Remco Evenepoel bags Worlds ITT win and starts YouTube channel; 4/5 Bristol cyclists experience aggressive driving; More reaction to Millar’s Ineos 4×4; Cyclist rides 500 miles backwards; All-City Cycles to be “retired” + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Worlds recap: Storey unstoppable, Pidcock palava, Dygert does it again
Ah wow, thank you for sharing 🥰 https://t.co/gduMSFhfic
— Dame Sarah Storey (@DameSarahStorey) August 10, 2023
Becoming World Champion is always such a special feeling & today we finally got to race the same course & distance as the men! It was brilliant! And such fun to ride at speed!
Here’s to the best support & cheerleading crew 🤩🌈🥇 pic.twitter.com/HkZQ6tHZig
— Dame Sarah Storey (@DameSarahStorey) August 10, 2023
Taking some chilled time out from being Greater Manchester’s Active Travel Commissioner, a cycling team founder, mum, keynote speaker and generally awesome human, Dame Sarah Storey picked up a 42nd world title by winning the C5 individual time trial yesterday. Storey led from the outset, and her time of 39:48 over the tough 28.2km course was 1:14 faster than Alana Forster of Australian in second.
Il manque pas grand chose à Victor sur le sprint … et Pidcock .. dive bomb bien moche… #LesRp #Glasgow2023 #xcc pic.twitter.com/yVlvbKUjBn
— Marc (@marcrp) August 10, 2023
Taking a brief detour off-road and to the men’s cross-country short track race yesterday, Tom Pidcock was accused of “crashing out” Luca Schwarzbauer of Germany as he appeared to make contact with him as he overtook on the inside of the final corner.
“I know he’s Tom Pidcock and he’s a superstar, but this doesn’t give him the right to do that,” Schwarzbauer said post-race.
Pidcock said the riders “probably touched”, saying: “I went for the inside and pushed him out on to the gravel and then Luca’s crashed unfortunately.”
Samuel Gaze won the title, with Victor Koretzky taking silver.
Canyon were quick to congratulate the new elite women’s individual time trial world champion Chloe Dygert, who capped off a remarkable return from a horrific mid-race injury three years ago with her second world title of this championships. While it’s obviously all about the rider, this performance plus a certain Dutchman’s epic victory at the weekend – including a fall that destroyed his shoe dial but left nothing but a couple of scratches on his shiny Canyon Aeroad – can’t have been bad for the German bike brand’s rep…
Steel and titanium frame specialists All-City Cycles to be "retired" according to leaked emails
According to what was reportedly an email sent to dealers and share by The Radavist, The Minneapolis-based bike brand will no longer develop new products after 2024 and “will eventually be retired in a few years.”
> Review: All-City Gorilla Monsoon
All-City Cycles is under the QBP umbrella, which also owns Salsa Cycles and Surly Bikes. The All-City brand is distributed by Ison Distribution in the UK, with a number of their bikes – a range of steel and titanium road, gravel and city bikes – for sale on the websites of numerous online retailers.
> Bike industry turmoil continues as 2pure enters administration
The email to All-City dealers continues: “In the meantime, All-City remains a powerful opportunity for your business. New inventory of exciting All-City bicycles will continue to enter the market through calendar year 2024, including new models and colorways. QBP will continue to service retailers and consumers with replacement parts and support product warranties through our current warranty program.”
road.cc has contacted QBP for further comment.
Mathieu van der Poel out of context
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) August 10, 2023
Mathieu learning just how highbrow Britain’s tabloid press is over here.
Cyclist who rode 500 miles backwards seeks Guinness World Records approval
If Will Walker is successful in his application, we may have to stick another entry in our round-up of weird and wonderful cycling world records, because it’s quite the feat.
The Alaskan claims to have completed the ultra reverse ride during the Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, and to our knowledge was the only one doing it backwards. Walker has submitted evidence to Guinness World Records, and if successful will smash the previous backwards cycling record of 209.77 miles, set by Andrew Hellinga of Australia in 2013.
"...resist the greenwashing" Cycling cartoonist's take on pro peloton jerseys following yesterday's reaction to David Millar's Ineos Grenadier post
Reposting in the light of a tweet by a cycling commentator (not advocating a pile-on).
