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I ride my e-bike at 15-20mph. The assist stops at 20 and I only ever exceed it downhill. Are there really not a ton of athletic cyclists going faster than this

I ride my e-bike at 15-20mph. The assist stops at 20 and I only ever exceed it downhill. Are there really not a ton of athletic cyclists going faster than this under their own power? Around here, serious riders would find that laughably slow. I find the electric assist is not so much about going faster as making transportation into a non-event and avoiding exertion.

vhold 7y ago
The people in this video appear to be barely exerting themselves and are going around 8 MPH.
jules 7y ago
Dutch cycling culture is pragmatic rather than macho. Of course many people can go faster, but you don't want to arrive sweaty at work. Commuters don't usually use racing bikes either, but bikes optimised for comfort and carrying capacity. Biking for sport is a thing, but very much separate from daily cycling. It's the same difference as walking to get somewhere and running for sport.
chasedehan 7y ago
The issue with ebikes is on hills. Sure, regular bikes have no problem on flats and especially on downhills but if you are going uphill it can disconcerting when an ebike flies past you at 20mph. I’m a pretty serious mountain biker and that is the main reason ebikes are being banned on a lot of trails.
owenversteeg 7y ago
Ah, I found the American... Here in the Netherlands the bike paths are almost entirely occupied by people old and young biking on cheap bikes as a form of transportation, unlike in America where biking is dominated by 30-55 year old men on $1000+ bikes wearing criminally tight pants, sunglasses, and aerodynamic helmets. Nearly nobody is going 32km/hr on the bike path in the Netherlands, yes. 25km/hr, sure, there are a few (pizza delivery guys on e-bikes and scooters) but most people are not going this fast. On the bike path inside cities you'll mostly see people going 16-10 km/h. You won't see a helmet on anyone except a confused tourist or the police. You'll also see grandmas, children, and just about everyone on a bike. Many of these bikes would horrify an American bike enthusiast with their copious rust and "deferred maintenance" to put it lightly, but they serve millions of people just fine with few accidents.
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vhold 7y ago

The people in this video appear to be barely exerting themselves and are going around 8 MPH.

jules 7y ago

Dutch cycling culture is pragmatic rather than macho. Of course many people can go faster, but you don't want to arrive sweaty at work. Commuters don't usually use racing bikes either, but bikes optimised for comfort and carrying capacity. Biking for sport is a thing, but very much separate from daily cycling. It's the same difference as walking to get somewhere and running for sport.

chasedehan 7y ago

The issue with ebikes is on hills. Sure, regular bikes have no problem on flats and especially on downhills but if you are going uphill it can disconcerting when an ebike flies past you at 20mph. I’m a pretty serious mountain biker and that is the main reason ebikes are being banned on a lot of trails.

owenversteeg 7y ago

Ah, I found the American... Here in the Netherlands the bike paths are almost entirely occupied by people old and young biking on cheap bikes as a form of transportation, unlike in America where biking is dominated by 30-55 year old men on $1000+ bikes wearing criminally tight pants, sunglasses, and aerodynamic helmets. Nearly nobody is going 32km/hr on the bike path in the Netherlands, yes. 25km/hr, sure, there are a few (pizza delivery guys on e-bikes and scooters) but most people are not going this fast. On the bike path inside cities you'll mostly see people going 16-10 km/h. You won't see a helmet on anyone except a confused tourist or the police. You'll also see grandmas, children, and just about everyone on a bike. Many of these bikes would horrify an American bike enthusiast with their copious rust and "deferred maintenance" to put it lightly, but they serve millions of people just fine with few accidents.

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