EBike...first ride

[Robocop]

I just returned from my Vacation to Gatlinburg and had a blast. Horseback riding, kayaking, Dollywood crazy thrill rides, few dinner shows and just stayed busy the entire time. One event was chosen on the spur of the moment and it was a full days rental of an E-Bike. It was inside a several thousand acre riding park full of mountain trails and all skill levels of riding. They give you a map and basically turn you loose to explore.

I have never ridden an E-Bike however do have a nice road bike with hundreds of miles under my belt. I have only ridden under my own power and only on paved roads. I had no idea what it would feel like however this E-Bike on mountain trails was the single most fun day I have had in a long time. The bike was a Specialized brand with full suspension and 3 levels of pedal assist. I found myself using the medium mode and tackled some crazy long hills without a huge amount of effort. I still had to put in effort however it was just enough to keep me riding all day. Turbo mode was crazy and not really needed much at all.

My wife and I both spent about 6 hours climbing crazy hills and then cruising down the other side. Some light jumps and banked curves thrown in to the mix and man it was just super fun. At the end of it all I still had 70% battery remaining and the park owner claimed they can go about 12 hours before empty. I am seriously considering buying an E-Bike set up for mild trails. I stopped riding my road bike as much due to several friends getting hit by cars. A mountain bike eliminates this risk as most riding is off road anyway.

Now if I remember correct the park owner stated his bikes were about 9k each and man I had no idea they cost so much. Of course the brand Specialized is expensive however they make quality rides. I am going to start a little research on this and see where it goes. The whole experience kind of surprised me as I never really thought much about the whole E-Bike thing. Perhaps I can find a set up for maybe around 3k that will get me started. It seems like a nice way to stay in shape while not killing my 55 year old body.

 

[Chauncey Gardener]

@Robocop, You've been here long enough to know - Pictures, or it didn't happen. 😁

 

[scalpel_ninja]

Don't worry @Chauncey Gardener , I snapped a photo of @Robocop

 

[raggie33]

I'm building a e-bike soon i help build a friends but it was more helping assemble it. I plan on building my own so i can get away from all the stupid laws and plan to go 3000 watts lol. My e-bike has like 2500 miles on it and my motorcycle just got over 20000 miles today . She has been a great motorcycle . But man i need a front tire on it bad lol.

 

[Robocop]

Chauncey I sadly did not have any photos taken at the park as it was a last minute decision after we saw an advertisement while eating breakfast. It looked fun and several locals at the restaurant said it was worth the cost. Two full trail passes with the top of the line bikes cost us about 260 dollars. Some of that cost was a shuttle pass that took riders to the higher elevations rather than pedaling up the mountain.

I should have skipped the shuttle as we never used it after we realized how easy it was to pedal up those hills assisted by the E-Bike. Just for fun here is a link to the park below with a map and description. It has more than just bikes as they rent out ATV vehicles for mud trails. The park is huge and the amount of money needed to get this thing going explains some of the cost to ride. Everything there was quality and I will surely return next year.

Mountain Biking - WildSide

Get Ready to Ride First and foremost, WildSide is a park built for bikers. Regardless of your experience level, we’ve got both the perfect trails and rentals for two-wheeled enthusiasts of all ages to have some fun. First Timer? Everyone has a wild side. Unleash yours! WildSide is the place for...

wildsidetn.com

 

[raggie33]

You still a cop in Birmingham?> ya should come here we have like 4 cops total for the entire county . The sheriff is super nice poor guy is stressing about the election I'm sure.. last time he won buy 2 votes or something

 

[Robocop]

Raggie33 great to hear from you and I have retired from Birmingham after 22 years there. I took a patrol job in a smaller town and the stress level is much less. I went from a Department of 1100 officers to one with 25 patrolmen total. It is nice to have an additional paycheck with my pension check as well however I will do maybe 3 more years and retire again for good. Bham had a private pension where the place I work now is State Pension. Only need 10 years to qualify and I have been here 7 years now.

 

[raggie33]

Good to hear from you to we been here forever lol.i have no idea how are sherifs dept does it. Are county don't have many people maybe 2000 but its a huge area to patrol miles and miles. I'm guessing tonight we have 2 deputy's on patrol..there all nice guys but i feel sad for how hard there job is. Btw i was on e-bike earlier riding with friend and we was on Main Street sure enough i look behind us and it was sheriff . He just rode around us. But we felt silly since we are both old lol

 

[The Hawk]

Thanks for the info. We go to G-burg at least once a year. We are hoping to do one of the Pink Jeep tours. I'll check into the e-bike thing as well.