My view: It’s challenging, I’m sure, but it would be so good to see those with involvement and influence in pro cycling finding ways (subtle if need be) to resist the greenwashing. pic.twitter.com/DiYmWtNZAq— Dave Walker (@davewalker) August 10, 2023
Yesterday’s big story on the blog stemmed from ex-pro-turned cycling commentator David Millar taking to social media to promote the Ineos Grenadier 4×4, which received significant backlash due to the environmental and safety concerns surrounding the large high emission vehicle.
“In light of the tweet”, self-described cycling cartoonist Dave Walker has shared this cartoon to remind us what kind of industries are heavily involved in the sponsorship of pro cycling teams. Uncomfortably accurate?
Remco starts his own YouTube channel, taking us behind the scenes for some time trial aero testing
The Belgian will be looking to make up for a disappointing (by his standards) road race last weekend in the individual time trial this afternoon, and has already taken some his anger out on Scottish Strava leaderboards by taking 35 KOMs on his practice rides. In his debut YouTube video, Evenepoel is shown testing his bike and kit to optimise everything ahead of the big race, including that divisive snood/aero balaclava thingy…
Remco says he started the channel to “show [you] more insights and behind the scenes of my work and life.”
Does that include power data? They never share their damn power data!
10,000 e-bike bays needed to tackle problem parking across London, says e-bike manufacturer Lime
With complaints on the rise about untidily-parked e-bikes in the capital, one of the largest suppliers of docked and dockless shared e-bikes – Lime – says that it supports calls for additional spaces so bikes can be parked at designated locations at all times.
Hal Stevenson, Lime’s senior Public Affairs Manager, told the Evening Standard: “We have agreements in place with over 10 councils to operate our services here, each with different parking rules in place.
“There is record demand for cycling in London, including Lime e-bikes. It is clear that a standardised, London-wide service with more dedicated shared e-bike parking locations across the capital is now needed to help simultaneously facilitate growing popularity, maintain convenience and ensure tidy parking.
“The recent recommendation for 10,000 parking spaces from transport consultancy, Steer, is one Lime endorses, and will now work with Transport for London and London councils to try deliver.”
An estimated 1.25 million people have take over 12 million trips on Lime bikes since it launched in London in December 2018.
In other e-bike news: "Angry old man shouts at clouds again"... it's Peter Hitchens on electric bikes
“Angry old man shouts at clouds again.”
— Chris (@Spacebanjo) August 11, 2023
The point of the electric assisted mountain bikes in my estimation is to encourage beginner cyclists to go places they would not venture on a conventional bike. Thus it does act in a way to get people more fit as they would not cycle otherwise.
— Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa (@BenMill51834783) August 11, 2023
“…please don’t pretend these things have any of the benefits of a proper old-fashioned bicycle” says Hitchens in his latest musings for the Spectator, boldly (and incorrectly) titled ‘Real cyclists don’t use e-bikes’. Here’s a few reasons why others might think that’s a load of cobblers…
> E-Bike myths debunked: 6 common misconceptions about electric assistance
"I'm not ready, I'm not hungry": pre-race favourite Marlen Reusser explains yesterday's World Championships time trial abandon
Sometimes, the mind just says no. Even as the pre-race favourite and seemingly going well at the first time check, Marlen Reusser abandoned yesterday’s elite individual time trial, eventually won by the USA’s Chloe Dygert, citing mental fatigue. While not explicitly referencing the incident, Reusser was also still recovering from a crash at the mixed team time trial just two days earlier, that her and her team still managed to win.
On the ITT abandon, Reusser told SRF: “It wasn’t a mechanical problem, I wanted to give up the race at that moment. I noticed that I’m not ready, I’m not hungry.”
Annemiek van Coo-ten: Dutch superstar makes a hairy Highland friend on training ride
BIG COO IN THE WILD! 🐮
Reigning world champion @AvVleuten bumps into a friendly face on a training ride. Rainbow jersey might be a bit too small for you, Coo 🌈#GlasgowScotland2023 pic.twitter.com/qdqdjZ1pRn
— 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships (@CyclingWorlds) August 10, 2023
This Highland traffic jam perhaps gave the multiple world champ some extra time to ponder the wrapping up of her stellar career. Van Vleuten says there will still be some more racing before her retirement in September, and she will update us via her website on the finer details soon.
