Are electric bikes a paradox?

[Footie]

Whenever one sees adverts for electric bikes there is nearly always a line (in the advert) that say’s, something along the lines of; “Electric bikes are great for giving you that extra help up the hills”.
And yet, hills are the one type of terrain that kills them dead.
Shouldn’t these adverts be changed to; “Electric bikes help you up lots of gentle hills (or two big hills) and then goes flat”?

What do you think about your electric bikes ability to help you up those hills and was your electric bikes advert telling the truth?
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[keithhazel]

Whenever one sees adverts for electric bikes there is nearly always a line (in the advert) that say’s, something along the lines of; “Electric bikes are great for giving you that extra help up the hills”.
And yet, hills are the one type of terrain that kills them dead.
Shouldn’t these adverts be changed to; “Electric bikes help you up lots of gentle hills (or two big hills) and then goes flat”?

What do you think about your electric bikes ability to help you up those hills and was your electric bikes advert telling the truth?
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lets not forget its hills which are what we have them for, we dont need help on the flat do we....they are "electric assist" not the other way round... well apart from me that is as 20 inch wheels are not for pedaling anywhere when you want to get there as quick as possible....if you only use battery power up hills course it will "kill them dead"...

 

[Andy Day]

Quote
"lets not forget its hills which are what we have them for, we dont need help on the flat do we....they are "electric assist" not the other way round... well apart from me that is as 20 inch wheels are not for pedaling anywhere when you want to get there as quick as possible....if you only use battery power up hills course it will "kill them dead"..."

I don't think you should make the assumption that all riders of ebikes are fit, and capable of just using the electrics for light assistance, Keith.

Many such as myself use these machines because medical conditions prevent them from driving (Arrythmia in my case), and have other medical problems which make LPA difficult (my worn out hips!).

In addition Joe Public will ONLY ever be attracted to ebikes if they CAN use the bike to do the difficult bit, ie whizz up hills! Of course the limiting factor here is the power limits placed upon ebikes - they CANNOT legally be powerful enough to carry an average rider and shopping, say up a decent hill, unless geared for a top speed of 5mph! Perhaps more than one speed is a solution?

I think if the ebike industry is to mature and reach a wider audience it must:

Improve battery range.

Drastically improve reliability, and the need for the disproportionate amount of maintenance often currently needed.

Reduce costs. Of course this can only be done by reaching a bigger market, chicken and egg.

At the moment to many people are believing the sales hype that seems endemic in the industry regarding performance and ease of use, buyers become rapidly disillusioned when they find the truth!

 

[flecc]

I think the point you make is right Footie. This was the opening paragraph in my article on the Q bike conversion:

"The most common reason that people consider buying an e-bike is for help on hills, and I think these bikes should be able to handle anything they meet on our roads with no more effort than the least fit can put in. There should be no compromise in capabilities for anyone, the reasonably short or tall, the thin or fat, the fit or unfit, for hill climbing, load carrying and even towing. On that count virtually all legal e-bikes fail, despite the fact that it can be achieved legally."
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[keithhazel]

Quote


I don't think you should make the assumption that all riders of ebikes are fit, and capable of just using the electrics for light assistance, Keith.
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yes sorry Andy it was comment not meant to offend anyone and would have continued and mentioned people who use them for medical reasons, however i am pretty rubbish in writing passages without missing important things off, sometimes i get so easily distracted i forget what i started out to put..never would i make an article writer as half the facts would be missing..lol...

i use an electric bike because having had a bad car crash and some years later had 2 epileptic fits, although not having had one for 18 years im still not fit to drive a car again as for instance when i cross the road i look left and then right..but by the time i looked right im not really sure what i saw on the left...lol....so decided i may not be a good candidate for car driving ..thats why i felt naked the other day when i broke my bike mirror because if i turn round to look behind me while riding i probably would fall off..lol..some imbalance lol..so without mirror i have to stop and then look round ...
but to original point sorry for any offence to anyone who needs electric assistance for medical ways,me its just im too unfit for my 11 mile each way trip to g/f when any wind appears