Cape Town Cycle Tour second battery ebikes

[Johan van der Walt]

1 hour ago, zeerpuD1 said:

E- Bikes are allowed for a lot of races. For most of them your time does not count at the end (so you ride it for the fun, as it should be, but ride as hard or as slow as you want) Jakhals Events now have a special category for e-bikes (price money, etc) Trans Baviaans also allows e-bikes to take part with special drop off points for xtra batteries. But as with the Argus and some other seeding races your time does not count to get a  better seeding(as it should be).

I ride an e-bike and enjoy taking part in races. Have been riding for over 50 years now and e bike make it possible now to still be able to take part in long distance races. Did the K2C the past weekend and the only comments I got was “Yee, I wish I had one of those” (Mid part through the race on the long uphill drags) Not one negative comment. 

Thanks for your reply, I was also interested in C2C but I was told e-bikes is not allowed?

[NeverNotRolling]

Get someone to swap out the battery along the way for you. Like a F1 pitstop. If its a sub 2 second swap, I'll allow it..

[Headshot]

Just take out the battery and leave it at the roadside Will make the bike lighter and easier to pedal after the battery goes flat. No need for expensive spares.

[zeerpuD1]

I have spoken to the organisers of K2C and they might allow gravel and e bikes next year.

One hubber also wanted to know about e bikes in bigger races. The “Argus” only started them at the back the first time. Thereafter we were spread out all over. The same with the 99’er. Some races (mostly mtb races) will start the e bikes at the back with a 5 min time delay. Then there are those events that will start us at the front 👍of the group with a time delay for the rest. For me, this is the better option. Then the normal mtb riders cannot complain when we go past them. (Just a joke) You do get those very fast guys on normal mtb bikes that uses us as a carrot. On the longer not so very hilly races they do catch up and will then make a few comments (good natured) about us being to slow. Good for them👌💪🏻. Most e bikes are limited to max out at 25km/h. Over that and you ride a very heavy mtb. So the only place they might (I say “might” because it is not always so) be better off is on the steep climbs. 
I once swop bikes with a guy (just as tall - 1.9m and heavy -98kg) struggling on a climb. He got onto my e bike and I rode his bike to the top of the climb. The smile on his face when I eventually reached the top on his bike was worth the effort (on my side) a 100 times over.

So for those guys on ebikes. Next time out offer your bike to a guy that are really struggling (or pushing his bike) on a hill and let’s get the people around us to enjoy and have fun riding an e bike. Maybe we can change some of them to see us in a different light. Just choose your hill to do the change with care😁

[DuncanDoughnuts]

11 minutes ago, zeerpuD1 said:

I have spoken to the organisers of K2C and they might allow gravel and e bikes next year.

One hubber also wanted to know about e bikes in bigger races. The “Argus” only started them at the back the first time. Thereafter we were spread out all over. The same with the 99’er. Some races (mostly mtb races) will start the e bikes at the back with a 5 min time delay. Then there are those events that will start us at the front 👍of the group with a time delay for the rest. For me, this is the better option. Then the normal mtb riders cannot complain when we go past them. (Just a joke) You do get those very fast guys on normal mtb bikes that uses us as a carrot. On the longer not so very hilly races they do catch up and will then make a few comments (good natured) about us being to slow. Good for them👌💪🏻. Most e bikes are limited to max out at 25km/h. Over that and you ride a very heavy mtb. So the only place they might (I say “might” because it is not always so) be better off is on the steep climbs. 
I once swop bikes with a guy (just as tall - 1.9m and heavy -98kg) struggling on a climb. He got onto my e bike and I rode his bike to the top of the climb. The smile on his face when I eventually reached the top on his bike was worth the effort (on my side) a 100 times over.

So for those guys on ebikes. Next time out offer your bike to a guy that are really struggling (or pushing his bike) on a hill and let’s get the people around us to enjoy and have fun riding an e bike. Maybe we can change some of them to see us in a different light. Just choose your hill to do the change with care😁

Nope .... No one rides my ebike. I will happily tow them though  (always cary a tow rope) 

[ChrisF]

25 minutes ago, zeerpuD1 said:

25 minutes ago, zeerpuD1 said:

So for those guys on ebikes. Next time out offer your bike to a guy that are really struggling (or pushing his bike) on a hill and let’s get the people around us to enjoy and have fun riding an e bike. Maybe we can change some of them to see us in a different light. Just choose your hill to do the change with care😁

 

I have also done the swop a few times.

 

As you say, the shear excitement on their faces is SO worth it 👍  one elderly gent was laughing out load, to the point where the rest of the group started laughing.

 

Finding out my flat shoes and his egg beater pedals were not mates up that climb I ended up walking it ... 🤣 still worth it to see that big smile.