Four out of five Bristol cyclists experience 'aggressive driving' according to new survey, as campaign group slam lack of police enforcement and low prosecution rates
A survey of over 1,000 cyclists conducted by the Bristol Cycling Campaign has found that four out of five cyclists experience aggressive driving, including “extreme verbal and physical aggression”.
BCC’s chair Ian Pond said: “We were dismayed, but sadly not shocked.”
In a blog post, BCC has also hit out at an alleged lack of enforcement action against law-breaking drivers by Avon and Somerset Police. After its partner group Bristol Road Justice (BRJ) submitted a Freedom of Information request to ask for details of the police response to 13 incidents where cyclists had been seriously injured as a result of dangerous driving, police only took statements from victims in two of the cases, and enforcement was only taken in one. BRJ also claims that there was an initial refusal and a delayed refusal to provide the information, and a response was only given after an formal investigation was launched by the Information Commissioner.
BRJ also claimed there was an “apparent reduction in enforcement action caused by inadequate staffing levels” at Avon and Somerset Police when it came to dealing with cameras submissions. According to stats, prosecutions relating to footage of drivers using mobile phones in the county have dropped from 55% in 2022 to 37% so far in 2023. On reports of close passes, it’s reported that only 15% are prosecuted and 85% only receive warning letters.
Ireland's Ryan Mullen sets early pace in men's elite time trial in Stirling
Ireland’s Ryan Mullen is in the hot seat at Stirling Castle after setting the early best time in the men’s elite time trial at the World Championship this afternoon.
He looks quite chilled about it … let’s hope our own Ryan Mallon, who has been out in Scotland this past week and is at the finish today, keeps his cool.
The Bora Hansgrohe rider covered the 48.7km course in a time of 58 minutes, 21.57 seconds, giving him 5 secs ahead of Australia’s Ryan Gibbons.
The big guns – including former champion Filippo Ganna of Italy, Great Britain’s Geraint Thomas, Slovenia’s two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogacar, Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel (arguably the favourite to take the rainbow jersey this afternoon), Stefan Kung of Switzerland and defending champion Tobias Foss of Norway – will all be heading out on the course over the next 15 minutes.
GB's Josh Tarling puts in stunning time trial ... but will it be enough?
Great Britain’s Josh Tarling has gone a minute faster than previous leader Nelson Oliveira of Portugal to set the fastest time in the men’s elite time trial at the World Championships in Scotland.
12 months ago, Talring won the junior title in Wollongong … can the 19-year-old Ineos Grenadiers rider add the senior title, too?
Remco Evenepoel of Belgium has just gone 12 seconds quicker at the second time check, and Italy’s Filippo Ganna also went quicker than the young Brit – but Tarling is surely in with a shout of a medal?
Remco Evenepoel makes history as he wins time trial world title
Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel may have failed to defend his road world title in Glasgow last Sunday – but this afternoon, at Stirling Castle, the 23-year-old Belgian became the youngest man to have won the world individual time trial title since it was first contested in 1994.
The Belgian’s time of 55 minutes 19.23 seconds put him 12 seconds ahead of the rider who set out on the 47.8km course immediately ahead of him, Italy’s Filippo Ganna, twice winner of the event in 2020 and 2021 and who won the individual pursuit world title at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow last Sunday.
Great Britain’s Josh Tarling – winner last year of the junior title at Wollongong in Australia – completed the podium following a stunning ride that put him briefly in the hotseat at the top of the brutal cobbled climb to the finish until Ganna eclipsed his time of 56 minutes 7.43 seconds by 35 seconds.
The other home representative, Geraint Thomas, finished 2 minutes 4 seconds behind Evenepoel, to clinch 10th place.
11 August 2023, 07:56
Bianchi unveils new Oltre Race and Sprint road bikes and definitely doesn’t leak anything super top secret about a mechanical Shimano 105 12-speed groupset or anything...
