Are We Witnessing the Death of Self-Powered Cycling?
- Thread starter Jm_
- Start date
*Raises hand*
Didn't think it was fun. But maybe it was the combination of motor, 29" wheels, 2.8 tires and 25 kg, so basically all the things that made this bike a barge and that I therefore hate. The acceleration sure was nice, but if I ride something that handles like a motorcycle then I want the power of a motorcycle. A Sur Ron-style small motorcycle sounds much more appealing than any of the pedal assist bikes.
Really? Fair play I guess. I kinda started out racing on >20kg DH bikes, so jumping on something that weighs that much but has infinitely better handling, suspension and grip and can climb easier than a 10kg XC bike makes them seem pretty good for a laugh. But I'm just a bike dork who enjoys anything on two wheels from 50cc pit bikes and BMXs all the way to XC bikes, DH bikes and road motos.
I wonder whats gonna happen in the long term with parts and batteries and stuff though. Will they be repairable etc? Do the batteries get weaker over time like every other battery made? That sorta stuff.
I wonder whats gonna happen in the long term with parts and batteries and stuff though. Will they be repairable etc? Do the batteries get weaker over time like every other battery made? That sorta stuff.
great suspension doesn't change the fact that a 45lb bike is still a 45lb bike.
Is there a 45lb ebike?
One that's worth a shit? The longer travel levos are still 60lbs or so right?
One that's worth a shit? The longer travel levos are still 60lbs or so right?
Yep. Every DH bike in in 1996 to 2003 did if you want to be realistic about them. I can't think of any that wouldn't be hopeless if you raced them back to back with a modern bike
Well no, but a motor sure as hell makes it more fun if have to ride a bike that heavy.
uphill, sure. but i fail to see the benefits once you get pointed back downhill again.
1996 sure. Because even the dh bikes had less travel than a modern trail bike
2003 no way
140mm travel, with tires that you shred
so the answer to my question is no?
My 2002 DH bike was a Craftworks DHR208. Easily 45lbs of shitty geo, dodgy damping and crappy brakes. You're forgetting the 5th Element was considered a shock back then. I think in 2004 I got my first of the square tube Turner DHRs but even that had a crazy steep HA and a Romic shock.
I'm not forgetting shit, your dh bike just sucked
They sold that same frame here with azonic and khs stickers on it. I do know them.
You may have considered a 5th element a good shock, I just considered it an attempt at putting bandaids on first gen V10s and sundays.
Dem DHRs was drillable!
I had a specialized dh with a betd link that dropped the bb and slacked it. It still could have gone further but to say that it's inferior to a 150-160mm trailbike with flexy ass wheels is still just wrong. No fox 36 or equivalent is as stiff as even a white brothers UD180/200. Strong wheels will always be strong wheels and dh casings were mostly the same as they are now, just better rubber these days.
No question it was way harder to find a good dh bike back then than it is to find a good trailbike these days. But let's not forget that a lot of that weight was there for structural reasons.
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Mine's 47 (with pedals)
E8000 504wh battery
170mm fork, 160mm rear. 64deg HA low(ish) BB
Decent brakes, gears & finishing kit and mid strong wheels
will it cook you a haggis while you climb?
As a motorcycle rider, primarily of the dirt type, I don't accept them as a motorcycle or bike.
They are a moped, like a Vespa....
Four of the best places I've ever ridden mountainbikes (Crested Butte, Monarch Crest, Downieville, Sun Valley/Stanley) are on god damn moto trails. In fact they blow away the shitty flow trails that your generic MTB group builds.
At some point we (the royal we) gotta get the fuck over this motorized mechanized my use is better than your use bullshit. Good trails is good trails. I'll continue to make fun of jeans visorless fullface guy on ebike, pit viper fanny pack endurobro, and chunky monkey leg out guy on a ktm 300 but who gives a fuck. We can all hate monied equestrians together. And our hatred is more effective as a rolling group.
At some point we (the royal we) gotta get the fuck over this motorized mechanized my use is better than your use bullshit. Good trails is good trails. I'll continue to make fun of jeans visorless fullface guy on ebike, pit viper fanny pack endurobro, and chunky monkey leg out guy on a ktm 300 but who gives a fuck. We can all hate monied equestrians together. And our hatred is more effective as a rolling group.
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Higher ratio of sprung mass to unsprung mass will provide a more comfortable smoother ride....
Friends turbo Levo 56lbs....
i didn't read any of the (sincerely argued, i'm sure) pro/con crap you pricks spewed in the previous posts.
i'm just here for my monthly
FUCK EBIKES
check in.
pedal til you can't. if you have a physical disability, ride your ebike. if you ride an ebike without one, i hope you have to go to a team robot jesus camp for a thousand eternities.
i'm just here for my monthly
FUCK EBIKES
check in.
pedal til you can't. if you have a physical disability, ride your ebike. if you ride an ebike without one, i hope you have to go to a team robot jesus camp for a thousand eternities.
you should probably just send it to be sure.
but in case you don't....
