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

On longevity/repair etc, if there's a big enough market there will be spares, repair regardless of what the manufacturer wants. Just look at the iPhone market. You can likely find multiple outlets on any high st that has someone who will repair even a ten year old phone if you really want to.

I agree on the obnoxious (sometimes unconscious/sometimes not) behaviour of some ebikers. I was chewed out by some young lad on a bike who took objection to my passing them on my fiido. It wasn't a close pass, I wasn't ripping past him - he simply didn't like the idea of someone passing him with ease at speed ie 12mph. Tough shit basically - I wasn't out there for fun, but to meet my missus who was terrified of walking home alone in the dark - and I've been riding at least a couple of decades longer than he's been alive. Some riders seem to see it as a personal affront. There's an old hypercompetitive hippy type on an ancient road bike equipped with, of all things, aero bars who is chatty enough - but always desperate to prove he can go faster. Fair enough, mate - I grew out of that kind of stuff when I was in my 20s.

Equally, I do find it rather annoying when my eMTB friends simply blast past on a technical steep climb when I'm on a normal mtb. It does feel like rubbing it in a bit and is rather disorientating - a bit like the first time you see someone talking to thin air and realising they are hands-free on a phone. Against the natural order of things, but I guess I'll get used to it.
I disagree with your opinion on markets wanting to fix iPhones, iPhones are as proprietary as it gets and they're incredibly tough to repair these days. Also, companies fixing very old iPhones are horrible scammers claiming they'll get a useable phone back - they won't. Because Apple insures that every old piece of tech goes obsolete ASAP.

Same is the case for the ebike culture.

e-bikes are overproduced and wasteful. Any mechanical bike would outlast it and as such it's a failure. And if you're not concerned about longevity of your bike, that's fair, you're probably loaded.
 
I don't understand this thread anymore....the sight is called RETROBIKE....I responded to one comment (my mistake). If you want to keep talking up your E-bike then go to a modern E-bike rider group blog. I would imagine and hope most enthusiast on this sight including me can give a rats ass about modern motorized mtbs.
 
I disagree with your opinion on markets wanting to fix iPhones, iPhones are as proprietary as it gets and they're incredibly tough to repair these days. Also, companies fixing very old iPhones are horrible scammers claiming they'll get a useable phone back - they won't. Because Apple insures that every old piece of tech goes obsolete ASAP.

Same is the case for the ebike culture.

e-bikes are overproduced and wasteful. Any mechanical bike would outlast it and as such it's a failure. And if you're not concerned about longevity of your bike, that's fair, you're probably loaded.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree on iPhones. Until recently my missus was happily using an 8 year old iphone (repaired several times by some guys on the local high street - screen and battery). It was only after her damaging the camera after dropping it down the stairs that she got another secondhand one that's a few years old with plenty of life in it. I always buy second hand iphones too - currently using a three year old one. Still, it could be that we have a different definition of ASAP. I have a ten year old iPhone that still serves as a music player for my hifi. If I were inclined to put a sim in it, while I wouldn't have access to most apps I could still make calls, take pictures, browse the internet etc.

There are already a number of companies offering to refurbish ebike batteries - and certainly for my ebike conversion kit there are plenty of spares available.
 
Got to agree with you on iPhone, the only other phones (Android) that last as long and are as supported as long are the high end expensive ones, bar a few.

The Android space is terrible for buy and throw, OS updates are terrible, lucky to get one update and security updates stop shortly after rendering them unsafe. You can still use them but repairs are hard unless you go mainstream Samsung but then you're paying a premium like Apple.
Apple has plenty of third party parts available due to the single eco system and popularity.

Anyway, I would assume Bosch will have plenty of motor spares on the old Aliexpress, more so than a Alfine hub spares or an XTR axle. They're just motors out of a washing machine ;-)
Look at cars, a much larger computer controlled motor mechanical machine.

For me, discs are still voodoo tech so motors are...
Rear sus is a proflex or proper Trek swing bar and a bit of elastomer.
No such thing as a hard tail, they're called front sus bikes.

Unfortunately the people who I would ride with have all gone ebike, mainly as they find they need the assist to keep going with each other (fair does they're old now and I can't afford that so I'll be riding on my own, slowly and aching after a mile or two).
 
I think we'll have to agree to disagree on iPhones. Until recently my missus was happily using an 8 year old iphone (repaired several times by some guys on the local high street - screen and battery). It was only after her damaging the camera after dropping it down the stairs that she got another secondhand one that's a few years old with plenty of life in it. I always buy second hand iphones too - currently using a three year old one. Still, it could be that we have a different definition of ASAP. I have a ten year old iPhone that still serves as a music player for my hifi. If I were inclined to put a sim in it, while I wouldn't have access to most apps I could still make calls, take pictures, browse the internet etc.

There are already a number of companies offering to refurbish ebike batteries - and certainly for my ebike conversion kit there are plenty of spares available.
iPhones and any other smartphone outdate their app support faster than their hardware dates. I'm not going to disagree with your experiences, they're yours, but I don't believe for a minute that your experience was exactly as described. I still believe my opinion is valid. Although much of the hardware is capable, there's a lot of apps - important ones - being unsupported on older devices quicker than expected. That's not "my opinion" but just a fact of the matter. And when it comes to Apple, they DO actively discourage fixing their devices. Sure, you say that your wife's older phone is being fixed - that is likely a result of them dropping support for that device entirely. They definitely do discourage and actively fight against fixing their modern devices - the ones that are - in their view 'profitable'.

as such my opinion stands.
And when it comes to e-bikes, I'm not saying I know better. I HOPE it'll be nicer than I anticipate. But as of now e-bikes have caused an immense amount of waste, and they'll continue to - as when they fail there are no alternatives. Even 'reusing' batteries won't fix that, as many batteries are proprietary, and that's a trend not likely to end soon.
 
And in about 5 years time you can all report back to me as e-bikes have faded into non-existence.
Yer that wont happen. They'll be a new crop of even crazier priced chunks of plastic with teeny bombs attached by then. 🤣

Guy at start if year on really bright Scott e bike (I think) didn't even have manners to say hi at the road junction he caught me up at on the trail. Then left me in the middle of the road while he tried to squish through the A frame. When we reached to water feature (100ft puddle) on the trail he had to crawl through it. In the end I slowed my pace and let him go.
 
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