My father (age 67) recently bought an e-bike, and I cannot believe the enjoyment and freedom it has given him. He lives in a particularly hilly area, so has always disregarded cycling as an option. Now, he cycles to work every day (14 miles return journey) and has lost 2 stone in weight. For people like my father, e-bikes are an emancipating gift from the cycling world.
Stephen Johnson my brother is saving to get one as he lives in a pretty hilly area. It used to be fine but now feels it on the knees. An ebike will mean he keeps cycling rather than just sticking his bike in the shed so that's got to be a good thing for fitness!
there is no reason to not use an ebike for people that age, he can and will be proud of every exercise he can do, so if that means using an ebike it's absolutely fine. for me every person 60+ can use an ebike if that leads them to do some kind of exercise, many don't do anything at all
+1 My father, a long time cyclist (age 74), had cut down on his regular riding due to hip pain. I got him an e-bike and he's back to enjoying his everyday riding while still getting much needed, doctor approved exercise. Plus, the smile on his face when he's back from a ride is all that's needed to make my day, too.
I was 67 last Friday, so I decided to see if I could ride up Hardknott Pass on Saturday (as part of a 40-mile round trip) on my recently acquired ebike (MTB). When I've ridden Hardknott in the past there was an element of masochism (if not quite misery) involved. On the ebike I had to work ("tour" mode throughout the climb), but it was sheer pleasure. You do feel, though, as if you have to offer your apologies and an explanation to anyone who is struggling as you pass! I'm not trying to 'cheat' (except 'cheat' the arthritis!) but just to enjoy riding my bike.
I have been in cycling and the cycling industry since I was a teen. But for various reasons, I stepped away from riding for almost a decade. Early this year I bought an e-bike, without even test riding one. I went from zero kilometers last year (and the years before that), to 3700 within eight months, and dropping over 30 kg in the process.
So many folks are in a similar position in terms of stopping riding for whatever reason, and ebikes are allowing them to get back into it. Its all good in my opinion :-)
Same for me. In 2014 I went through a medical treatment and gained 30 kg . Since then I couldnt imagine riding again with above 100kg. Fortunately bought an e-bike last month and now I ride 3 times a week around 40km each. Im feeling much better in terms of health and psicology. I would never ride a bike knowing that I wouldnt be able to ride more than 1 km.. E-bike changed my life , for good :)
a pedal assist e-bike changed my life. 60Years old, 2nd year with bike, and will end up with over 10,000 miles this year. My fitness is the best it has been in my life. The last time I was on a bike I was a teenager. I smile every fast joyful mile.
I’ve Ordered Trek’s e road bike. I’ve ridden in excess of 170,000 over the last 4 decades. Turning 70 this year, I don’t feel like to apologize to anyone for my decision, I’ve paid my dues. 😊
My wife rides an ebike and it's great we can now ride together and have nice leisure rides which use to be massively frustrating for both of us due to our differing cycling ability, I'm even getting dropped on the climbs when she sticks it turbo mode with a massive grin on her face, which I love as I will turn myself inside out trying to keep up which is great training for me.
After a "family bike ride" which ended in tears from my wife, the only way I would ever get her on a bike again would be to tempt her with an eBike. She tested one with me trying to keep up on a normal bike. Clearly I needed one too! What it means for us now though is that she can set as much power assist as she chooses and regardless of the difficulty of the ride, I can choose to either not use power assist to try to keep up and I can do this until my legs give out, then i'll power on and relax. We're not trying to beat anyone, thus we're not cheating. We're trying to get out and enjoy a leisurely ride with exercise of any form. The other point is that turning off power assist leaves me hauling a heavier bike than I would otherwise need so my argument is that extra effort required there ;) I did accidentally take my wife up one of the routes (High Peak Junction) in Derbyshire which was supposed to be an easy route and that's how i'd sold it to her. Except that in my enthusiasm, I had missed the part that it was easy if you started at the top of the 2 mile, 1 in 8 gradient hill (i.e. start at Middleton Top). Oops. Regardless, she rode to the top, complained but no tears.
We are looking forward to having exactly that experience. She is waiting for the new Spec Creo Evo to hit Australia, currently on a Diverge, but avoids rides with significant hills which stifles out route options a bit. I have no doubt she will drop me any chance she gets and gloat about it. LOLZ !!
E-bikes have changed my life. I’m 46 and overweight, living in a hilly country. Riding went from a painful, exhausting experience that required several days recovery to a fun activity that I can repeat daily. I don’t care what anyone says. E-bikes have changed my life! I see a lot of e-bikes now.
I'm 47 and put on 35 lbs since covid started. I bought an ebike and do use pedal assist on low levels but I can't help but think In cheating if only because I'm not a sweaty mess when I finish riding. Thanks for your comment. Are you still keeping it up?
Are you managing to lose any weight with It though? Just don’t have It on Boost/Turbo mode all the time and you may get a lot of beneficial exercise If you ride a lot.
My Dad and I both ride e-bikes (mine a Handcycle, his 'normal'), I lost a good bit of weight and my circulation has improved considerably. The mental health benefits cannot be overstated either - if I'm in the mood for a workout, power assist is off but if I just need some fresh air and a de-stress I can use more power and simply enjoy the scenery. 😊
Love the commentary at the end, you nailed it.. I am disabled, an amputee missing my right arm, so on hills it's very hard and dangerous to stand and peddle, so I grit my teeth and muscle it. I was recently gifted an ebike kit which went straight on my cheap bicycle.. It's been a week and I've put over 250km on the bike, I absolutely love it and absolutely agree you can get fit, it just means you'll cover more ground and have a more enjoyable time doing it. Great vid, thank you.
@@gcn hello I'm from Cyprus had 2 open heart operations valve replacement and I got a trek rail ebike it's perfect but when I go on rides with the cycling club I get the feeling that fellow riders don't really like it
We bought an e-bike for my wife to ride just over two years ago. We just couldn’t ride together before whereas now we go for 50-60 miles together most weekends. She also commutes on the bike and uses it for work visits. It’s fair to say she absolutely loves her bike and has lost three stone since getting it. I love the challenge of trying to keep up on the climbs.
I wish, this was the case with Mine, as well. I lend her My 31km/h assisted speed limit bike, set-up to accommodate her, asked her to make sure not to drop the bike, not to jump over kerbs, but to pedal to her heart's content (the wrong thing to say, as that, really, means not to pedal at all); Myself took the non-electric hardtail - and guess what: every half a minute, had to wait a couple of minutes for her to catch up. She was so ridiculously slow (I wonder how she managed - I assume, she must have mistaken the brake levers for pedals) that by the time we reached the downtown restaurant 6km from home we were riding to, I'd lost and found her (I had a rear-view mirror mounted on My bike for the purpose of babysitting My girlfriend on the ride, but it turned out to be of little help) at least 8-9 times. Inspected the bike upon arrival to find out that she'd also managed to drop it (owing, I presume, to her uncanny proclivity for frequent, but surprisingly ungrounded, panic attacks). From then on, vowed not to ever let her touch any of My bikes. Such a delightful woman! I wish one to every single one of My enemies. Presently, not only is she jealous of every woman I happen to encounter, irrespective of the nature of her relation to Me, she's grown increasingly jealous (mind you, not envious, but jealous) of My new carbon gravel bike (a Salsa WarBird 2019, set-up with Sram Force eTap AXS, a Selle SMP Plus, a by.Schultz G.2.0 LT seatpost and an FSA K-Force carbon ergo drop bar). She hates My bike with a passion, as it, apparently, requires quite a bit of attention and time on My part, at her expense. No wonder, since we're in a relationship, I've steadily been gaining weight and am not likely to lose it until we part for good. Some women won't be helped much by a SpaceX rocket, never mind an electric bike.
This is exactly what I need 3 stone gone! It’s picking a bike is an issue no idea! I used an Uber e bike and fell in love l. I would ride daily with one!
5 лет назад+103
I'm a heavy guy an wanted to get fitter. I was used to take my car for every distance. This april I bought an ebike and now I only use my car for longer trips. It feels so good. I also faced some ebike haters. I asked them if they would feel better if I went back in my car. None of them answered yes! Ebikes are tools, and I think they are great ones.
@@nicolafertin3154 Yes, I definitely got fitter. Even in the current situation I ride my bike every day. I just had a winter break for 2-3 months where I used my bike only about once every two weeks. I started my journey with the highest assistance mode (turbo on my bosch ebike) and now I usually use eco or tour mode. I'm also planning a multi-day tour to the sea with 350 km. And as a nice side effect I saved much money on my car. According to my current estimation, the ebike will have amortized itself after 5-6 years.
I had an embolism in my heart in September. Using an e-bike (in my case a Koga) I was able to start riding in October and have done ever since. You can’t see there’s anything wrong with me except I ride a bloody great Dutch bike uphill without sweating
I had a brain aneurysm when I was 14. Since then I couldn't ride a bicycle. 14 years later, an ebike got me working on pedals again. I couldn't he happier. I come up with excuses just to ride it. I also ride motorcycle, have been riding motorcycle for 8 years. Riding the ebike really helps condition your whole lower body for longer motorcycle rides. I can't sing enough praises about ebikes. This thing was life changing.
Not sure anyone is still reading comments this far down the page! I started in MTB in my teens and 'hated' lycra clad roadies, then as I got older I bought a cheap road bike (B'Twin Triban 300) and started using it as a training aid. Really got into it, completely different experience but very enjoyable once you got your head around the difference between mtb and road. Bought progressively better road bikes as I started to do my more miles (and law of n+1), eventually bought a full carbon Giant TCR. Then I had a family and the weekend riding stopped overnight, tried to use it for the commute but couldn't balance it all timing wise and the bike has sat in the garage since. I turned 40 earlier this year and bought myself a Giant Road E2 (because n+1), the difference is night and day on a good day my commute is 5-10 minutes slower on the bike than the car over a 17 mile journey, plus I've got 47c tyres so I'm not worried about punctures, full mudguards and panniers. The first time I used the e-bike to commute I used Strava; KOM'd every section and nearly halfed my personal best on the TCR, obviously deleted the route but it highlights the point, for commuting they are fantastic. Cycling, especially road riding, is often seen as striving for personal perfection, minimal weight, maximum power, endless training sessions; but sometimes all you want to do is get somewhere.
A brilliant salesman at a local bike shop described an e-bike like this: There are three modes... mode one subtracts 10 years; mode two, 20 years; and mode three, 30 years. Select whatever mode you need to keep up with the fast riders in your group. You will work just as hard as they do but will be able to keep up. Music to my ears now that I'm approaching 60!
There are riders at my club who don’t go on the Sunday social ride now because they can’t keep up. As they have got older or had health issues. I would like them to have ebikes because I miss riding with them. I wouldn’t get one myself at this stage in my life. But I would never say never
They also seem to make sense for a lot of commuters that otherwise might not ride around all. I feel like riding a bike is a blast, mtb, road, gravel or even ebike all the same!
I disagree. I ride with the slow "27kmh" group on Saturdays. Once you're in a bunch and drafting, the extra weight of an e-bike won't be noticeable on the flats. And trust me, my ride group does not do >26kmh up hills :-D So I think the older riders the OP mentioned should grab an ebike and get back into the (realistically paced) group! One thing GCN didn't mention is that the e-bike makes it so much easier to get back up to speed after slowing for traffic or red lights etc. Then once you're cruising you don't need the assistance.
Stopped riding 25 years ago when family life and long commute stopped my riding. Now 57 with a new 6 mile commute I have bought an e-bike from an e-bike specialist in Worcester. So 300 miles later, I'm starting to get my leg muscles back and become fitter. Hopefully this will work, my only problem is I tend to ride at about 18 mph, which usually means I have to slow down to climb hills - battery assistance stops at 15.6 mph (25kph) European law - on the other hand on the flat and without assistance means I have to work that bit harder as the bike is heavy due to motor and battery. I have bought rear panniers too so I can cycle to the shops and back too saving on car fuel and parking which I am offsetting against the cost of the bike. I thoroughly recommend getting an e-bike if you have a body like mine - getting on; unfit; overweight; and knackered.
