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Post by lollygagger on Oct 3, 2020 8:02:33 GMT
It surprises me when I hear people taking of e bikes in one breath, then health and fitness in the next. Regular cycling is a good way to get/ keep fit. Riding an e bike isn't. This is patently untrue. It still requires effort to move an ebike. You might not be testing your muscles as much but its still very good for cardio. You could be kidding yourself like I used to! I can be walking 10-15 miles every day on the flat, going as fast as I can. Then I go and walk up a 1,000ft hill and think I'm going to die! After a week of that instead of pausing to recover 10-20 times on the way up I'm not stopping and my calf muscles have grown an inch girth. Hills are your friends.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2020 8:09:42 GMT
This is patently untrue. It still requires effort to move an ebike. You might not be testing your muscles as much but its still very good for cardio. You could be kidding yourself like I used to! I can be walking 10-15 miles every day on the flat, going as fast as I can. Then I go and walk up a 1,000ft hill and think I'm going to die! After a week of that instead of pausing to recover 10-20 times on the way up I'm not stopping and my calf muscles have grown an inch girth. Hills are your friends. I didn't say its the best way. ETA try not to use the word 'girth'. Some think its an epic cock joke.
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Post by Jim on Oct 3, 2020 8:15:07 GMT
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Post by patty on Oct 3, 2020 9:40:31 GMT
This is patently untrue. It still requires effort to move an ebike. You might not be testing your muscles as much but its still very good for cardio. You could be kidding yourself like I used to! I can be walking 10-15 miles every day on the flat, going as fast as I can. Then I go and walk up a 1,000ft hill and think I'm going to die! After a week of that instead of pausing to recover 10-20 times on the way up I'm not stopping and my calf muscles have grown an inch girth. Hills are your friends. That may be so but when day after day your walking takes in hills you kinda yearn for a bit of flat to walk along... Sometimes..not very often on one of my daily walks I take Freya in the car so we just have to walk along the straight...however that doesn't help with the 2 other daily walks.
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Post by brummieboy on Oct 3, 2020 11:23:27 GMT
Riding a e-bike is better exercise than a conventional cycle when you have to pedal it home with a flat battery
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Post by Jim on Oct 3, 2020 12:23:17 GMT
The bafang bbs01b kit will do everything you want, and is legally rated at 250w. I've already got a 250watt ebike and I commuted on it for 2 years. It doesnt do half of what I want- even with the settings tweaked. The Irish guy I mentioned above also bemoaned the lack of power in his 500watt ebike when doing a 30 mile trip, and he is a lot younger and fitter than me. I would like 1000 watts if it can be done stealthily What's the spec on your ebike, what voltage? As I said before, mine does what you want 20mph, can be invisibly tweaked to 350w (at the expense of batt longevity). A neighbour just popped round on an illegal hub motor ebike "showing off". No plate on voilamart motor, he claims to have hit 40mph. He hasn't got a helmet, the sort surgeons know as a "donor".
