wooley's got his eBike

**SumJongGuy** · 07-26-2022, 01:18 PM

Don't tell your brother it's fixed.. He will ask for it back..

**Cisco Kid** · 07-26-2022, 02:33 PM

Funny story. They shipped the first one he ordered to him instead of me. He emailed the contact and they shipped another bike to me and said they'd getback to him with a discounted price. Knowing what a great negotiator my sib is I'm betting they offer 80% off and he'll get them to say just keep it

**Cisco Kid** · 09-26-2023, 08:51 PM

So with 400 mi on the odom still happy as a clam with my free eBike. I was hesitant but finally broke down and got one for the missus that she said wanted. REI e1.1 on sale for $989. It sat for 2 weeks before she took a short test ride. A week later we headed out for the lake 4 miles up the trail. Went about 2 miles and when she tried passing a wobbly 6 y o on a bike she ended up on her back in a ditch. The 4 sq in patch of torn skin on her ankle has healed and the hematoma on her leg is down from football size to baseball size.

The ebikes without a throttle are dangerous in the hands of most.

**grinch** · 09-27-2023, 08:20 AM

Interesting situation. I never considered a throttle as safety equipment. I could see that though. I'd like to have a throttle on my commuter just to get to work in the am without being a sweaty mess/running late.
Im glad she's relatively ok from her crash. Hopefully she gets back on that horse. I'd imagine a few days in and it be intuitive enough to contain those situations

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**farmguy** · 09-27-2023, 08:25 AM

Originally Posted by Cisco Kid

The ebikes without a throttle are dangerous in the hands of most.

Those are called electric motorcycles

**MagnificentUnicorn** · 09-27-2023, 09:49 AM

We’re seeing a lot of geezers at the hospital that have crashed because of the speed, weight and poor handling of their class II and III e-bikes. Who would have thought that an out of shape senior with little to no bicycle handling experience would get into this kind of trouble?

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**climberevan** · 09-27-2023, 10:00 AM

Originally Posted by farmguy

Those are called electric motorcycles

It's funny that people are terrified of real motorcycles, but somehow when they look a bit like bicycles those same people feel like riding them without any experience and no safety gear is perfectly fine.

The industry has really screwed the pooch by marketing those things as bicycles.

**toast2266** · 09-27-2023, 10:05 AM

Just need to take a cue from Harley Davidson and start marketing e-tricycles for people that aren't coordinated enough for 2 wheels.

**Cisco Kid** · 09-27-2023, 10:47 AM

As I see it, the safety issue that is unique with geezers on eBikes is the disconnect of the forward motion relative to the pedal input a low speeds. It's not like the balloon tire single speed Columbia that our brains remember. No boost for the first couple of inches of pedal rotation then BAM!, bike jumps 5 feet. That's what put me in a ditch the first time I took it to the end of the driveway and I have exceptional 2 wheel skills. Is that surge of power something that can be addressed with a computer program change or better sensor?

**XXX-er** · 09-27-2023, 10:49 AM

ride more, suck less & suggest wearing pads

**MagnificentUnicorn** · 09-27-2023, 10:58 AM

There’s more to it than that. People ride these e-bikes way faster than they would ever be able to ride a bicycle. For older folks that aren’t as fit and strong, maybe many decades without riding a bike of any kind and that can be disastrous when encountering obstacles like pedestrians, debris on the road or trail, unexpected turns, changes in surface etc.

The fastest riders on the local MUP(signed no motorized use of any kind) are seniors on class II/III e-bikes, almost always 20-25 mph on a 10-15mph signed trail. It’s a real safety issue during times of heavy traffic.

Claiming exceptional 2 wheel skill is a sure sign that isn’t true. I don’t ride an ebike and have taken to riding a full rigid mtb on all trails again and I wouldn’t claim exceptional skills. I have decent control but nothing special.

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**Cisco Kid** · 09-27-2023, 11:11 AM

I'd agree. I live on the bike trail and see 1000 go past in a summer. I do see most eBikes moving at over the 15mph speed limit. I also see MAMILs (Middle Aged Men In Lycra) going 30mph trying to set a personal best. It's a societal issue.

Looking for a low speed maneuvering solution. Invent it and make a million dollars.