I am in my mid 70's and bought an e-bike so that I couid ride into my 80's. To my surprise I feel as if I am riding as I did when I was 15 years younger! For me it is about getting out and exploring because I always know I can get back by just adding more motor power. E-bikes along with protected bike lanes and traffic calming road diets are going to get more sedentary people out on bicycles and away from cars. Just one person on a bus takes the linear real estate of two cars with solo drivers! Imagine how much traffic congestion would be alleviated if we did this.
I used to cycle everywhere when I was younger. Let myself go a lot in my 20s and Im using an Ebike to salvage my 30s now. I absolutely love it, its changed my life. I absolutely LOVE cycling and I missed it SO much!
I'm 58, had 2 heart attacks (congenital high cholesterol caused blocked arteries) and have 6 stents so my output is limited to about 145 bpm; I've cycled all my life and have done LEJOG and London-Paris24 on normal road bikes but struggled; I have a Cannondale Synapse NEO e-bike and it has transformed how much I can do; as pointed out it only really comes into its own on inclines which I used to have to stop half way up to catch my breath; now I go all the way without a break. Highly recommend an e-bike to all, it is not cheating.
james buckie I am 65 and have almost the same heart issues ... heart attack (while on a bike ride) five stents, etc. You are the first person I have seen that mentioned heart rate. My cardiologist has recommended 135 avg and 145 max. Thank you so much.
I think every day I wake up I come closer and closer to an E-bike. It will be easier accept that now after have seen Dan enjoy ride E -bikes. Thanks GCN!
I commute 36 miles round-trip to/from work and on the weekend, riding along the coast with some moderate climbs is my favorite ride. I get a 62 mile 3K feet of climbing ride done 30 minutes faster than on my non-ebike. It's a different kind of workout, think zone 2/3 for 3.5 hours and I get to see a beautiful coastline. For me, that's a great weekend ride. When I want to hurt, I just turn the motor off which I usually do for the first 20-30 miles. Cheers
Good stats Dan. My friend and I have promised to get an e bike when we turn 70 yrs old so in 4 years time there should be some good ones to choose from. What ever it takes to keep cycling I say.
E-bikes shouldn't be allowed in competitions, I think that's agreed. However, if you just enjoy cycling, or you aren't great at it and want some help, then I don't see the problem. Anything that gets people out on their bikes is a good thing. Just please don't try to make out you're not using the assistance when you are, I certainly wouldn't think any less of you.
Great post Jon. What irritates me is that now the e-bike industry is trying to make them look more stealth. Which, IMO, is going to lead to motor doping in the big races. Why are they trying to make the motors more silent? Why are they trying to hide the batteries? Why are they (Pinarello/ Orbea/ and other big brands) trying to make e-bike replicas of their top road bikes? If it is an e-bike, let it be an e-bike. Don't try and hide the fact that it is an e-bike.
@@TimothyFish Imagine the tactics involved. when do you use battery power, how much power do you use?! If you could regulate the bikes to limit battery life and power to make it a level playing field, I think it would be super interesting.
@@petercort3566 You really think watching a race with a bunch of out of shape dudes waiting to push the go button on their e-bike would be interesting? Lets have a Tour De France e-bike version...and the guy with the biggest and best e-bike can win and feel good about himself. That sounds wonderful!!
I bought an EBike recently and have loved it. When the lockdown started my wife started riding my ebike, I’m now back on my Ancient Cube and she can keep up. We do 20 mile rides incorporating trails across the New Forest. It’s brilliant. I’m loving cycling again and we can go out together. Fantastic!
I have just bought one, I live in an incredibly hilly country area. I have cycled for years but since moving here 13 years ago I just stopped, completely defeated by the hills. Just bought mine, and my first outing today, incredible, cycled more or less effortlessly up high hills and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Feel great having been outside all afternoon. Back out again tomorrow, thrilled to bits.
People who are against e-bikes seem like the same kind of people who are against group riders wearing pro team kit.. Just go out, ride, and enjoy it. Stop making it anything but that. Leave the 'sanctity of the sport' for the museums and pro tour.
So many of these electric vehicles are toxic to the environment. I'm not necessarily against them, but e bikes should not be used in races, or they should have their own separate races.
I am part of an older cycling group. Members were dropping out because they could no longer keep up. Two years ago some of the riders got e-bikes; they are not riding again, keeping up, having fun with their friends and getting a workout which they would otherwise not get. Our club thinks this is great as do I.
Watching the progression and size reduction of the batteries and motors over the last couple of years has been fascinating. If it gives someone the motivation to get out on the bike in the countryside with family or friends rather than being on their sofa, then vive the revolution! The weight penalty is still not good but will rapidly come down as the market demands better and smaller tech integration. With that comes incredible innovation and who doesn't want that?
The battery size reduction means reduced capacity. That is how it works. There are capacity differences for different cells (some of them are 2500 mAh, some of them are 350). But if any brand used quality cells (3500mAh) before it uses the same cells today. If the battery is smaller there is no chance to give you the same capacity and range - no chance to make it different way. If the system on this pinarello is so light the battery has to be very small and with very reduced capacity. From 3 support modes you can use only the strongest one to get noticable support. Two lower ones tend to feel like no support. I ride an e-bike and with 20-25 kmh it feels very slow - if it is a road bike - even slower because road bikes go pretty quickly without rider effort. The main and noticable difference between e bikes before and now is the integration of the e-system - like this pinarello that looks very nice. To make a real progress new cells have to be created - but it didn't happend until now. Still the same 18650 as a standard unit for e-bike batteries. The market can demand - but you can reduce the system weight without durability penalty. The same with carbon - you can't make frames, forks etc lighter and lighter- most of the people think that this material is a miracle but they have no clue that it came to the limit for reasonable durability reducing the weight. The light stuff people want is very fragile even if carbon is a durable material but not in the lightweight area - but how many people want to have heavier carbon bike or frame? And reducing weight for an e-road bike is completely stupid. It's not for racing where weight is very important. Reduced weight is important on climbs - but the rider uses the support - the 2-3 kg weiht penalty means noting then.
@@tomekborucki1120 no, battery size reductions are coming because energy density is going up, so you can use a smallee battery and get the same range Weight reduction is also important because bikes have to be lifted or ridden without assist at times
@@Hirotoro4692 As I wrote above - good quality cells are about 3500 mAh and they are on the market for a while - as long as e-bikes became popular. If you buy a quality bike you get it with quality cells - it was and is like that now as well. I have a big capacity battery made from good cells - it gives my bike a nice range but it is heavy. People believe in miracles sold by bike companies but the reality is different than the promises. Nothing gets lighter without performance penalty. Like carbon I mentioned above. I have a 1300 gr carbon frame - it's heavy but very robust. I saw at work many light (1000 gr and less) frames broken as a result of crashes, hit by the handlebar or damaged by any other accident. And it is not the result of this situation, it's a result of being too light. At this moment the regular capacity of a 18650 cell is 3500 mAh max - whatever some people say and that's all you can get now. There is some chance to work on motors - but that means: replace metal parts with plastic, that is definitely not the correct material for this type of use. But it doesn't matter - the motor will survive two yrs warranty period and can fall apart. If someone pays so much for a bike he will buy new parts without asking too many questions. You can think and say what you want - I saw all of this fixing many expensive bikes.
Yes I did, I started on an ebike 2 years ago, I'm now racing in the Masters 60 category on a road bike. If used properly ebikes are a good way to get mobile again.
Being totally honest, I think most people who hate them resent the fact that before ebikes, you had to put the work in to be fast. Blasting down the road on a bike represented all the work they put into training, and now people can basically do it for free.
This time last year I was a couch potato and had my wife nagging at me to get some exercise. I got an E-Bike for the first time this last February. I never enjoyed bicycling but the E-Bike has changed my mind. By using it for regular commuting the past 6 months I've lost 20+lbs of weight and bought my first non-electric road bicycle and joined a club for weekend rides. But the very best thing of all is finding GCN!
The difference for a non cyclist is you can go out with confidence of getting home. I bought my wife an ebike to get her to join me and she completed 20 miles of hills with a big grin and feeling proud of herself. It is about what you get out of it. Remember when people would not get a mobile phone. Great video thanks for the time you put in to share it with us.
Very informative and entertaining video. In 2017 I purchased my first ebike. It's more of a mountain bike Style bike and I have put almost six thousand miles on it as of today. I love it, it is everything I love about bike riding without virtually any of the hassles of heels or wind. I started out riding road bikes in the mid-80s, so I've been riding a long time. After many years I transitioned into mountain biking, and I love that. The first month I had my Evike I lost 12 lb without any other exercise or changing my healthy appetite. And of course I got more fit. The thing I do notice is that building muscle on an e-bike is not as fast as building muscle on a regular bike. But you have to consider but I ride much more now then I ever have on a regular bike, probably three to four times more. It's been a great experience and adventure and at this point I won't be going back to a regular bike. I'm glad I found your video and thank you for doing such a good job and making me chuckle here and there.
I've spent my whole childhood and some of my youth on a bike. Living in the Black Forest there isn't much else than steep climbs so you're either very fit or you don't bother. I didn't do any sports for the last 15 years so I always failed when I tried to get back into cycling again. A few weeks ago I finally bought an E-Bike. What can I say? I've been going for a ride almost every single day since I bought it. After work or on the weekends, it doesn't matter. On average I'm riding 10 Km+ every day with an average speed between 20-23 Km/h. Even though I was, and probably still am, really unfit, I started to notice a difference. At first I was using the max support mode (+340 % support) and switched down to lower modes whenever I could. Now I'm always using the second lowest support mode and I'm keeping it on, even on very steep hills (including those with 15%-25%). Sometimes I even switch to the lowest mode. I once turned it off completely but the 23.5 Kg of the bike are just too much for me at this moment without support. I actually feel a bit stronger and fitter now. Not "fit" but "fitter". My E-bike now has about 230 Km on the clock which isn't bad considering a few weeks ago it was 0 and had been 0 for about 15 years.
I live in NZ and use to hate them. However, if you look at the number of people who start to cycle to work instead of driving then it promoted the exposure that drivers have to bikes which must be great.
Greg Dunning if you're in welly, the Wellington Advent calendar has half day hireage for $40 from switched on bikes! I'm hoping for a few fine days to take one for a spin!
Recently I've bought an e-fat-bike and it's just amazing. Living in New Zealand means that there is even slight uphill all the time. But the most enjoyable part is that I wake up thinking 'where can I go today?'. Great fun and motivation to not to slouch on couch. Yesterday we went on the ride on the beach, what wouldn't happen on normal bike. Cheers :)
As an Xtracycle owner, maybe GCN should do a segment on cargo bikes. I do not have electric assist, and I will tell you hauling the grandchildren around, they love it, is a real work out. Having an electric assist, which is very popular with the cargo bike industry, is probably a game changer! Getting your groceries, commuting to work, taking the kids for a picnic. All are possible with a cargo bike, with e-assist, they would be comfortable as well. This makes one's bike a real car replacement option. Riding a long tail cargo bike is definitely more intuitive than pulling a trailer, and I have both. It is one of those ah, ha moments when ones bike can be so easily utilitarian! You want get any KOM's but the feeling of accomplishment is still great!
This has presenter challenge written all over it. Dan on an E Cargo Bike vs Lasty on a manual Cargo Bike? Obviously balanced with something a bit more informative though.
My thoughts exactly, I just got a loan to get a modest little Lafree E bike from Giant that has room for cargo and lots of torque from it's little motor, been riding it around the last few days to try and wear the battery down and get a feel for the range (and just riding an E Bike in general). Even riding around for a couple hours hitting plenty of steep hills our mountainous terrain provides I've only knocked it down to 68% at most and it charges fantastically fast once I get back, all I need now are some good lights and I can take that thing pretty much anywhere any time, and you can bet I have a silly grin on my face when I turn up the motor to full power and power up a hill like nothing
My late, great uncle, a keen cyclist invested in an ebike as he started to struggle to keep up with his friends on the climbs, not bad for someone in their late 70s! Ebikes are great for commuters and the less able. I think they're a good thing!
