is an eBike lazy?

Nice bit of comparison work by CRC helping to dispel some of the myths.

 

http://www.mbr.co.uk/videos/news/is-e-mtb-lazy?pid=354755

is an eBike lazy?

Mine's lazy, it'll only go out if I go with it to help it along. ...

Mine's lazy, it'll only go out if I go with it to help it along. ...

 

I hope it's faithful. You wouldn't want it to go out with someone else one night.

 

And get lost.

.

Interesting article.

 

I currently have a Microsoft Band fitness watch, which measures heart rate, speed, distance and elevation (among other things).

 

My heart rate is averaging about 140bpm. I'll put a complete journey up tonight as an example.

 

But in short, it's still a substantial workout. The main impact of the motor is predominantly a higher average speed.

As promised.

 

I'm undoubtedly going faster (on average) thanks to the motor on my bike. But my heart is still working fairly hard, and I'm burning a lot of calories.

 

The moment you are travelling over 15.5mph, assistance levels decrease anyway. The closer you get to 17mph, the more it feels like your legs alone powering a 25kg machine.

e biking does give you a work out, on one ride last year I weighed myself before and after and I lost 3lbs. I even had a picnic lunch with me and drank a couple litres of fluid. On the go esp on flatter terrain I put in more effort just so that I can keep a 18-20 mph cruising speed and on the mtb with bbs01 it can be nearer 22/23 mph on the road getting to a2b.

Throttle only could be descibed as lazy unless there is a health reason but otherwise for the same effort level as a normal bike you just go faster more easily.

Edited January 13, 20179 yr by nemesis

That depends on the configuration.

On the Woosh Karoo (a low assist bike) for example, there are 6 assist levels and a '0' level where the throttle is active. That's when you pedal unassisted.

The throttle flattens hills for you. Otherwise, you ride a normal bike, including going over legal assist speed limit. That's not lazy.

I can say my fitness has Improved.

 

Now I leave the car at home and ride to work unless the weather is terrible

 

13 miles each way.

 

I have lost weight and I don't get breathless on the stairs at work anymore. I can walk faster and generally feel better.

 

I work as a site nurse practitioner so do days and nights. I provide senior clinical support and help manage the hospital in terms of patient flow. This involves a lot of walking and stress. I find Riding home a great stress reliever and I sleep better.

 

So overall a very positive experience with my e bike.

Here is something I find surprising.... Bearing in mind we are preaching to the totally converted.

You would think that the higher the power setting the easier (lazier) it would be to ride.. Well, in my case I would say not!

When climbing a long gradient, shall we say 1 mile or so, in "Tour" in a gear that allows my legs to spin at a reasonable cadence, my efforts and the bikes combine to progress me up the hill as fast as I am able showing a substantially raised HR which I can control by going up or down a gear and going faster or slower as I see fit, but usually well under the cut-off.

Climbing the same hill in "Turbo" mode I often find I am almost forced into working harder than I would like, now at ,or just under the cut-off with my HR threatening to boil over leaving me sweaty and more out of breath than is comfortable, so I notch it back down to "Tour" and slow down a bit for a rest.

If for example I am climbing alongside an powered companion I use "Eco" with the bike in the lowest gear which is the "laziest" way to ride (according to my HR)

I find it odd trying to ride slowly with a low or high cadence in the higher modes..

As far as I'm concerned it would only be accurate to say that I was 'lazy' riding an eBike, if you were comparing it to me being perfectly able to ride a conventional bike.

As the endless steep hills around here, together with my age and physical condition precludes riding a normal bike, I would conclude that I could only be defined as 'lazy' by leaving my eBike in the garage and sitting in the lounge watching TV instead.

My defence rests.

Here is something I find surprising.... Bearing in mind we are preaching to the totally converted.

You would think that the higher the power setting the easier (lazier) it would be to ride.. Well, in my case I would say not!

When climbing a long gradient, shall we say 1 mile or so, in "Tour" in a gear that allows my legs to spin at a reasonable cadence, my efforts and the bikes combine to progress me up the hill as fast as I am able showing a substantially raised HR which I can control by going up or down a gear and going faster or slower as I see fit, but usually well under the cut-off.

Climbing the same hill in "Turbo" mode I often find I am almost forced into working harder than I would like, now at ,or just under the cut-off with my HR threatening to boil over leaving me sweaty and more out of breath than is comfortable, so I notch it back down to "Tour" and slow down a bit for a rest.

If for example I am climbing alongside an powered companion I use "Eco" with the bike in the lowest gear which is the "laziest" way to ride (according to my HR)

I find it odd trying to ride slowly with a low or high cadence in the higher modes..

 

speed limiters are clearly bad for you