 

[KITROBASKIN]

Love my ebike kit on a 90's Specialized S Works, but it is a kludge "abomination" according to one neighbor.

Consider how many years you plan on using it, because replacing the integral worn out battery can be an issue with older models.

I saw your other thread referring to Smoky Mountains Knife Works; do they still have something of a knife history museum on the lowest floor?

 

[alpg88]

I love mine too, build it not too long ago, I converted motobecane phantom, 29er, got a mid drive conversion, normally I use road tires, but when I take it camping, put mtb tires back. got 2 batteries for it. One big downside, when a battery dies, it is pretty hard to pedal with no power. doable, but it like you climbing a slight hill.

 

[Robocop]

Kitrobaskin they do still have a section devoted to older knives such as ancient medieval stuff as well as civil war era blades. It is a very interesting shop to visit to say the least. If you are a knife type person it is a candy store for sure.

I have been reading various reviews on all types of E-Bikes and it seems there are many to choose from. I have found that you get what you pay for for the most part. A quality version is expensive however the reviews all say they will perform twice as well and last twice as long as a budget option. I guess it is just like any product so for now I will keep reading until I narrow my choices to a few.

I was mostly shocked at just how practical the bike was for actual transportation. If you simply want to travel maybe 20 miles a good E-Bike makes quick work of that. I am by no means a fan of electric cars and most likely never will be however a bike actually seems to work well for basic transportation. If short trips into town are what you mostly do I can see this working for many people.

As I said I have much experience with road bikes and under my own power have put hundreds of miles on my road bike. I am in very good shape for my age (55) and when I started riding years ago I was in my prime at about 35 yrs old. Back then I was built like bull and had stamina with strength for hours. Even back then on say a 50 mile ride it was very hard to maintain an average pace of 18 to 20mph under your own power. Especially if you throw in some long uphill climbs stretched out over many miles. If I remember correct my best numbers after riding for a while rose to the 23mph range during a 50 to 75 mile ride. The most distance I covered in one day was a 115 mile ride over mostly flat roads.

With a good quality E-Bike giving a pedal assisted boost even a beginner can match those numbers today. Even at my age now I was shocked at just how fast I was able to ride with maybe 50% effort from my pedal power. I was caught by surprise at just how well the whole system worked together. I really do not believe electric makes sense for a 4 thousand pound vehicle however for a bicycle it actually works very well.

 

[blinkjr]

Hey Robocop! Glad you got to experience what an EBike can do. My wife and I did a bike tour of Prague to Vienna a few months ago. We both had EBikes (tour was thru bike manufacturer - starts with T - 4 letters). Tour was described as "rolling hills." In 5 days of riding I did 185 miles with 13K feet of elevation change (total up and down each). I never would have been able to do it on a regular bike. Due to circumstances we were unable to properly train for this tour. I am sold on EBikes. I am 68 years old and a double cancer survivor. We normally ride quite a bit and I really like my current road bike. But if I continue riding an EBike is probably in my future.

I think what most people need to understand about EBikes is you still need to pedal. The "E" is only an assist. So you still get a workout - unless you leave it in "Turbo" the whole ride! On our tour, one day the first 7 kilometers were straight up. We had 4 levels of assist - Eco, Tour, Sport, Turbo. It was the only time I was was in Turbo for an extended period. I don't know how the riders of regular road bikes were able to make it.

 

[alpg88]

You do not really need to, you can if you choose to. pretty much every ebike has a throttle. Yes pedaling will add power, will extend range, give you some work out, but you can opt out if you want to.
BTW, E is for electric.

 

[blinkjr]

You do not really need to, you can if you choose to. pretty much every ebike has a throttle. Yes pedaling will add power, will extend range, give you some work out, but you can opt out if you want to.
BTW, E is for electric.

I will kindly disagree with you on this. My wife's EBike and the EBikes we rode on our tour had no throttle. Either you pedaled or you didn't go. From what I can glean from searching the 'net, there is no consensus on one versus the other.

 

[alpg88]

I will kindly disagree with you on this. My wife's EBike and the EBikes we rode on our tour had no throttle. Either you pedaled or you didn't go. From what I can glean from searching the 'net, there is no consensus on one versus the other.

I believe you, however your was a rental bike, and Europe has stricter regulation regarding power and assist only action, here in USA, if you buy your own, it will almost always come with a throttle. IIRC their legal limit is 250w, 25kmph, which is ridiculously low imo.