Is it time to give up my ebike?

[cal3thousand]

That road bike car be hung anywhere.

Keep the e-bike where it is and hang the road bike. Or if you want to store it, the front wheel on that thing must take a whole 17 seconds tops.

[aroundqube]

I am thinking that the e-bike can be used later for riding on the bike path while towing a child trailer. Or maybe for the wife to ride.

[Sunder]

Thanks for the replies guys. I was talking to some of my lycra friends, and they were saying that a bike like this is usually reserved for racing, and to use it for commutes will either be very expensive, or it will fall afoul due to insufficient maintenance. I think I will keep the electric bike - I'll use assist on the way in, so I don't need a shower getting there, but I'll cycle full leg power back home. Pedaling a 30kg bike without assist would be kind of like doing hill training - without the hill.

As for the person who said that if I can do 50km/h for a short sprint, that I'd be one of the fastest cyclists in the world... I'm flattered, but you're mistaken. The AVERAGE speed over 3000+km on the tour de France is over 40km/h. Top speed reached is about 120km/h (Down a hill admittedly). I have a friend who can exceed 60km/h for substantial times. Admittedly, he used to be a fully sponsored rider for Giant, and is now partially sponsored rider Specialized.

My average speed into the city is about 22km/h, over an 11km ride. However, this is quite hilly (Hey, if you have to pass through an area called "Crows Nest" and you ride over Sydney harbour, you have to expect it to be hilly!). According to the bike computer, I have about 9 minutes of stop time. Makes sense to me, since it takes about 38-42 minutes now to get to work. The 50km/h ride was done on Pacific Highway. Perfectly flat, straight road. My computer could have been off by a bit, but I was almost keeping up with cars in a 60km/h zone, so I don't think I was that far off.

[veloman]

Sunder,

10 minutes at 50kph is elite level cycling. I was a cat 2 roadie, not quite elite, but near it. Of course, if your road had a slight tailwind or very gradual downgrade, or riding close in with traffic, that all would make the speed much easier.

Anyway, it sounds like you have the right idea. And yeah, that's not a good commuter road bike, way too nice.

[Philistine]

I just noticed this:

Mostly storage problems. We live in a small apartment, and have a baby on the way.

I think I can solve all your problems Sunder, sell the road bike, you don't need it because your life is over and you aren't going anywhere soon my friend, well at least nowhere that might involve you having any fun. Sell the ebike, because you are going to need the cash for all the stupid dumb shit that your wife is going to make you buy five of (we have five strollers in our garage, they are like ebikes for her, with each of them serving a different function that is beyond my understanding).

When I announced to my workmates I was having my first child nearly six years ago, at the time I owned a GSXR750, a CBR900, and a DRZ400. I got out on the DRZ every saturday with about 6 mates, it was a blast. A workmate (with two kids about the ages my kids are now), said, "so when are you selling the dirtbike?". And I was like "No mate, my wife wants me to have other interests, and supports me having some time to blow off steam. She says I can keep riding every weekend"

He just laughed and turned back to his screen and said "come talk to me in six months". I was annoyed that this guy thought he knew how my relationship worked.

Six months later he catches me in the hallway, "How's the dirtbike going?"..... I look at the ground "Um,,, I sold it".... he smirked and nodded, "and what about the Gixer?".... "sold..."...... and what about the Fireblade?"...... "sold....." He patted me on the back as only a fellow more battle hardened man who has been through the war of child rearing can.

In that pat he said so much. He wanted me to know it was allright. I hadn't sold myself out, child rearing was like war, we all found our own personal way through it all, but at the end of it we would all have something in common, we would all just be hollow shells of men.

[Sunder]

Sunder,

10 minutes at 50kph is elite level cycling. I was a cat 2 roadie, not quite elite, but near it. Of course, if your road had a slight tailwind or very gradual downgrade, or riding close in with traffic, that all would make the speed much easier.

Anyway, it sounds like you have the right idea. And yeah, that's not a good commuter road bike, way too nice.

Could be a combination of many things then. I'm going to give it another try next Monday, using a GPS tracker as backup speed recording device. We're doing a 60km road ride. See if I can do 50km/h +/- 2.5km/h for 8km or so, when we know the elevation doesn't change much up or down. I guess there's no such thing as a perfectly flat road, and there's no way I can record the wind speed. How big is the draft zone on a car though? I was following cars (inadvertently) for long periods - I.e. they would pass, but only just, and I'd be behind them for a bit as they were taking their sweet time to pull away.

@ Philistine. Could be as you say Some of my friends gave up Ironman triathlons when they had their first child. But some of them are still doing half Ironman triathlons

[Trackman417]

.

[Kin]

Upgrade and build a faster bike
That ought to help your 40 minute commute out.... A lot!
Use the money from the road bike and put some more battery's, bigger controller, and a bigger motor on it. I'm assuming you have a bike that doesn't have any of these mods.

A reply, reminding you that you are asking people on ES whether you should give up your ebike.

[Trackman417]

Upgrade and build a faster bike
That ought to help your 40 minute commute out.... A lot!
Use the money from the road bike and put some more battery's, bigger controller, and a bigger motor on it. I'm assuming you have a bike that doesn't have any of these mods.

A reply, reminding you that you are asking people on ES whether you should give up your ebike.

Corrected

[spinningmagnets]

I can sell you a friction drive if you are serious about that. Also, I have one of my bikes lifted up near the ceiling in the garage to make more room, perhaps thats an option?

http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=21365&start=60#p326422

[binlagin]

I saw a guy doing 50km/h on his road bike the otherday... my mind was blown. He wasn't even drafting and he was on level ground. Those bikes are NUTS! But I defintly wouldn't electrify such a sexy bike

[veloman]

I saw a guy doing 50km/h on his road bike the otherday... my mind was blown. He wasn't even drafting and he was on level ground. Those bikes are NUTS! But I defintly wouldn't electrify such a sexy bike

It's part bike, but it's also the rider. Some of us train like mad to get that performance level.

Yeah, I would not put any motor on the bike in the OPs pic.

[MikeFairbanks]

Yep, keep both.

You said baby on the way, so is the wife wanting you to ditch the e-bike to make room or to get a little extra money? If it's a money thing, then you should only keep one bike. If it's a storage thing, find a way. There's always a way.

[Sunder]

Yep, keep both.

You said baby on the way, so is the wife wanting you to ditch the e-bike to make room or to get a little extra money? If it's a money thing, then you should only keep one bike. If it's a storage thing, find a way. There's always a way.

Purely a storage thing. We live in a 3 floor apartment with no lift, and only have a 2m x 2m store room on the ground floor. Currently, her bike is hung on the wall. Mine is on the ground below it, and the eBike is on the other wall, meaning we're pretty well out of space to store all the other stuff she wants to move down there to make room for the baby.

Thinking of putting a thick blanket on the wall and hanging my road bike to make more room. Just don't want it scratched or fall, since it's all carbon fibre.

The final decision is that I will keep the eBike, mostly as a commuting bike, and only use the roadie as a trainer/racer. I'll posts pics of the finished downgraded bike when I'm done downgrading it. Main difference is that I'm removing the large front 1000W DD, for a much smaller 350W rear geared motor. Also replacing the 13T high gear with a 11T high gear. Should shave about 6 kilos off the bike, and make it easier to pedal off power, while still allowing me to get to 30km/h with some substantial pedalling.

[999zip999]

Clue ? Give the ebike to the wife ( gift ) as she only rides once a month and just take it out for test rides daily. Go with the flow.