And younger people who don't know what Flecc' is talking about look here

 

thanks for that link Ian, what a marvelous site, beautiful old machines.

That brings back early memories Ian. That Cyclemaster is the 25 cc version but appears to have the 32 cc model's petrol tank, so perhaps the whole innards have been swapped.

 

However, that's not an Autocycle, its an add-on bike power unit, in this case a wheel.

 

Autocycles were designed as complete machines, much heavier and using 98 cc engines. The best known make was the Excelsior.

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Edited May 21, 200718 yr by flecc

thanks for that link Ian, what a marvelous site, beautiful old machines.

Many of which bear more than a passing resemblance to modern e-bikes.

Here's one for anyone who thinks scooters are a post war invention.

flecc

 

Autocycles were designed as complete machines, much heavier and using 98 cc engines. The best known make was the Excelsior.

 

its hands up time know i destroyed one of those riding on farmers fields in the late sixties:o

 

mike

I don't mind Mike, they were horrible things anyway. Pedalling to start their engines was the worst bit.

 

Wiskered plugs were another regular delight of small two strokes in those days, long gone and in no way missed by those with original experience of them.

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When family/friends saw my bike, their reaction changed somewhat to "well, it looks almost like a normal bike! Not very different" but still viewed it with suspiscion and were asking probing questions I think the most honest, straightforward & observant comment I've had was from a young lad who said "hey, you're bike looks weird!" to which his mate replied "it's one of those electric bikes, innit!".

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I've had nothing but positive reactions from young people -from the envious look from a young man struggling to push his mountain bike up a hill while I pedalled past him , to a friend's rather sulky 13 year daughter who tried it out and returned with a huge grin saying "Mum, that's such a cool bike -my bike's so uncool!" Some expensive Christmas presents coming up, I suspect.

Nigel

 

Yes i seem to think that most people dont know of electric bikes i took my torq in to the local cycle shop today for a new cycle computer and i had to explain to the dealer how a electric bike worked:confused: he seemed quite intrested though so you never no maybe one day he might sell them:)

Like AlanTerrill, all the reactions I get are positive, the kids of all ages think my bikes are cool and adults always interested and asking copious questions.

 

Biggest interest is when I'm towing the big trailer though, that really intrigues everybody.

 

I think "hatchback world" is a boring world, especially for the young, and it's not surprising that they are pleased to see something different for a change. Kids who treat riding in a car as just routine are always delighted to get a short ride in the bike trailer.

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I'm 33 going on 13 cos I love gadgets, toys & having fun (this room is like a kid's aladdin's cave! 13 80s RC cars hanging on the walls, shelves full of retro handheld games, a wall of DVD & videos etc. etc.), I don't own a car even though I can drive & passed my test 1st time with no faults, but I prefer cycling to driving as that's been my main transport throughout my life and getting an electric bike has significantly reduced my car borrowing.

 

The hills here in Stroud are big and *everywhere*, they don't call it part of the Five Valleys for nothing, now with my Urban Mover UM36 I can get up them without having to resort to getting off and pushing the bike so I'm much more inclined to visit friend/go shopping etc. on the bike rather than borrowing a car if I can. Just a shame that the hills are so big and everywhere, I can get through most of an 8Ah battery on a 4 mile round trip ! (borrowing an 8Ah li-ion battery whilst waiting for a new charger for my 12Ah li-pol battery, they were swamped with lithium option orders and ran out of stock)

 

The main reaction of my friends when I told & eventually showed them my ebike was "how much?", but to me it's my transport instead of a car and doesn't have the running cost drawbacks so £900 wasn't excessive in the big picture, especially when my brother has a downhill mountain bike that cost over £2k (he's the adrenalin freak, I just want to get to places).

 

Looking at the poll results makes me realise why all but one of the people who have approaced me asking "is that an electric bike?" were all older than me , I wonder if ebikes will eventually shrug off the feeling that they're mainly used by people who aren't up to date on their mobile ringtones and don't know who's at number 1 in the charts.