Bianchi introduces new Oltre Race and Sprint road bikes... and suggests 12-speed Shimano 105 mechanical groupset is coming soon
Italian brand inadvertently suggests a 12-speed Shimano 105 mechanical groupset is just around the corner
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10 years in prison for killing a cyclist should be the minimum sentence. The objective is to raise awareness and remind motorists they must remain vigilant at all times when behind the wheel. Drivers who harm people and/or damage properties shall be sent to retest. No excuses. No exceptions.
@wtjs No remorse from the 84 year old driver though. " He fully accepts responsibility and places no blame on the cyclist whatsoever". Which seems to imply he'd like to blame the cyclist if he could.
Hookless and yet still ‘just 1585’ grams. No and no . The only thing ‘industry leading’ is their marketing team that convinces folk to part with their money for this product.
@wtjs That's how it works, though. The defendant expresses remorse. You can believe it or not, as can the judge. On the face of it, he is remorseful. Accepted. The Judge goes on to clarify that his remorse is effectively nullified: the defendant knew (or ought to have known) better; he had all the information he needed to know not to do it. So the judge has done what he needs to do: he acknowledges the remorse, takes it at face value and shows his balancing of the circumstances. If he did not, there is a chance it could be part of a sentencing appeal - "the judge did not take into account my remorse"... Well he did, and you're still a See You Next Tuesday! Now, whether 9 years and a time-limited ban are sufficient is a matter for sentencing guidelines which, without evidence to the contrary, I shall assume the judge has followed. My opinion is that the extended re-test needs to have a strong attitude test component, for a start, but that anybody who has caused death through such negligent regard for safety should not be permitted to operate a sewing machine, let alone a motor vehicle.
@wtjs That's how it works, though. The defendant expresses remorse. You can believe it or not, as can the judge. On the face of it, he is remorseful. Accepted. The Judge goes on to clarify that his remorse is effectively nullified: the defendant knew (or ought to have known) better; he had all the information he needed to know not to do it. So the judge has done what he needs to do: he acknowledges the remorse, takes it at face value and shows his balancing of the circumstances. If he did not, there is a chance it could be part of a sentencing appeal - "the judge did not take into account my remorse"... Well he did, and you're still a See You Next Tuesday! Now, whether 9 years and a time-limited ban are sufficient is a matter for sentencing guidelines which, without evidence to the contrary, I shall assume the judge has followed. My opinion is that the extended re-test needs to have a strong attitude test component, for a start, but that anybody who has caused death through such negligent regard for safety should not be permitted to operate a sewing machine, let alone a motor vehicle.
@Andrewbanshee Its unbelievable how short sighted the business community is, they all want people to buy more of their product but can't see that giving them more money would enable that very outcome.
The geometry chart is interesting. The progression in stack and reach is quite normal from 52 to 61 cm, but looking at what they call the "49" and "44" sizes, the differences are pretty small. It would definitely be more appropriate to call them 50 and 48. When are the brands going to start realizing that smaller riders need smaller wheels so that the frame geometry isn't compromised due to squeezing in the big hoops?
Judge Martin Picton accepted Booth was remorseful... How often do we have to endure this tripe from judges? This pseudo-remorse is of no importance- the only time the matter should be mentioned is when there is obviously no remorse- likely very rare owing to coaching by the shyster defence lawyer. He's sorry that he was caught, but that remorse didn't stop him from repeating the offence all those times when he wasn't.
...adding "Sorry - this doesn't normally happen..."
My legs have at most about 3 speeds anyway.
50 thoughts on “Remco Evenepoel bags Worlds ITT win and starts YouTube channel; 4/5 Bristol cyclists experience aggressive driving; More reaction to Millar’s Ineos 4×4; Cyclist rides 500 miles backwards; All-City Cycles to be “retired” + more on the live blog”
Difficult to say with the
Difficult to say with the Pidcock cornering. It was tight, but hey! it’s a race…
It was a bold and ambitious
It was a bold and ambitious move… one that should be expected at the end of a world championships, when fighting for a medal.
My thoughts are that the German wasn’t expecting Pidock to go inside, and was caught out. He fell because he was caught out not because he was knocked off.
I’ve been racing a lot longer than either of those riders, at a far lower level… I’d probably have gone for that move given the situation.
