Ebikes on performance rides?

Let's try for a bicycling related post.

I little controversy has popped up in our bike club. How do you treat a
guy on an ebike?'

I'm not talking about the slower social rides. We have some long-term
members who, through age or health problems, may someday soon need an
ebike to cruise with friends, doing 12 or 13 mph for 25 miles just for
the scenery and sociability. I don't think anyone's going to begrudge
them a little e-help, so to speak.

But one guy has been showing up for "A" rides and other suffer-fests on
a performance oriented ebike. He's riding with guys that train seriously
all year, doing "Hill Repeats" rides, interval training and roller or
trainer work all winter. Word is those real "A" riders aren't very
accepting.

I have my views on the matter, which I expressed to another club member
last night. But I'm curious what's happening in other areas, what the
attitudes are there, and what this group's readers think.

--
- Frank Krygowski

On Friday, 18 October 2019 21:00:46 UTC-4, Frank Krygowski wrote:
Let's try for a bicycling related post.

I little controversy has popped up in our bike club. How do you treat a
guy on an ebike?'

I'm not talking about the slower social rides. We have some long-term
members who, through age or health problems, may someday soon need an
ebike to cruise with friends, doing 12 or 13 mph for 25 miles just for
the scenery and sociability. I don't think anyone's going to begrudge
them a little e-help, so to speak.

But one guy has been showing up for "A" rides and other suffer-fests on
a performance oriented ebike. He's riding with guys that train seriously
all year, doing "Hill Repeats" rides, interval training and roller or
trainer work all winter. Word is those real "A" riders aren't very
accepting.

I have my views on the matter, which I expressed to another club member
last night. But I'm curious what's happening in other areas, what the
attitudes are there, and what this group's readers think.

--
- Frank Krygowski

Why don't they just start a Performance Oriented E-bike club?

Cheers

On Friday, October 18, 2019 at 6:09:44 PM UTC-7, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Friday, 18 October 2019 21:00:46 UTC-4, Frank Krygowski wrote:
Let's try for a bicycling related post.

I little controversy has popped up in our bike club. How do you treat a
guy on an ebike?'

I'm not talking about the slower social rides. We have some long-term
members who, through age or health problems, may someday soon need an
ebike to cruise with friends, doing 12 or 13 mph for 25 miles just for
the scenery and sociability. I don't think anyone's going to begrudge
them a little e-help, so to speak.

But one guy has been showing up for "A" rides and other suffer-fests on
a performance oriented ebike. He's riding with guys that train seriously
all year, doing "Hill Repeats" rides, interval training and roller or
trainer work all winter. Word is those real "A" riders aren't very
accepting.

I have my views on the matter, which I expressed to another club member
last night. But I'm curious what's happening in other areas, what the
attitudes are there, and what this group's readers think.

--
- Frank Krygowski

Why don't they just start a Performance Oriented E-bike club?

Cheers

Right on.

I want an eBike because I'm going to be that guy, but I hate them until I get there. And there WILL be eBike clubs soon enough. This week's Willamette Week cover: https://www.wweek.com/news/2019/10/1...-is-an-e-bike/

Let the eBikes duke it out and not mix it up with non-motorized cyclists. I spend every day dealing with eBikes. They're everywhere. On a weekend ride with a group, I want it to be non-motorized. If the guy can't hang on the suffer-fest, then he needs to pick a different ride.

The exception to this is if the guy is motor pacing or basically there for training everybody else (like the coach on the moto), but I doubt you guys are that serious about training.

-- Jay Beattie.

Just say NO.

Those "ebikers" can ride with others who also have motor bikes...

PS: one local club clearly states that in their guidelines:

However, this is a skills and workout ride with close pack riding,
and E-bikes are not appropriate.

On Fri, 18 Oct 2019 18:24:23 -0700 (PDT), jbeattie
wrote:

On Friday, October 18, 2019 at 6:09:44 PM UTC-7, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
On Friday, 18 October 2019 21:00:46 UTC-4, Frank Krygowski wrote:
Let's try for a bicycling related post.

I little controversy has popped up in our bike club. How do you treat a
guy on an ebike?'

I'm not talking about the slower social rides. We have some long-term
members who, through age or health problems, may someday soon need an
ebike to cruise with friends, doing 12 or 13 mph for 25 miles just for
the scenery and sociability. I don't think anyone's going to begrudge
them a little e-help, so to speak.