I mean, yeah E-bikes are great and all but I’m not gonna lie, the first time you hit a climb full gas, you give it all, heart rate through the roof, agonising pain, and an overweight middle age bloke on a mountain bike overtakes you without even breaking a sweat. That's quite demoralizing 🤣 now I'm fine but it takes some getting used to
@@JL-cn1qi you don't know, maybe he carries his bike uphill instead of riding it ? even tho i don't think ebikes are that good for doing so looking at their weight :)
Oh was that you that I passed? :) I had just this when riding one evening, a younger chap rode past me on a downhill, straight across a junction and started the climb the other side. My revenge was sweet as I casually cruised past him on the climb. He shouted "That's cheating!". I stopped at the top because I wanted to check my route and he pulled up and we had a fun chat where I explained that I bought it to keep up with my wife and her new eBike. He acknowledged that as a good point and would look into it for his wife as that would be a good way to get her on a bike to ride with him. Bottom line is that my enthusiasm to grind my way up hills is long in my past and i'm not looking to beat anyone, just enjoy myself.
My partner can do 30mile at 10mph average on her own power, with lots of rest stops. With £380 of wheel/controller/battery she can now do 30mile with a 16mph average, not a single rest stop. It's so nice getting to the top of a hill to seeing her wizzing up behind seconds later instead of minutes later.
I'm 265 lbs. I picked up an ebike (cannondale Toresco Neo X Speed). My area is pretty hilly and my commute is 36 miles round trip. The ebike is so much faster it makes it a lot more fun which makes me want to do it more. I'm having so much fun that I probably will get a traditional road bike just so my range isn't battery limited, but since I just got this bike I might as well enjoy the speed for now and wait until I'm lighter to level up.
I think that an ebike will be in every recreational cyclists future. No plans to get one myself........yet, but have to be honest and say that I’m seriously considering that my next new road bike (ride tt in competition training) will be an ebike.
I started biking with ebikes 10 years ago and am now a full year round cyclist with an absolute love for the sport. Ebikes absolutely get you fitter and make amazing commuter bikes. The bike you rode in this segment is a testament to how far the technology has come and how seamlessly it integrates with your effort. While they might not be for everyone: anything that gets people out of their cars and onto 2 wheels is amazing!
I recently bought a pedal assist e-bike and love it. I started cycling (mostly for commuting) just over a year ago but struggled to ride more than 2 or 3 times a week mostly due to long/tiring days at work that made it hard to want to cycle all week and also losing fitness after injury and illness that didn't help with that. I decided to get an e-bike with the idea that it would help me to ride to work most days of the week and it has. I now usually ride at least four days a week to work as well as to the shops on the weekend (I live in a hilly area) and still use my regular road bike on weekends when riding with friends or for fun/fitness/challenge. I know a lot of people are against e-bikes but it has definitely helped me ride more frequently and be more motivated and excited about riding to or from work - I can only see that as a good thing! I can also get back into riding sooner when I'm recovering from being sick and find it much easier to ride home at the end of a long and tiring day at work. It's not stopping me from getting fit though as I have lost a few kg since getting the e-bike - pedalling on a bike is better than sitting in a car! To anyone thinking about getting an e-bike for the same reasons as I did, I definitely recommend it! Done about 500km since I bought the e-bike about 8 weeks ago.
I Got back into cycling when I got an e bike. Now my car goes weeks at a time just sat on the drive. I ride for fun, to the shops, to the pub. Still ride my 20 year old giant when I ride for fun or with others, but it’s the e bike that gets me up and down the hills of Leeds. Calibre kinetic from go outdoors.
E-Bikes may have saved my life. I won't drone on about it, but I had a heart transplant in my mid 20's and it did major damage to my overall health, even after recovery. My heart operates at 40-60% total capacity for a person my age. I got back into riding to improve my very underwhelming state of conditioning and heath about a year ago, and it was unbelievably difficult to get my self into normal shape for a 40 year old, out of shape heart transplant reciepiant. I started with a gravel bike, got a full suspension mtb and despite riding 5-6 days a week, I just couldn't ride with my peers, other beginners or anyone really. Cue the emtb revolution, and now I own a Levo and Creo and ride 3-4 times longer and never feel like abstaining from riding. I'm getting great workouts and staying motivated. E-bikes are changing a lot of people's lives. I would have become too discouraged and quit riding without them. Please tread easy on E-bikes, my future depends on their survival and increased acceptance in the mtb guild.
Hi Dan.Brilliant video. Light hearted ,educational and compulsive to watch I hold over 2k Koms on and off road gained on a cross bike and foolishly hated ebikes for " cheating " on Strava.Ive never ridden one but now view ebikes as a brilliant way for less fit riders to enjoy the benefits of exploring,and experiencing cycling whether with faster riders or the ability to go further than normally.None of us know what lays ahead health wise in the future so the fact ebikes exist gives me hope, knowing that theres a chance i may be able to continue riding for decades to come. Im even looking for an ebike for my 11 year old so he can ride further with me. Win Win. Keep up the great channel.Alan Buz Busuttil
I ride an EMTB and absolutely love it. My road bike has been neglected since owning said bike. Owning an e bike recalibrates your mind, cycling for me is for enjoyment rather than a workout, I wont struggle up hills anymore. Roadys up for sale and e road is on the cards! They are the future.
I test rode the Specialized Creo Evo and fell in love with it. Did an impulse purchase and started riding it this weekend. Yeah at first I thought that I was not going to work as hard and yes that is somewhat true but I also found the following which surprised me. 1) I burned almost the same calories as a normal ride. 2) I did the ride in about 70% less time 3) I just wasn’t as beat up. This was a 22 mile ride and I did 2 back to back on the bike. Sure I’m a little sore but the bike has allowed me to increase the number of rides I do and it’s kinda true, “ it’s you, only faster”. Great buy and I don’t regret it. It’s changed the boundaries and limits of my riding range.
Yes, you can. If you’re out of shape, hills and long rides are terrifying, meaning you’ll avoid riding. eBikes let you overcome the fear and get you riding, letting you get the engine (heart/lungs) primed and tuned up. Then when you transition to a proper road bike you’ll be far more capable of riding. How do I know? Because riding an ebike has gotten me to lose 40lbs in 4 months and I am now working my way to being able to do my daily commute on a traditional road bike.
A thing about me: i have anxiety that is often triggered by physical things like a heightened heart rate. I often have anxiety attacks when i run etc. My ebike lets me exercise without panicking or getting out of breath. I also don't drive for similar reasons. My ebike lets me get to and from the shops/ to work etc much more easily. The exercise also helps with lowering anxiety levels. All great things.
can't see any problem with ebikes... They make riding possible for more people and can be as energy requiring as you want them to... Sure you can relax almost entirely and let it do the work but you can also use it in assistance with your own power. It's all up to you... think about it
I'm old and have a physical disability. The ebike got me back outside and prolongs my ability to do semi-strenuous activity. And have a lot of fun. Now just plush up the ride some. Because the bouncing and jolting is not good. But a new comfort seat. And some Plush front suspension forks ...
The comments are deceiving. Only a very small percentage of viewers comment, and those that do are often the vocal minority with a negative opinion. I ride my R&M Delite for recreation only, because I haven’t got anywhere at work I’d feel comfortable leaving it. And because it’s awesome to ride for long rides. I ride in Eco most of the time now since I’ve gained some fitness. And it’s so comfortable that I can ride it for hours even when I’m hardly out of the saddle (kind of a weird feeling to stand up when climbing on a full sus ebike). I can ride a road bike for about half an hour before I want to stop. I think I’m fitter than I was when I was road cycling because I can go further per ride in more comfort, and I want to get out on my bike and explore. Before, I often had to force myself to go riding.
As I celebrate my 50th trip around the sun this year, I reflect on a vibrant past filled with thrilling mountain bike adventures and daily 10k runs. Alas, a knee injury from work threw a wrench in my active lifestyle, leaving me sidelined. But then, like a beacon of hope, I discovered e-bikes! With this newfound companion, I’ve rekindled my love for the great outdoors, rediscovering the joy of movement and fitness. It feels like I’ve been given a second chance, and I’m absolutely loving every moment of it!
I love ebikes even though at the beginning I was against them. I took one for a spin and was hooked nobody said how much funny their were. Now saving to buy one. As been said already more people are coming into cycling because of e-bikes.
Love riding the ebike ! I am a new and older rider who uses the rent a bike to commute to and from work . I started riding during the Pandemic a bit out of shape and can used “the help”. I am not ashamed !
Hey GCN - have you considered using an ebike (or an electric scooter) for the camera platform when recording? Hearing the wee petrol scooter puttering away is just not needed any more.
Good idea, except the camera man's ebike will cut out at 26kmh, and Si and Dan etc are cruising along above 30kmh :-) But I agree, the "poot poot" of the scooters can be distracting!
From my limited knowledge, I believe they are either illegally modified to bypass the 26kmh restriction that's pretty much standard in every country, or they are a specific off road model that can have up to 1000W of power, and some numpty has decided to be a danger to everyone and ride that on the footpath, knowing full well they are doing something illegal. As always, selfish human behaviour is the weakest link, not necessarily the technology itself.
I am 83 years old, living in Dallas, TX, USA. I just finished a 250 mile ride and had a lot of problems getting up hills, with much pain in the knees. The group I was riding with were all in their 55's and 60's and suggested I look into an ebike as a way of extending my cycling life. After doing my research for several weeks, I settled on a Specialized Creo (aluminum) bike and purchased it. I have now ridden this bike 4 times for about 125 miles. It is a keeper as far as I am concerned. The bike allows me to get up hills with no problems at all. It has rendered headwinds ineffective. Most of all, it is saving my knees from a lot of pain when climbing hills. I get the same workout that I did on my old Specialized Roubaix, but now I have 'assistance" when needed. To me, this bike is well worth the cost. Everything else above the assist climbing hills is a bonus to me. I now am enjoying riding again, and I can see me riding on in to my 90's. I am not sure if I would recommend this bike to younger riders (20-30 yo), but I would definitely recommend getting an ebike to someone over 50 years of age.
What is so funny is that people are always looking for ways to lighten their bikes and defeating harder training, yet the same people are prejudiced about ebikes. Ebikes are allot of fun and great training at previously levels that you could not. We used to fill bottles full of pennies for extra training back in the day. For instance I used to ride with Tink* from time to time when he used even to put rocks in his backpack for extra training. Now simply take the ebike instead and turn off the engine for hill climbs. Plus I can train at any level I want I can weight it for a lightweight road bike, medium weight etc. Or, with the SMART ebike manufactures that have the software that lets you adjust your assist levels 0-100% at each level, simply adjust for your training levels you want that day. I don't have to worry about over training when some guy blows up our training rides I simply adjust my assist level vs riding alone. Also, recovery days I can actually adjust assist level and go somewhere without over dosing. Btw, they are using ebikes on recovery days now in the pros including the Tour De France. Finally when my legs take an unscheduled day off or rain, snow, hail, high wind threat and a long way from home, I boost to get home and not burn out the legs. There are allot other things you can do with a high powered ebike. You can always powered down that said; the super weak carbon ebikes that manufacters are heavily marketing with the weak motors they put out are really remember, you can't adjust up in and unpredicted situation. Maybe they are good for the super ego-ed cyclist. zinncycles.com/e-bikes-for-health-fitness-and-rehabilitation/ www.velonews.com/gear/road-gear/zinn-e-bike-can-life-changing-lifelong-cyclist/ * (Tinker Juarez (two time Olympian, three-time National Cross-Country winner; Pan American gold medalist; four-time National Solo 24-hour Champion; a silver medalist in the Elite Men's XC World Championship [1994]; three-time World Champion (one time in 24-Hour Solo, and two-time Master Championship))
Well, this video made me change my mind a bit. It is acceptable if the one riding an e-bike just want to keep up with the others.. However i am still not into them. I would still rather ride my normal road bike even if i am not that fit anymore..