**toast2266** · 09-27-2023, 11:24 AM

Originally Posted by Cisco Kid

I also see MAMILs (Middle Aged Men In Lycra)

[Chuckle]

**Andeh** · 09-27-2023, 11:33 AM

Originally Posted by XXX-er

ride more, suck less & suggest wearing pads

This.

My stepmother was recently in the hospital with a shattered wrist because she's old/fat/un-athletic and sucks at riding bikes, was riding her ebike on a paved path in Yurp, got to an intersection, and apparently failed at braking/putting her foot down.

The problem isn't the bike, it's the rider. I'm willing to be they would have had the same crash on a non-motorized bike.

**Cisco Kid** · 09-27-2023, 12:11 PM

The last time that Boomers were hurting themselves on a new 2 wheel toy was when you were "Meeting the nicest people on a Honda.". Part of the solution was the industry involvement
by sponsoring learn to ride a motorcycle events. I was an instructor at a Yamaha event and learned a thing or two about showing newbies tactics to use so as to not get hurt. eBike manufacturers and dealers would be doing the industry and themselves a favor by stepping up education efforts.

**XXX-er** · 09-27-2023, 12:52 PM

I will admit riding a bicycle with pedal assist is a little disconcerting at first when the motor kicks in and takes off by itself but I could go to eco mode and I got used to it pretty quick, so don't them cheap bikes made out of chinesium have an eco mode or something to make the starts easier ?

I don't find topping out at 32 KPH on a class 1 all that fast I could do with more speed for the road

but my average speed for 3500 kms of single track is < 13kph and i don't need more speed

**grinch** · 09-27-2023, 12:57 PM

We have an ever expanding commuter/railtrail system. I dont see a ton of speeders or unsafe riders. Occasionally but that user group is very mixed and it leans toward the newby demographic. The one user group that sketches me out the most is the scooters. All them are newbs and a lot are rentals. They really need a couple/few extra inches of bar width at the very least. I see groups of 3 or 4. The followers are following the most skilled or brave. The lead guy swerves around a trail user and the next is totally surprised by on coming users. Que huge eyes and shaking bars and near accident. Over and over this is far and away the danger around here. Some senior is going to get taken out being used as a pilon by full sketch pilots

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**Cisco Kid** · 09-27-2023, 01:59 PM

I'm sitting on 100's of miles of converted railroad bed/fire roads with 3 outfits renting eBikes in my little town and a 4th 5 miles away.

I've only ridden 2 cheap bikes. Could it be that for the low speed "push in the back" issue is not thing in a high end setup? I should take a parking lot test ride from one of the shops. After I stop by the Urgent Care for a recap on the summer.

**joetron** · 09-27-2023, 02:17 PM

Yep, in my experience of test riding after shift/brake adjustments on the cheap hunks of shit is that generally the cheaper the bike, the worse the lag/surge in power. They also have a sketchy lag to cut off power when you stop pedaling or release the throttle.

None of these fucking vultures are gonna host a ride clinic because that would cost them money and they are only a warehouse in a shitty office park that imports or even drop ships cheap hunks of dangerous shit from China.

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**Cisco Kid** · 09-27-2023, 02:26 PM

So what component is key to a smooth e power transition? I'm ignorant.

**toast2266** · 09-27-2023, 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by Cisco Kid

So what component is key to a smooth e power transition? I'm ignorant.

Torque sensor and a computer. Feeds power in smoothly as you push on the pedals. More push = more power.

**XXX-er** · 09-27-2023, 02:50 PM

Originally Posted by Andeh

This.

My stepmother was recently in the hospital with a shattered wrist because she's old/fat/un-athletic and sucks at riding bikes, was riding her ebike on a paved path in Yurp, got to an intersection, and apparently failed at braking/putting her foot down.

The problem isn't the bike, it's the rider. I'm willing to be they would have had the same crash on a non-motorized bike.

I have only ridden a dentist grade E-bike

but people in this thread are saying it IS the bike

**MagnificentUnicorn** · 09-27-2023, 03:12 PM

It’s not the bike, it’s more complicated than that. It’s the perception by people that they’re(e-bikes) just regular bikes but with a little help. Most of the people that I see out going too fast are on shitty Rad Power etc type bikes. They’re not cyclists. It’s the marketing of the crappy bikes to the lazy and infirm. I get that it’s nice for people to get outside but there’s consequences.

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