4 ms·

For competition, it makes sense not to allow motors. But why is this also somehow taboo for recreational cyclists? That's something I never understood. They pay

by Nutmog 11y ago

For competition, it makes sense not to allow motors. But why is this also somehow taboo for recreational cyclists? That's something I never understood. They pay thousands for carbon fiber bikes and special wheels all to make pedaling easier, but they could spend a fraction of that on electric assistance which could have the same effect - do less work to ride the same distance.

irl_zebra 11y ago
It is absolutely not. In fact Specialized makes a couple models. They're a lot of fun, but don't have wide adoption because they're a bit clunky and certainly much heavier than many bikes. Plus they're quite expensive. The people spending that much on a bike aren't the casual riding type typically and are racing (where is is against the rules), and the casual riders rarely spend that much on a bike. I think they get much more widespread adoption when the systems get lighter and cheaper. http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/electric http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/electric
- tetraodonpuffer 11y ago
  there's already several fairly refined e-bikes around, look at the offerings by Haibike for example, only a few models are available in North America, but in Europe there is a very large selection http://www.haibike.de/produkte_liste_epower_en,3004.html http://www.haibike.de/produkte_liste_epower_en,3004.html this said anecdotally I am seeing more and more people on e-bikes here in North America too, bike commuting every day these days at least a few times a week I get passed by somebody riding one of them, did not happen at all until a few years back
amagumori 11y ago
it's not taboo, it's just that the joy of cycling for a lot of recreational cyclists is in propelling yourself with your own power, suffering, finding your physical limits and pushing them, getting stronger, these sorts of things. sort of like asking why segways are taboo for cross country runners. e-bikes are just a benefit in utility, like you said, to get from point a to point b faster. but once you have electric assistance you're no longer truly cycling, you're doing something in between cycling and riding an electric vehicle. the ability to have assistance stops it from being an athletic experience, which defeats the entire purpose for a lot of people. the other thing: a change in chainrings and cassette makes a much larger difference in "ease of pedaling" than a fancy carbon frame. if you buy a fancy carbon frame and carbon wheels the reason is to go faster while suffering just as much. want a easier time getting up hills, slap a mtn triple crankset, long reach derailleur, and wide cassette on your clunker. now you can exert yourself as little as you want and you spent $150 instead of $2000.
SixSigma 11y ago
Where do you get the taboo from ? eBikes are readily available in all sorts of styles, some can set you back $5000 http://electricbikereview.com/top-10-electric-bikes/ http://electricbikereview.com/top-10-electric-bikes/
stenius 11y ago
As long as they're not leading a group of other cyclists and I'm not having to try and keep up with their motor, there is no taboo in my area (Austin).

by Nutmog 11y ago

irl_zebra 11y ago

It is absolutely not. In fact Specialized makes a couple models. They're a lot of fun, but don't have wide adoption because they're a bit clunky and certainly much heavier than many bikes. Plus they're quite expensive. The people spending that much on a bike aren't the casual riding type typically and are racing (where is is against the rules), and the casual riders rarely spend that much on a bike. I think they get much more widespread adoption when the systems get lighter and cheaper. http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/electric http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/electric

tetraodonpuffer 11y ago
there's already several fairly refined e-bikes around, look at the offerings by Haibike for example, only a few models are available in North America, but in Europe there is a very large selection http://www.haibike.de/produkte_liste_epower_en,3004.html http://www.haibike.de/produkte_liste_epower_en,3004.html this said anecdotally I am seeing more and more people on e-bikes here in North America too, bike commuting every day these days at least a few times a week I get passed by somebody riding one of them, did not happen at all until a few years back

amagumori 11y ago

it's not taboo, it's just that the joy of cycling for a lot of recreational cyclists is in propelling yourself with your own power, suffering, finding your physical limits and pushing them, getting stronger, these sorts of things. sort of like asking why segways are taboo for cross country runners. e-bikes are just a benefit in utility, like you said, to get from point a to point b faster. but once you have electric assistance you're no longer truly cycling, you're doing something in between cycling and riding an electric vehicle. the ability to have assistance stops it from being an athletic experience, which defeats the entire purpose for a lot of people. the other thing: a change in chainrings and cassette makes a much larger difference in "ease of pedaling" than a fancy carbon frame. if you buy a fancy carbon frame and carbon wheels the reason is to go faster while suffering just as much. want a easier time getting up hills, slap a mtn triple crankset, long reach derailleur, and wide cassette on your clunker. now you can exert yourself as little as you want and you spent $150 instead of $2000.

SixSigma 11y ago

Where do you get the taboo from ? eBikes are readily available in all sorts of styles, some can set you back $5000 http://electricbikereview.com/top-10-electric-bikes/ http://electricbikereview.com/top-10-electric-bikes/

stenius 11y ago

As long as they're not leading a group of other cyclists and I'm not having to try and keep up with their motor, there is no taboo in my area (Austin).