Thoughts on motorbike style eBikes?

[Boopop]

I've been told by someone on the eBIke sub-reddit that none of these lovely Gazelle eBikes meet the needs of one such fat eBike owner. I don't believe them.

 

[Jody]

I don't mind the first one. Funky looking thing

 

[Vantage]

View attachment 703723

I don't buy that they offer a more comfortable ride...sure they might, but that's what suspension is for.

I quite like the look of the first one although I suspect that saddle might cause some thigh rub.

Suspension and tyres are two different things really. Springs and dampers etc are good at taking up the bigger shocks but it's crap at smoothing out pebbles and rougher surfaces...like chip and seal roads. Tyres soften the overall ride better the bigger they get. Bigger tyres definitely equal a comfier ride when the air inside is under less pressure and because there's more of it, the tyre is less likely to suffer snake bite punctures etc.

 

[Dadam]

Electric bikes have always been bad bikes with batteries and motor.
We have had a brief interlude where someone has a stroke of genius and figured out that you could also make a good electric bike that was efficient and weighed no more than it needs to weigh.
Old habits die hard and bad bikes are making a resurgence.

Disagree. There are a lot of really good electric bikes; I own two. However there are of course a lot of bad bikes. But that's the same with non-electric ones. Cheap BSOs outsell good bikes by the way the market works and probably always will do.

Bad bikes have always been around and because of the increasing popularity of ebikes, there's a lot more of them selling.

 

[Boopop]

Update from reddit:

Good grief, give me strength. I must have been imagining it yesterday when I cycled my dutch style bike on some grass and didn't immediately die, or the several times I've cycled my Orbea Orca on bridleways.

EDIT: Admittedly maybe it's about time I had this posted above my monitors 🤣

 

[vickster]

Most of the ones I see seem (SW London) to be driven by Food Delivery drivers whose driving style might best be described as dangerous and inconsiderate. Most of the bikes themselves are illegal as they require no pedaling (and have no number plate and the riders no helmets)

Ditto on CS3, most seem to be travelling east to west in the morning and vice versa in the evening. Despite being wider they still overtake at speed regardless of who they are passing or approaching…and clearly they all are first responders on a job given their complete disregard for red lights (or they’re all colour blind )?

 

[vickster]

I don't mind the first one. Funky looking thing

You can buy one at a poncy boutique at the Battersea Power Station centre along with the SW London set

 

[Jody]

You can buy one at a poncy boutique at the Battersea Power Station centre along with the SW London set

I'd stand out like a sore thumb in a poncy boutique

Not sure I'd want to own it but it's not too hideous

 

[Tomm Williams]

No problem with them at all but complete disdain for a majority of types who seem to gravitate towards them. On public trails it is comically predictable that it’s this type of bike that the jackwads will be terrorizing everyone on the path with.

 

[classic33]

The fatter tyres may give a softer ride, but BMX sized 4" diameter tyres are going to give a lot of rolling resistance.
Tie that in with a bike who's weight is in the mid to high 20kg range, without the battery fitted, and you'll need a motor just to get going.

 

[KnittyNorah]

I've been told by someone on the eBIke sub-reddit that none of these lovely Gazelle eBikes meet the needs of one such fat eBike owner. I don't believe them.

Well, I've just been on their site and - lovely though the bikes are - they have no bikes suitable for me, all 148cm of me ... So if the person you don't believe is less than 150cm tall ...

 

[Landsurfer]

All Ebikes are motor bikes .... if it has a motor ... it's a motor bike ..... reality check ...

Please stop pretending that an electric powered motorcycle is Cycling.

 

[Mike_P]

All Ebikes are motor bikes .... if it has a motor ... it's a motor bike ..... reality check ...

Please stop pretending that an electric powered motorcycle is Cycling.

Obviously an ingrained opinion but my legal ebike definitely has to be pedalled with its ventures @54-99ft/mile elevation gain.Without it I would have done 500 miles of extra car journeys so far this year shopping.

 

[Boopop]

All Ebikes are motor bikes .... if it has a motor ... it's a motor bike ..... reality check ...

Please stop pretending that an electric powered motorcycle is Cycling.

Quit gatekeeping. You still have to pedal. Many people who use eBikes can't use normal cycles. Are you going to tell them they're "cheating" too? You seem like the type.

 

[boydj]

All Ebikes are motor bikes .... if it has a motor ... it's a motor bike ..... reality check ...

Please stop pretending that an electric powered motorcycle is Cycling.

I have a legal electric road bike - Orbea Gain. Having various health problems and getting on a bit, this bike allows me to get out on the Sunday club run, keep up with the rest of the group and still get a serious work-out. These bikes are pedal-assist, so you don't go anywhere without significant effort on your part. For me, the power assistance simply compensates for the missing watts that I used to be able to produce.