Test of pedelec vs road bike for long commute
- Thread starter mfj197
- Start date
And out on his own is d8ve.
My commute to work scenic route is 16.2 km.
On electric legal bike it takes me 42 mins @around 26kph ave.
My best on a recumbent manual bike is 39mins at 28.8kph ave.
Both had sweat in abundance. Drop speed a little the electric is easy and 25kph.
Relax on the recumbent and it is nearer 20kph.
If I want an easy ride the electric is simple and quick.
If I want fast the recumbent is very fast but I have to earn the speed.
Future fantasy bike would be a recumbent with rohloff, some body work and light electric assist for hills.
My commute to work scenic route is 16.2 km.
On electric legal bike it takes me 42 mins @around 26kph ave.
My best on a recumbent manual bike is 39mins at 28.8kph ave.
Both had sweat in abundance. Drop speed a little the electric is easy and 25kph.
Relax on the recumbent and it is nearer 20kph.
If I want an easy ride the electric is simple and quick.
If I want fast the recumbent is very fast but I have to earn the speed.
Future fantasy bike would be a recumbent with rohloff, some body work and light electric assist for hills.
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Great thread and info. This is pretty much what I have been through too. The ferry I used to catch became so unreliable I started riding round the islands (Hayling and Portsea/Portsmouth) it doubled my journey and with my aches and pains could only manage three days a week. Switched over to A Burisch Synergy at the beginning of the year and haven't looked back. I miss riding my cross bike as it's been the most comfortable bike I've ever ridden/owned... electric bike is heavy and gearing odd if your used to that big front cog! Though I can handle the longer rides all week in all weathers... still great to be pedaling round the harbours to and from work and finding we use the car less and less as I'll pick up the shopping etc
John
John
I have tried trips comparing my spezialised sirrus elite about 27lbs flat bar bike to my vita uno about 48lbs rack etc, and found in almost every case I was a bit quicker on the ebike .
I am 65 though and cannot climb hills this is where the ebike helps for me.
however when I have been behind much younger riders, its a job to keep up even in level 3 the highest on mine.
and the lycra lads are so much quicker again.
I am 65 though and cannot climb hills this is where the ebike helps for me.
however when I have been behind much younger riders, its a job to keep up even in level 3 the highest on mine.
and the lycra lads are so much quicker again.
Standard e-bikes work for people like yourself. The lycra cyclists would be slower in almost all situations on an e-bike. A major factor in why they will never be popular with already fit cyclists.
Good and interesting comments above. I certainly would prefer to stay legal, and a more free running bike such as a cross style with narrower tyres would definitely help keep the speed up and energy levels down when above the cutoff. The Typhoon wasn't that bike of course, so I couldn't really do that sort of comparison here. However the experiment did show me that a pedelec is realistic for the commute so something like the KTM Macina Cross 9 that Col mentions earlier would be exactly the sort of thing.
JohnCade, interesting to hear your legal Kalkhoff has a higher cutoff point. Rather than asking in the middle of this thread perhaps I should start another one to find out about perceived cutoff points, as that could be quite significant for my purposes.
D8ve, a recumbent would be great. I have looked into them quite considerably but unfortunately whilst I may be keen my wife is rather less so! I know all the anecdotal evidence points to them being just as safe as a traditional bike (or even safer) but there we go. And actually although much of my commute isn't plagued by traffic there is a bit of filtering involved on one of the routes.
Michael
JohnCade, interesting to hear your legal Kalkhoff has a higher cutoff point. Rather than asking in the middle of this thread perhaps I should start another one to find out about perceived cutoff points, as that could be quite significant for my purposes.
D8ve, a recumbent would be great. I have looked into them quite considerably but unfortunately whilst I may be keen my wife is rather less so! I know all the anecdotal evidence points to them being just as safe as a traditional bike (or even safer) but there we go. And actually although much of my commute isn't plagued by traffic there is a bit of filtering involved on one of the routes.
Michael
Michael
Tonight's 16.8km run had around 6km of filtering along and between stationary traffic. It took me 38 mins. I am getting fitter and faster just keep the cars out of the way. Only one changed lanes in front of me and about 4 difficult to pass. A couple of km at 15 instead of 25 kph I could have had a new record today.
Try a mid racer design you are on eye level with drivers so not so bad.
Tonight's 16.8km run had around 6km of filtering along and between stationary traffic. It took me 38 mins. I am getting fitter and faster just keep the cars out of the way. Only one changed lanes in front of me and about 4 difficult to pass. A couple of km at 15 instead of 25 kph I could have had a new record today.
Try a mid racer design you are on eye level with drivers so not so bad.
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