Stefan Mikes
Gravel e-biker
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, PL
A Noob
When I entered the Brave New World of e-bikes in late August 2019, I understood how the e-bike instantly changed my life. An ailing person who could hardly walk, I could suddenly zoom greater and greater distances for exercise, adventures, grocery shopping, and -- the most important of all -- for fun. Even before my ailments developed and manifested their presence, a traditional bike ride was painful for me: Countering headwind or climbing on a bike was no fun; I needed to stop every 5 km for rest. I had no incentive to be on the bike everyday! With the purchase of the first e-bike, I started riding faster, for longer distances, and as frequently as never before!
As a noob with some money, I started buying new e-bikes on the "N+1" principle to end up with 4 very different e-bikes. And, as a noob with some money, I was doing everything to improve what I bought! The number of experiments, new gear, equipment, "improvements" I've done to my e-bikes might fill a decently sized book! And I've been the noob for some three years. Until I changed. After documented 26,000+ km (16,200+ mi) ridden on e-bikes, I think I changed and reached a level of maturity.
Let me describe what I believe in now, and what experiments have brought valuable outcome.
N-1, Or Only Keep The E-Bikes You Actually Ride
If you own several e-bikes, some of them are just gathering the dust. If you choose to ride each of them, the maintenance costs start to mount to an unbearable level. After having determined my real needs, I just reduced the number of my e-bikes from four to just two. I keep a heavy, strong and fast full power e-bike that is priceless for long, demanding trips (especially in the mountains) and a lightweight low power e-bike that I ride on a daily basis, and which has proven to be appropriate for long and fast gravel group rides. Actually, I feel I still own one e-bike too many but it would be hard for me to get rid of either of them!
Use Your E-Bike As Intended By The Maker, Or Do Not Change The Nature Of Your Steed
Disclaimer: I'm only talking of good e-bikes from major bicycle brands.
The big bicycle brand has accumulated decades of experience, and makes e-bikes of a proven geometry and componentry for the intended purpose. "Do not change a bronco into a mule!"
The Stock Components Are Not Necessarily Hopeless
If everyone of us noobs could have just tried riding our first e-bikes without immediately modifying them... I managed to make many unnecessary replacements of stock components on my e-bikes. For instance, it took me almost 3 years to realize the stock Specialized Electrak 2.0 tyres on my Vado 5.0 actually were the best thing, and I should have not replaced them in the first place. Or, it took me more than a year to find out the stock Specialized Bridge Sport saddle on my Vado SL was actually a very good thing that I really didn't need to replace with another seat! To be honest, even the stock grips on my both e-bikes that I keep were quite OK! Why to replace anything just because it is "stock"?
The More I Ride, The More Lightweight I Appreciate
That's why I ride my heavy Vado less and less, giving the preference to Vado SL.
Tyre Inflation Pressure
It is true that increasing tyre pressure makes the e-bike roll easier. On the other hand, the tyres are the ultimate bike suspension, especially for dampening rapid road vibrations. Reducing the tyre inflation to the "sweet point" between the rolling resistance and ride comfort is something I could greatly recommend to anyone!
Extra Suspension, A Worthy Thing?
Oh yes. For most of good e-bikes ridden by the Forum members, a Kinekt 2.1 or RedShift Shock Stop suspension seat-post is certainly a valuable improvement for your rear. On the other hand, installing a suspension stem on an e-bike already equipped in any form of front suspension makes little sense. Any type of the front suspension is made to dampen slow vibration; it is the tyres that flatten the rapid vibration.
Saddle
There is no Saddle Holy Grail. If you have chosen riding in a more upright position, most of your body weight will inevitably rest on your butt. Expect back/spine aches. No comfort saddle can be as soft as an armchair if you need to be pedalling your e-bike. With the riding position more forward, you lighten up your ass. Surprisingly, many aches might have gone. Once you have moved your body position forward, you will notice a seemingly hard and narrow saddle might even become more comfortable, especially if you ride in chamois. A narrower saddle means no chafing on your thighs and axils.
