Electric mountain bike mid life crisis

[drdaveboycali]

i ride a specialized turbo levo used to do loads of riding up ladybower , these bikes can go anywhere also mine fits on my vw cali rack

 

[drdaveboycali]

Heres mine

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

 

[2into1]

where are you based 2into1? im peak district too , near tideswell

Up near Glossop, so Dark Peak (ie usually raining ) and hilly

 

[2into1]

Are you still working?

If so, check out the Cycle Scheme.

The UK's Most Popular Cycle to Work Benefit - Cyclescheme

Cyclescheme is a self-service, high impact employee benefit that gets staff cycling with savings of 25-39% on bikes and accessories.

www.cyclescheme.co.uk

If you qualify, it makes the jump to eMTB a lot less painful.

Self employed (sole trader) so I'm pretty sure I'm excluded, but thanks for the alert.

 

[RodCouncil]

lot's of amazing bikes at that budget, but I'd say buy from a local (good) bike shop and you'll prob get well looked after down the road, I'd also see if you can test a few from the said shops too.

eMTBs are great, I'm sure when I'm 58 I'll be eyeing one up too, one thing you could compliment the riding with is strength training and stretching and really get into the trail side of things and you'll enjoy going downhill faster.

Once you get into it you'll soon wonder why you bother with a car

 

[Jim2007]

Took one of my Masons on 2.1” tyres all the way round Norway on the VW bike rack. No problems.

Still riding on my own legs, but convinced that e-bikes have the power to change the world. Co-pilot has one and loves it. I keep lusting after a Dutch Gazelle upright e-bike for me and the dog.

 

[soulstyledevon]

Looks for Trek or Cube with Bosch motor. Absolute brilliant things. My wife has one and I often pinch hers for a little ride around the woods.

Ultimately, local bike shop specialist is a good call. Any issues and you have somewhere to return.
Personally, I would steer clear of Halfords or Decathlon junk.

 

[GrannyJen]

Took one of my Masons on 2.1” tyres all the way round Norway on the VW bike rack. No problems.

Still riding on my own legs, but convinced that e-bikes have the power to change the world. Co-pilot has one and loves it. I keep lusting after a Dutch Gazelle upright e-bike for me and the dog.

I tried Gazelle when I was buying and ended up with a Specialised Como 5. I can't fault it and on a 900 mile ride it was no faults, no punctures, no range anxiety and I only fell off it once

 

[2into1]

Personally, I would steer clear of Halfords or Decathlon junk.

Similar spec Trek is another £2k or more. I've got to stop somewhere!

 

[The Blue Merle]

Similar spec Trek is another £2k or more. I've got to stop somewhere!

Have you looked at the cube range, that’s what I ended up getting pedal power model.
Will prob go cube when I get emtb as there prices are pretty good compared to trek etc
Used chain reaction cycles turned up very quick.

 

[Aubisque]

Wide tyres on the carrier grooves aren’t a problem, but as bikes get longer and heavier with 29” wheels and batteries etc, they get harder to lift up on the carrier and wheels also stick out either side quite a lot. You probably can’t fit 4 x e bikes on one rack, for either space or weight reasons. Maybe even three heavy ones is too much.

 

[WelshGas]

Horse already bolted? For what it’s worth I think they have their place. We do not have elec bikes but sometimes I can imagine they would be useful, however at least we get maximum fitness benefit from every mile we do I think if we had electric bikes we might go further (good) or probably just the same but no pedalling (not so good).

I assume your set of questions are a little bit ‘tongue-in-cheek’ in which case just do what you feel happy with and enjoy yourself

Legal E bikes are Pedal Assist. No pedal, No move.

 

[chockswahay]

Legal E bikes are Pedal Assist. No pedal, No move.

Well that’s true, but you can pedal gently and let the battery do the work (which is my point really)

 

[GrannyJen]

Well that’s true, but you can pedal gently and let the battery do the work (which is my point really)

Just about every study done, and there have been many, conclude e-bikes are an excellent form of cardio exercise. Whilst unassisted bikes require more effort those using e-bikes tend to go further, longer and harder in terms of gradient than what they would normally undertake.

Pedalling gently is very hard to do on an e-bike. The desire is the opposite, go quicker, use that assist to get you from a to b quicker. I often find myself pedalling in top gear at over 16 mph, which is totally unassisted as by law the electric assist will only go to 15.6 mph.

A lot of myths surrounding e-bikes and their riders. I held a lot of prejudice until I actually got one. Now I'm in love, totally

Just look at it as an extra set of gears, some bikes have got 10, some have got 30. An e-bike gives you the 30 option.

