Okay, admittedly I'm a newbie to e-bikes. I bought a RadCity on sale in December. Since then, in December, January and March, weather permitting, I've ridden my e-bike exclusively 3-7 days a week (meaning no other bikes). Rad bikes have 5 levels of power assist. I've never gone above level 3. Even just at level 3, with every ride I feel super human. Since it's still winter in New England and lots of salt on the roads, today, I decided to ride one of my other bikes, a Trek Marlin 6, 29'r. Definitely not my carbon fiber road bike, but one that I think can handle road salt and frost heaves. It was way harder to pedal than I remember! In fact, I took another route home that wasn't so hilly. It made me think. When was the last time you rode an acoustic bike? Did it freak you out or do you incorporate acoustic bikes into your regular rides, along with e-bikes?
When was the last time you rode an acoustic bike?
- Thread starter Mr. Max
- Start date
highpockets
Member
When I first got my e-bike it was for a long commute. I still rode my me-bike on the weekends. Gradually, I lost my feelings of loyalty to my Surly. I am planning to "ride the plains" in April though and now realize I need to get back on my me-bike just to make sure I'm up to the ride. The nice thing about my me-bike is the wind chill factor is not as severe. Man, I wish Spring would get here.
Stefan Mikes
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, Poland
The last time I rode my analog Romet Wagant (a hybrid bike) was a couple of months ago last year (when I already had my two e-bikes). I had a chore to do at the borough office. It was only 5 km (3 mi) trip overall and I felt very tired afterwards. It felt like pedalling an unpowered e-bike and the fact the Wagant was far lighter than an e-bike didn't help very much.
I cannot cycle without motor assistance anymore. I believe cycling should be a pleasure not a torture. When I'm in the need of physical exercise, I ride in low PAS level. If I need fun, I increase the motor power. E-bike makes me cycle far more often, for far longer distance and faster than it was ever possible with a traditional bicycle.
I compared my current ride stats to the ones from my last "analog" cycling era. The "analog" yearly distances were ridiculous to what I'm achieving now and I was riding very rarely at those times.
I cannot cycle without motor assistance anymore. I believe cycling should be a pleasure not a torture. When I'm in the need of physical exercise, I ride in low PAS level. If I need fun, I increase the motor power. E-bike makes me cycle far more often, for far longer distance and faster than it was ever possible with a traditional bicycle.
I compared my current ride stats to the ones from my last "analog" cycling era. The "analog" yearly distances were ridiculous to what I'm achieving now and I was riding very rarely at those times.
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LimboJim
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
My 2002 Stumpjumper FSR hasn't been trail ridden since 2012, when my third protracted battle with Lyme Disease and turning 50 knocked me off the saddle for 2+ years.
I still also have my 2015 IGG/OG Sondors single-speed, steel frame ebike, too. I keep both those bikes for semi-mental, nostalgic reasons. They both still ride quite well, too!
I still also have my 2015 IGG/OG Sondors single-speed, steel frame ebike, too. I keep both those bikes for semi-mental, nostalgic reasons. They both still ride quite well, too!
LimboJim
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Stefan Mikes
Well-Known Member
- Region
- Europe
- City
- Mazovia, Poland
I will also add something. In the first month of riding e-bike (it was still the warm season last year) I invited two friends of mine for a group ride. Piotr who is a strong MTB rider and Błażej, an average cyclist. I didn't simply think the 50+ km distance might be hard on both of them!
I was too fast for them so I was trying to restrict myself a little and I was making circles around them at times. Not sure if any of them would be willing to go on a next ride with me
I was too fast for them so I was trying to restrict myself a little and I was making circles around them at times. Not sure if any of them would be willing to go on a next ride with me
Captain Slow
Well-Known Member
I regularly ride my regular road bike mixed in with my electric.
LimboJim sorry to hear about the Lyme disease. Can I assume you're treated and ok now?
LimboJim sorry to hear about the Lyme disease. Can I assume you're treated and ok now?
6zfshdb
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Northeast Pennsylvania
I rode my Trek conventional MTB a couple of times in 2019 to do a pedaling effort comparison. The Trek is a 27 speed and as expected, I had to use a much lower gear to match the pedaling effort on my e-bike. Pedaling with the same effort on a smooth level surface at a cadence of around 60, the speed of the Trek was about half that of the e-bike using PAS 1.
Ebiker01
Well-Known Member
i ride my ebike in PAS 0 every now and then or when there are too many people around .
Max. speeds are about 13-14mph. It's a 55lb ebike.