But one guy has been showing up for "A" rides and other suffer-fests on
a performance oriented ebike. He's riding with guys that train seriously
all year, doing "Hill Repeats" rides, interval training and roller or
trainer work all winter. Word is those real "A" riders aren't very
accepting.

I have my views on the matter, which I expressed to another club member
last night. But I'm curious what's happening in other areas, what the
attitudes are there, and what this group's readers think.

--
- Frank Krygowski

Why don't they just start a Performance Oriented E-bike club?

Cheers

Right on.

I want an eBike because I'm going to be that guy, but I hate them until I get there. And there WILL be eBike clubs soon enough. This week's Willamette Week cover: https://www.wweek.com/news/2019/10/1...-is-an-e-bike/

Let the eBikes duke it out and not mix it up with non-motorized cyclists. I spend every day dealing with eBikes. They're everywhere. On a weekend ride with a group, I want it to be non-motorized. If the guy can't hang on the suffer-fest, then he needs to pick a different ride.

The exception to this is if the guy is motor pacing or basically there for training everybody else (like the coach on the moto), but I doubt you guys are that serious about training.

-- Jay Beattie.

Well, technically an E-Bike is a "Motor" Bicycle, or "motorcycle" in
the vernacular. So, logically they should ride with the motorcycles
:-)
--
cheers,

John B.

On Saturday, October 19, 2019 at 3:00:46 AM UTC+2, Frank Krygowski wrote:
Let's try for a bicycling related post.

I little controversy has popped up in our bike club. How do you treat a
guy on an ebike?'

I'm not talking about the slower social rides. We have some long-term
members who, through age or health problems, may someday soon need an
ebike to cruise with friends, doing 12 or 13 mph for 25 miles just for
the scenery and sociability. I don't think anyone's going to begrudge
them a little e-help, so to speak.

But one guy has been showing up for "A" rides and other suffer-fests on
a performance oriented ebike. He's riding with guys that train seriously
all year, doing "Hill Repeats" rides, interval training and roller or
trainer work all winter. Word is those real "A" riders aren't very
accepting.

I have my views on the matter, which I expressed to another club member
last night. But I'm curious what's happening in other areas, what the
attitudes are there, and what this group's readers think.

--
- Frank Krygowski

Well if our oldest member who has a hard time keeping up with us even at modest speeds shows up with an electric assisted bike we would welcome it. We like to have hime around.

Lou

jbeattie wrote:
On Sunday, October 20, 2019 at 2:47:34 PM UTC-7, Andre Jute wrote:
On Sunday, October 20, 2019 at 7:53:35 AM UTC+1, wrote:
On Saturday, October 19, 2019 at 3:00:46 AM UTC+2, Frank Krygowski wrote:
Let's try for a bicycling related post.

I little controversy has popped up in our bike club. How do you treat a
guy on an ebike?'

I'm not talking about the slower social rides. We have some long-term
members who, through age or health problems, may someday soon need an
ebike to cruise with friends, doing 12 or 13 mph for 25 miles just for
the scenery and sociability. I don't think anyone's going to begrudge
them a little e-help, so to speak.

But one guy has been showing up for "A" rides and other suffer-fests on
a performance oriented ebike. He's riding with guys that train seriously
all year, doing "Hill Repeats" rides, interval training and roller or
trainer work all winter. Word is those real "A" riders aren't very
accepting.

I have my views on the matter, which I expressed to another club member
last night. But I'm curious what's happening in other areas, what the
attitudes are there, and what this group's readers think.

--
- Frank Krygowski

Well if our oldest member who has a hard time keeping up with us even
at modest speeds shows up with an electric assisted bike we would
welcome it. We like to have hime around.

Lou

A decently humane attitude, Lou. Congratulations to you and your group.

The problem with the local "performance riders" is that they ride to the
garage on the edge of town and sit on the chairs outside watching cars
go by. They're a bunch of fashion victims with zero conversation except
how much their latest components cost. I wouldn't let them ride with us
before I electrified one of my bikes, and I won't let them ride with us
after I electrified one of my bikes. One has to draw the line somewhere.

The local "performance riders" around here don't ride to a garage on the
edge of town and sit around and watch the cars go by. In fact, I've been
on a lot of performance rides (without quotes) and never once sat around
a garage. Is that an Irish thing?


