How many people are using there e-bike off-road?

[Bigdaddyuk666]

Hi I like to go offroad on my Haibike Sduro hardnine rc as much as possible as I can now do a lot more routes I wouldn't have thought I could manage on a normal bike my favourite trip is a 15ish mile loop from my home to a great country park called Bradgate Park there are some serious steep hills and great offroad trails as long as you stick to the worn tracks and gravel tracks you won't be bothered by staff at the park as there are rules but talks are underway with a local MTB club to try and get more trails here are a few pics and a vid of my Haibike Sduro Hardnine Rc .

IMO Haikes rule the mountains

 

[Sherman]

Again riding some single tracks. It's just so much fun.

It was a bit muddy after the rain. I need to get front mud guard! A dropper post would be nice too as the trails are mostly quite technical with rocks and roots and short & steep descents.


Another trail head

And the trail

I had to walk this one. Too difficult for me for now, it's very steep with some drops. Some day I will nail it.


Nature made bike park. Fun to do little jumps and stuff.

 

[EddiePJ]

Certainly no shame in walking down something. I've frequently done the same, although I often kick myself afterwards for not having tried. I'll even do the same if I'm out with others and they ride down something that I'm not comfortable with. I won't get pulled into that "go on do it" not that the lads that ride with would ever say that anyway. We all have to go to work the next day.

do you use a dongle on that bike ed?

I tend to opt for battery life over that of climbing speed. I'll more often than not use either eco of tour for my climbing, and wouldn't get the benefit from fitting one. It would also complicate things too much in relation to the public places that I ride, and the Wiggle events that I sometimes take part in. I came very very close to hitting a dog walker a few days ago on a bridleway. I was traveling at somewhere between 25mph-30mph, and crested a blind hill, and there they were. The bike certainly brakes better than my van, and I'm always amazed by the stopping power, but had I hit them, the dongle could have potentially caused me a hell of a lot of grief.
Each to their own though, and I'm not judging, but they just aren't for me.

 

[Bigdaddyuk666]

I'm not even going to consider buying a dongle my bikes just fine without one

 

[Fordulike]

That is one awesome looking bike you got there Bigdaddyuk666.

I'm utterly jealous

 

[Bigdaddyuk666]

Thanks I'm so glad I managed to get one she is a beaut and I think she is worth every penny of the £2300 but my misses begs to differ lol

 

[soundwave]

done 25 miles today down the canals and still 1 bar left on the batt.
turbo all the way as well prob got 1-3 miles left on batt as well

ill add some pics n a bit, got to wash it now lol

 

[soundwave]

 

[EddiePJ]

So going from a lovely dry and dusty ride on Sunday, to a ride yesterday that saw me with a wet backside and a bit muddy, within less than five minutes of leaving home. Oh joy.
The biggest frustration was that it would seem as though I have removed the WTB Vigilante from the rear too soon, and the now fitted Rocket Ron couldn't cope.

 

[Nealh]

Went for a 40k ride yesterday a couple of pics , one I didn't expect to come up against at all. They seemed ok and let me walk around them.

Steep downhill to Millenium Seed Bank (pic doesn't show the steep gradient behind me) had to get off further down due to steps and didn't want to go over the bars. Used Eddie's trick of a stick as a prop smallest I could find.



Traversing some fields along the High Weald Landscape Trail nr Forest Row
my first thought was oh ****.

 

[EddiePJ]

Nice.

Do you happen to have a map of the route?

 

[Tim]

Wow, Old John! I grew up a few miles from there and our headquarters are in nearby Loughborough. I assumed the whole park was out of bounds, good to hear that's not necessarily the case. Time of day makes a difference, I expect?

I took the 2015 Focus Thron 2.0 we keep for test rides in our Shoreham-by-Sea branch out for a ride on the South Downs last Sunday. I usually head west, but decided to go east towards Devil's Dyke to see how it compares to last year's Thron.