 

[RodCouncil]

Just about every study done, and there have been many, conclude e-bikes are an excellent form of cardio exercise. Whilst unassisted bikes require more effort those using e-bikes tend to go further, longer and harder in terms of gradient than what they would normally undertake.

Pedalling gently is very hard to do on an e-bike. The desire is the opposite, go quicker, use that assist to get you from a to b quicker. I often find myself pedalling in top gear at over 16 mph, which is totally unassisted as by law the electric assist will only go to 15.6 mph.

A lot of myths surrounding e-bikes and their riders. I held a lot of prejudice until I actually got one. Now I'm in love, totally

Just look at it as an extra set of gears, some bikes have got 10, some have got 30. An e-bike gives you the 30 option.

I'm not disagreeing but it depends on the bike, I ride a Vanmoof and on level 4 which I use for commuting when I have child drop off, you only need to make the crank move and it rides itself, I have to wrap up very warm in Winter because you get little to no exercise using it, and this actually suits me because it's about utility first, and generally on those days I have meetings and want to wear normal clothes to the office and not cary a big bag of kit.

On the days I do press on the pedals (normal bikes), I press hard, so ebikes and how I use them are not connected to exercise in anyway, but I absolutely love them and encourage anyone to consider them for all short journeys you'd potentially use a car for.

 

[WelshGas]

Well that’s true, but you can pedal gently and let the battery do the work (which is my point really)

Yes and No. Just moving the pedal around doesn't engage the motor there has to be some effort involved. My ebike has 9 gears my old peddle bike had 24. There is a hill near us that has a 20% sign. Couldn't cycle it before, now I can and have improved as I can now do it in 2nd gear as against 1st before.

Have you ever ridden an Ebike?
Very rare to see anyone, even young lyca brigade tackling that hill.

 

[GrannyJen]

I'm not disagreeing but it depends on the bike, I ride a Vanmoof and on level 4 which I use for commuting when I have child drop off, you only need to make the crank move and it rides itself, I have to wrap up very warm in Winter because you get little to no exercise using it, and this actually suits me because it's about utility first, and generally on those days I have meetings and want to wear normal clothes to the office and not cary a big bag of kit.

On the days I do press on the pedals (normal bikes), I press hard, so ebikes and how I use them are not connected to exercise in anyway, but I absolutely love them and encourage anyone to consider them for all short journeys you'd potentially use a car for.

Again like most things Rod it depends on where you are coming from

Your avatar shows you riding a bike, something I know you have done a lot of at a high competitive and endurance level. My avatar shows a wheezing old hag who last rode a bike in anger nearly 60 years ago before buying an e-bike. I've gone from 20 miles a year to averaging 80 miles a week on my bike and I most definitely use it for exercise.

The only time in the past I would be seen on top of a hill is if my van had ferried me and bike up for me and bike to ride down

For me it's been a lifesaver. My running days are coming to an end, two calf surgeries in the last two years have not completely solved the plantar fasciitis that was nearly crippling me but my bike is a dream to ride and the electric motor is the biggest incentive I have to get my backside out of the chair and go and ride it.

 

[haydnw2]

Thule XT3 has tyre trays wide enough to fit the kind of tyres usually specced on eMTBs, and they also sell an extra ramp for easy loading. Sounded ridiculous until I tried regularly loading my partner's Giant which weighs 24kg. Ramp was a sound investment. My Orbea is a bit easier to throw around.

Also consider wheelbase too, as bikes are only getting longer, wheels bigger and head angles slacker. We had a Fiamma rack at one point, and my old MTB wheels were hanging off either end.

Check your home insurance (usually cheaper than a standalone policy) to see what their per-bike limit is.

My only other advice would be not to listen to anything said by anyone who hasn't actually ridden an eMTB for a day! I am very active (fell runner), just approaching middle age, no injuries, been riding for 30 years, and upgrading to an eMTB has made my riding more fun than anything else I can think of. I don't put any less effort in overall, I just go twice as far!

Edit: For clothing, please please invest in a decent helmet from a shop who will help you fit it. For routes if you're near the Peak then you're in luck - loads to go at, from flat bridleways all the way up to Jacob's Ladder. Check out https://peakdistrictmtb.org Their Facebook group is probably better than their website to get an idea of where people are riding.