As someone who has an surgery required injury, I have finally gotten the e-trance under the recommendation of my coach. It’s helping me back to fitness so get ready for surgery. And believe turning the motor off is an awesome workout.
I watched your report with interest as I've just invested in an ebike. For 20 years I was a casual rider and commuter (doing about 20 miles a day) until I was diagnosed with Parkinson's. For 5 years I had given up the idea of ever cycling again, then I was convinced to invest in an ebike. It's only been a month but I've rediscovered my love of cycling. After 6 trips I'm already doing 10 mile rides and planning longer distances. Especially good as I live in the Lake District!
At 70 years old, I'm riding my 4th ebike. All of them have been different types, but all of them allowed me to continue to ride in the hooligan style that I prefer.
Totally agree with Dans summary at end, 2 of my clubs senior riders, both over 70yrs old, could no longer do our Saturday cafe ride, they've both bought E-Bikes, and can now ride with us again, absolutely brilliant!, I'm in no doubt when I'm struggling to ride, I'll be getting an E-Bike.
I recently bought an Orbea Gain. I live in Ireland’s Wicklow mountains, I’m nearly 70 and I’m out daily doing 30 - 50k. I’m not racing anyone nor trying to make a point on climbs but I am getting so much confidence to join others on group rides. When you’re older, you don’t want to hold others back. With the new bike if we’re heading into wind, I take the lead and improve the performance of the other riders because I’m riding assisted. If I’m on a long ride I can now be sure of getting home without blowing out. Won’t look back no matter how fit I get, I’ll just keep reaching for more kilometres and climbs that were out of reach a month ago.
I have one. I've got 4 different knee issues in my knees and I can't push with the amount of power I need to go up hills so I bought an ebike. I don't care what all these people think, that thing is fun and allows me to bike with my husband.
Having become fitter over the last three years, I was then told that I must control my heart rate to a max of 140. Having failed to control my max pulse on a normal bike, despite going slower than the rest of the group, average ride speed dropping from 14+mph to 11mph, I invested in an e-bike. I am now back up to 14+mph and maintaining my max heart rate as the assistance is automatically controlled by my heart rate through an app. Now enjoying cycling again and keeping up with the group I cycle with. E-bikes are very often a necessity so don’t assume that people who use them are getting an easy ride. My rides are now 50 miles, 900m climbing with 50% battery usage on an Orbea Gain.
I have purchased an ebike not so long ago and I’m absolutely thrilled with it I’ve always had a bike, from a three wheeler as a kid to my last one that I have recently sold. I’m closely edging seventy years of age and found it difficult to climb in either direction from home the easy climb is 425 ft and found it way to much in the end . Both of the hills are a good gradient cars do slow right down one has a sand trap, the ebike has given me my life back I can get up the hills without getting off the saddle , I like to get out about 4/5 times a week and clocked up a good mileage it’s brilliant but you still have to put the effort into it even though but it’s great having a helping hand, I find the hydraulic disk brakes superb , so can leave the car at home, anyone thinking about getting one you’ve spent too long thinking and not doing.
Why not I say, I'm only speaking for this country but we love to knock things in this country whether or not it's success or failure sadly. To reflect most if the comments on here if it gets you out and enjoying cycling whether or not that's for leisure or commuting then it's a good thing in my books ...life is too short, get out and enjoy it !!
I am 53 years old male ! I have Grade one level right knee Osteoarthritis since one year . I am fine now by the bolstering of some knee exercises regularly. In addition I do 30-35 km/ day twice a week with normal bicycles and its fine but after that I need to do more care on stretch on hamstring muscle . It took some extra time compare to my only knee exercise . I think E bike will help me for long term cycling , because I don’t want to miss the beauty of cycling !! Thank you Sir !
I’ve been cycling for many years on road bikes and recently purchased a Trek E-MTB. Verdict? Love it!! I’m doing longer rides, around 100km, taking it on terrain I wouldn’t on my regular bike and still feel that I’m getting a good workout. I keep it on the lowest mode of assist 99% of the time, even up less steep hills. Still putting a good effort in plus enjoying it a lot more! It weighs 20kg so you’ve still got that extra weight to push too. Other benefits are it’s stability, especially in stronger winds. No more feeling like you’re going to get blown off. I find that people who criticise them, have never ridden one to understand them and how they work. I admit to being a very happy convert. PS. Love your videos. From Mel in Australia.
I think people who hate on e-bikes have never ridden one, so they incorrectly assume you're riding an electric scooter with no rider input required. They simply don't understand how beneficial they are for the older/slower/weaker/heavier/unfit riders who still wish to enjoy cycling, AND/OR they don't understand how little assistance a fitter rider will get due to the 26kmh cutoff of assistance. In fact, after almost 10 years off the bike, I bought an e-bike kit, converted my old mountain bike into a commuter, rekindled my love of cycling, got frustrated at the 26kmh cutoff, bought myself a road bike, and retired the e-bike kit! So my health has benefitted, and so has the cycling industry from my $$$. I've since gotten into MTB as well so that's another bike, plus equipment, more $$$ into the cycling industry. And I've seen a dad in his 50s on an ebike keeping up with his much younger fitter son and his mates on a MTB ride, something he possibly could not do without the e-assistance. Why would you be against any of that?
I have had my cycling future saved by my Bianchi Aria e Road , I have had terminal cancer since 2015 , I am a dedicated Bianchi owner. and road an Oltre XR2. Which I have ridden Ride London 2015 , 2016 & 2018 also the Simpson Memorial climb of Ventoux in 2017. However my health has declined so I have changed to the e-bike this has enabled me to keep riding and now the best thing ever. Regards Stevonabike
That was a good video and I agree with your thinking on the subject of e-bikes. I've had mine, a Kalkhoff Integrale 11 speed for about 3 years, and I love it. I used to own a hand built Evans touring bike which I had for about 20 years. I sold it and bought a Saracen mountain bike, the worst thing I have ever done. Then I bought a Brompton touring 6 speed, which wasn't very well built and I never really gelled with it. Now I hardly ever use it, perhaps I should sell it. Then I got interested in and purchased my Kalkhoff, and I've never looked back. I'm 71 years old and my son is half my age he has a state of the art Specialised road bike, and I can leave him in the dust. I don't do that but I could if I wanted to. I'm a complete convert I highly recommend e-bikes they're great. A word of warning though, try to avoid the Chinese bikes. I'm told they tend to be rubbish.
I got an e-bike for the first time four years ago and have put on 4200 miles, mostly going to and from work, which is 11.5 miles away. (I only ride in good weather and I do no riding below freezing, which means several months without riding every winter.) Where I live there are many steep hills for several miles before I get to a river trail, so I would not ride my other bikes to work very often. I am sure the e-bike has helped me to stay healthier and more fit, as I also use it to run errands all the time and, therefore, skip using a car almost all of the time. I have also noticed that I can ride a regular bike a lot farther now than before, and I take a regular bike to a trail more often than I would have otherwise.
So for a rider such as you, Dan, the e-bike is utterly pointless. For commuters they can be a real advantage, but obviously not a Pinarello.... For roadies who have health issues or who are past the first (and second) flush of youth, they're great because these riders can still keep up in group rides. For these riders, I don't think there should be a stigma. But for the able-bodied and healthy, an e-bike is definitely not the best way to get fit: Dan said it encouraged him to slow down to 25km/h get some assistance!
16 stone 50 years old asthma copd and cant use public transport due to covid risks,never thought id get on a bike, but now have an ebike and commute to work everyday ,and ride for enjoyment on the weekends, never thought id enjoy cycling , but i really love it , all thanks to an ebike,people can hate me for that , clearly it impacts them more than I
Not really, I find I only use the top 4 gears on mine anyway. I even went back from 11 speed to 9 speed. Only use it for commuting but we do have hills in Devon!
Avid cyclist using regular and e bikes. My commute is 33 miles RT. In a typical week, I commute one day and do a club ride and some short rides on regular bikes and commute by ebike 3 days. Using the ebike allows me to have my legs fresh enough to pursue other forms of exercise while still commuting in a relatively healthy and environmentally-friendly manner. And it's fun! I've even discovered that the light exercise of riding the ebike doubles as a recovery ride. Outside of cheating or damaging trails, the associated stigma is irrational. BTW, I love that Pinarello provides a blank for swapping out the battery pack. With my setup, I can remove the battery and swap out the front wheel ( which has a hub motor) for a standard wheel to easily shed about 90% of the ebike components' weight. I rarely do this since I have other bikes to use, though.
I got overtaken going up Mont Ventoux by somebody well under half my age riding an e bike. Couldn't help thinking that I hope his battery went flat before he got to the top.
overweight guy on an e-bike blew by me today doing like 30mph with a big smile on his face on the steepest part of my ride, while i was doing like 4mph gasping for breath.. it was funny but also kinda annoying.. but hey, some people are disabled and couldn't otherwise go up there and enjoy the view, and at least he was out of the house.. few more years and these knees will have me on one, too
Would you ride an electric road bike? Let us know your thoughts. 👇
I would never ever touch one
N.O.P.E
I would. If I can afford one.
YES
Nope
You'll get fitter riding an e-bike than riding a couch.
Try walking. It's about a 1000 quid cheaper
@@cinilaknedalm Not if you get injured by someone on an ebike
True!
Yeah, because that's most road cyclists think of in comparison...
"Riding in a couch"
My father (age 67) recently bought an e-bike, and I cannot believe the enjoyment and freedom it has given him. He lives in a particularly hilly area, so has always disregarded cycling as an option. Now, he cycles to work every day (14 miles return journey) and has lost 2 stone in weight. For people like my father, e-bikes are an emancipating gift from the cycling world.
Stephen Johnson my brother is saving to get one as he lives in a pretty hilly area. It used to be fine but now feels it on the knees. An ebike will mean he keeps cycling rather than just sticking his bike in the shed so that's got to be a good thing for fitness!
there is no reason to not use an ebike for people that age, he can and will be proud of every exercise he can do, so if that means using an ebike it's absolutely fine.
for me every person 60+ can use an ebike if that leads them to do some kind of exercise, many don't do anything at all
+1 My father, a long time cyclist (age 74), had cut down on his regular riding due to hip pain.
I got him an e-bike and he's back to enjoying his everyday riding while still getting much needed, doctor approved exercise.
Plus, the smile on his face when he's back from a ride is all that's needed to make my day, too.
same
I was 67 last Friday, so I decided to see if I could ride up Hardknott Pass on Saturday (as part of a 40-mile round trip) on my recently acquired ebike (MTB). When I've ridden Hardknott in the past there was an element of masochism (if not quite misery) involved. On the ebike I had to work ("tour" mode throughout the climb), but it was sheer pleasure. You do feel, though, as if you have to offer your apologies and an explanation to anyone who is struggling as you pass! I'm not trying to 'cheat' (except 'cheat' the arthritis!) but just to enjoy riding my bike.
I have been in cycling and the cycling industry since I was a teen. But for various reasons, I stepped away from riding for almost a decade. Early this year I bought an e-bike, without even test riding one. I went from zero kilometers last year (and the years before that), to 3700 within eight months, and dropping over 30 kg in the process.
trekkeruss that's great so ebikes
Do motivate and work for people
So many folks are in a similar position in terms of stopping riding for whatever reason, and ebikes are allowing them to get back into it. Its all good in my opinion :-)
Same for me. In 2014 I went through a medical treatment and gained 30 kg . Since then I couldnt imagine riding again with above 100kg. Fortunately bought an e-bike last month and now I ride 3 times a week around 40km each. Im feeling much better in terms of health and psicology.
I would never ride a bike knowing that I wouldnt be able to ride more than 1 km..
E-bike changed my life , for good :)
How much is 3700km on an EBike in real kilometers on a real bike? Is there an app to convert it?
