Stop hating ebikes

[Peter]

I did a new video.

Can an ebike climb a mountain without assistance. I did this video to prove to all ebike haters that ebikers also get a workout and that ebikers and racebikers can have fun together.
Many racebikers have posted negative comments on my video where i climbed Mont Ventoux FAST on my ebike.
Here is a link to that video.

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In my new video I am trying to climb Monte Spluga or in German Splügen without assistance.

 

[Adrian]

Nice videos. And there will always be hate from some of the silly crowd - it's their loss if they think ebikes are for old people or "cheaters".

 

[Tara D.]

I enjoyed seeing Italy through your videos! Such a beautiful country it would be nice to visit one day!

 

[mamerc]

Getting sick and tired with people's being misinformed about eBikes. NO they don't pedal for you, YES you can get a workout, NO their NOT motorcycles! Just found out OMNI bus will not allow motorized bicycles. I called to get an answer why...." They can catch fire" So do you allow motorized wheelchairs? " yes, we have ramps for them" Do you allow laptops of cell phones?.." Now your being silly"

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[PowerMe]

Can an ebike climb a mountain without assistance. I did this video to prove to all ebike haters that ebikers also get a workout and that ebikers and racebikers can have fun together.

Great video, but I'm not getting the point. Yes, if a cyclist is strong enough s/he can climb a mountain without PAS. And such a person won't need to do so on a heavier eBike to prove it. But the whole point of using an ebike is especially important for those who cannot climb hills on their own power without some assist, and an ebike allows them to participate in these activities.

Peter showing himself climbing up these hills doesn't prove anything other than Peter is in good shape and doesn't need an ebike to accomplish challenging climbs. That doesn't do anything to address people's opinions about ebikes being some kind of 'cheat,' and in fact reinforces the point that you (Peter) don't 'need' an ebike anymore, assuming you did need it at some point.

The way to make the point instead: "It's only cheating if one is racing against someone who doesn't have pedal assist. Otherwise, it's like saying a motorcycle is 'cheating' when compared to a regular bike. eBikes are a type of transportation that allow more people to get from point A to point B on a bike. Apples vs Oranges."

Want to show the value of ebiking? Get a very out of shape person or a person with a bad knee, and film them using an ebike (and pedaling of course) and being able to travel 5km up some hills. That's why ebikes are valuable.

 

[Bike_On]

Great video, but I'm not getting the point. Yes, if a cyclist is strong enough s/he can climb a mountain without PAS. And such a person won't need to do so on a heavier eBike to prove it. But the whole point of using an ebike is especially important for those who cannot climb hills on their own power without some assist, and an ebike allows them to participate in these activities.

Peter showing himself climbing up these hills doesn't prove anything other than Peter is in good shape and doesn't need an ebike to accomplish challenging climbs. That doesn't do anything to address people's opinions about ebikes being some kind of 'cheat,' and in fact reinforces the point that you (Peter) don't 'need' an ebike anymore, assuming you did need it at some point.

The way to make the point instead: "It's only cheating if one is racing against someone who doesn't have pedal assist. Otherwise, it's like saying a motorcycle is 'cheating' when compared to a regular bike. eBikes are a type of transportation that allow more people to get from point A to point B on a bike. Apples vs Oranges."

Want to show the value of ebiking? Get a very out of shape person or a person with a bad knee, and film them using an ebike (and pedaling of course) and being able to travel 5km up some hills. That's why ebikes are valuable.

The value of an ebike? The value of biking at all?

Sometimes we just want to do it faster for our own priorities. Commute to work or get to the store. Sometimes we may be able and fit, but just want to climb the mountain and have fun going fast and less tired. When the line crosses from "I need an ebike in order to bike normally" to "I want an ebike to bike abnormally (like blow past roadies up a mountain), yes, it is an element of cheat as we enjoy the benefits of biking with less effort.

Physically, it cheats our conditioning. Bike a mountain 7 times on an ebike vs 7 times on any non ebike and I would bet your body is better conditioned from the second. I'm ok with that because all our efforts to bike around these many miles are fairly meaningless in the grand scheme of human history. Humans are already half crazy to wear tight lycra clothing, spend a whole day and joules of energy to bike up a mountain, do all that work, and produce nothing. Pure recreation and peace of mind. Our founding fathers would think of us very strange.

