Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
It came second place to "Tour de Yorkshire" in the naming contest.
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Its sports ratio is the inverted of its watt ratio.
A car driver for example, can also have a sports ratio, alike ticking the steering wheel with the thumb or stretch by scratching his back.
IMO the crucial difference is that between those who've done their homework and buy what best suits their needs (or wants) versus those who casually and unquestioningly buy whatever the marketing men happen to be pushing this week.
Usually whatever random, simplistic metric the marketeers seize upon to push as the measure by which their products should be judged (be this number of gears or mass of a bike, pixel count in cameras etc) holds little real world benefit and is often detrimental to the performance of the item in other, potentially more important areas.
Not if the whole family cycle together!
Commuting?
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
Most of the people that I know who commute by bike average speeds higher than allowed for motor assistance on e-bikes anyway. The only time the e-bike would have a speed advantage would be when there was a lot of climbing involved. (25 kph/15.5 mph isn't quick on a flat road but it is very quick up any significant slope!)
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
There are some who would question that assertion.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
I admit that my rides do tend to average nearer to 20 kph/12.5 mph these days, but there are usually at least some hills involved!There are some who would question that assertion.
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
When I have commuted my speeds have been down below even my recreational trundles and certainly below ebike speeds. Mainly because of the traffic. But partly because, well, it's a commute. I'm not going to thrash myself for the sake of getting home/to work gasping for breath a handful of minutes quicker. I don't think it's just me. There are a fair number of people who just ride to work. Yes there are a fair few who bomb along too but by no means all.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
I can see that traffic and traffic lights wouldn't help average speeds.
I only commuted by bike a few times a month (in good weather) about 30 years ago. I always wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible. It was 15 miles each way and I used to try to average 20 mph but I only managed it a few times coming home. In that direction there was one steepish climb and a couple of long drags, but lots of gradual downhill. My record was 44 minutes that way. Going to work was a bit slower - my best time was 49 minutes.
I timed myself again both ways a few years back and I took well over an hour in each direction. I can't see me ever getting back to the fitness that I had in those days!
How about strong headwinds on our fine Lincolnshire roads? Personally I have no problem at all with people having ebikes and I do not consider them lazy for doing so.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
Ah, yes... I did one ride in the equally flat Vale of York and the wind that day was horrendous. No hills in sight, but I struggled to average 10 mph - give me hills and wind-free conditions any day!
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
I don't think the kind of people who do commuting at those sorts of speeds are necessarily the market for ebikes.
My commute is/was about 12km. As it's central London traffic my #1 concern is being alive at the end. All other considerations, including speed are way down the list behind that. Normally about 17km/h on the Brompton.
Not that this has anything whatever to do with gear counts.
I generally find little difference time wise between using the road bike and the ebike due to most routes spending all their time
going up, ebike usually faster, or down, road bike usually faster but a big difference in that the ebike usually has the return journey accompanied by a heavy rucksack and I am wearing normal clothing with very trainer like SPD shoes.
going up, ebike usually faster, or down, road bike usually faster but a big difference in that the ebike usually has the return journey accompanied by a heavy rucksack and I am wearing normal clothing with very trainer like SPD shoes.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
A perfectly reasonable concern!
My commute was on the A646. Traffic wasn't so bad on that 30 years ago, and when I did those sunny summer commutes I used to go in an hour early to avoid most of what traffic there was. Coming home was busier unless I did another hour of overtime to come back after the rush.
Gears, oh yes, gears... I used a 2 x 9 speed bike for it. Most of that route is actually fine on singlespeed though except for the one hard little climb, which I would struggle on. (I almost feel like riding out there on the singlespeed to see if I can manage it...
Hmm, I just checked... 500 metres averaging 8%, including 160 metres at 12%; maybe not!)