@@StaggerLee68 is a "real" bike a penny farthing?
a pedal assist e-bike changed my life. 60Years old, 2nd year with bike, and will end up with over 10,000 miles this year. My fitness is the best it has been in my life. The last time I was on a bike I was a teenager. I smile every fast joyful mile.
Loved this reply :). Wish my dad would do the same. Well done Ed.
Well done Ed 👍
♠️
Please wave when you smoke me up a climb. And I'll be smiling, too--win or lose, just fun to duel, if only for a moment.
Ed, that’s the best comment ever on RUclips.
I’ve Ordered Trek’s e road bike. I’ve ridden in excess of 170,000 over the last 4 decades. Turning 70 this year, I don’t feel like to apologize to anyone for my decision, I’ve paid my dues. 😊
E-bikes can keep all us keen riders on two wheels as we age, another reason they are brilliant :-) Enjoy your new ride!
Ride on, John. You will love it.
Nobody has to apologize for what they ride. If you ride an ebike and somebody else doesn't like it, that's their problem, not yours.
And if you had 0 miles, you’d owe nobody an apology
I love your comment
My wife rides an ebike and it's great we can now ride together and have nice leisure rides which use to be massively frustrating for both of us due to our differing cycling ability, I'm even getting dropped on the climbs when she sticks it turbo mode with a massive grin on her face, which I love as I will turn myself inside out trying to keep up which is great training for me.
Same as buddy, same as.
It's probably the only way I'll be able to get my wife on a bike. I'm all for it if it means we can go out together regularly 🙂
After a "family bike ride" which ended in tears from my wife, the only way I would ever get her on a bike again would be to tempt her with an eBike. She tested one with me trying to keep up on a normal bike. Clearly I needed one too! What it means for us now though is that she can set as much power assist as she chooses and regardless of the difficulty of the ride, I can choose to either not use power assist to try to keep up and I can do this until my legs give out, then i'll power on and relax. We're not trying to beat anyone, thus we're not cheating. We're trying to get out and enjoy a leisurely ride with exercise of any form. The other point is that turning off power assist leaves me hauling a heavier bike than I would otherwise need so my argument is that extra effort required there ;)
I did accidentally take my wife up one of the routes (High Peak Junction) in Derbyshire which was supposed to be an easy route and that's how i'd sold it to her. Except that in my enthusiasm, I had missed the part that it was easy if you started at the top of the 2 mile, 1 in 8 gradient hill (i.e. start at Middleton Top). Oops. Regardless, she rode to the top, complained but no tears.
"Take my wife...PLEASE."
We are looking forward to having exactly that experience. She is waiting for the new Spec Creo Evo to hit Australia, currently on a Diverge, but avoids rides with significant hills which stifles out route options a bit. I have no doubt she will drop me any chance she gets and gloat about it. LOLZ !!
E-bikes have changed my life.
I’m 46 and overweight, living in a hilly country.
Riding went from a painful, exhausting experience that required several days recovery to a fun activity that I can repeat daily.
I don’t care what anyone says. E-bikes have changed my life!
I see a lot of e-bikes now.
That's great to hear!
I'm 47 and put on 35 lbs since covid started. I bought an ebike and do use pedal assist on low levels but I can't help but think In cheating if only because I'm not a sweaty mess when I finish riding. Thanks for your comment. Are you still keeping it up?
Are you managing to lose any weight with It though? Just don’t have It on Boost/Turbo mode all the time and you may get a lot of beneficial exercise If you ride a lot.
My Dad and I both ride e-bikes (mine a Handcycle, his 'normal'), I lost a good bit of weight and my circulation has improved considerably. The mental health benefits cannot be overstated either - if I'm in the mood for a workout, power assist is off but if I just need some fresh air and a de-stress I can use more power and simply enjoy the scenery. 😊
Love the commentary at the end, you nailed it.. I am disabled, an amputee missing my right arm, so on hills it's very hard and dangerous to stand and peddle, so I grit my teeth and muscle it. I was recently gifted an ebike kit which went straight on my cheap bicycle.. It's been a week and I've put over 250km on the bike, I absolutely love it and absolutely agree you can get fit, it just means you'll cover more ground and have a more enjoyable time doing it. Great vid, thank you.
Wow, that's awesome Rod, keep up the amazing work!
@@gcn hello I'm from Cyprus had 2 open heart operations valve replacement and I got a trek rail ebike it's perfect but when I go on rides with the cycling club I get the feeling that fellow riders don't really like it
We bought an e-bike for my wife to ride just over two years ago. We just couldn’t ride together before whereas now we go for 50-60 miles together most weekends. She also commutes on the bike and uses it for work visits. It’s fair to say she absolutely loves her bike and has lost three stone since getting it. I love the challenge of trying to keep up on the climbs.
I wish, this was the case with Mine, as well. I lend her My 31km/h assisted speed limit bike, set-up to accommodate her, asked her to make sure not to drop the bike, not to jump over kerbs, but to pedal to her heart's content (the wrong thing to say, as that, really, means not to pedal at all); Myself took the non-electric hardtail - and guess what: every half a minute, had to wait a couple of minutes for her to catch up. She was so ridiculously slow (I wonder how she managed - I assume, she must have mistaken the brake levers for pedals) that by the time we reached the downtown restaurant 6km from home we were riding to, I'd lost and found her (I had a rear-view mirror mounted on My bike for the purpose of babysitting My girlfriend on the ride, but it turned out to be of little help) at least 8-9 times.
Inspected the bike upon arrival to find out that she'd also managed to drop it (owing, I presume, to her uncanny proclivity for frequent, but surprisingly ungrounded, panic attacks). From then on, vowed not to ever let her touch any of My bikes. Such a delightful woman! I wish one to every single one of My enemies.
Presently, not only is she jealous of every woman I happen to encounter, irrespective of the nature of her relation to Me, she's grown increasingly jealous (mind you, not envious, but jealous) of My new carbon gravel bike (a Salsa WarBird 2019, set-up with Sram Force eTap AXS, a Selle SMP Plus, a by.Schultz G.2.0 LT seatpost and an FSA K-Force carbon ergo drop bar). She hates My bike with a passion, as it, apparently, requires quite a bit of attention and time on My part, at her expense.
No wonder, since we're in a relationship, I've steadily been gaining weight and am not likely to lose it until we part for good.
Some women won't be helped much by a SpaceX rocket, never mind an electric bike.
This is exactly what I need 3 stone gone! It’s picking a bike is an issue no idea! I used an Uber e bike and fell in love l. I would ride daily with one!
I'm a heavy guy an wanted to get fitter. I was used to take my car for every distance. This april I bought an ebike and now I only use my car for longer trips. It feels so good.
I also faced some ebike haters. I asked them if they would feel better if I went back in my car. None of them answered yes! Ebikes are tools, and I think they are great ones.
Andreas Schäfer I did the exact same thing and I absolutely love how it’s helped me shed pounds :) keep it up and happy riding!
Did you get fitter yet ?
@@nicolafertin3154 Yes, I definitely got fitter. Even in the current situation I ride my bike every day. I just had a winter break for 2-3 months where I used my bike only about once every two weeks. I started my journey with the highest assistance mode (turbo on my bosch ebike) and now I usually use eco or tour mode. I'm also planning a multi-day tour to the sea with 350 km.
And as a nice side effect I saved much money on my car. According to my current estimation, the ebike will have amortized itself after 5-6 years.
I had an embolism in my heart in September. Using an e-bike (in my case a Koga) I was able to start riding in October and have done ever since. You can’t see there’s anything wrong with me except I ride a bloody great Dutch bike uphill without sweating
Great to hear the e-bike has you back out on the roads so soon Fraise
Same. I have an invisible injury too. I don't care though. I love my bike.
I had a brain aneurysm when I was 14. Since then I couldn't ride a bicycle. 14 years later, an ebike got me working on pedals again. I couldn't he happier. I come up with excuses just to ride it.
I also ride motorcycle, have been riding motorcycle for 8 years. Riding the ebike really helps condition your whole lower body for longer motorcycle rides. I can't sing enough praises about ebikes. This thing was life changing.
Not sure anyone is still reading comments this far down the page!
I started in MTB in my teens and 'hated' lycra clad roadies, then as I got older I bought a cheap road bike (B'Twin Triban 300) and started using it as a training aid. Really got into it, completely different experience but very enjoyable once you got your head around the difference between mtb and road. Bought progressively better road bikes as I started to do my more miles (and law of n+1), eventually bought a full carbon Giant TCR. Then I had a family and the weekend riding stopped overnight, tried to use it for the commute but couldn't balance it all timing wise and the bike has sat in the garage since. I turned 40 earlier this year and bought myself a Giant Road E2 (because n+1), the difference is night and day on a good day my commute is 5-10 minutes slower on the bike than the car over a 17 mile journey, plus I've got 47c tyres so I'm not worried about punctures, full mudguards and panniers. The first time I used the e-bike to commute I used Strava; KOM'd every section and nearly halfed my personal best on the TCR, obviously deleted the route but it highlights the point, for commuting they are fantastic.
Cycling, especially road riding, is often seen as striving for personal perfection, minimal weight, maximum power, endless training sessions; but sometimes all you want to do is get somewhere.
A brilliant salesman at a local bike shop described an e-bike like this: There are three modes... mode one subtracts 10 years; mode two, 20 years; and mode three, 30 years. Select whatever mode you need to keep up with the fast riders in your group. You will work just as hard as they do but will be able to keep up. Music to my ears now that I'm approaching 60!
There are riders at my club who don’t go on the Sunday social ride now because they can’t keep up. As they have got older or had health issues. I would like them to have ebikes because I miss riding with them.
I wouldn’t get one myself at this stage in my life. But I would never say never
w the speed limiter, they still wont be able keep up and will be pushing around a heavier bike up the hills
They also seem to make sense for a lot of commuters that otherwise might not ride around all. I feel like riding a bike is a blast, mtb, road, gravel or even ebike all the same!
Tom Evans Why not start an e-bike only section for your riding club?
@@JogBird there are devices out there to de limit them ;)
I disagree. I ride with the slow "27kmh" group on Saturdays. Once you're in a bunch and drafting, the extra weight of an e-bike won't be noticeable on the flats. And trust me, my ride group does not do >26kmh up hills :-D So I think the older riders the OP mentioned should grab an ebike and get back into the (realistically paced) group!
One thing GCN didn't mention is that the e-bike makes it so much easier to get back up to speed after slowing for traffic or red lights etc. Then once you're cruising you don't need the assistance.
Stopped riding 25 years ago when family life and long commute stopped my riding. Now 57 with a new 6 mile commute I have bought an e-bike from an e-bike specialist in Worcester. So 300 miles later, I'm starting to get my leg muscles back and become fitter. Hopefully this will work, my only problem is I tend to ride at about 18 mph, which usually means I have to slow down to climb hills - battery assistance stops at 15.6 mph (25kph) European law - on the other hand on the flat and without assistance means I have to work that bit harder as the bike is heavy due to motor and battery. I have bought rear panniers too so I can cycle to the shops and back too saving on car fuel and parking which I am offsetting against the cost of the bike. I thoroughly recommend getting an e-bike if you have a body like mine - getting on; unfit; overweight; and knackered.
I am in my mid 70's and bought an e-bike so that I couid ride into my 80's. To my surprise I feel as if I am riding as I did when I was 15 years younger! For me it is about getting out and exploring because I always know I can get back by just adding more motor power. E-bikes along with protected bike lanes and traffic calming road diets are going to get more sedentary people out on bicycles and away from cars. Just one person on a bus takes the linear real estate of two cars with solo drivers! Imagine how much traffic congestion would be alleviated if we did this.
I used to cycle everywhere when I was younger. Let myself go a lot in my 20s and Im using an Ebike to salvage my 30s now. I absolutely love it, its changed my life. I absolutely LOVE cycling and I missed it SO much!
Great to hear you've found the love again 🙌 Ebike's are great for that !