 

[chockswahay]

@GrannyJen and @WelshGas i am not inclined to disagree with you. I’m not against E bikes and yes I have ridden them however I believe that in my case I would probably be tempted to pedal less which for me is not the objective. I ride for pleasure and exercise. I do agree that E bikes have their place, just not under my bum

 

[RodCouncil]

Again like most things Rod it depends on where you are coming from

Your avatar shows you riding a bike, something I know you have done a lot of at a high competitive and endurance level. My avatar shows a wheezing old hag who last rode a bike in anger nearly 60 years ago before buying an e-bike. I've gone from 20 miles a year to averaging 80 miles a week on my bike and I most definitely use it for exercise.

The only time in the past I would be seen on top of a hill is if my van had ferried me and bike up for me and bike to ride down

For me it's been a lifesaver. My running days are coming to an end, two calf surgeries in the last two years have not completely solved the plantar fasciitis that was nearly crippling me but my bike is a dream to ride and the electric motor is the biggest incentive I have to get my backside out of the chair and go and ride it.

I'm with you 100% on the eBikes being life savers and while we could all prob swim close to our final days, running and biking is would be close to impossible so anything that allows people to enjoy bikes in older age, recuperation, rest days (like me) then all the better.

I've been hankering after an eMTB so I can enjoy the sheer joy of going downhill faster on rest days, and still want some active recovery and contribute to the pedalling, these modern eMTBs seem to be the perfect tonic.

 

[GrannyJen]

I'm with you 100% on the eBikes being life savers and while we could all prob swim close to our final days, running and biking is would be close to impossible so anything that allows people to enjoy bikes in older age, recuperation, rest days (like me) then all the better.

I've been hankering after an eMTB so I can enjoy the sheer joy of going downhill faster on rest days, and still want some active recovery and contribute to the pedalling, these modern eMTBs seem to be the perfect tonic.

Just planning my next 3 years Cycling is now central to my life.

https://www.grannygoescamping3.co.uk

 

[Wesel]

All your comments confirm my idea of buying an e-bike soon. My problem is to find a solution to charge the battery when we are traveling with the California, always without connection thanks to our solar panel. I've read some interesting ideas here on the forum, but has anyone actually installed something that works? Thanks to anyone who can share their experience.

 

[HowieDog]

Go for it! Every kind of bike is nice (and sort of an exercise). I guess when you are new to "mountainbiking" then a workshop is a great start - otherwise use what you have (clothwise) and if possible test all kind of bikes. There are so many good brands out there and sometimes only the service at the local store makes a difference in long term.
Personal I looked at Cube Stereo's, Orbea's and Norco's.
I also like the adidas five tens ("trail cross" at the moment), flats from crankbrothers and the mallet enduro for click-pedal-shoes.View attachment 91955

Thjey're a bit clean for my liking ;-)

 

[soulstyledevon]

eMTB’s are basically ski lifts for cyclists.
Just brilliant, which means you can enjoy the pleasure of the downhill…

 

[haydnw2]

All your comments confirm my idea of buying an e-bike soon. My problem is to find a solution to charge the battery when we are traveling with the California, always without connection thanks to our solar panel. I've read some interesting ideas here on the forum, but has anyone actually installed something that works? Thanks to anyone who can share their experience.

Not that I've seen in a Cali without hookup. In theory you could do it through the inverter, but my calculations against my (T5.1 / Orbea Rise) setup showed it would discharge the leisure batteries faster than felt sensible. Some people have done it with inverters in their own T5/T6 conversions with big banks of LiPo batteries, I think. The other option is to check whether your ebike manufacturer does a 12V charger - one of them definitely did, perhaps Bosch if I remember rightly.

You also need to consider whether the battery can be removed from the bike for charging. Mine cannot, so I have to plug the bike in directly. I therefore have a mains cable that plugs into the 3-pin socket at the end of the Cali kitchen when on hookup, runs out of the window, and into a weatherproof box where the charger unit is. Charging cable pops out of the box and into the bike. Box and bike are kept under a waterproof cover on the rack, so can be left overnight or locked up while we're away from the van. Written down it sounds like a lot more faff than it actually is, and it means I can charge in all weathers. I did look at splitting a hookup cable and going direct to the charger, but it got too messy for not enough gain. The setup above can be used to just charge from a normal 3-pin socket if I stay at a friend's house, for example, too.

Finally, check the battery capacity because obviously that has a direct impact on how much power you'd need / charging time. That will vary depending on type of bike (commuter, MTB, etc.) and individual bike (e.g. lightweight eMTBs like Spesh Levo SL or Orbea Rise). Some of the new eMTBs released at Sea Otter last week now have up to 900Wh batteries, which is a lot of charging.