Therefore, I side with the stewards… they saw it, the result stood.
As a BC coach, that move is
As a BC coach, that move is textbook. I coach little kids to take the line and bully the opponent out once in front. Completely legal. German rider should have held the apex to stop the move. I get it, it’s the end of the race, he’s knackered, brain not as sharp as it could be. Tom got in front and pushed wide. Ballsy move, but legal. Once in front the line is yours to do what you want, as long as you don’t make wild deviations
Just watched a replay on the
Just watched a replay on the BBC and Pidcock’s move looked perfectly fine to me. It’s a race for a WC podium ffs, so if you want it, then don’t leave an open door on the final bend, and if anything Schwarzbauer turned into Pidcock who was clearly ahead – fine margins, but them’s the breaks
Yea, it looks tough on
Yea, it looks tough on Schwarzbauer but the fundamental points as I see it:
1. The door was left wide open – he was trying to take a wide line expecting to have the freedom of the corner to carry more speed through.
2. Pidcock, saw an open door with the welcome matt rolled out and went through it.
3. by the time they reached the turn in point Pidcock was a wheel, maybe a dash more ahead and Schwarzbauer turned in and found Pidcocks frame where he wanted to put his front wheel.
Now, I don’t know what the MTB rules are on this but to the uninformed observer, it seems to me like Pidcock took an opportunistic move on the final bend and Schwarzbauer reacted too late and turned into a space that was no longer available to him. I am sure that if the tables had been turned and Pidcock was trying to lunge round the outside and had turned into Schwarzbauer from behind there’d have been no quarter given and so it strikes me that its just part of racing – ultimately its a world champs final bend and in trying to set himself up to carry a bit more speed into the sprint Schwarzbauer left the door open and got caught napping.
Carior wrote:
shoe meet other foot and we would probably have a whole different perspective and narrative.
Watching live I thought ooh,
Watching live I thought ooh, a bit dodgy, looking at the replay Pidcock took the gap Schwarzbauer left open and got to the apex first, after which he’s entitled to hold any line he likes; if anything Schwarzbauer rode into Pidcock by trying to hold a line he had no right to. His comments afterwards about “If Pidcock was a true MTB rider he wouldn’t have done that” were contemptible.
Ahhhh, Peter Hitchens. The
Ahhhh, Peter Hitchens. The man who wrote an entire book claiming that heroin wasn’t actually addictive, and that the supposed biochemistry of addiction is made up. The man’s a contrarian idiot. A pub bore with a newspaper column.
the little onion wrote:
I’m not an e-bike rider, but it’s easy to tell if someone’s a cyclist – do they ride a uni/bi/tri/quad/hand/cycle?
hawkinspeter wrote:
Hey! What about these good people?
HoldingOn wrote:
Hey! What about these good people?— hawkinspeter
They’re just showing off.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Why can’t we have a monorail?
Or do it the other way up.
Or do it the other way up.
chrisonatrike wrote:
That looks fun and all, but seems way over-engineered to me. Why not just use a recumbent with a decent fairing on it and get the same advantages, but you can ride it anywhere.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Your suggestion worked brilliantly until the cover fell off and I let go.
E-bikes are just a simple way
E-bikes are just a simple way of enabling people to cycle more. A guy in my office, in his 40s, who is ultra fit, but also has a bit of a broken body from rugby recently had his motorbike stolen. He doesn’t want to buy a new motorbike, but said he simply isn’t capable of doing his hour long commute (in each direction) every day of the week on his normal road bike. Thus he is looking at an e-bike to reduce the strain. He will still use the road bike, but on days when he is feeling dead, or there is a strong wind, he will have the option of using the bike that takes away the strain a little. I think something like that is a big win personally.
I agree. However, I think
I agree. However, I think there’s a problem in general parlance with the term “e-bike”, there’s a huge difference between a type-approved EAPC, and a battered old chopped up MTB with no chain and 900W motor on a throttle; it’s the latter badly ridden that seem to attract the ire of the media, but they’re all “e-bikes” tarred with the same brush.