I'm 58, had 2 heart attacks (congenital high cholesterol caused blocked arteries) and have 6 stents so my output is limited to about 145 bpm; I've cycled all my life and have done LEJOG and London-Paris24 on normal road bikes but struggled; I have a Cannondale Synapse NEO e-bike and it has transformed how much I can do; as pointed out it only really comes into its own on inclines which I used to have to stop half way up to catch my breath; now I go all the way without a break. Highly recommend an e-bike to all, it is not cheating.
james buckie I am 65 and have almost the same heart issues ... heart attack (while on a bike ride) five stents, etc. You are the first person I have seen that mentioned heart rate. My cardiologist has recommended 135 avg and 145 max. Thank you so much.
I think every day I wake up I come closer and closer to an E-bike. It will be easier accept that now after have seen Dan enjoy ride E -bikes. Thanks GCN!
I commute 36 miles round-trip to/from work and on the weekend, riding along the coast with some moderate climbs is my favorite ride. I get a 62 mile 3K feet of climbing ride done 30 minutes faster than on my non-ebike. It's a different kind of workout, think zone 2/3 for 3.5 hours and I get to see a beautiful coastline. For me, that's a great weekend ride. When I want to hurt, I just turn the motor off which I usually do for the first 20-30 miles. Cheers
Good stats Dan. My friend and I have promised to get an e bike when we turn 70 yrs old so in 4 years time there should be some good ones to choose from. What ever it takes to keep cycling I say.
Do it now, don't wait till 70, enjoy!
E-bikes shouldn't be allowed in competitions, I think that's agreed. However, if you just enjoy cycling, or you aren't great at it and want some help, then I don't see the problem. Anything that gets people out on their bikes is a good thing. Just please don't try to make out you're not using the assistance when you are, I certainly wouldn't think any less of you.
Exactly, we're agreed with you there Jon. Anything that gets people out on bikes and helps more people get into cycling is good by us.
Great post Jon. What irritates me is that now the e-bike industry is trying to make them look more stealth. Which, IMO, is going to lead to motor doping in the big races. Why are they trying to make the motors more silent? Why are they trying to hide the batteries? Why are they (Pinarello/ Orbea/ and other big brands) trying to make e-bike replicas of their top road bikes? If it is an e-bike, let it be an e-bike. Don't try and hide the fact that it is an e-bike.
As long as everyone is allowed to use an e-bike I don't see an issue. It might be fun to watch a race like that.
@@TimothyFish Imagine the tactics involved. when do you use battery power, how much power do you use?! If you could regulate the bikes to limit battery life and power to make it a level playing field, I think it would be super interesting.
@@petercort3566 You really think watching a race with a bunch of out of shape dudes waiting to push the go button on their e-bike would be interesting? Lets have a Tour De France e-bike version...and the guy with the biggest and best e-bike can win and feel good about himself. That sounds wonderful!!
I bought an EBike recently and have loved it. When the lockdown started my wife started riding my ebike, I’m now back on my Ancient Cube and she can keep up. We do 20 mile rides incorporating trails across the New Forest. It’s brilliant. I’m loving cycling again and we can go out together. Fantastic!
Of course you can get fit riding an ebike. Anything that helps motivate you and get you outside cycling is good, right?
I have just bought one, I live in an incredibly hilly country area. I have cycled for years but since moving here 13 years ago I just stopped, completely defeated by the hills. Just bought mine, and my first outing today, incredible, cycled more or less effortlessly up high hills and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Feel great having been outside all afternoon. Back out again tomorrow, thrilled to bits.
People who are against e-bikes seem like the same kind of people who are against group riders wearing pro team kit.. Just go out, ride, and enjoy it. Stop making it anything but that. Leave the 'sanctity of the sport' for the museums and pro tour.
MOST people are PRO BICYCLE and AGAINST POISON-accumulators and against POISON-motors and against POISON-electronics....
@@larrynivren8139 YOU are an IDIOT
So many of these electric vehicles are toxic to the environment. I'm not necessarily against them, but e bikes should not be used in races, or they should have their own separate races.
I am part of an older cycling group. Members were dropping out because they could no longer keep up. Two years ago some of the riders got e-bikes; they are not riding again, keeping up, having fun with their friends and getting a workout which they would otherwise not get. Our club thinks this is great as do I.
Watching the progression and size reduction of the batteries and motors over the last couple of years has been fascinating. If it gives someone the motivation to get out on the bike in the countryside with family or friends rather than being on their sofa, then vive the revolution! The weight penalty is still not good but will rapidly come down as the market demands better and smaller tech integration. With that comes incredible innovation and who doesn't want that?
Agreed. Thanks for commenting Kieran
Who doesn't want smaller more silent motors? The UCI!!!
The battery size reduction means reduced capacity. That is how it works. There are capacity differences for different cells (some of them are 2500 mAh, some of them are 350). But if any brand used quality cells (3500mAh) before it uses the same cells today. If the battery is smaller there is no chance to give you the same capacity and range - no chance to make it different way.
If the system on this pinarello is so light the battery has to be very small and with very reduced capacity.
From 3 support modes you can use only the strongest one to get noticable support. Two lower ones tend to feel like no support. I ride an e-bike and with 20-25 kmh it feels very slow - if it is a road bike - even slower because road bikes go pretty quickly without rider effort.
The main and noticable difference between e bikes before and now is the integration of the e-system - like this pinarello that looks very nice.
To make a real progress new cells have to be created - but it didn't happend until now. Still the same 18650 as a standard unit for e-bike batteries.
The market can demand - but you can reduce the system weight without durability penalty. The same with carbon - you can't make frames, forks etc lighter and lighter- most of the people think that this material is a miracle but they have no clue that it came to the limit for reasonable durability reducing the weight. The light stuff people want is very fragile even if carbon is a durable material but not in the lightweight area - but how many people want to have heavier carbon bike or frame?
And reducing weight for an e-road bike is completely stupid. It's not for racing where weight is very important. Reduced weight is important on climbs - but the rider uses the support - the 2-3 kg weiht penalty means noting then.
@@tomekborucki1120 no, battery size reductions are coming because energy density is going up, so you can use a smallee battery and get the same range
Weight reduction is also important because bikes have to be lifted or ridden without assist at times
@@Hirotoro4692 As I wrote above - good quality cells are about 3500 mAh and they are on the market for a while - as long as e-bikes became popular. If you buy a quality bike you get it with quality cells - it was and is like that now as well. I have a big capacity battery made from good cells - it gives my bike a nice range but it is heavy.
People believe in miracles sold by bike companies but the reality is different than the promises.
Nothing gets lighter without performance penalty.
Like carbon I mentioned above.
I have a 1300 gr carbon frame - it's heavy but very robust. I saw at work many light (1000 gr and less) frames broken as a result of crashes, hit by the handlebar or damaged by any other accident. And it is not the result of this situation, it's a result of being too light.
At this moment the regular capacity of a 18650 cell is 3500 mAh max - whatever some people say and that's all you can get now.
There is some chance to work on motors - but that means: replace metal parts with plastic, that is definitely not the correct material for this type of use.
But it doesn't matter - the motor will survive two yrs warranty period and can fall apart. If someone pays so much for a bike he will buy new parts without asking too many questions.
You can think and say what you want - I saw all of this fixing many expensive bikes.
Yes I did, I started on an ebike 2 years ago, I'm now racing in the Masters 60 category on a road bike. If used properly ebikes are a good way to get mobile again.
Whoever has an issue with e bike... Erm, why?
Get over yourself..
Just read all the comments here, gain some perspective; that's what I'm doing. And don't be such a snowflake anyway.
Being totally honest, I think most people who hate them resent the fact that before ebikes, you had to put the work in to be fast. Blasting down the road on a bike represented all the work they put into training, and now people can basically do it for free.
@@derp195 yeah boi ...ill see you as I pass you up the climbs to Mcdonalds
This time last year I was a couch potato and had my wife nagging at me to get some exercise. I got an E-Bike for the first time this last February. I never enjoyed bicycling but the E-Bike has changed my mind. By using it for regular commuting the past 6 months I've lost 20+lbs of weight and bought my first non-electric road bicycle and joined a club for weekend rides. But the very best thing of all is finding GCN!
The difference for a non cyclist is you can go out with confidence of getting home.
I bought my wife an ebike to get her to join me and she completed 20 miles of hills with a big grin
and feeling proud of herself.
It is about what you get out of it. Remember when people would not get a mobile phone.
Great video thanks for the time you put in to share it with us.
Very informative and entertaining video. In 2017 I purchased my first ebike. It's more of a mountain bike Style bike and I have put almost six thousand miles on it as of today. I love it, it is everything I love about bike riding without virtually any of the hassles of heels or wind. I started out riding road bikes in the mid-80s, so I've been riding a long time. After many years I transitioned into mountain biking, and I love that. The first month I had my Evike I lost 12 lb without any other exercise or changing my healthy appetite. And of course I got more fit. The thing I do notice is that building muscle on an e-bike is not as fast as building muscle on a regular bike. But you have to consider but I ride much more now then I ever have on a regular bike, probably three to four times more. It's been a great experience and adventure and at this point I won't be going back to a regular bike. I'm glad I found your video and thank you for doing such a good job and making me chuckle here and there.
I've spent my whole childhood and some of my youth on a bike. Living in the Black Forest there isn't much else than steep climbs so you're either very fit or you don't bother.
I didn't do any sports for the last 15 years so I always failed when I tried to get back into cycling again.
A few weeks ago I finally bought an E-Bike. What can I say? I've been going for a ride almost every single day since I bought it. After work or on the weekends, it doesn't matter. On average I'm riding 10 Km+ every day with an average speed between 20-23 Km/h.
Even though I was, and probably still am, really unfit, I started to notice a difference. At first I was using the max support mode (+340 % support) and switched down to lower modes whenever I could.
Now I'm always using the second lowest support mode and I'm keeping it on, even on very steep hills (including those with 15%-25%). Sometimes I even switch to the lowest mode. I once turned it off completely but the 23.5 Kg of the bike are just too much for me at this moment without support. I actually feel a bit stronger and fitter now. Not "fit" but "fitter".
My E-bike now has about 230 Km on the clock which isn't bad considering a few weeks ago it was 0 and had been 0 for about 15 years.
Who else thought Dan was going to say: "This is Dan Lloyd, an ex-professional cyclist who rode for the Cervelo Test Team"?
😂
Hang on, are you saying Dan rode for the Cervelo Test Team ;-)
And I expected Sad Dan to be outfitted in his Cervelo Test Team kit.
I live in NZ and use to hate them. However, if you look at the number of people who start to cycle to work instead of driving then it promoted the exposure that drivers have to bikes which must be great.
Greg Dunning if you're in welly, the Wellington Advent calendar has half day hireage for $40 from switched on bikes! I'm hoping for a few fine days to take one for a spin!
Recently I've bought an e-fat-bike and it's just amazing. Living in New Zealand means that there is even slight uphill all the time. But the most enjoyable part is that I wake up thinking 'where can I go today?'. Great fun and motivation to not to slouch on couch. Yesterday we went on the ride on the beach, what wouldn't happen on normal bike. Cheers :)
Loved the video guys. Nice one Dan!
As an Xtracycle owner, maybe GCN should do a segment on cargo bikes. I do not have electric assist, and I will tell you hauling the grandchildren around, they love it, is a real work out. Having an electric assist, which is very popular with the cargo bike industry, is probably a game changer! Getting your groceries, commuting to work, taking the kids for a picnic. All are possible with a cargo bike, with e-assist, they would be comfortable as well. This makes one's bike a real car replacement option. Riding a long tail cargo bike is definitely more intuitive than pulling a trailer, and I have both. It is one of those ah, ha moments when ones bike can be so easily utilitarian! You want get any KOM's but the feeling of accomplishment is still great!
This has presenter challenge written all over it. Dan on an E Cargo Bike vs Lasty on a manual Cargo Bike?
Obviously balanced with something a bit more informative though.
Spot on! Lasty with Emma as a passenger, Dan with Chris, Jeff, or Si!