 

[J.R.]

Our founding fathers would think of us very strange.

Ol' Tommy J. would think it insane, but Benny would've loved it! Pursuit of happiness...

Since I've added weeks of winter riding I could not otherwise do, I think conditioning is a wash.

 

[Ann M.]

One of my most favorite ebike sales was to a local orthopedic surgeon who'd just had triple bypass heart surgery. He stopped by the shop all serious that he wanted to be around for his son (we'd worked on the kid's scooter multiple times). Got him on an ebike, didn't see him for about 4 months--he shows up one afternoon with a big grin on his face and about 40lbs lighter with a super light hybrid bike (non-electric) in tow. He stopped to say thanks for the steady conditioning he got on the ebike which made him strong enough to ride a regular bike. His concern had been what would happen if he felt stressed from the heat, etc. but with the ebike he knew it wasn't a problem and could keep going. After that, he started recommending electric bikes to some of his patients as part of their recovery or in some cases, a way to prevent the need for orthopedic surgery.

 

[NYC Rider]

No way am I sitting through 12 minutes of shaky, smudgy, video of asphalt. The choir already understands the joy of ebiking. The 'haters' just need more time, possibly decades (should we all be lucky enough to see mines and factories continuing to produce our beloved machines), to come around. Keep peddling, respect others right of way, control your speed in settled areas.

 

[mamerc]

Update: Took the bike down to OmniBus Office for clarification. Manager was called to come down and look at my bike. Funny thing, their monthly information book has "WE LOVE BICYCLES" on the cover. He seen no trouble with the bike on the bus and gave me a green light to ride. He informed me that the rules committee must have meant gas motors. his clerk informed him, rules clearly stated ELECTRIC motors....either way...IT A GO!

 

[Ann M.]

Yay to you @mamerc for being proactive! We've had to do this several times with various city officials in Austin. It really makes a difference when they see the creature that's being maligned.

 

[Peter]

Great video, but I'm not getting the point. Yes, if a cyclist is strong enough s/he can climb a mountain without PAS. And such a person won't need to do so on a heavier eBike to prove it. But the whole point of using an ebike is especially important for those who cannot climb hills on their own power without some assist, and an ebike allows them to participate in these activities.

Peter showing himself climbing up these hills doesn't prove anything other than Peter is in good shape and doesn't need an ebike to accomplish challenging climbs. That doesn't do anything to address people's opinions about ebikes being some kind of 'cheat,' and in fact reinforces the point that you (Peter) don't 'need' an ebike anymore, assuming you did need it at some point.

The way to make the point instead: "It's only cheating if one is racing against someone who doesn't have pedal assist. Otherwise, it's like saying a motorcycle is 'cheating' when compared to a regular bike. eBikes are a type of transportation that allow more people to get from point A to point B on a bike. Apples vs Oranges."

Want to show the value of ebiking? Get a very out of shape person or a person with a bad knee, and film them using an ebike (and pedaling of course) and being able to travel 5km up some hills. That's why ebikes are valuable.

The only reason I was able to climb that mountain was my ebike.
I might be fit now for a race bike but I dont want one. I think I will always ride ebikes.
They are just a ton of fun and it is always yourself that decides how much workout you want. l love that.
Some weeks ago I had both my ebikes in for service for two weeks and thougt. Well then I will commute on my regylar light weight MTB. I did that once in 14 days. All the other days I took my car. Then I got my ebikes back and have not used the car for commute since then .

 

[Peter]

I think you have to read between the lines a little bit to get the message. Essentially, I understand it as being this:

"A year ago I could never have climbed these mountains on a bicycle, but after owning an e-bike for 12 months I'm in such good shape that I can climb them on a 22 kg bike without any electrical assistance. The only physical training I've had comes from my 10 kilometer daily e-bike commute. Just imagine what an e-bike could do for you."

And so it demonstrates that e-bikes can be used to progressively improve your physical condition over a certain period of time. Peter can climb these mountains now, but what about before? It would be interesting to hear what the author of the video says.

Your quote is absolute right .