Unfortunately the police
Unfortunately the police simply don’t want to know when it comes to the illegal ones. At the end of June I was taken out while cycling home by a guy on an e-scooter. I now have a metal plate and screws holding my shoulder together and probably won’t be cycling outside again for a good month or three yet. The response from the police was to immediately close the case because e-scooter riders can’t be identified (even though after the accident he immediately went into Tesco and bought something). My local MP contacted the police and their response to him was that the government allows illegal e-scooters to be sold in shops, so they can do nothing when they are ridden and cause accidents. I think they take a similar attitude with all “e” vehicles sadly.
I was taken out while
I was taken out while cycling home by a guy on an e-scooter
Very nearly happened to me only yesterday afternoon on the cycle route from Morecambe into Lancaster. The moron on the sit-on illegal powered scooter came quickly out of a side-path without even pretending to look. I don’t know if he had any brakes. Because of the excellent TRP Spyre disc brakes (!) I was able to stop but if I’d been a 1/10 second later he’d have ploughed straight into me.
wtjs wrote:
I usually try to take primary or at least move further out when passing side roads to avoid dolts like that or drivers who stick their bonnets out. It gives you more room and time to react.
Maybe you do, but this is a
Maybe you do, but this is a narrow cycle path with an even narower side-path so that option is not available.
squired wrote:
That sounds like bollocks from the police.
There’s nothing illegal about selling e-scooters and they’re perfectly legal to use on private land. As a bad analogy, meat cleavers are legal to be sold in shops, and they’re fine if used in a kitchen, but illegal to use on pavements and roads. If someone is injured by a meat cleaver attack, it wouldn’t be acceptable for the police to use the same response “the govt. allows them to be sold in shops so there’s nothing we can do”.
They could at least be honest and state that without further evidence (e.g. CCTV from Tesco) there’s very little chance of success and they’ve got too many other crimes to chase up.
I had video of him from the
I had video of him from the camera on my bike. After the accident the camera showed him going into Tesco. The police just said they can’t do anything as e-scooters are unlicensed and thus they can’t identify the riders. They didn’t even bother to speak to the Tesco. He was carrying a cannister of laughing gas and I wouldn’t be surprised if he was already known to the police based on the brief interaction I had with him before he rode off.
Hitchens isn’t wrong about
Hitchens isn’t wrong about eBikes using a lot more in the way of resources than normal bicycles.
That normal people now need batteries and motors to consider cycling – when 50+ years ago cycling was something many normal did to get from A to B – does say something about the world we have built for ourselves, both immediately in terms of infrastructure (or lack of) and indirectly in terms of the sheer physical laziness of people today.
He’s also not wrong that eBikes provide far less in the way of exercise than a normal bike.
Do they help get people out of cars, that are worse for the environment? Hopefully.
But their inferiority of pedelecs/electric mopeds to actual bicycles on the above points still remains, and should be acknowledged.
Paul J wrote:
I recall seeing some stats on this site somewhere that e-bikes provide the same if not more exercise than an acoustic bike, as riders are more likely to tackle longer routes and hills. i.e. Someone with just an acoustic might drive twenty miles to work, whereas they might choose to cycle if they’ve got an electric option.
e-bikes provide the same if
e-bikes provide the same if not more exercise than an acoustic bike
There are ‘statistics’ to prove anything you like, but the justification you’re endorsing is obviously untrue for the great majority of the e-bikes I see. There aren’t many bikes up here at all, and many fewer e-bikes- there are none at all in winter, because it’s too cold for people out in the wind and not performing any physical work.
I think that on here before,
I think I remember seeing that on here before, indeed, and I don’t disagree that someone on an eBike/pedelec/moped may well be getting more exercise than without one. Still, a bicycle would provide better exercise than a moped/pedelec/eBike – for the subset for whom this knowledge would help them move to a bicycle.
And this doesn’t affect Hitchens’ other point: the pedelec/moped requires more resources – some of which will not last that long.
Paul J wrote:
Yes, the ideal is someone using an acoustic bike to get their exercise.
However, I think the resource issue is more nuanced than just e-bikes being worse. If someone is replacing some car journeys with e-bikes, then it could be considered to be using less resources as there’ll be less tyre/brake wear and less fuel used. With some accountancy to write off the resources used over the lifetime of the vehicle, then the extra journeys may end up “paying” for the extra resources used.
