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Darn E-bikes :(


Razors Edge

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Finishing up my short ride today, a guy on an e-bike caught me as I crossed a road and passed me.  I never give up a free ride behind an e-bike, so you can see the highlighted yellow spot where I gave it some gas and rode intoo his slipstream.  Please note the next mile or so where we basically roll along well over 20mph.  Rules are coming, and it will be interesting to see what they set as the upper speed limit.

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...so if you're drafting an e-bike, and you set some kind of KOM record on Strava for a segment or a route, do you have to annotate with an asterisk ?  Example: *e-bike draft assist this segment only.   How is this not cheating ?  Or is Strava now so rife with mechanical doping that everyone has given up ?:huh:

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People take Strava KOMs too seriously. There is no way to verify a time on Strava so just don’t worry about it. When I crashed and messed up my shoulder and broke a rib I rode home and got my car and drove myself to the ER. It was while in the ER I realized Strava was still running. I shut it off and posted a disclaimer that the last ten miles were in my car driving myself to the hospital. There are very few segments in my area.

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3 minutes ago, Dottles said:

E-bike riders are losers.

On my ride today I created the top of this hill and on this particular trail you go up one side and then right back down the other side.  I saw a large group approaching up the other side so slowed to let them pass so I would have a clear descent.

4 or 5 riders pass, all say hello and the last rider is a youngish girl (early 30’s maybe) on an ebike.  Ebike girl, “don’t fucking judge me” as she passes.

Wow... I wanted to put a stick in her spokes. Just freaking say good morning and move along bitch.

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4 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

On my ride today I created the top of this hill and on this particular trail you go up one side and then right back down the other side.  I saw a large group approaching up the other side so slowed to let them pass so I would have a clear descent.

4 or 5 riders pass, all say hello and the last rider is a youngish girl (early 30’s maybe) on an ebike.  Ebike girl, “don’t fucking judge me” as she passes.

Wow... I wanted to put a stick in her spokes. Just freaking say good morning and move along bitch.

I was making fun of myself and insinuating RE was a boob for following boobs like me on e-bikes.

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14 minutes ago, Dottles said:

I was making fun of myself and insinuating RE was a boob for following boobs like me on e-bikes.

Yeah I know but your post touched a nerve! ? this one really was a loser and not just because she was in an ebike on a non motorized trail.

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There are a couple ladies in our group. Good riders and great company! But they don't have the ride strength to stay with us at our comfortable pace for long rides. E-bikes are looking like an attractive option for them. They can set it for relatively low assist so they still have to work, yet be able to ride with us. 

Around here, Strava KOM is determined as much by wind as anything else. Until Strava adds in a wind-aided factor, segments are for entertainment only around here!

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3 hours ago, groupw said:

There are a couple ladies in our group. Good riders and great company! But they don't have the ride strength to stay with us at our comfortable pace for long rides. E-bikes are looking like an attractive option for them. They can set it for relatively low assist so they still have to work, yet be able to ride with us. 

Yep.  Another great thing is, if you live in an area that's really hilly.  I won't say it's the same workout -- it's not -- but it's still a good workout.  I'd say it's the same cardio workout though.  I can't wait to get back on my touring bike but in the meantime my ebike works well for me -- and my wife.  It's a great option for commuting.

 

In other words, I think e-bikes have a place.  But for me, I don't plan on giving up my touring bike anytime soon.

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On 1/27/2019 at 5:04 PM, MickinMD said:

Steady cadence around 100!  I'm really jealous of that and heart rate around 180: 13 over my max. rate!  I set my Garmin Edge 510 to buzz a warning when I hit 144.

Those stats are only for that ~1 mile stretch!  For the ride, it was a more modest avg speed of 17.5mph, avg HR of 151bpm, & avg cadence 77.

On 1/27/2019 at 6:33 PM, Page Turner said:

...so if you're drafting an e-bike, and you set some kind of KOM record on Strava for a segment or a route,

Never gonna be an issue I face :(  Also, if you can get a KOM by drafting someone, it ain't a KOMountain. Doesn't count in my small little book.