Edited June 25, 200718 yr by Haku

Nigel

 

Hi haku

maybe it will take 1 clever design to get younger people intrested:D i think it must stay close to a normal push bike design and weigh under 20 kilos its needs to look smart or trendy and be simple to use look how well the chopper bike did in the 70s maybe something on the same lines will take of again one day.

 

I wonder if ebikes will eventually shrug off the feeling that they're mainly used by people who aren't up to date on their mobile ringtones and don't know who's at number 1 in the charts.

 

I doubt if the young will ever take up e-biking very much. With prices for the mainstream from £500 to £1400, they can get a moped for that, put on a full face helmet and fly around at 30 mph making loads of noise and looking the business. Alternatively they can buy an e-bike, run around silently at up to 15 mph and not look at all cool pedalling up hills. There's no contest.

 

Once they've got the IC engine and speed bug, only a tiny minority will go to e-bikes while young, and it's most likely in retirement when they have the time to burble around at low speeds and have lost the desire to treat every trip as a race.

 

The best chance our movement could have is if the silly lower age restriction could be removed so that 12 and 13 year olds could have the option. Many of those who had access to the finance would probably grab the chance at those ages, some possibly then staying with e-biking. Fourteen is too late, the boys getting more involved with girls and neither wanting a solo transport then.

 

As one who was still young in the golden age of the birth of pop Haku, today's derivative music doesn't give me any desire to know who's where in the charts, or even who's in them!

 

And as for mobile ringtones, I can listen to other people's free, and I remain determined to be the last person on the planet to own a mobile phone. Getting close now it seems, with even South American jungle Indians sometimes with them, probably demanding to know why they haven't got 3G access yet!

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Edited June 25, 200718 yr by flecc

Word of warning

 

When my son was 14 I bought him a hurricane (same as a tornado). He had it a few weeks before he was attacked by three much older and bigger boys who took his bike from him. He limped home and I phoned the police. The Policeman said (thanks Ealing Police station), "well what do you want us to do about it". Three years later we still haven't got the bike back and the police never even visited us. £550 lost and a boy who terrified to go out for weeks after. So people don't set your kids up as targets!

Time for another 'bump' for this thread (from page 36 of the forum threads index this time! ) for any members who may not have seen it & wish to add their stats to the poll, to bring it up to date & make it more fully representative .

 

P.S. if you are 41-50, in order that you can still poll I'd suggest you ignore the obvious one digit mistake in the age grouping & poll as "51-50" .

 

Stuart.

"When my son was 14 I bought him a hurricane (same as a tornado). He had it a few weeks before he was attacked by three much older and bigger boys who took his bike from him. He limped home and I phoned the police. The Policeman said (thanks Ealing Police station), "well what do you want us to do about it". Three years later we still haven't got the bike back and the police never even visited us. £550 lost and a boy who terrified to go out for weeks after. So people don't set your kids up as targets!"

 

The reason for the police non-response here was that the poster presented them with a probably unsolvable crime, ie one which, if it was accepted as a reported crime, would have to be declared in the annual statistics as "unsolved". This embarrasses all police forces who want to present themselves to the public and policitians they claim to serve as being as efficient as possible. They will therefore pursue shoplifters who are fairly easy to catch and investigate persons hanging about outside schools (usually with good innocent reasons), but not reckless drivers (who have endangered but not actually injured anyone). In fact even where injury has occurred they are often reluctant to report the matter to prosecutors (too much bother for the police and the prosecutors too busy with other more fashionable prosecutions).

 

With regard to the original topic I can contribute two teenagers from my family who use (but do not own) my Dahon Sram Sparc conversions to climb some steep hills to reach their part-time evening jobs.

Edited January 25, 200818 yr by rooel

I'm 45 this year but because of a heart attack four years ago I am medically counted as being 46 (a year older)

 

The reason for the police non-response here was that the poster presented them with a probably unsolvable crime, ie one which, if it was accepted as a reported crime, would have to be declared in the annual statistics as "unsolved".

