Nautonier
Eats Squid
Good on you for remaining calm and articulating your perspective on your choice to ride ebikes in spite of a lot of e-bashing. This thread needs more posts from people who actually ride them.
eBikes - what's the current perspective
- Thread starter Dark Knight
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The thing is, all your bikes are motorised, its not mountain biking. I eat food to power my bike (and fart when I need turbo boost).
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steve jobs' pancreas
Eats Squid
I think it looks like shit and can't see the point in me riding oneThe EU have been working on eBike standards for a while now, with this coming through as the latest update for the higher speed class of s-pedelecs (up to 45km/h): http://www.bike-eu.com/laws-regulat...oval-for-speed-e-bikes-now-effective-10125384
In effect, it means they'll be subject to type-approval, which is a more stringent set of standards that are closer in operation to motorcycle regulation compared to the lower spec 25km/h regulated eBikes.
At some point, expect to see offroad ebikes conforming to the s-pedelec standard and they'll eventually find their way to our part of the world. The Bultaco Brinco is one such example that are working to alignment with the L1e-B standard. Personally, I love the look of them and think they'd be a hoot to ride. At least they're working to align themselves with the EU standards from the start. But it will likely also mean MTB trail contention, which this thread clearly shows is still a very live issue.
I've been on both sides of the fence on this one, as an early 90s MTB racer and (more recently) eBike owner/dealer.
Yep - Mountain bikers have worked very hard to get the trail access we have, including achieving a separation in the eyes of landholders between trail / dirt bikes and mountain bikes. I've been to consultations where landowners have been shown the "damage mountain bikes cause" in the form of uphill roost tracks - set things back 12 months.
The Levo, Focus Squared and similar bikes do blur the line a lot, but then there are bikes (I include the stealth and the others mentioned above, along with some of the home made death traps I've seen) that are a long way over the wrong side of the line. The main concern I have is trail access when someone can ride a 1500W+ motorised bike and, in the eyes of the land owners, it is a MTB.
Flow-Rider
Burner
He's in the business of selling e-bikes and has a good track record of BSing.
golden path
Banned
If I ever see an able bodied person on one of these on the trails, Imma laugh.
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Hyena
Likes Bikes
What ever label you care to attach to it, it's something I enjoy!
Interesting related story, a few people I know rode their street legal 250w pedal assist ebikes on an adventure all the way from Perth to Sydney. Even with the ebikes taking some load off, the amount of food they needed to eat to keep up their energy was huge relative to the power requirements of the bike. The human body is not a terribly efficient energy producing machine.
Yeah I can appreciate that. I dont think I've knowingly ever ridden in places like that, most of where I ride is either scrub crown/bush land or national parks where if we're honest the trails are probably illegal no matter what sort of bike you ride on them!
Who are these land owners generally ?
That's a genuine question - like is it private property or designated aboriginal land or what ?
Probably half the people I've hooked up with ebike gear have been pensioner aged with blown out knees, heart conditions etc. A true 200w is pathetic and won't pull the skin off a custard so they need at least 1000w to meaningfully help them up proper hills. These people are only riding simple fire trails and I think it's nice that they get an opportunity to keep riding when the alternative is to never do it again.
Wait, I was leaving wasn't I...
Local and state government generally. Some private owners, some scout (community group, effectively private) owned land.
I don't play in this space anymore.
I can respect your statement that you don't intend to ride the trails that many on here (not me recently) spend a lot of time getting access to.
But in the same post you make a generalisation about how the bikes are being used by the e-bike owners.
Not sure why you are on a mountain biking forum, you sell and ride motorised bikes.
Surely there is an e bike forum with more like minded people.
After reading you older posts I can see you are just a troll,
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Calvin27
Eats Squid
Sorry mate absolute crap. I've ridden 250, 500, 750 and 3.5kW e bikes. 250 is a pretty big assist, 500 is plenty, 750 is a lot and well beyond human ability, even at peak load. 700W is like max continuous (30sec) power for a pro sprinter.
[video=youtube;S4O5voOCqAQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4O5voOCqAQ[/video]
pink poodle
気が狂っている男
waldog
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Thanks for that.
Flow-Rider
Burner
I wonder if that smoke helps with the chemo treatment.
bikeyoulongtime
Likes Dirt
Ye gods people how hard is it?
electric motor = take it out to state forests / crown land and go nuts on fire trails. There are a lot of them, they can actually be fun enough to even ride on a human powered bike, and everyone out there will think you're the duck's nuts with your super electric machine.
powered by your own legs = singletrack. There's not much of that, it's hard to get built and hard to maintain.
Or do the maths*. A turbo lev fattie is rrp $8k, and you'll get sfa back when you try to sell it, unless you buy a new one every year. A Thredbo 365 pass is $889 - that's year round, skiing included. Assuming prices are similar for Buller/greenvalleys/Maydena/??: Buy a $3-4K downhiller or AM machine, spend the change on lift passes and knock yourself out. Get a new bike every two years with decent return and a new pass in 5 years time, and never need to deal with electronics and batteries and crap. Winwin! The equation might be different for a hyena, but you get the drift.
*noting that I haven't actually done the maths, but in my head it works out...
electric motor = take it out to state forests / crown land and go nuts on fire trails. There are a lot of them, they can actually be fun enough to even ride on a human powered bike, and everyone out there will think you're the duck's nuts with your super electric machine.
powered by your own legs = singletrack. There's not much of that, it's hard to get built and hard to maintain.
Or do the maths*. A turbo lev fattie is rrp $8k, and you'll get sfa back when you try to sell it, unless you buy a new one every year. A Thredbo 365 pass is $889 - that's year round, skiing included. Assuming prices are similar for Buller/greenvalleys/Maydena/??: Buy a $3-4K downhiller or AM machine, spend the change on lift passes and knock yourself out. Get a new bike every two years with decent return and a new pass in 5 years time, and never need to deal with electronics and batteries and crap. Winwin! The equation might be different for a hyena, but you get the drift.
*noting that I haven't actually done the maths, but in my head it works out...
stirk
Burner
You do actually come across as a person doing the right thing. Keep riding the appropriate bike for the trail and no real harm is done.
Do I need to spell it out and keep repeating myself.
The main promo video on his youtube webpage has him riding an electric motorbike on a golf course.
pink poodle
気が狂っている男
It must be hard to get the right power output for the rigours of the back 9.
Lazmo
Old and hopeless
Ordinary mtb riders aren't up to it... they can't neurally deal with the sheer e-powerness of it all.
Loving that burnout in the carport... what a dude, he must be something. Imagine all that e-power... what's it like?
...
Just ride the e-things where dirtbike riders ride... and leave mtb tracks to mtb riders.
Let's see it in the water hazard.
Or just remain at the RSL pool tables drinking Woodstock bourbon's wearing the latest UFC or Tapout gear wanking on about how rad it is being a total fucking legend at Keno.
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