I have to agree that a dongle is not necessary on bikes of this type, they're better geared for the hills, seem to have better hill-climbing response. I couldn't believe how effortlessly it was chewing up even steep, flinty sections early on in the ride.

As for the other unassisted mountain biker who yelled "You cheating bastard" and "you better have something wrong with you" at my back, I wasn't in a race with you, I was there for fun and 'research', and I was getting plenty of exercise, just at twice your speed!

 

[Nealh]

I'm not over techy minded so haven't much idea of how or which programme you would use to put a map up, I don't use gps so can't plot it that way.

 

[Bigdaddyuk666]

So far it's been mid to late afternoon still a few people around but most are not brave/foolish enough to ride up to old John lol

 

[Bigdaddyuk666]

I'm not over techy minded so haven't much idea of how or which programme you would use to put a map up, I don't use gps so can't plot it that way.

There are a few GPS cycling apps out there I mainly use strava but I'm just testing another one called komoot easy enough to set up and use .

 

[RobF]

As for the other unassisted mountain biker who yelled "You cheating bastard" and "you better have something wrong with you" at my back

Charming.

Some mountain bikers are even more hostile to ebikers than roadies.

There are concerns in the MTB community that ebikers go too fast and chew the trails, which could result in more access restrictions which would effect everyone.

It's obvious to me a legal ebike hasn't got enough power to do any more damage than an enthusiastically ridden push bike, but getting that across will not be easy.

It's also obvious to a competent cyclist that the rider of a legal crank drive bike is putting in some effort.

I think that's why I've been accepted by my push bike group - they can see me spinning up hills in low gear same as them.

I've also proved useful as a windbreak on a few occasions.

 

[Bigdaddyuk666]

Charming.

Some mountain bikers are even more hostile to ebikers than roadies.

There are concerns in the MTB community that ebikers go too fast and chew the trails, which could result in more access restrictions which would effect everyone.

It's obvious to me a legal ebike hasn't got enough power to do any more damage than an enthusiastically ridden push bike, but getting that across will not be easy.

It's also obvious to a competent cyclist that the rider of a legal crank drive bike is putting in some effort.

I think that's why I've been accepted by my push bike group - they can see me spinning up hills in low gear same as them.

I've also proved useful as a windbreak on a few occasions.

I for one know the difference between crank driven ebikes and a hub motor as I have owned both varieties lol .
I have also had verbal abuse saying I'm cheating etc I even had one total numpty hurl a torrent of abuse saying that my bike was illegal and I should be locked up lmao all I can say is don't knock it till you try it .

 

[Tim]

It's really simple. He can ride his bike, I can ride mine!
I've had "that's cheating!" shouted in a cheery way dozens of times in Richmond Park, never been called that before out on a ride until Sunday. He must have skipped is breakfast, he was fuming!

 

[EddiePJ]

I took the 2015 Focus Thron 2.0 we keep for test rides in our Shoreham-by-Sea branch out for a ride on the South Downs last Sunday. I usually head west, but decided to go east towards Devil's Dyke to see how it compares to last year's Thron.

Tim, I have a few questions in relation to the Thron.

First up... What size is the OE front sprocket, and is there an alternative range of size options available?

Second up.... Could you measure the ground clearance under the motor for me?

Third up... I can't see any mention of the bikes weight in the spec list. How much does it weigh with battery fitted?

Fourth up.... I can't see any details about warranty listed. Please could you detail this?

Finally, could you also post up a photo of the display console, and detail it's settings?

 

[RobF]

Eddie,

Tim can answer your specific questions, but I had a look at a Thron earlier this year.

Good quality bicycle - roughly equal to a KTM or Haibike.

Some of the Throns have a neat display which is not too big, although none are detachable, which I think is a handy feature on Bosch bikes.

On the subject of lower gearing, have you thought about an extender ring for the rear cassette?

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ethirteen-cassette-range-expander-cog/