 

Not sure it's fair to blame the Police all the time. From my own experiences, when our campervan was broken into (last March) the Police were great and tried really hard to nail the git. They got fingerprints and DNA from blood (*sswipe cut him self on the broken glass) - it was the CPS that let everyone down. The CPS decided there was not enough evidence even though the Police were able to name a suspect and search his parent’s house.

So fingerprints, DNA and a name and address don't mean squat, especially if the little basket won't admit it.

All he has to do is claim he was drunk, was passing by, noticed the van was broken into and decided to get in it and wonder about in it

British justice at it's best - what a laugh.

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Edited January 25, 200818 yr by Footie

My son who is 21yrs old thought my torq looked ok:) BUT he thought it was to exspensive and still was to heavy so things still need to improve in that direction. nigel.

Justice. That is a new thread in itself - the view from this 57 year old flatlander

Pushing forty, but no-one (yet) has had a dig, just the opposite. Smart and cool popping up.

Yikes!

 

Yikes! I've just crept into the top category - or rather I have zoomed though on my superspeed ebike conversion! My other half does not understand it but my teenage sons think its cool to zoom up and down our track on it. Not sure if they'd have thought the same if I'd bought an e-bike rather than converting existing bike with a kit - but that's another thread.

 

I intend cycling to work on it when the weather's better and the daylight longer - can't see how anyone can complain that Im being lazy or showing my age when that involves cycling 20 miles+ per day (even if with a little assistance) rather than guzzling fuel at 20mpg or less (urban driving) and getting to work feeling like a grumpy old man.

 

My theory is that the 1st 50 years was just practice for learning how to enjoy the next 50 properly and that includes more fresh air, more cycling, more excercise, less stress (I could go on bit won't!) and feeling sorry for all those 'youngsters' who are still trying to work it all out!

 

Steve

 

My theory is that the 1st 50 years was just practice for learning how to enjoy the next 50 properly and that includes more fresh air, more cycling, more excercise, less stress (I could go on bit won't!) and feeling sorry for all those 'youngsters' who are still trying to work it all out!

 

Steve

 

Exactly my philosophy Steve, which is why I packed in work at 54 to ensure the no stress bit and have time for the rest of the list.

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I'm 49, fit and healthy thanks to my first e-bike which got me cycling for the first time ever. I've been using a normal mountain bike after getting rid of my Wisper and awaiting the arrival of my Agattu sometime soon. I'd never have cycled at all if it hadn't been for e-bikes.

 

I wouldn't describe myself as an old fogey and work in a non-boring, fogey-esque job (see Heart of Glass, Blondie and Debbie Harry)

ps is that website link in my previous posting allowed? If not, I'll remove it...

 

I wouldn't describe myself as an old fogey and work in a non-boring, fogey-esque job (see Heart of Glass, Blondie and Debbie Harry)

 

I think that qualifies as a non boring job Jimmy!. I am impressed:)

ps is that website link in my previous posting allowed? If not, I'll remove it...

 

Since the intention is information relating to the thread and not advertising, I think it's ok. Innocuous compared to some of the blatant promotion we've seen!

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young at heart

 

It certainly helps if you've got a job you enjoy. The tribute band looks great - although i guess you're not the lead singer

 

I used to enjoy work but after years of sitting behind a desk most of the time, and the hassle of management/in-house politics, it wears you down (even if the subject matter can be interesting at times). I'd have probably retired by now but it looks like I've still got to fund 3 children though school so am carrying on for a while longer (although down to 4 days a week now - and about to try out 3 days a week - yippee). As indicated in my previous post, turning 50 has given me the incentive to ensure i enjoy life - and getting back to cycling is one aspect of that (I used to cycle a great deal in my teens - both racing and touring - and carried on cycling at uni and then commuting into central London) and doing with an e-bike is a natural way of extending that by making longer trips more practical.