... if she will be using "mid boost" most of the time, dont believe the marketing range ....

Can’t speak for all euro bikes, but the commencal running shimano EP8 motors can have the limiter changed from 25kmh to 20mph by the agent.

the knock on battery life is noteworthy though, but so many of the new gen bikes now coming with >700wh batteries vs 500 in the previous gen.

[ChrisF]

2 hours ago, Kom said:

Can’t speak for all euro bikes, but the commencal running shimano EP8 motors can have the limiter changed from 25kmh to 20mph by the agent.

the knock on battery life is noteworthy though, but so many of the new gen bikes now coming with >700wh batteries vs 500 in the previous gen.

Jip, it should be no more than a quick re-program.

 

Just make sure your shop will do this AND keep the warrenty in place.  

 

 

You hardly ever use the motor over 25km/h on MTB trails (no need to peddal when bombing down a single track), but it is super handy for those road sections to and from the trails.

[Hairy]

9 hours ago, Emazing said:

With all the Ebikes and the massive growth in this market with waiting lists of e-bikes at stores world wide and the fastest growing bike segment in the world ref to USA/Eu and nearly 45% of Eurobike halls full of Ebikes - I suspect the nay sayers above in this thread we're the same old / young bunch that poopooed 29er wheels and tyres! 

All to soon these hard peddles will be alone on that big mountain with hundreds of happy fit healthy Ebikes flying past them doning more km, jumping more trailes and  obviously showing empathy and pity to the bitter and bitterly slow riders trekking along. 

Happy riding folks. 

 

 

it has taken a good bit of time for 29'ers to get to the point where their handling is good, vs just a road bike with knobblies. I had 2 x 29'ers earlier on when they were still "new" and went back to 26'ers again. Eventually did a few 650b's and then got back onto 29'ers when they started feeling "right" to me.

it has taken a good bit of time for e-bikes to start shaping into decent looking bikes that do not look like they were assembled in some guys back yard with duct tape and cable ties, and they are getting better RE the batteries and bicycle weights....they are not "there yet" in the same manner that 29'ers currently are.

bitter and bitterly slow riders?

firstly it is not a bitter point of voice, but a choice

bitterly slow, I am sure that those riders would be far quicker than you if you got off your motorbike to ride the trails

your post seems very bitter by the way.

[Eddy Gordo]

52 minutes ago, Hairy said:

it has taken a good bit of time for 29'ers to get to the point where their handling is good, vs just a road bike with knobblies. I had 2 x 29'ers earlier on when they were still "new" and went back to 26'ers again. Eventually did a few 650b's and then got back onto 29'ers when they started feeling "right" to me.

it has taken a good bit of time for e-bikes to start shaping into decent looking bikes that do not look like they were assembled in some guys back yard with duct tape and cable ties, and they are getting better RE the batteries and bicycle weights....they are not "there yet" in the same manner that 29'ers currently are.

bitter and bitterly slow riders?

firstly it is not a bitter point of voice, but a choice

bitterly slow, I am sure that those riders would be far quicker than you if you got off your motorbike to ride the trails

your post seems very bitter by the way.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA,

Bitter, no man we having fun

Bitterly slow!! LOL last time I checked, I didnt pay to enter a race when I am out riding, I am there to enjoy myself and the time doesnt matter.

I dont know if anyone else has the same thought as me. Most ebike riders all advocate for an ebike. "O you so need to get an ebike", "time to get an ebike". Sorry guys, ebikes are a different category of cycling which I am not interested in.(maybe when I cant walk anymore)

I wonder if they realise that people have tested ebikes and decided against it! Like me for instance, I will suffer up the climbs, walk most of the way and enjoy myself on the downs. 

Should I decided to drop that kind of cash on another bicycle, I wont! I would rather buy myself another motorbike(had one previously) or invest in holiday/out of town accommodation.

[Hairy]

 

[Hairy]

And here on the bike hub you can buy a tuner to turn your e-bike into basically a e-motorbike ..... it is stuff like this that sucks

https://bikehub.co.za/classifieds/item/e-bike-frames-and-parts/498991/wwwspeedbox-tuningcoza

https://speedbox-tuning.co.za/

 

What is the difference between SpeedBox 1.0 and SpeedBox 2.0?

The new SpeedBox 2.0 line builds on its predecessor with its technology and design quality, but it has several significant improvements. The SpeedBox 2.0 electric bike tuning eliminates the speed limit, and all the values are displayed correctly, showing the actual speed and correct range of kilometers. The resultant speed of an electric bike with SpeedBox 2.0 installed thus depends only on the pedaling rate and the size of chainrings. Thanks to this, you will be able to ride at any speed – 40 km/h, 50 km/h and above 60 km/h.

 

 

SpeedBox 1.0 is a tuning chip, which enables the rider to double the speed limit of the e-bike. When applied, half values of actual speed are shown on your display as well as the distance of your trip. If you ride at a speed of 40 km/h, your display will show 20 km/h. The motor switches off when reaching the speed of 50 km/h (25 km/h is shown on your display).

 

How fast can I go with my e-bike? Is SpeedBox limited by the speed of 50 km/h or 99 km/h?

It depends on the tuning chip. When tuning an e-bike with SpeedBox 1.0, you can reach speeds of up to 50 km / h. The new tuning chip – SpeedBox 2.0 has no speed limitations at all. When using it you are limited only by the frequency of pedalling and the size of chainrings. It is possible to ride at the speed of up to 40 km / h, 50 km / h and even more than 60 km / h. The same performance can be achieved by e-bikes with SpeedBox B-Tuning chips.

[Hairy]

2 minutes ago, Mike Franz said:

Hello, there are many factors that affect the speed you can accelerate on a bike. Not everything depends on your bike, just as an important factor is your physical fitness and equipment. For example, I recently started using the best peloton shoes, which made my cycling more comfortable and increased my maximum riding speed.

That is amazing. What are these best peloton shoes

[Eddy Gordo]

Did it get you going at least 20km/h faster?

[Eldron]

1 hour ago, Mike Franz said:

Hello, there are many factors that affect the speed you can accelerate on a bike. Not everything depends on your bike, just as an important factor is your physical fitness and equipment. For example, I recently started using the best peloton shoes, which made my cycling more comfortable and increased my maximum riding speed.

If I found a company who's shoes added 250w to my power I would also buy their helmet, socks,  glasses, chamois cream, bar tape, saddle and valve inserts.

That's like 2kw extra. Step aside Pipo the TT stripes are mine!