19 hours ago, Dottles said:

I'd say it's the same cardio workout though.

I'm very willing to bet that the guy on the e-bike - going 25mph ahead of me - was not getting the same workout I was drafting him.  I had a good view :) and he wasn't working too hard - except over a couple overpasses.

19 hours ago, Dottles said:

I think e-bikes have a place.

Absolutely, but I think the road vs a path or bike lane are TWO DIFFERENT animals, so on the path/bike lane, an assisted speed limit of perhaps 20mph needs to be built in to the "brain" of the ebike.  Not sure how you set it for road vs path, but I'm starting to think a hardline approach to ebikes not on roads is coming and probably necessary. Self-policing does not work. :(

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5 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

Those stats are only for that ~1 mile stretch!  For the ride, it was a more modest avg speed of 17.5mph, avg HR of 151bpm, & avg cadence 77.

Never gonna be an issue I face :(  Also, if you can get a KOM by drafting someone, it ain't a KOMountain. Doesn't count in my small little book.

I'm very willing to bet that the guy on the e-bike - going 25mph ahead of me - was not getting the same workout I was drafting him.  I had a good view :) and he wasn't working too hard - except over a couple overpasses.

Absolutely, but I think the road vs a path or bike lane are TWO DIFFERENT animals, so on the path/bike lane, an assisted speed limit of perhaps 20mph needs to be built in to the "brain" of the ebike.  Not sure how you set it for road vs path, but I'm starting to think a hardline approach to ebikes not on roads is coming and probably necessary. Self-policing does not work. :(

100% agree.

Class 1 bikes have a 20 m.p.h built into 'em. Honestly, at the ECO pedal assist or lowest level, on flat surfaces I average about 2 m.p.h. higher anyway. The bike is 20-25 lbs more. So I'm cruising along 17-18 mph on the lowest setting. The main gain is I would drop you on the hills.

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6 minutes ago, Dottles said:

The main gain is I would drop you on the hills. 

I've yet to encounter one in the wild near actual hills. I'm sure it will happen, but almost all ebikes I see out and about are legit commuters and/or helping folks "keep up" with normal riding.  I did encounter one several years ago on a century, and he smoked past everyone on some rollers, but I think it was before there was the better batteries of this latest set of bikes.

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29 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

I've yet to encounter one in the wild near actual hills. I'm sure it will happen, but almost all ebikes I see out and about are legit commuters and/or helping folks "keep up" with normal riding.  I did encounter one several years ago on a century, and he smoked past everyone on some rollers, but I think it was before there was the better batteries of this latest set of bikes.

Honestly if it wasn't for the hills where I live, I doubt I would own one. But now that I do, I can say they are fun. I am riding more and they remove all the apprehension on days ' when I'm not feeling it'. 

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On 1/27/2019 at 7:08 PM, Dottles said:

I was making fun of myself and insinuating RE was a boob for following boobs like me on e-bikes. 

I NEVER give up a chance to draft an e-bike.  I only back off if we approach trail traffic.  I find it drives the ebike driver a little nuts as I draft along behind them, but that's sort of the point :whistle:

On the flip side, I never draft off other folks on a normal solo ride.  

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1 minute ago, Dottles said:

Honestly if it wasn't for the hills where I live, I doubt I would own one. But now that I do, I can say they are fun. I am riding more and they remove all the apprehension on days ' when you're not feeling it'. 

As much as we gripe about e bikes I think you got one for the right reasons.  

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11 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

I NEVER give up a chance to draft an e-bike.  I only back off if we approach trail traffic.  I find it drives the ebike driver a little nuts as I draft along behind them, but that's sort of the point :whistle:

On the flip side, I never draft off other folks on a normal solo ride.  

Draft a daft?

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1 hour ago, Razors Edge said:

Yep.  More fun than you might think.

Oh I get it. One of my favorite things to do was stop along the trail for a smoke, watch all the dirty looks from the spandex crowd, and then drop them all Fred-like later on down the trail. A sign of maturity, no doubt, but the ultimate in messing with them. Yeah, I quit smoking a couple years ago so those fun and games are out.

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