DiD yOu GeT iN tWo PoInT fIvE mOaR hOtLaPz At YoUr LoCaL eNdUrOpArK (tm)?????? DiD yOu FeEl 34% fReShEr FoR mOrE mEaSuRaBlE gAiNzzzzzzzz?
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I dont know about any of that stuff but my metric for success just changed to "did I manage to annoy that guy who types funny?"
May as well go for broke.... KTM e-xc is just shy of 245 lbs. And cheaper than the new turbo levo.
Those hunks of shit don't even use a shock linkage. The Husqvarnas do tho.
would never buy a husky. former coworker had a brand new dual sport from them and it burned to the ground on the side of the road 2 weeks after he bought it.
Was that before or after ktm bought them?
Because post ktm purchase they are the same bike...
Aside from linkage, plastics, and the Husqvarna has a "composite" sub frame.
before.
My buddy thinks Shimano will eventually develop a gearbox that shares the same mount interface as their ebike motor, so bike manufacturers can sell one frame design as either a regular MTB or an ebike.
At this point, I'm ok sharing trails with ebikes (legal in AZ) as long as the riders at least observe trail etiquette. I would welcome them if they come out to help us dig/maintain trails, but that's yet to happen and I probably shouldn't be holding my breath.
The pandemic cyclists, whether they are on non- or motorized bikes, have been rather unruly in my little community. Leaving their traces in various forms, letting us know of their presence on the trails - cheater rock ramps in front of curb-sized steps, 10-foot long skids, Strava shortcuts, etc. I noticed yesterday a little cactus we used to gap over got killed by one of those guys when he plowed through it.
Our trails used to be very confusing and new riders generally had to go out with experienced riders on LBS group rides and such, where they got basic trail education. But now that they are well-marked and GPS apps readily available, many newbies seem to prefer heading out with their noob buddies and "shred" without getting their style cramped.
I'm for advocacy and all, but it's only effective if people are actually willing to listen. Those who are have already reached out to the local club. Others, the ones causing the problems, from what I've seen, they might as well be deaf and I highly doubt they would change their behaviors without some negative incentives handed out by LEOs, which probably won't happen anytime soon as the local BLM office is shorthanded.
TL-DR: I hate people.
At this point, I'm ok sharing trails with ebikes (legal in AZ) as long as the riders at least observe trail etiquette. I would welcome them if they come out to help us dig/maintain trails, but that's yet to happen and I probably shouldn't be holding my breath.
The pandemic cyclists, whether they are on non- or motorized bikes, have been rather unruly in my little community. Leaving their traces in various forms, letting us know of their presence on the trails - cheater rock ramps in front of curb-sized steps, 10-foot long skids, Strava shortcuts, etc. I noticed yesterday a little cactus we used to gap over got killed by one of those guys when he plowed through it.
Our trails used to be very confusing and new riders generally had to go out with experienced riders on LBS group rides and such, where they got basic trail education. But now that they are well-marked and GPS apps readily available, many newbies seem to prefer heading out with their noob buddies and "shred" without getting their style cramped.
I'm for advocacy and all, but it's only effective if people are actually willing to listen. Those who are have already reached out to the local club. Others, the ones causing the problems, from what I've seen, they might as well be deaf and I highly doubt they would change their behaviors without some negative incentives handed out by LEOs, which probably won't happen anytime soon as the local BLM office is shorthanded.
TL-DR: I hate people.
DH and Freeride are not self powered forms of cycling either. Just because we're getting older doesn't mean we gotta to be so whiney.
Ride more DH
I thought freeride was, otherwise, it's just DH, right? Freeride was supposed to be where you had to get yourself back up?
quality bike designs + weights in the low 30s = ebikes will be everywhere.
Honestly I think I'd be more open to an ebike if it had a more limited assist with MUCH less weight/clunk. Take the worst of the worst off, not the work of the climb, and add minimum weight.
Honestly I think I'd be more open to an ebike if it had a more limited assist with MUCH less weight/clunk. Take the worst of the worst off, not the work of the climb, and add minimum weight.
Now imagine what happens in a cramped urban area with 5 mil. people and only 1/2 dozen legal riding spots or so.
Sorry/not sorry but e-bikes are fun. I think some of you are worried you'll like it too much if you could actually try one with an open mind. And I can't say I blame you - a good e-bike is pretty addictive. And "good" keeps getting better, and will keep getting better for a long time.
Sure there are jerks on e-bikes, and sure the world would be a better place if everyone knew and followed better etiquette (on the trails and beyond). But there are jerks on every form of two-wheeled fun. If there's a problem, it's not the bike itself.
Sure there are jerks on e-bikes, and sure the world would be a better place if everyone knew and followed better etiquette (on the trails and beyond). But there are jerks on every form of two-wheeled fun. If there's a problem, it's not the bike itself.
amen.
the orbea rise is like 38lbs? Levo SL is 39? thats only 4lbs heavier than my smash......ebikes be closer than you think.
Yep. The other big thing I think will happen is eventually someone will harness a decent hybrid drive that can capture brake energy and significantly extend the distance of a ride for someone that uses minimal assist or just for the steepest parts.