Good electric bike models/retailers?

Dimple said:
Probably by 70 year old blokes who haven't got arthritis in their spine, hips and knees.
I'm doing pretty well for a bloke my age and even with those problems can run a 5K in under 19 minutes.
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TBH I don't get this "just ride a normal bike and pedal harder" or "ebikes are cheating". If ebikes are cheating then cars are deffinately cheating. Are motorbikes cheating? Should we walk everywhere?

Ebikes as a form of transport are great - yes they are easy - but that's the point!
 
amigafan2003 said:
TBH I don't get this "just ride a normal bike and pedal harder" or "ebikes are cheating". If ebikes are cheating then cars are deffinately cheating. Are motorbikes cheating? Should we walk everywhere?

Ebikes as a form of transport are great - yes they are easy - but that's the point!
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This is where people like LordSplodge are missing the point of an e-Bike.
If you were talking about a moped he wouldn't bat an eye but because it is an hybrid bike with a motor it suddenly hits a nerve.
In your case it is a way to get to work as cheap as possible with little effort and I can now see the light.
At the moment I'm happy to use pedal power until I no longer can because I look at it as good exercise and then I go for a run when I get in but this is definitely going to be an option in the future.
 
Yeah - a lot of people see ebikes as a threat to the "macho" image of cycling. They want everyone to think that cycling is hard and athletic and thus by association that means they must be as well.

The sooner we bin the idea that cycling is for leisure or sport only and accept it as valid means of transportation the better.

I've bought of of these btw to electrify and use for everything- transporting the kids, shopping, stuff from the hardware store etc.
 
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amigafan2003 said:
Yeah - a lot of people see ebikes as a threat to the "macho" image of cycling. They want everyone to think that cycling is hard and athletic and thus by association that means they must be as well.
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Every morning I will see around 10 other people on bikes and apart from me and a bloke half my age, all of them are smoking, texting and walking their bikes up the smallest inclines therefore putting zero effort in (and of course no lights, helmets, bright clothing and riding on the pavement). Me and the other guy usually see each other right at the start of our big incline and we spur each other on.
 
I don't wear a helmet ;-)

Feeling like you "must" wear a helmet is a massive barrier to cycling. It makes cycling seem unsafe when it's not. When Australia introduced mandatory helmet laws cycling dropped by 22% :(

Anecdote time - more pedestrians died from head injuries last year than non helmet wearing cyclists.
 
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amigafan2003 said:
I don't wear a helmet ;-)

Feeling like you "must" wear a helmet is a massive barrier to cycling.
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6 weeks ago I ended up in A&E knocked out and with a dislocated shoulder and if I hadn't been wearing a helmet I'd be dead or seriously brain damaged.
I honestly can't see why it's a 'barrier' to cycling, in fact exactly the opposite, it means I can take risks because I feel safer.
 
Dimple said:
6 weeks ago I ended up in A&E knocked out and with a dislocated shoulder and if I hadn't been wearing a helmet I'd be dead or seriously brain damaged.
I honestly can't see why it's a 'barrier' to cycling, in fact exactly the opposite, it means I can take risks because I feel safer.
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Can you tell us if the fact you ended up with a dislocated shoulder bears any relation to you feeling safe enough to take risks? ;)
 
Mr Joshua said:
Can you tell us if the fact you ended up with a dislocated shoulder bears any relation to you feeling safe enough to take risks? ;)
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Yes because I wouldn't have taken the corner at 20 mph if I hadn't got a helmet on.
I wouldn't do 35 mph down a hill if I hadn't got a helmet on.
I take that corner at 5 mph now even with a helmet on.
Before next winter I'm going to get some simple body armour which is like a t-shirt with shoulder and elbow pads and that will make me feel a lot safer.