- last time i rode my carbon 14lb Storck , i went for a 10-12mile ride and allthough i felt a lot stronger then when i was solely a roadie, i felt that i was wasting my time , trying to hold it at 20mph for >5min. reminded me of how much training one needs just to be able to do that.
The lesson is that time is very valuable , and training to be able to just enjoy the scenery and ride @ 20mph or 24-25mph avh. is part of the analog era and a huge waste of time. Then is
the whole circus lycra clothing dress/undress and the expensive shoes, etc...
Now is sneakers and cargo pants , jump on the ebike and vrooooom
. A lot more fun , no overtraining , sore legs and healthier then any video game , virtual reality or whatever ESPORT kids are playing in today's world.
They call them Esports but the players are just moving their fingers on a keyboard ?? At least i do pedal hard at times on the ebike.
Max. speeds are about 13-14mph. It's a 55lb ebike.
- last time i rode my carbon 14lb Storck , i went for a 10-12mile ride and allthough i felt a lot stronger then when i was solely a roadie, i felt that i was wasting my time , trying to hold it at 20mph for >5min. reminded me of how much training one needs just to be able to do that.
The lesson is that time is very valuable , and training to be able to just enjoy the scenery and ride @ 20mph or 24-25mph avh. is part of the analog era and a huge waste of time. Then is
the whole circus lycra clothing dress/undress and the expensive shoes, etc...
Now is sneakers and cargo pants , jump on the ebike and vrooooom
. A lot more fun , no overtraining , sore legs and healthier then any video game , virtual reality or whatever ESPORT kids are playing in today's world. They call them Esports but the players are just moving their fingers on a keyboard ?? At least i do pedal hard at times on the ebike.
Dewey
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Arlington, Virginia
My other bike is a steel frame Raleigh Sports 3-speed as old as I am. When I ride it occasionally and encounter a hill I am reminded why these were called “push bikes”! Still like it though as it’s much lighter than my ebike. Also I ride Capital Bikeshare pedal bikes a couple times each month, Lyft should be reintroducing CaBi+ ebikes to DC soon.
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Captain Slow
Well-Known Member
Enjoying the scenery at 24 to 25 mph? Is that possible? At those speeds you whizz by everything so fast and you're hammering so hard it's hard to look at scenery.
Jaxx
Well-Known Member
Cap, when I held a 1st Cat license, it was fairly easy to do. Especially at the rear of the bunch.
LimboJim
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
Thanks for the kind words, Capt Slow.
Who knows how many of my daily woes are Lyme-related or simply aging? I haven't had a tick bite for 5+ years (since I got into eMTBs). My bloodwork shows that I HAD Lyme, but it's not "active" or whatever...
Taking hardcore antibiotics for months on end a few times took its toll, however, and I'm "self-diagnosed" with Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (otherwise known as Chronic Lyme Disease). Insurance-paid docs generally don't acknowledge Chronic Lyme (AMA says it's not a medical condition last I checked, though CDC recognizes it per the link above), so my "treatments" are good diet (including probiotics), plenty of sleep (except during my quarterly biz deadlines), and my life-saving eMTBs!
When I'm feeling like crap, I get on the bike-du-jour and set its assist to "Trail/EMTB/STD" levels. Once I'm on the trails, everything else melts away and I can forget my various ailments (and other stressors) for awhile. It's truly meditative for me!
When I feel good, I set assist to Eco and feel even better once I'm deep into the woods. And so it goes...
Only if e-bike breaks down 
.
The beauty of power assist is the controlled level of exertion. You can smooth down the hilly/windy stretches and can exercise when you want to, not every time you have to. Sort of a like on exercise bike - you pedal only as hard as you want.
The effect on fitness level is not straightforward. Could be a decrease in fitness - for certain groups of muscles - if you rode hard before, and increased level for those not very fit before. As to the cardio, good results can be achieved (I think) without frequent stressing up to and beyond your comfort level.
.The beauty of power assist is the controlled level of exertion. You can smooth down the hilly/windy stretches and can exercise when you want to, not every time you have to. Sort of a like on exercise bike - you pedal only as hard as you want.
The effect on fitness level is not straightforward. Could be a decrease in fitness - for certain groups of muscles - if you rode hard before, and increased level for those not very fit before. As to the cardio, good results can be achieved (I think) without frequent stressing up to and beyond your comfort level.
Ebiker01
Well-Known Member
On a wide road , preferably with a shoulder , defintely not in a small or big city .
stanmiller
Active Member
I pull the battery and ride our local greenway acoustic a few times a week for exercise. As a cargo bike, the Mongoose Envoy has generous gearing and is very easy to pedal despite its weight.
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