My thoughts exactly, I just got a loan to get a modest little Lafree E bike from Giant that has room for cargo and lots of torque from it's little motor, been riding it around the last few days to try and wear the battery down and get a feel for the range (and just riding an E Bike in general).
Even riding around for a couple hours hitting plenty of steep hills our mountainous terrain provides I've only knocked it down to 68% at most and it charges fantastically fast once I get back, all I need now are some good lights and I can take that thing pretty much anywhere any time, and you can bet I have a silly grin on my face when I turn up the motor to full power and power up a hill like nothing
My late, great uncle, a keen cyclist invested in an ebike as he started to struggle to keep up with his friends on the climbs, not bad for someone in their late 70s! Ebikes are great for commuters and the less able. I think they're a good thing!
Thanks for sharing Will. Agreed on e-bikes being great.
@@gcn :)
I mean, yeah E-bikes are great and all but I’m not gonna lie, the first time you hit a climb full gas, you give it all, heart rate through the roof, agonising pain, and an overweight middle age bloke on a mountain bike overtakes you without even breaking a sweat. That's quite demoralizing 🤣 now I'm fine but it takes some getting used to
And that's why I like ebikes. You don't have to feel like you're about to die just to climb a steep hill.
@@Hirotoro4692 You're going over the hill tho, not climbing it.
@@JL-cn1qi you don't know, maybe he carries his bike uphill instead of riding it ?
even tho i don't think ebikes are that good for doing so looking at their weight :)
Oh was that you that I passed? :) I had just this when riding one evening, a younger chap rode past me on a downhill, straight across a junction and started the climb the other side. My revenge was sweet as I casually cruised past him on the climb. He shouted "That's cheating!". I stopped at the top because I wanted to check my route and he pulled up and we had a fun chat where I explained that I bought it to keep up with my wife and her new eBike. He acknowledged that as a good point and would look into it for his wife as that would be a good way to get her on a bike to ride with him. Bottom line is that my enthusiasm to grind my way up hills is long in my past and i'm not looking to beat anyone, just enjoy myself.
What takes getting use to ? minding your own business ?
My partner can do 30mile at 10mph average on her own power, with lots of rest stops.
With £380 of wheel/controller/battery she can now do 30mile with a 16mph average, not a single rest stop.
It's so nice getting to the top of a hill to seeing her wizzing up behind seconds later instead of minutes later.
I'm 265 lbs. I picked up an ebike (cannondale Toresco Neo X Speed). My area is pretty hilly and my commute is 36 miles round trip. The ebike is so much faster it makes it a lot more fun which makes me want to do it more.
I'm having so much fun that I probably will get a traditional road bike just so my range isn't battery limited, but since I just got this bike I might as well enjoy the speed for now and wait until I'm lighter to level up.
I think that an ebike will be in every recreational cyclists future. No plans to get one myself........yet, but have to be honest and say that I’m seriously considering that my next new road bike (ride tt in competition training) will be an ebike.
I started biking with ebikes 10 years ago and am now a full year round cyclist with an absolute love for the sport. Ebikes absolutely get you fitter and make amazing commuter bikes. The bike you rode in this segment is a testament to how far the technology has come and how seamlessly it integrates with your effort. While they might not be for everyone: anything that gets people out of their cars and onto 2 wheels is amazing!
I recently bought a pedal assist e-bike and love it. I started cycling (mostly for commuting) just over a year ago but struggled to ride more than 2 or 3 times a week mostly due to long/tiring days at work that made it hard to want to cycle all week and also losing fitness after injury and illness that didn't help with that. I decided to get an e-bike with the idea that it would help me to ride to work most days of the week and it has. I now usually ride at least four days a week to work as well as to the shops on the weekend (I live in a hilly area) and still use my regular road bike on weekends when riding with friends or for fun/fitness/challenge. I know a lot of people are against e-bikes but it has definitely helped me ride more frequently and be more motivated and excited about riding to or from work - I can only see that as a good thing! I can also get back into riding sooner when I'm recovering from being sick and find it much easier to ride home at the end of a long and tiring day at work. It's not stopping me from getting fit though as I have lost a few kg since getting the e-bike - pedalling on a bike is better than sitting in a car! To anyone thinking about getting an e-bike for the same reasons as I did, I definitely recommend it! Done about 500km since I bought the e-bike about 8 weeks ago.
I'm 65 and have just bought an E bike it's brought back the pleasure of being able to do longer rides that I was finding exhausting.
I Got back into cycling when I got an e bike. Now my car goes weeks at a time just sat on the drive. I ride for fun, to the shops, to the pub. Still ride my 20 year old giant when I ride for fun or with others, but it’s the e bike that gets me up and down the hills of Leeds.
Calibre kinetic from go outdoors.
Happy riding!
E-Bikes may have saved my life. I won't drone on about it, but I had a heart transplant in my mid 20's and it did major damage to my overall health, even after recovery. My heart operates at 40-60% total capacity for a person my age. I got back into riding to improve my very underwhelming state of conditioning and heath about a year ago, and it was unbelievably difficult to get my self into normal shape for a 40 year old, out of shape heart transplant reciepiant. I started with a gravel bike, got a full suspension mtb and despite riding 5-6 days a week, I just couldn't ride with my peers, other beginners or anyone really. Cue the emtb revolution, and now I own a Levo and Creo and ride 3-4 times longer and never feel like abstaining from riding. I'm getting great workouts and staying motivated. E-bikes are changing a lot of people's lives. I would have become too discouraged and quit riding without them. Please tread easy on E-bikes, my future depends on their survival and increased acceptance in the mtb guild.
Getting older,feeling my age 63, I just bought one for my wife. Good return from a hard day of work!
Hi Dan.Brilliant video. Light hearted ,educational and compulsive to watch I hold over 2k Koms on and off road gained on a cross bike and foolishly hated ebikes for " cheating " on Strava.Ive never ridden one but now view ebikes as a brilliant way for less fit riders to enjoy the benefits of exploring,and experiencing cycling whether with faster riders or the ability to go further than normally.None of us know what lays ahead health wise in the future so the fact ebikes exist gives me hope, knowing that theres a chance i may be able to continue riding for decades to come. Im even looking for an ebike for my 11 year old so he can ride further with me. Win Win. Keep up the great channel.Alan Buz Busuttil
Rule #10, it never gets easier, you just go faster (Greg Lemond quote). If you apply that rule while riding an e-bike, I don't see an issue with it.
Alexander Hill completely agree
well put!
I ride an EMTB and absolutely love it. My road bike has been neglected since owning said bike. Owning an e bike recalibrates your mind, cycling for me is for enjoyment rather than a workout, I wont struggle up hills anymore. Roadys up for sale and e road is on the cards! They are the future.
Yes, my next bike purchase, 55 and living in the Pyrenees, its a no brainier.
I test rode the Specialized Creo Evo and fell in love with it. Did an impulse purchase and started riding it this weekend. Yeah at first I thought that I was not going to work as hard and yes that is somewhat true but I also found the following which surprised me. 1) I burned almost the same calories as a normal ride. 2) I did the ride in about 70% less time 3) I just wasn’t as beat up. This was a 22 mile ride and I did 2 back to back on the bike. Sure I’m a little sore but the bike has allowed me to increase the number of rides I do and it’s kinda true, “ it’s you, only faster”. Great buy and I don’t regret it. It’s changed the boundaries and limits of my riding range.
Great for someone to be out on any bike and enjoying cycling. Love to hear about all things bike!
I have an E-bike. Just turn off the pedal assist and you can get a workout on a 60 lb bike.
Yes, you can.
If you’re out of shape, hills and long rides are terrifying, meaning you’ll avoid riding. eBikes let you overcome the fear and get you riding, letting you get the engine (heart/lungs) primed and tuned up. Then when you transition to a proper road bike you’ll be far more capable of riding. How do I know? Because riding an ebike has gotten me to lose 40lbs in 4 months and I am now working my way to being able to do my daily commute on a traditional road bike.
Great vid, I am saving up for an E-bike so that I will be able to keep up with my son on the climbs.
A thing about me: i have anxiety that is often triggered by physical things like a heightened heart rate. I often have anxiety attacks when i run etc. My ebike lets me exercise without panicking or getting out of breath. I also don't drive for similar reasons. My ebike lets me get to and from the shops/ to work etc much more easily. The exercise also helps with lowering anxiety levels. All great things.
can't see any problem with ebikes... They make riding possible for more people and can be as energy requiring as you want them to... Sure you can relax almost entirely and let it do the work but you can also use it in assistance with your own power. It's all up to you... think about it
there a revolutionary advancement on the bike and only puretines and Luddites would hate them
I'm old and have a physical disability.
The ebike got me back outside and prolongs my ability to do semi-strenuous activity. And have a lot of fun. Now just plush up the ride some. Because the bouncing and jolting is not good. But a new comfort seat. And some Plush front suspension forks ...
The comments are deceiving. Only a very small percentage of viewers comment, and those that do are often the vocal minority with a negative opinion.
I ride my R&M Delite for recreation only, because I haven’t got anywhere at work I’d feel comfortable leaving it. And because it’s awesome to ride for long rides. I ride in Eco most of the time now since I’ve gained some fitness. And it’s so comfortable that I can ride it for hours even when I’m hardly out of the saddle (kind of a weird feeling to stand up when climbing on a full sus ebike). I can ride a road bike for about half an hour before I want to stop.
I think I’m fitter than I was when I was road cycling because I can go further per ride in more comfort, and I want to get out on my bike and explore. Before, I often had to force myself to go riding.
Thanks for commenting Chris. Great to hear having an e-bike has helped you to ride more. Keep it up!
As I celebrate my 50th trip around the sun this year, I reflect on a vibrant past filled with thrilling mountain bike adventures and daily 10k runs. Alas, a knee injury from work threw a wrench in my active lifestyle, leaving me sidelined. But then, like a beacon of hope, I discovered e-bikes! With this newfound companion, I’ve rekindled my love for the great outdoors, rediscovering the joy of movement and fitness. It feels like I’ve been given a second chance, and I’m absolutely loving every moment of it!
I love ebikes even though at the beginning I was against them. I took one for a spin and was hooked nobody said how much funny their were. Now saving to buy one. As been said already more people are coming into cycling because of e-bikes.
More people riding bikes can't be a bad thing
Love riding the ebike ! I am a new and older rider who uses the rent a bike to commute to and from work . I started riding during the Pandemic a bit out of shape and can used “the help”. I am not ashamed !
Hey GCN - have you considered using an ebike (or an electric scooter) for the camera platform when recording? Hearing the wee petrol scooter puttering away is just not needed any more.
Good idea, except the camera man's ebike will cut out at 26kmh, and Si and Dan etc are cruising along above 30kmh :-)
But I agree, the "poot poot" of the scooters can be distracting!
@@Mububban23 what's with those pedelac ebikes that go up to 45kmh?
From my limited knowledge, I believe they are either illegally modified to bypass the 26kmh restriction that's pretty much standard in every country, or they are a specific off road model that can have up to 1000W of power, and some numpty has decided to be a danger to everyone and ride that on the footpath, knowing full well they are doing something illegal.
As always, selfish human behaviour is the weakest link, not necessarily the technology itself.
@@Mububban23 It depends where you live. In many parts of the US the limit is 45 kph (28 mph).
Interesting, are they still classed as bicycles or as motorbikes? I think Australia, UK and Europe are all the same ie the 26kmh assistance limit
I am 83 years old, living in Dallas, TX, USA. I just finished a 250 mile ride and had a lot of problems getting up hills, with much pain in the knees. The group I was riding with were all in their 55's and 60's and suggested I look into an ebike as a way of extending my cycling life. After doing my research for several weeks, I settled on a Specialized Creo (aluminum) bike and purchased it. I have now ridden this bike 4 times for about 125 miles. It is a keeper as far as I am concerned. The bike allows me to get up hills with no problems at all. It has rendered headwinds ineffective. Most of all, it is saving my knees from a lot of pain when climbing hills. I get the same workout that I did on my old Specialized Roubaix, but now I have 'assistance" when needed. To me, this bike is well worth the cost. Everything else above the assist climbing hills is a bonus to me. I now am enjoying riding again, and I can see me riding on in to my 90's. I am not sure if I would recommend this bike to younger riders (20-30 yo), but I would definitely recommend getting an ebike to someone over 50 years of age.
