OV9

Know this, whenever you make a point of smugly going past me while barely grazing the pedals with your foot I will then catch you up, look composed while I overtake you despite my heart beating out of my chest and then spend the next couple of miles keeping pace so you can’t see me dying inside.

They are becoming more common and I don’t think they like to be anything but smugly grinning and showing how little effort they are putting in.

This is a generalisation but I cannot be swayed

Dave!

No you won't, you'll be passed and forgotten in a second, then perhaps lapped several times...

Try one, they are fkn awesome

I'm as much of a luddite with bikes as I am with cars, I'm confused by and a little scared of e-bikes.

I wasn't even sure about the 29s and 1x9 gearset on my new bike if I'm being honest

It’s like an additional hand pushing you up the hills, it take the pain from mouthing biking, and increases the fun.

You still have to work..

Foz wrote: Wed Jun 02, 2021 4:17 pm It’s like an additional hand pushing you up the hills, it take the pain from mouthing biking, and increases the fun.

I don't think you're riding your bike properly.

Yeah, I am a full convert - it just removes the crap bit of mountain biking. You can do two or three or four times as many downhill runs in the same time as doing one downhill and a slog back up to the top. I still get to the end of a ride knackered, but it's more "muscle" knackered rather than "lungs" knackered.

You need blood filled legs as you storm down at 18mph with tyres buzzing like a flat tyres on a school run car.

I would rather die of a heart attack (likely) by keeping infront of an e-bike who doesn’t even know I’m pushing (very highly likely) rather than let the smug “toodleoo” ring in my ears

Dave!

Rich B wrote: Wed Jun 02, 2021 5:26 pm Yeah, I am a full convert - it just removes the crap bit of mountain biking. You can do two or three or four times as many downhill runs in the same time as doing one downhill and a slog back up to the top. I still get to the end of a ride knackered, but it's more "muscle" knackered rather than "lungs" knackered.

I’m a fen boy so my idea of a hill lasts about 1km and is barely higher than my head. It’s all cross country stuff round here.

Dave!

I did have a chuckle when a 70 odd year old couple overtook me in my car up one of the steeper hills in Hampstead. Clocked that it's an electric bike
I'd love one but London is a crime shithole so it'd get nicked too quickly sadly.

Mito Man wrote: Wed Jun 02, 2021 5:36 pm I did have a chuckle when a 70 odd year old couple overtook me in my car up one of the steeper hills in Hampstead. Clocked that it's an electric bike
I'd love one but London is a crime shithole so it'd get nicked too quickly sadly.

I used to race an old Postman on his big steel framed behemoth, it was hard enough trying to overtake due to his huge calves but he made good sport of powering up and away once I was alongside

Dave!

ZedLeg wrote: Wed Jun 02, 2021 3:05 pm I'm as much of a luddite with bikes as I am with cars, I'm confused by and a little scared of e-bikes.

I wasn't even sure about the 29s and 1x9 gearset on my new bike if I'm being honest

OK Boomer.

My wife doesn't ride a bike. Ever. But people on e-bikes looking all smug "when its the bike doing all the work" makes her furious for some reason.

mik wrote: Wed Jun 02, 2021 9:13 pm

ZedLeg wrote: Wed Jun 02, 2021 3:05 pm I'm as much of a luddite with bikes as I am with cars, I'm confused by and a little scared of e-bikes.

I wasn't even sure about the 29s and 1x9 gearset on my new bike if I'm being honest

OK Boomer.

Perhaps ebikes will end up being seen as the equivalent of a ski lift; sure you can carry your skis on your shoulders or crab your way up the hill but wtf would you want to?

I like my pedal bike and enjoy the exercise of going uphill but if my thing was razzing down black runs etc I would possibly consider an eBike as a way to get more runs in. As I only live a few miles from Glentress and several other decent routes I am probably not so bothered with only a couple of runs per trip but if I was having to drive for two hours or more then I totally see the benefit.

Gavin wrote: Thu Jun 03, 2021 10:14 am Perhaps ebikes will end up being seen as the equivalent of a ski lift;

that's exactly the way I treat them. My genre of riding has a lot in common with skiing/snowboarding - getting back to the top is just a necessary evil rather than part of the activity.

Rich B wrote: Thu Jun 03, 2021 10:21 am

Gavin wrote: Thu Jun 03, 2021 10:14 am Perhaps ebikes will end up being seen as the equivalent of a ski lift;

that's exactly the way I treat them. My genre of riding has a lot in common with skiing/snowboarding - getting back to the top is just a necessary evil rather than part of the activity.

I can see them making complete sense for that. I cycle for fitness - I don’t tend to go on day trips, rarely use the bike to go somewhere, or to cycle for thrills, so having a purely manual machine and accepting that I’ll be overtaken by smug pensioners is probably my future reality.

Rich B wrote: Thu Jun 03, 2021 10:21 am

Gavin wrote: Thu Jun 03, 2021 10:14 am Perhaps ebikes will end up being seen as the equivalent of a ski lift;

that's exactly the way I treat them. My genre of riding has a lot in common with skiing/snowboarding - getting back to the top is just a necessary evil rather than part of the activity.

I thought that would effectively be my use as well, but I really like riding up interesting tracks up hills. There are plenty I wouldn't have considered on an unassisted bike - well, not since I was in my early 20s anyway - which are rideable now.

Jobbo wrote: Thu Jun 03, 2021 11:13 am

Rich B wrote: Thu Jun 03, 2021 10:21 am

Gavin wrote: Thu Jun 03, 2021 10:14 am Perhaps ebikes will end up being seen as the equivalent of a ski lift;

that's exactly the way I treat them. My genre of riding has a lot in common with skiing/snowboarding - getting back to the top is just a necessary evil rather than part of the activity.

I thought that would effectively be my use as well, but I really like riding up interesting tracks up hills. There are plenty I wouldn't have considered on an unassisted bike - well, not since I was in my early 20s anyway - which are rideable now.

yep, That is the other use - you might ride past a detour of some kind and think "where does it go?"

With a normal bike that might be followed by "..I'm not sure if I can be arsed to find out because it might go nowhere and it's a waste of energy".