Pedals
Very expensive bikes are delivered without pedals. In most of cases, even expensive e-bikes will be delivered with cheap unimpressive pedals. It is your choice what you do.
I do not want to start yet another holy war with the lovers of "clipless" (who actually clip in). Just want to say good wide platform pedals with traction pins are almost as good as clipless pedals/cleated shoes, and I often ride platform pedals just in sneakers. It is your choice though.
Handlebar grips
As I mentioned before, the stock grips can be in many cases excellent. I'm a great believer in the enhancement called SQlab Innerbarends, which I perceive as one of the greatest inventions for flat handlebars. Innerbarends let me lean forward without hand numbness, be myself more aerodynamic, have perfect access to brake levers and the shifter, and keep my arms closer still retaining a pretty wide handlebars. I spend almost my ride time in the Innerbarends now. Having the Ergon GP2 bar ends available too, I hardly use them now.
Rear-View Mirror, Daytime Lights, And The Helmet
I simply cannot ride without the rear-view mirror. Inexpensive Mirrycle is the type I've used on my all e-bikes. The glass part never broke in any of several Mirrycles I have owned. The secret of the proper Mirrycle set-up is to tighten all screws very strongly. The threaded parts are made of brass there; brass can stand very strong tightening, and you can hear it squeaking when you tighten the screws: it is the proper thing.
Many of EBR Forum members are bitching they cannot switch their daytime lights off. "See and Be Seen". It is for your own safety!
Wearing the helmet goes without saying.
When I entered the Brave New World of e-bikes in late August 2019, I understood how the e-bike instantly changed my life. An ailing person who could hardly walk, I could suddenly zoom greater and greater distances for exercise, adventures, grocery shopping, and -- the most important of all -- for fun. Even before my ailments developed and manifested their presence, a traditional bike ride was painful for me: Countering headwind or climbing on a bike was no fun; I needed to stop every 5 km for rest. I had no incentive to be on the bike everyday! With the purchase of the first e-bike, I started riding faster, for longer distances, and as frequently as never before!
As a noob with some money, I started buying new e-bikes on the "N+1" principle to end up with 4 very different e-bikes. And, as a noob with some money, I was doing everything to improve what I bought! The number of experiments, new gear, equipment, "improvements" I've done to my e-bikes might fill a decently sized book! And I've been the noob for some three years. Until I changed. After documented 26,000+ km (16,200+ mi) ridden on e-bikes, I think I changed and reached a level of maturity.
Let me describe what I believe in now, and what experiments have brought valuable outcome.
N-1, Or Only Keep The E-Bikes You Actually Ride
If you own several e-bikes, some of them are just gathering the dust. If you choose to ride each of them, the maintenance costs start to mount to an unbearable level. After having determined my real needs, I just reduced the number of my e-bikes from four to just two. I keep a heavy, strong and fast full power e-bike that is priceless for long, demanding trips (especially in the mountains) and a lightweight low power e-bike that I ride on a daily basis, and which has proven to be appropriate for long and fast gravel group rides. Actually, I feel I still own one e-bike too many but it would be hard for me to get rid of either of them!
Use Your E-Bike As Intended By The Maker, Or Do Not Change The Nature Of Your Steed
Disclaimer: I'm only talking of good e-bikes from major bicycle brands.
The big bicycle brand has accumulated decades of experience, and makes e-bikes of a proven geometry and componentry for the intended purpose. "Do not change a bronco into a mule!"
- You have bought a premium commuter e-bike. The bike geometry tells you the e-bike should be ridden in a forward position. What do you do? You think you need to ride in a more upright position; you raise your stem then buy curved handlebars (or Jones H-bars for instance); you are replacing the saddle with the widest and softest saddle you could find. You have changed the very nature of your e-bike. You believe the changes were necessary but surprisingly you still suffer pain in your butt, hand numbness or back aches. So you experiment more and more not to avail really.
