On balance, I still am not a fan of e-bikes (previously known as ‘I just don’t get E bikes’)

the E bike argument.

for a long time i was a bit anti E bike, more because some of the people i see riding them were riding them like utter numpties, it was almost like they acted like it wasn't the motor making them go fast, an almost snobby attitude, an i'm better than you attitude. the commuters/leisure riders were ok, mostly older and just happy to be out riding, but the mountain bikers were the numpties, first time i saw it was in NZ, i was riding up a long gravel climb with a mate and a guy came past and made a sarcastic comment, me and my buddy looked at each other and both said "what a twat!"
locally though, offroad the Levo riders seem to be the worst, basically the bike can be manipulated easily to doing almost 30mph, i see them usually around the brockenhurst area which is gravel track area, and these bikes are going so fasrt down the trails, to me it defeats the point, get a motorbike and go green lane-ing in stead.
on the road the deliveroo lot seem the worst, always a crappy bike with a crappy bolt on kit, bike in poor working order, usually twist and go, no bike skill, no road sense, nightmare.

that said i got an Ebike about 2 years ago, a Kona Remote 130, really liked it but had to sell it to help pay last januarys tax bill, i wanted another E bike but was trying to decide what to get, i was looking at several, wanted a Shimano EP8 system, 27+ compatible, ideally 140m to 150mm fullsuspension.

in the end i got an Orange Phase 29er, standard spec is sram 4 pot brakes, SLX based gears, Hope rear hub, 12 speed, fox 38 fork and fox shock.

so i changed a bunch of that, i took the 29er wheels off, fitted my 27+ wheels with 3 inch tyres, converted the gears to 11speed XT as the 12 is way to expensive to replace and it wears quicker. i have just got a DVO fork and Coil shock to put in there but haven't fitted them yet.

i have to say i like the bike, travel is a bit long at 170front/160rear for most of what i do but with the motor it's fine, on Eco mode i can get 110miles in a flat area, and Eco mode is fine for most of the riding i use the bike for. what i do when i roll up on other riders is basically make a self depreciating joke of the being on the bike because i don't want to come across like the guy in NZ. what i would say is E bikes are annoying if you ride yours while your mates are riding normal bikes so most of my Ebike riding is done on my own as currently my buddies can't justify getting an E bike even if they wanted one.

anyway, here's a pic to make this rambling response more interesting

phase.jpg


also, i admit this when riding this bike
phase2.jpg
 
What I want to know is:
How do you e-bikers not get addicted to simply... pressing the assist button all the time?😕

See, I have always been lazy. These days I am fat and lazy.
I have accumulated so much fat my range is probably right across Australia.
If I ever succumbed to an e-bike, I don't actually think it would make me a better rider.
I feel it would make it harder if/when I ever got on a normal bike again.
The thought of instantly making riding easier at the mere push of a button would be too tempting for me I think (much like a car or motorbike with accelerator pedal / throttle EDIT: which is half the reason I became overweight in the first place).
 
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What I want to know is:
How do you e-bikers not get addicted to simply... pressing the assist button all the time?😕

See, I have always been lazy. These days I am fat and lazy.
I have accumulated so much fat my range is probably right across Australia.
If I ever succumbed to an e-bike, I don't actually think it would make me a better rider.
I feel it would make it harder if/when I ever got on a normal bike again.
The thought of instantly making riding easier at the mere push of a button would be too tempting for me I think (much like a car or motorbike with accelerator pedal / throttle).
Exactly why I don't have an ebike.
 
At what point does an ebike become a motorcycle/scooter?
At what range and power?

In my city they are allowed in the bike lanes with little regulations.
Some are really fast and heavy bikes.
 
At what point does an ebike become a motorcycle/scooter?
At what range and power?

In my city they are allowed in the bike lanes with little regulations.
Some are really fast and heavy bikes.
Doesn't it technically become a moped sort of ordeal as soon as it isn't pedal assist, but instead has an actual accelerator button/grip? I reckon the ones that allow you to accelerate without pedalling are illegal here in Denmark, unless registered as a moped.
 
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