We can often be found at a pub with a Guinness after the ride though.

Any self-selected group of cyclists can decide to allow -- or not allow
-- eBikes. On the ride Frank described, eBikes don't mix. On the ride Lou
imagined, they do.


Exactly.

On 10/20/2019 6:36 PM, wrote:
On Friday, October 18, 2019 at 8:00:46 PM UTC-5, Frank Krygowski wrote:
Let's try for a bicycling related post.

I little controversy has popped up in our bike club. How do you treat a
guy on an ebike?'

I'm not talking about the slower social rides. We have some long-term
members who, through age or health problems, may someday soon need an
ebike to cruise with friends, doing 12 or 13 mph for 25 miles just for
the scenery and sociability. I don't think anyone's going to begrudge
them a little e-help, so to speak.

But one guy has been showing up for "A" rides and other suffer-fests on
a performance oriented ebike. He's riding with guys that train seriously
all year, doing "Hill Repeats" rides, interval training and roller or
trainer work all winter. Word is those real "A" riders aren't very
accepting.

I have my views on the matter, which I expressed to another club member
last night. But I'm curious what's happening in other areas, what the
attitudes are there, and what this group's readers think.

--
- Frank Krygowski

My opinion. Most, all, of my rides are recreational at normal speeds. So an ebike would not be too inappropriate. And all the people I ride with are friends, sociable to one another, so the ebike person would be welcomed. Some, many of the people I ride with are nearing or over 70. So an ebike may be in the immediate future for some of them. They would be welcome on our recreational rides.

But on race rides of casual strangers, an ebike is NOT appropriate or welcomed. And the bicyclists on that ride should make it very clear that the ebike is not allowed on the ride. And if the bicyclists have to resort to measures such as breaking the ebike or breaking the ebike rider, fine.

I hear that one of the offended "A" riders was thinking about
spontaneously extending one of the rides to get Battery Man way out
beyond the range capacity of his battery. I don't know if he'll really
do that.
--
- Frank Krygowski

On Monday, October 21, 2019 at 1:54:51 AM UTC+1, Duane wrote:

We can often be found at a pub with a Guinness after the ride though.

From a bottle?

Andre Jute
I've been thrown out of better clubs than this -- Groucho Marx

On Sun, 20 Oct 2019 15:36:29 -0700 (PDT), "
wrote:

On Friday, October 18, 2019 at 8:00:46 PM UTC-5, Frank Krygowski wrote:
Let's try for a bicycling related post.

I little controversy has popped up in our bike club. How do you treat a
guy on an ebike?'

I'm not talking about the slower social rides. We have some long-term
members who, through age or health problems, may someday soon need an
ebike to cruise with friends, doing 12 or 13 mph for 25 miles just for
the scenery and sociability. I don't think anyone's going to begrudge
them a little e-help, so to speak.

But one guy has been showing up for "A" rides and other suffer-fests on
a performance oriented ebike. He's riding with guys that train seriously
all year, doing "Hill Repeats" rides, interval training and roller or
trainer work all winter. Word is those real "A" riders aren't very
accepting.

I have my views on the matter, which I expressed to another club member
last night. But I'm curious what's happening in other areas, what the
attitudes are there, and what this group's readers think.

--
- Frank Krygowski

My opinion. Most, all, of my rides are recreational at normal speeds. So an ebike would not be too inappropriate. And all the people I ride with are friends, sociable to one another, so the ebike person would be welcomed. Some, many of the people I ride with are nearing or over 70. So an ebike may be in the immediate future for some of them. They would be welcome on our recreational rides.

But on race rides of casual strangers, an ebike is NOT appropriate or welcomed. And the bicyclists on that ride should make it very clear that the ebike is not allowed on the ride. And if the bicyclists have to resort to measures such as breaking the ebike or breaking the ebike rider, fine.

The question is, "where do you draw the line"? An e-bike is a bicycle
with an electric motor. What about a bicycle with an internal
combustion motor?
A company named "Whizzer" started making them in 1939
https://www.farmcollector.com/engine...-zmlz14deczkel
Or a Chinese version made at Amazon - US$349.98
https://www.amazon.com/COMPLETE-2-ST...257 96&sr=8-2
--
cheers,

John B.