- You thought buying a full suspension e-MTB would make your city rides comfortable. Now, you have realised your electric mountain e-bike simply hates city riding! So you swap your off-road tyres for "all-rounders", raise the stem, trim your wide handlebars (ouch!), add a rack and maybe even a kick-stand. You have crippled your mountain-goat to become a cow...
- You thought a road/gravel e-bike was cool. Now, you put a comfortable saddle, a rack/pannier, long fenders, and perhaps a kickstand on your e-bike. Making it even heavier and against its intended purpose.
The Stock Components Are Not Necessarily Hopeless
If everyone of us noobs could have just tried riding our first e-bikes without immediately modifying them... I managed to make many unnecessary replacements of stock components on my e-bikes. For instance, it took me almost 3 years to realize the stock Specialized Electrak 2.0 tyres on my Vado 5.0 actually were the best thing, and I should have not replaced them in the first place. Or, it took me more than a year to find out the stock Specialized Bridge Sport saddle on my Vado SL was actually a very good thing that I really didn't need to replace with another seat! To be honest, even the stock grips on my both e-bikes that I keep were quite OK! Why to replace anything just because it is "stock"?
The More I Ride, The More Lightweight I Appreciate
That's why I ride my heavy Vado less and less, giving the preference to Vado SL.
Tyre Inflation Pressure
It is true that increasing tyre pressure makes the e-bike roll easier. On the other hand, the tyres are the ultimate bike suspension, especially for dampening rapid road vibrations. Reducing the tyre inflation to the "sweet point" between the rolling resistance and ride comfort is something I could greatly recommend to anyone!
Extra Suspension, A Worthy Thing?
Oh yes. For most of good e-bikes ridden by the Forum members, a Kinekt 2.1 or RedShift Shock Stop suspension seat-post is certainly a valuable improvement for your rear. On the other hand, installing a suspension stem on an e-bike already equipped in any form of front suspension makes little sense. Any type of the front suspension is made to dampen slow vibration; it is the tyres that flatten the rapid vibration.
Saddle
There is no Saddle Holy Grail. If you have chosen riding in a more upright position, most of your body weight will inevitably rest on your butt. Expect back/spine aches. No comfort saddle can be as soft as an armchair if you need to be pedalling your e-bike. With the riding position more forward, you lighten up your ass. Surprisingly, many aches might have gone. Once you have moved your body position forward, you will notice a seemingly hard and narrow saddle might even become more comfortable, especially if you ride in chamois. A narrower saddle means no chafing on your thighs and axils.
Pedals
Very expensive bikes are delivered without pedals. In most of cases, even expensive e-bikes will be delivered with cheap unimpressive pedals. It is your choice what you do.
I do not want to start yet another holy war with the lovers of "clipless" (who actually clip in). Just want to say good wide platform pedals with traction pins are almost as good as clipless pedals/cleated shoes, and I often ride platform pedals just in sneakers. It is your choice though.
Handlebar grips
As I mentioned before, the stock grips can be in many cases excellent. I'm a great believer in the enhancement called SQlab Innerbarends, which I perceive as one of the greatest inventions for flat handlebars. Innerbarends let me lean forward without hand numbness, be myself more aerodynamic, have perfect access to brake levers and the shifter, and keep my arms closer still retaining a pretty wide handlebars. I spend almost my ride time in the Innerbarends now. Having the Ergon GP2 bar ends available too, I hardly use them now.
Rear-View Mirror, Daytime Lights, And The Helmet
I simply cannot ride without the rear-view mirror. Inexpensive Mirrycle is the type I've used on my all e-bikes. The glass part never broke in any of several Mirrycles I have owned. The secret of the proper Mirrycle set-up is to tighten all screws very strongly. The threaded parts are made of brass there; brass can stand very strong tightening, and you can hear it squeaking when you tighten the screws: it is the proper thing.
Many of EBR Forum members are bitching they cannot switch their daytime lights off. "See and Be Seen". It is for your own safety!
Wearing the helmet goes without saying.
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