Also, if we compare someone who doesn’t get any exercise with someone using an e-bike, you could consider the extra resources as a cost for the improved health of the person. In the extreme, that could mean that it would save the NHS money to give e-bikes to some people though you’d probably have to fudge some figures or cherry pick the recipients.
Paul J wrote:
E-bikes use very little additional resource compared to ordinary bikes. The main issue is the stuff in the batteries … but there are moves to vastly improve the recyling of lithium batteries and all they contain. Alternative and less damaging battery technologies may also be on the horizon.
I began to ride e-bikes aged 73, after 3 years suffering on the ladywife’s e-bike back wheel going up hills on my ordinary bike. (All our bikes, including the e-bikes, are racey or audax style). I still ride the ordinary bikes when out alone; and sometimes the e-bike without the (Fazua) motor & battery mounted (inserting an empty container instead albeit with a cake and a waterproof in it).
The ladywife got an e-bike to equalise our cycling abilities as my FTP is just under 200 whilst hers in only around 125 (although she does weigh 25 kilos less than me). Once I also got an e-bike, it made it much easier to improve that equalisation so we can always ride together, including up the many long hills without me having a bludpump-attack or blott i’ the blud tubes.
In practice, I try just as hard (sometimes harder) on the e-bike as I do on the ordinary bike. I keep the assistance power as low as possible – generally zero for everything but the longer and steeper hills. But no route daunts us, since we know we can get ’round even if there’s loadsa black arrows on the route map. In fact, the e-bikes give a large psychological boost as they’re a failsafe in the event of fatigue or even a bad bonk far from home.
********
Those who have no experience of an e-bike are unwise to offer potted opinions based on their thoughts about it and nothing else. Their opinions are often flawed by many false assumptions. At bottom, e-bikes encourage and enable a lot of cyclists to become cyclists or to keep on cycling, often more than they would if (like me) age or other factors begin to weaken resolve or fitness.
Try one … then report (to yourself and here too) what you actually discover about them.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Also, someone who rides and e-bike instead of driving their car has less chance of killing you on the road!
He is wrong as studies have
He is wrong as studies have been done and you ignore people who have a physical limitation due to injury, disability, cancer and I give you oldfatgit’s photo above.
Also Rendel posted his stats on distance max HR and avg HR. Maybe he will repost.
Hirsute wrote:
Happy to mention them again; on my 25km commute the same speed on my road bike and ebike showed my average power (4iii single crank power meter) on the ebike was 70% that of the road bike for the same speed. This may be somewhat skewed by the fact that I generally let the ebike pull me up to the 25kmh cutoff and then go on to ride it between 30-35kmh under my own power, it could be easier if I wanted. On a local 15% climb my max heart rate at the same speed was 172 on the road bike and 158 on the ebike, so indicative of getting some pretty good exercise.
End of the day, as I’ve said many times before, at 54 and still recovering from very serious illness I can’t ride 25kms each way every day on my road bike and still have the energy to put in a good day’s work. The ebike allows me to do that and still have energy left to ride the road bike occasionally on the commute and at the weekends for pleasure. It’s also allowed self and better half to jettison the motor as we can use the ebikes to transport shopping etc to the aged parents and parents in law who live too far away to make heavily laden unpowered bike visits practical. If anyone wants to call me lazy or not a proper cyclist for that, the amount of fucks I could give is considerably less than one.
Thanks Rendel.
Thanks Rendel.
I’ll add I couldn’t do the weekly shop with a trailer without an ebike.
Hmm… on the one hand the
Hmm… on the one hand the majority of us don’t “need” an ebike (or a modern plastic number for that matter) – all much more resource-intensive than unpowered steel bikes. (“I need to drive / need a second car” though…) Yes – for those who physically can’t or struggle to cycle, they are indeed a wonderful thing of course.
OTOH people want “more” (see SUVs). And companies love upselling stuff (see SUVs again). Politicians are not above encouraging ever more resource use because “new” / “leading” / “growth” / “competitive” etc.
We all really need to drive a LOT less though *.