I really don't want to get into an argument about helmets because I could go to my next bike rally and ask 100 motorcyclists if they have ever needed to wear a helmet and I'm pretty sure what 99 of them would say.
I'm also pretty sure I could ask 100 motorists if they have ever needed to wear a seat belt and I think I know what 99 would say.
I've been driving for 38 years and never even had a jolt so should I stop wearing a belt?
Of course not - just protect yourself.
Last year an old friend of mine went over the handlebars of a mountain bike she had hired for the day and ending up staying in hospital for 2 weeks because she had no helmet on, of course she is a very rare case but I would rather take her side.
 
So what you're saying is that wearing a helmet caused you to have an accident?

And you're arguing for helmet usage?

:confused:
 
amigafan2003 said:
So what you're saying is that wearing a helmet caused you to have an accident?

And you're arguing for helmet usage?

:confused:
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I suppose in a roundabout way - yes.
If I didn't wear a helmet I'd be going a bit faster than walking pace.
My accident was due to black ice and if I'd gone round that corner at 5mph I still would have come off (probably).
I was told that when people came to my aid a couple of them fell over and a car coming round the corner nearly skidded into them.
I didn't stand a chance riding a bike on a skating rink.

Anyway, I'm really glad you contributed to this thread because I now see the future (if I live long enough).
 
I'll say no more on the helmet debate because as you say it's divisive :-)

Post here if you ever get an ebike :-)
 
I see the same thing with horse riders where it's even more hazardous, cognitive dissonance makes people attempt to justify their recklessness in not wearing a helmet by saying they could be run over by a bus when crossing the road or some other rubbish but there is no valid reason for not wearing one.
 
Energize said:
I see the same thing with horse riders where it's even more hazardous, cognitive dissonance makes people attempt to justify their recklessness in not wearing a helmet by saying they could be run over by a bus when crossing the road or some other rubbish but there is no valid reason for not wearing one.
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Mind you, and I can only speak for the small world I live in and the journey to and from work, road bikers always wear helmets and tend to go as fast as they can where non helmet wearers ride cheap MTB/hybrids and just pootle along.
 
I think I'm going to go with the Sirocco CD as large hills are what bother me mainly and the 15Ah battery and crank drive will really help keep the range up on those.
 
amigafan2003 said:
Did you see my bike in one of my prev posts? What about this one?
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I care about looks. Actually so does my wife, neither of us could ride bike we don't like the looks of. We are very fond of bikes and I suppose that we don't bond with ones we don't like.

The little woman looked into getting an eBike but couldn't find one she liked. She did like the power assist it gave. I'd rather spend the money on a lighter road bike but each to their own.

That bike you posted looks fine, apart from that horrid battery pack. :D

Dimple said:
Probably by 70 year old blokes who haven't got arthritis in their spine, hips and knees.
I'm doing pretty well for a bloke my age and even with those problems can run a 5K in under 19 minutes.
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See I can't run for toffee. Bad lungs. That's why the old folk, and young, overtake me on the mountain bike trails. :D

amigafan2003 said:
TBH I don't get this "just ride a normal bike and pedal harder" or "ebikes are cheating".
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Yeah, peddle harder, damn it. :p
 
Dimple said:
Yes because I wouldn't have taken the corner at 20 mph if I hadn't got a helmet on.
I wouldn't do 35 mph down a hill if I hadn't got a helmet on.
I take that corner at 5 mph now even with a helmet on.
Before next winter I'm going to get some simple body armour which is like a t-shirt with shoulder and elbow pads and that will make me feel a lot safer.

I really don't want to get into an argument about helmets because I could go to my next bike rally and ask 100 motorcyclists if they have ever needed to wear a helmet and I'm pretty sure what 99 of them would say.
I'm also pretty sure I could ask 100 motorists if they have ever needed to wear a seat belt and I think I know what 99 would say.
I've been driving for 38 years and never even had a jolt so should I stop wearing a belt?
Of course not - just protect yourself.
Last year an old friend of mine went over the handlebars of a mountain bike she had hired for the day and ending up staying in hospital for 2 weeks because she had no helmet on, of course she is a very rare case but I would rather take her side.
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I don't know which side of the argument you personally are with motorcycle helmets, but I can tell you out right you won't find 99% of riders saying they don't want them.
 
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