My shape before ebike was in a state that I was able to climb Mount Brocken (not very high and without hair pin turns) in Germany without assistence on a regular MTB but I could not walk for two days after.
In the following days of my climb in the video my legs did feel pretty normal.
My ebike makes me want to do these challenges and go riding wth my Brother on his race bike. I would never do that on a normal bike.

 

[mamerc]

Funny update on the omni bus. No troubles at all, bus drivers are so far from the backdoor, they never question my Jumper. One thing they are UNAWARE of is bikes with 29s, don't fit the racks and their bikes hang out into the isle.

 

[mamerc]

Proper 26 fit

 

[K. Jones]

Ebikes are only cheating in the context of a theoretical competition where your ebike would give you an unfair advantage others don't have. However, most of the biking you do on an ebike wouldn't be in any sort of competition. It would be for fun or for commuting or for errands. And even in a bike competition, there cold be divisions specifically for ebikes within the race if the organizers wanted to do it. There is no reason to look at an ebike as a cheat. It's just a different sort of bike.

It's not cheating when I use my ebike to ride to the store. It's only cheating when my daughter (on her regular bike) wants to race me and I turn on my motor.

 

[vincent]

peter sorry the regular bike people are being so silly, good for you for making the other video and for helping educate the bus people

i dont get it either and it really aggravates me
have a feeling i will be more aggravated the more i ride and run into the other bikers

k jones i love that post

 

[Ann M.]

Think of it like this, @vincent , you have an opportunity to share a great experience about a cool ebike that you enjoy and ride good miles on. It doesn't have to be a source of worry and hopefully, you don't feel defensive when you're out tooling around. Most folks I encounter are more curious. Any kind of aggressive or rude riding whether from 'regular' or electric bikes is more of an issue in city riding.

 

[vincent]

not too worried ann

being 70% deaf it is pretty easy for me to tune people out when i want lol
that being said i will stick up for ebikes anytime i feel it is needed

agree i wont be in many riding situations where this will be an issue, mainly havent been pleased with the overall regular bike shop experiences i have had

with me seeing clients all day everyone i talk to is very curious and interested in the bikes , nobody seems to know they exist

but have a friend who is pretty serious in mtn biking and she says a lot of these guys are rabid about the ebikes, she doesnt care one wit
i have read a few threads on some mtn biking forums and some people do seem to be over the top about it

of course that is true of people in general about all kinds of topics

 

[MLB]

The value of an ebike? The value of biking at all?

Sometimes we just want to do it faster for our own priorities. Commute to work or get to the store. Sometimes we may be able and fit, but just want to climb the mountain and have fun going fast and less tired. When the line crosses from "I need an ebike in order to bike normally" to "I want an ebike to bike abnormally (like blow past roadies up a mountain), yes, it is an element of cheat as we enjoy the benefits of biking with less effort.

Physically, it cheats our conditioning. Bike a mountain 7 times on an ebike vs 7 times on any non ebike and I would bet your body is better conditioned from the second. I'm ok with that because all our efforts to bike around these many miles are fairly meaningless in the grand scheme of human history. Humans are already half crazy to wear tight lycra clothing, spend a whole day and joules of energy to bike up a mountain, do all that work, and produce nothing. Pure recreation and peace of mind. Our founding fathers would think of us very strange.

No it does not cheat your conditioning. Only YOU can do that. If conditioning was simply a matter of doing more work you would be right. But in actuality, how we recover from the 1st, 2nd and 3d time up the mountain are GREATLY going to impact how hard we work and how much benefit we get out of trips 4-7.
If the work is harder than your capacity to handle it, you can shred muscles ( break down from overwork) breaking down the fibers that then grow back stronger. In 48hrs or longer. Do those kinds of rides every day and you'll be much weaker on Ride 7 than you were on ride 1.
With E assist helping you don't HAVE to overwork those muscles so badly and can recover much faster and do much more work the next day, and the next, and the next.....
THAT is why you can stay in AS GOOD A CONDITION boosted as unboosted. Last year I never lost a day to dead legs or overall tiredness that often happens the day (days) after a REALLY hard effort.
More work is not always better and the older you get the more that bears out.