I got a lot fitter carrying an e-bike uphill.
What is so funny is that people are always looking for ways to lighten their bikes and defeating harder training, yet the same people are prejudiced about ebikes. Ebikes are allot of fun and great training at previously levels that you could not. We used to fill bottles full of pennies for extra training back in the day. For instance I used to ride with Tink* from time to time when he used even to put rocks in his backpack for extra training. Now simply take the ebike instead and turn off the engine for hill climbs.
Plus I can train at any level I want I can weight it for a lightweight road bike, medium weight etc.
Or, with the SMART ebike manufactures that have the software that lets you adjust your assist levels 0-100% at each level, simply adjust for your training levels you want that day.
I don't have to worry about over training when some guy blows up our training rides I simply adjust my assist level vs riding alone. Also, recovery days I can actually adjust assist level and go somewhere without over dosing. Btw, they are using ebikes on recovery days now in the pros including the Tour De France.
Finally when my legs take an unscheduled day off or rain, snow, hail, high wind threat and a long way from home, I boost to get home and not burn out the legs. There are allot other things you can do with a high powered ebike. You can always powered down that said; the super weak carbon ebikes that manufacters are heavily marketing with the weak motors they put out are really remember, you can't adjust up in and unpredicted situation. Maybe they are good for the super ego-ed cyclist.
zinncycles.com/e-bikes-for-health-fitness-and-rehabilitation/
www.velonews.com/gear/road-gear/zinn-e-bike-can-life-changing-lifelong-cyclist/
* (Tinker Juarez (two time Olympian, three-time National Cross-Country winner; Pan American gold medalist; four-time National Solo 24-hour Champion; a silver medalist in the Elite Men's XC World Championship [1994]; three-time World Champion (one time in 24-Hour Solo, and two-time Master Championship))
Well, this video made me change my mind a bit. It is acceptable if the one riding an e-bike just want to keep up with the others..
However i am still not into them. I would still rather ride my normal road bike even if i am not that fit anymore..
As someone who has an surgery required injury, I have finally gotten the e-trance under the recommendation of my coach. It’s helping me back to fitness so get ready for surgery. And believe turning the motor off is an awesome workout.
Great video! Well done. And good job, Dan.
I watched your report with interest as I've just invested in an ebike. For 20 years I was a casual rider and commuter (doing about 20 miles a day) until I was diagnosed with Parkinson's. For 5 years I had given up the idea of ever cycling again, then I was convinced to invest in an ebike. It's only been a month but I've rediscovered my love of cycling. After 6 trips I'm already doing 10 mile rides and planning longer distances. Especially good as I live in the Lake District!
At 70 years old, I'm riding my 4th ebike. All of them have been different types, but all of them allowed me to continue to ride in the hooligan style that I prefer.
Totally agree with Dans summary at end, 2 of my clubs senior riders, both over 70yrs old, could no longer do our Saturday cafe ride, they've both bought E-Bikes, and can now ride with us again, absolutely brilliant!, I'm in no doubt when I'm struggling to ride, I'll be getting an E-Bike.
I don't have an E bike. Good luck to those that do!
it's a great evolution of cycling......
I recently bought an Orbea Gain. I live in Ireland’s Wicklow mountains, I’m nearly 70 and I’m out daily doing 30 - 50k. I’m not racing anyone nor trying to make a point on climbs but I am getting so much confidence to join others on group rides. When you’re older, you don’t want to hold others back. With the new bike if we’re heading into wind, I take the lead and improve the performance of the other riders because I’m riding assisted. If I’m on a long ride I can now be sure of getting home without blowing out. Won’t look back no matter how fit I get, I’ll just keep reaching for more kilometres and climbs that were out of reach a month ago.
I have one. I've got 4 different knee issues in my knees and I can't push with the amount of power I need to go up hills so I bought an ebike. I don't care what all these people think, that thing is fun and allows me to bike with my husband.
its only good for people with disabilities or old people, younger people dont need ebikes unless htey have injuries
Having become fitter over the last three years, I was then told that I must control my heart rate to a max of 140. Having failed to control my max pulse on a normal bike, despite going slower than the rest of the group, average ride speed dropping from 14+mph to 11mph, I invested in an e-bike. I am now back up to 14+mph and maintaining my max heart rate as the assistance is automatically controlled by my heart rate through an app. Now enjoying cycling again and keeping up with the group I cycle with. E-bikes are very often a necessity so don’t assume that people who use them are getting an easy ride. My rides are now 50 miles, 900m climbing with 50% battery usage on an Orbea Gain.
67 and an e-bike got me back on the road.
I have purchased an ebike not so long ago and I’m absolutely thrilled with it I’ve always had a bike, from a three wheeler as a kid to my last one that I have recently sold. I’m closely edging seventy years of age and found it difficult to climb in either direction from home the easy climb is 425 ft and found it way to much in the end . Both of the hills are a good gradient cars do slow right down one has a sand trap, the ebike has given me my life back I can get up the hills without getting off the saddle , I like to get out about 4/5 times a week and clocked up a good mileage it’s brilliant but you still have to put the effort into it even though but it’s great having a helping hand, I find the hydraulic disk brakes superb , so can leave the car at home, anyone thinking about getting one you’ve spent too long thinking and not doing.
Why not I say, I'm only speaking for this country but we love to knock things in this country whether or not it's success or failure sadly. To reflect most if the comments on here if it gets you out and enjoying cycling whether or not that's for leisure or commuting then it's a good thing in my books ...life is too short, get out and enjoy it !!
I am 53 years old male ! I have Grade one level right knee Osteoarthritis since one year . I am fine now by the bolstering of some knee exercises regularly.
In addition I do 30-35 km/ day twice a week with normal bicycles and its fine but after that I need to do more care on stretch on hamstring muscle . It took some extra time compare to my only knee exercise .
I think E bike will help me for long term cycling , because I don’t want to miss the beauty of cycling !!
Thank you Sir !
9:29 for a concise answer (for those viewers who came to find out the answer to the question solely ...
I’ve been cycling for many years on road bikes and recently purchased a Trek E-MTB. Verdict? Love it!! I’m doing longer rides, around 100km, taking it on terrain I wouldn’t on my regular bike and still feel that I’m getting a good workout. I keep it on the lowest mode of assist 99% of the time, even up less steep hills. Still putting a good effort in plus enjoying it a lot more! It weighs 20kg so you’ve still got that extra weight to push too. Other benefits are it’s stability, especially in stronger winds. No more feeling like you’re going to get blown off.
I find that people who criticise them, have never ridden one to understand them and how they work. I admit to being a very happy convert.
PS. Love your videos.
From Mel in Australia.
I think people who hate on e-bikes have never ridden one, so they incorrectly assume you're riding an electric scooter with no rider input required.
They simply don't understand how beneficial they are for the older/slower/weaker/heavier/unfit riders who still wish to enjoy cycling, AND/OR they don't understand how little assistance a fitter rider will get due to the 26kmh cutoff of assistance. In fact, after almost 10 years off the bike, I bought an e-bike kit, converted my old mountain bike into a commuter, rekindled my love of cycling, got frustrated at the 26kmh cutoff, bought myself a road bike, and retired the e-bike kit! So my health has benefitted, and so has the cycling industry from my $$$.
I've since gotten into MTB as well so that's another bike, plus equipment, more $$$ into the cycling industry. And I've seen a dad in his 50s on an ebike keeping up with his much younger fitter son and his mates on a MTB ride, something he possibly could not do without the e-assistance. Why would you be against any of that?
Yes, and there's a real good reason we've never ridden one..
I have had my cycling future saved by my Bianchi Aria e Road , I have had terminal cancer since 2015 , I am a dedicated Bianchi owner. and road an Oltre XR2. Which I have ridden Ride London 2015 , 2016 & 2018 also the Simpson Memorial climb of Ventoux in 2017. However my health has declined so I have changed to the e-bike this has enabled me to keep riding and now the best thing ever.
Regards Stevonabike
"Recreational Cyclist... Like me." -says a rider who rode at the world championships.
Or, "Like me, an alum of the Cervelo Test Team."
That was a good video and I agree with your thinking on the subject of e-bikes. I've had mine, a Kalkhoff Integrale 11 speed for about 3 years, and I love it. I used to own a hand built Evans touring bike which I had for about 20 years. I sold it and bought a Saracen mountain bike, the worst thing I have ever done. Then I bought a Brompton touring 6 speed, which wasn't very well built and I never really gelled with it. Now I hardly ever use it, perhaps I should sell it. Then I got interested in and purchased my Kalkhoff, and I've never looked back. I'm 71 years old and my son is half my age he has a state of the art Specialised road bike, and I can leave him in the dust. I don't do that but I could if I wanted to. I'm a complete convert I highly recommend e-bikes they're great. A word of warning though, try to avoid the Chinese bikes. I'm told they tend to be rubbish.
It's not always about riding same track on ebike, for me it's riding longer, further on ebike.
I got an e-bike for the first time four years ago and have put on 4200 miles, mostly going to and from work, which is 11.5 miles away. (I only ride in good weather and I do no riding below freezing, which means several months without riding every winter.) Where I live there are many steep hills for several miles before I get to a river trail, so I would not ride my other bikes to work very often. I am sure the e-bike has helped me to stay healthier and more fit, as I also use it to run errands all the time and, therefore, skip using a car almost all of the time. I have also noticed that I can ride a regular bike a lot farther now than before, and I take a regular bike to a trail more often than I would have otherwise.
So for a rider such as you, Dan, the e-bike is utterly pointless.
For commuters they can be a real advantage, but obviously not a Pinarello....
For roadies who have health issues or who are past the first (and second) flush of youth, they're great because these riders can still keep up in group rides. For these riders, I don't think there should be a stigma.
But for the able-bodied and healthy, an e-bike is definitely not the best way to get fit: Dan said it encouraged him to slow down to 25km/h get some assistance!
16 stone 50 years old asthma copd and cant use public transport due to covid risks,never thought id get on a bike, but now have an ebike and commute to work everyday ,and ride for enjoyment on the weekends, never thought id enjoy cycling , but i really love it , all thanks to an ebike,people can hate me for that , clearly it impacts them more than I
Kind of funny that it doesn't have an electronic groupset.
I think it can, but your wallet would rather buy a new car than that bike 😁
Not really, I find I only use the top 4 gears on mine anyway. I even went back from 11 speed to 9 speed. Only use it for commuting but we do have hills in Devon!
Avid cyclist using regular and e bikes. My commute is 33 miles RT. In a typical week, I commute one day and do a club ride and some short rides on regular bikes and commute by ebike 3 days. Using the ebike allows me to have my legs fresh enough to pursue other forms of exercise while still commuting in a relatively healthy and environmentally-friendly manner. And it's fun! I've even discovered that the light exercise of riding the ebike doubles as a recovery ride. Outside of cheating or damaging trails, the associated stigma is irrational.
BTW, I love that Pinarello provides a blank for swapping out the battery pack. With my setup, I can remove the battery and swap out the front wheel ( which has a hub motor) for a standard wheel to easily shed about 90% of the ebike components' weight. I rarely do this since I have other bikes to use, though.
I got overtaken going up Mont Ventoux by somebody well under half my age riding an e bike. Couldn't help thinking that I hope his battery went flat before he got to the top.
Henry H but did he enjoy himself...? 😂
@@stevemansfield9582 Well I'm sure he enjoyed overtaking him
Would you have been happier if he had used his car or his motorcycle
overweight guy on an e-bike blew by me today doing like 30mph with a big smile on his face on the steepest part of my ride, while i was doing like 4mph gasping for breath.. it was funny but also kinda annoying.. but hey, some people are disabled and couldn't otherwise go up there and enjoy the view, and at least he was out of the house.. few more years and these knees will have me on one, too