Can an e-bike get you fit? Plus disc brakes and Tour de France chat on episode 2 of the road.cc Podcast

Ebikes, of course you can get fitness

You can, but mostly you don't. One came past me today with the usual blithe effortless upright posture and as usual the worthless wreckage, with the battery running through its transient lifespan as fast as a cardiologist performing cardiac angiograms on equally transient patients, was encountered a couple of minutes later on the downhill. I don't seem to be encountering these hordes of ruthlessly fit potential TdF riders espousing the new e-bike Faster is Fitter training regime- the reason being that it's bollocks.

Are you in your granny ring riding 28/42 ?

You should really read up a bit more on ebikes - you know that people can pedal them faster than 25 kph ?

Are you in your granny ring riding 28/42 ?

Come on, play the game!  Your comments aren't making any sense at all now. It's actually 48/32 and 11-32 9-speed- awaiting the rings wearing out and moving to 46/30 11-34 for the heavy trailer and sizeable Lakes hills. 

My point was that on an acoustic bike, you can also take it easy with very low gearing and not have to put much effort in, although it will take longer.

You also write as though no effort is required for ebikes and you still don't seem to understand how they work or their limitations.

hirsute wrote:

My point was that on an acoustic bike, you can also take it easy with very low gearing and not have to put much effort in, although it will take longer.

You also write as though no effort is required for ebikes and you still don't seem to understand how they work or their limitations.

I think s/he doesn't make any distinction between legal PAS bikes (250w, limited to 25kph)  and illegal throttle-controlled or overpowered ones.

you still don't seem to understand how they work or their limitations

You two are now bordering on the pathetic! There is no difficulty in comprehending the simple regulations regarding e-bikes, no difficulty for me at least. People are allowed to voice enthusiasm for e-bikes, and people are allowed to venture contrary opinions.  Rendell describes this as 'frothing rage' because he seeks a straw man to knock down, hirsute makes stupid comments about 'granny rings' which make no sense at all- can you both attempt to refrain from being so foolish! People can ride e-bikes how they likeand when they like, nobody is trying to stop them. The problem is the self-delusion- you could pay an ace rider to push the heart rate up to a high level. and that still wouldn't affect how almost all-e-bikes I have seen are being ridden- and that is to iron out the hills. That was the comment made by, I think, an MP in the first of these e-bike boosting articles I recall on this site. When you do that it's tourism not cycling.

You really have no idea at all do you.

Do you make equally disparaging remarks about people who use low gearing so they don't have to put very much effort in because you think they should be trying harder?

For your info,  some people have them also due to long term physical impairment, medical conditions or recovering from cancer treatments. As for 'self-delusion' that is just a construct of yours. I wouldn't say you have an opinion on them either, you just rubbish anyone who has one.

I have to ask, did an ebiker run off with your wife/husband? Struggling to think of anything else which would explain your frothing rage every time the E-word is merntioned. Why not just stay off the ebike articles and comment on something you like and are interested in?

Today I'll have ridden 52kms on my ebike at Level 1 assistance (75 watts approx) accompanying Mrs.H to and fro on her commute. Given that mostly the motor just takes me up to 25kph and cuts out as I cruise around 30 (it's an almost completely flat route apart from the bridges) it's the equivalent of an unpowered 52km ride at around 110 watts. Hardly Cav, but definitely exercise. It'll set me up nicely for the 125km unpowered ride I have planned for the weekend.

Rendel Harris wrote:

. Hardly Cav, but definitely exercise.

This is the point. When the time comes that I can no longer climb with the people I want to climb with, I'll get an ebike and still be active. Anything is indeed better than nothing as CXR94Di2 says.

On Thursday I was in a hurry back from work, and by my low standards, hammering it. A guy on an ebike with a huge hub motor came past and wafted away. He wasn't pedalling - hence illegal e-moped - but still increasing the mass of sensible speed 2 wheeled zero tailpipe emissions transport. Would I rather he was mashing in 52-11? Yes. Would I rather he was in a car? Obviously no.

The perfect should not be the enemy of the good.

If you're not a bike rider, getting an ebike for regular use. You will get fitter.

I use one from time to time, all that happens is I go faster for similar effort to non ebike