Do eBikes belong on the mountain?

[Thor Buttox]

For races the UCI / CSA / OC pretty much la down the law here so ain;t no body gonna be getting provincial or national colours riding an e-bike.

 

Fun rides on the other hand....

Long route? Severely challenged for range unless you modify the bike with bigger batteries

Short routes.....Who really cares? These are family events anyways. Let em ride!!

 

Does the e-bike campaign have a flag or something official for use during protests?

When you are physically able, purchasing an ebike comes with a white flag, yes.

[Paddaman]

Motor versus legs = cheating. 

 

I thought we had solved this? Ebike on trails no worries - ebikes in races is cheating....

e-bike debate, the gift that keeps on giving. and it is not even friday yet...

[DieselnDust]

Most of the "short races" are CSA sanctioned too so no e-bikes.

 

That said - egos are funny things. Regardless of short/long/hard/easy I'd be a bit miff if someone with a motor beat me in a race. Fitness levels vary dramatically in riding and everybody is trying to beat someone/something. Ebikes remove the human aspect from what is a very human oriented sport.

 

I am STILL baffled that (medical reasons aside) someone would want to use their ebike in a short race. Most of the short races are easily doable using your own legs - they're the starting point for people wanting to get fitter and stronger. Hell - most races have 3 distances - if you can't make the shortest distance then maybe bicycle racing is not for you.

 

Damnit. I told myself I wasn't going to visit this thread any more     

 

 

 

no man come on, I'm just trying to give this thing some legs.....

 

 

 

 

doooomdish

[Shebeen]

Motor versus legs = cheating. 

 

I thought we had solved this? Ebike on trails no worries - ebikes in races is cheating....

You sir are just a trouble maker or have a very short memory.

[Eldron]

You sir are just a trouble maker or have a very short memory.

One man's trouble maker is another man's reasonable debater.

[Paddaman]

One man's trouble maker is another man's reasonable  master debater.

Fixed

[ChrisF]

Another weekend

 

another event - Backsberg .....

 

 

According to Garmin I set a new personal record for the most climbing in a single event.

 

RaceTech says I was the fastest in my age group ....    

 

Certainly did not feel like it when my arthritic knees started paining ..... My ego felt worse when I walked sections of three hills .... 

 

But WOW !  Damn, it feels nice to know that I managed to cycle a route in 2018 that I was not physically able to do in 2017. 

 

No real recovery, not with permanent damage to my knees due to the arthritis.  But consistent low intensity training has improved the muscle tone around the knees.  And though I wont ever catch those pesky teenagers that complete the 15km in record time, I am steadily improving. 

 

 

And absolute RESPECT to the 75 year old gent that completed this distance faster than me !!     You sir, are a true inspiration !  With any luck I may just be able to ride with you next year.

 

 

 

All this WITHOUT the use of an e-bike    

 

 

They day may come when I buy my e-bike ..... but I am the first one to admit that an e-bike would have been a menace on this route !!  The route had the short distance riders cut back, and riding the last section WITH the longer distance riders .... caused some interesting moments with faster and slower riders ....

[Shebeen]

I thought we had already solved this. Emotorbikes are cool on trails but uncool in races

 

 

Motor versus legs = cheating. 

 

I thought we had solved this? Ebike on trails no worries - ebikes in races is cheating....

 

 

You're making the mistake again that just because something makes sense in your head, it is not a universal truth.

 

I present exhibit A

https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/178093-k2c-e-bikes/?hl=k2c

 

If it was as black and white and as simple as you think it is, it wouldn't have got past page 2.

[Eldron]

You're making the mistake again that just because something makes sense in your head, it is not a universal truth.

 

I present exhibit A

https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/178093-k2c-e-bikes/?hl=k2c

 

If it was as black and white and as simple as you think it is, it wouldn't have got past page 2.

Good try but I'm not posting on this thread again.....dammit!

[SwissVan]

Doing a mtb 1/2 marafun this weekend on my 3x 26” self powered Zula and see there are 10 ebike entries doing the same route albeit they START after us.

 

Hope they ask for track when / IF they come past

Edited September 6, 2018 by SwissVan

[Headshot]

So I break out my 26" HT and head up and along the Neck to Newlands forest traverse yesterday. A couple catch me up. First hill after a  descent I see the woman is on my tail. Strange I think, I reckon I dropped them on the last descent. They ride behind me and I notice the barely audible hum  - ah, are those eBikes I ask. No, not eBikes - "pedal assist" bikes she says. In her mind an eBike has a throttle. I say, but they are called eBikes on every website I have read. 

She says, its set on 15%, it makes no difference at all. ( Okay, then why ride one?) If I switch it off on the downs it goes even faster because its so heavy. I switch it on to stay in control. 

 

I kid not, this really did happen. 

[Pure Savage]

So I break out my 26" HT and head up and along the Neck to Newlands forest traverse yesterday. A couple catch me up. First hill after a  descent I see the woman is on my tail. Strange I think, I reckon I dropped them on the last descent. They ride behind me and I notice the barely audible hum  - ah, are those eBikes I ask. No, not eBikes - "pedal assist" bikes she says. In her mind an eBike has a throttle. I say, but they are called eBikes on every website I have read. 

She says, its set on 15%, it makes no difference at all. ( Okay, then why ride one?) If I switch it off on the downs it goes even faster because its so heavy. I switch it on to stay in control. 

 

I kid not, this really did happen. 

 

Great to hear another person off the couch and riding bikes and contributing to trails! 

 

Lekker!

[Patchelicious]

See, solutions can be found.

 

https://www.facebook.com/267873316613922/posts/1985718531496050/

[Patchelicious]

Great to hear another person off the couch and riding bikes and contributing to trails!

 

Lekker!

It’s nice to hear that more people are out riding. It’s sad to hear the shitty logic that gets used sometimes though.

[DieselnDust]

It’s nice to hear that more people are out riding. It’s sad to hear the shitty logic that gets used sometimes though.

 

 

Just sometimes?

 

the key question to ask is.....Why was Headshot riding so slow he got caught by a old lady on a ebike set to 15%??!!!??!!

[Jewbacca]

There were som e-bikes at the picket-bo-berg 'race' this weekend.

 

Most of the riders were pleasant, seriously cool and there for the jol. It was rad to see.

 

BUT people are still forgetting the flaw in this debate. 

 

Like most things, the masses are not where the problem is. The problem lies with people using these things for competitive gain.

 

E-bikes on the mountain = rad. E-bikes doing the short, fun, no prize money ride? Awesome.

 

E-bikes in the field of a big event where the winner can be assisted? No

 

I thin e-bikes are cool. The guys who drive them are generally cool too. As humans there will always be bad eggs with questionable morals skirting the 'technically it's not illegal' boundary which can only really be eliminated by eliminating the potential for that ground to be trodden.

 

The lady who rides a pedal assisted e-bike down the hill to be in control should look at taking up #enduro