Jump to content

Ebikes - Ultimate Drafting Bikes?


Razors Edge

Recommended Posts

I was wrapping up a short ride and while waiting for the light, a nice pack of us gathered. One that was directly behind me was a Trek ebike, and as we got rolling again, he passed me.  I was befuddled when neither guy in front of me increased their pace to take advantage of the ebike's massive draft.  I hopped aboard and was immediately zipping along at 26mph at a relatively easy effort. Sure, it took a kick to get his wheel, but after that, this guy provides a nice pocket of air to sit in.  I think I've seen him several times before over the past few years, but in reality, it could be almost anyone on an ebike putting in that relatively easy effort. 

 

  • Heart 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, donkpow said:

Ha! He got the jump on you. Were you eating your lunch or what? :lol:

I don't believe I have ever seen that hand signal before. At least not in this context.

He was two guys behind me at the light.  But, bam, those two guys in front of me decided to continue poking along, and he - with a couple hundred watts in reserve - didn't waste time waiting for them.  I gave them a chance to join the fun before I went ahead and zipped past. 

Way too much fun drafting ebikes to let them pass without joining the fun. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

54 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

He was two guys behind me at the light.  But, bam, those two guys in front of me decided to continue poking along, and he - with a couple hundred watts in reserve - didn't waste time waiting for them.  I gave them a chance to join the fun before I went ahead and zipped past. 

Way too much fun drafting ebikes to let them pass without joining the fun. 

So what you are saying is that you were daydreaming when he got the jump on you. Is that about it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, donkpow said:

So what you are saying is that you were daydreaming when he got the jump on you. Is that about it?

Close!  I was trying to be a "nice guy" and let the folks ahead of me make the first move.  Many folks get PO'd over things like being passed at a light, etc..  I definitely dislike the folks who roll past a group of waiting riders and go to the front, but the ebike guy at least waited until we were moving again to zip by.  Harder to understand are the guys who didn't bother to jump in behind him.

  • Heart 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
  • 5 months later...
11 minutes ago, roadsue said:

There’s a 12 mph speed limit on multi-use path here, which doesn’t stop cyclists from riding faster, but we don’t see that many going faster than 15. The 26 mph people are on the roads and shoulders. 

Are your paths narrow?  Narrow paths are not a good mix for cyclists and non-cyclists.

Shoulders are poor options across the board for cyclists :( 

12 mph? Ask yourself who came up with that number and why.  Does it make sense for the purpose of the MUP? Where I live, the MUPs/MUTs are well-used commuter routes.  Artificially restricting speeds to 12mph would likely just drive more folks into cars :(  A better option is almost always better trails & paths, not a simple approach like a speed limit.  If the trail is really a "park" trail, with lots of folks just strolling around or kids behaving like salmon, bikes and other things like scooters, skateboards, rollerblades, horses, Segways, Onewheels, and the like might have no place or a severely restricted place on a trail.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...