Perhaps ebikes fit in between “way too much” (cars) and “only for enthusiasts and the poor” (basic bikes)? Could they help break out of the chicken-and-egg situation where “nobody cycles” so we don’t cater to them?
* Unless you’re a fatalist, or untroubled by the global trajectory or think it’s just a scam etc.
chrisonatrike wrote:
Exactly: we are where we are, with a large proportion of the population pumping pollution into the atmosphere (either at the tail pipe or the power station) for quite short journeys, and not being active enough to consider self-powered travel.
That same population has had the option of cycling as we know it since at least 1905 (introduction of safety bicycle) and by and large, hasn’t taken it. Something else is needed, and I think e-bikes are probably it. We should promote them,. Not so sure about e-scooters – I think they are used instead of walking. But obv for those who find walking difficult, they may be a great way to stay out of a car.
There was some research a few
There was some research a few months (?) back [update: it was 2020 – what does that say?] which found ebikes have a lower carbon cost than conventional bikes because their riders require less extra food per kilometre travelled. Both are very good compared to other modes though.
http://www.bikeradar.com/features/long-reads/cycling-environmental-impact
Dnnnnnn wrote:
Most energy efficient (and lowest carbon emissions in *use*) human transport? Apparently electric unicycles or scooters followed closely by electric bikes. Most efficient *unpowered* vehicle? Velomobile.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_efficiency_in_transport#Land_transport_means
However the link in my last comment has studies covering the life cycle analysis. Because manufacturing makes a large contribution to the overall costs and the lifespan of an electric bike is estimated as shorter (because electric bits) that link has unpowered steel bikes producing *very slightly* less carbon over their lifetime than an electric version. However I’m not sure how many steel – rather than alloy – ebikes are made?
Still better than driving though! Or even the bus.
A car driver gave me this a
A car driver gave me this a present, and because of their *thoughtful* generosity, I now can’t walk very far, and can’t ride a non-assisted bike. 5 years on from that unwanted gift, I’m just shy of 12,000 miles and 104miles of climbing … all because of my ebike. So all you that think that ebikes are a waste of time, or that your not a ‘real cyclist – what ever one of them is – can fuck right off with your elitist bullshit. Some of us have been left with a choice … ebike or nothing … and some of us make the right choice.
Ouch!
Ouch!
The 11 broken ribs, snapped
The 11 broken ribs, snapped ulna, dislocated elbow, punctured lung, internal bleeding and 3 fractured vertebrae weren’t a lot of fun either .. and they are a lot harder to show in a image.
I needed CPR 6 times at the crash site … It was not a fun time – nor was the 4 months of not being able to walk, and the further year off work …
This is what my bike ended up looking like … every weld is cracked, and the tubes are split.
Crikey! Well done getting
Crikey! Well done getting back on a bike at all, I don’t think I could have. All the best.
Thank you.
Thank you.
The 5 year anniversary was yesterday.
It wasn’t easy, getting back on … But that driver took 18 months and my mobility for the rest of my life … I couldn’t let them take my freedom and mental health too
Well said.
Well said.
Not just cyclists who are
Not just cyclists who are grasses and snitches
This bloke reports taxi/phv drivers who won’t take guide dogs
https://twitter.com/saj_anderson/status/1689755765634969600
Found a driver on the phone
Found a driver on the phone at lunchtime but they claimed it was ok as it was handsfree, whilst holding the phone in their hand …
Chapeau to Remco, history
Chapeau to Remco, history making indeed. It is worth pointing out though that there was no official TT world championship until 1994; prior to that the Grand Prix des Nations was regarded as the unofficial TT WC, and road race champions Coppi, Bobet, Merckx and Hinault all won it.
May I ask our resident
May I ask our resident Bristolians where that 20% of cyclists who don’t suffer aggressive driving are riding?
ktache wrote:
Watopia?
ROAD CC wrote: “the Belgian
ROAD CC wrote: “the Belgian made history by becoming the first man ever to have won the rainbow jersey both in that discipline and in the individual time trial”
Except for Abraham Olano – RR Champ in 1995 – TT in 1998.
War on motorists
War on motorists
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-66481761
Fuel duty should be increased to fund pothole repairs, the group representing councils in England and Wales has said.
Also tax the fat lad at the back.