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Post by Clinton Cool on Oct 3, 2020 14:17:46 GMT
The thing is, once you're past your youth, it takes a lot more than a bit of gentle exercise to get fit and in shape.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2020 14:23:39 GMT
I've already got a 250watt ebike and I commuted on it for 2 years. It doesnt do half of what I want- even with the settings tweaked. The Irish guy I mentioned above also bemoaned the lack of power in his 500watt ebike when doing a 30 mile trip, and he is a lot younger and fitter than me. I would like 1000 watts if it can be done stealthily What's the spec on your ebike, what voltage? As I said before, mine does what you want 20mph, can be invisibly tweaked to 350w (at the expense of batt longevity). A neighbour just popped round on an illegal hub motor ebike "showing off". No plate on voilamart motor, he claims to have hit 40mph. He hasn't got a helmet, the sort surgeons know as a "donor". The one I have now is a byocycle chameleon and its 36v, but I cant find out how you change the power settings- it doesnt have a display panel as such to work with in terms of tweaking power, so I'm pretty sure you can't alter power, and that its as good as its going to get now. To be honest for me the extra power is so that I can set it to max assistance and cruising along at 20mph whilst barely making any effort, even up hills, and do that for about 15 miles if needed. When I want to get some proper exercise I'll turn the assistance down. I'm pondering a second battery for the range aspect of it, but going up hills on my bike- even on maximum assistance- you still have to work a fair bit, and I want to arrive after 15 miles without breaking a sweat, if I'm visiting somewhere nice and wearing normal clothes etc. I want to use the extra power not to go fast, but greatly reduce the effort needed to cruise at 20mph. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have the odd pedal along a lane at 40mph for the hell of it if there's no one around, but speed is not what I'm after really.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2020 14:34:06 GMT
The thing is, once you're past your youth, it takes a lot more than a bit of gentle exercise to get fit and in shape. I'm definitely finding this to be the case. One of my problems is a dodgy knee, which limits the amount I walk or jog. The bike is a great alternative that doesn't cause impact on feet or joints, and its also much quicker as a way of getting to a local town or village, but I dont think its possible for me to attain a high standard of fitness at my age, and I'm not sure I'm that bothered. I think for me personally, its about doing enough exercise (and the right type) to help me last longer and stay in better nick, without going OTT. I'm planning to drop the car off for a few weeks parking in Rugby tomorrow, and cycle the 6 or 7 miles back to the boat. On a normal bike I wouldnt fancy it with the hills etc, but on the ebike its not a bad jaunt. You do tend to feel a bit more encouraged to get on it a bit more often (because its a bit easier)- so the overall health benefits are still there.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2020 14:44:18 GMT
I'm planning to drop the car off for a few weeks parking in Rugby tomorrow, and cycle the 6 or 7 miles back to the boat. On a normal bike I wouldnt fancy it with the hills etc, but on the ebike its not a bad jaunt. Hills? On the cut? I know there may be a lock or two but one of the known knowns about canals is that they have a way of avoiding hills.
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Post by kris on Oct 3, 2020 14:45:20 GMT
I would have thought any cardio vascular exercise that gets your blood flowing is better than none? With the ebikes a thought that comes to mind is they must go through chains and chain sets quicker than a pedal only bike?
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Post by Jim on Oct 3, 2020 15:05:35 GMT
I would have thought any cardio vascular exercise that gets your blood flowing is better than none? With the ebikes a thought that comes to mind is they must go through chains and chain sets quicker than a pedal only bike? They do. Best with a cheapo bike therefore. Some of the modern chainsets can be £300 a pop.
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Post by kris on Oct 3, 2020 15:13:23 GMT
I would have thought any cardio vascular exercise that gets your blood flowing is better than none? With the ebikes a thought that comes to mind is they must go through chains and chain sets quicker than a pedal only bike? They do. Best with a cheapo bike therefore. Some of the modern chainsets can be £300 a pop. I think I’m looking for one with internal hub gears because I can’t imagine deraliers lasting long at all. I think I’m going with s/h just to dip my tow into the ebike world see what I think.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2020 15:18:16 GMT
Most of the bike couriers I see in London use hub motors. I reckon they are probably less trouble overall. It makes sense to use the motor as part of the wheel as it takes out any transmission parts.
Obviously there is the rotating mass itself and a loss of efficiency overall but durability wise it's the way to go.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 3, 2020 15:20:30 GMT
I'm planning to drop the car off for a few weeks parking in Rugby tomorrow, and cycle the 6 or 7 miles back to the boat. On a normal bike I wouldnt fancy it with the hills etc, but on the ebike its not a bad jaunt. Hills? On the cut? I know there may be a lock or two but one of the known knowns about canals is that they have a way of avoiding hills. This was exactly my original thought before I actually moved aboard. But most of my trips are not along a towpath- they are from the boat to a nearby village, or in tomorrows case a ride back from Rugby to the boat, which I already know involves a couple of long hills. But even on the flat, if you want to cruise at a steady 20mph you have to work pretty hard, and doing that for 15 miles is not an easy task for someone who isnt all that fit. To be honest in todays weather, and the towpaths in this area, I would be going very carefully indeed, and if possible avoiding riding on a towpath where possible, as they are now muddy and wet- and the last thing I need at my age is a tumble on top my bike, even at slowish speed.
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