How many of you also own and ride a regular bike?

[MikeFB]

Wasn't too sure whether to post this in general chat, but it is ebike related, I think?

Just put up for sale my 35+year old road bike as it is now too uncomfortable to ride. But it got me thinking how many people own both regular bikes and ebikes and ride them both.

I've gone from 2 regular bikes (that I never really used much), to buying an ebike, converting one bike to electric and now selling the regular road bike.

I now ride 2-3 times a week covering anywhere from 5-15 miles each time presently. Will be covering longer distances in the future. I also plan to build another ebike to allow both my two grown up sons to ride with me when they visit. So I will have 3 ebikes, but can't stop thinking I should get a regular bike in there as well?

Do those that do ride regular bikes after riding your ebike find it difficult or still enjoyable?

 

[vfr400]

Road bike for exercise, electric bike for utility. If you can do your rides only on level 1 or eco, you can manage it on a road bike because the pedal effort is about the same. You might want to lower the gearing on the road bike if you have a lot of hills. The gearing on older ones is normally too high. I changed my low gear from 28T to 32T, which made a massive difference. I think I have 48T/36T on the front.

 

[kangooroo]

I have both but I only use my manual bike on relatively flat areas eg canal banks, New Forest, Forest of Dean. The rest of the time, it has to be electric. I live at the top of a 2 mile hill which I've never yet seen anyone cycle up, and I certainly couldn't.

I enjoy the electric bikes because I can cover a wider radius and rarely do rides of less than 30 miles. I'm less keen on manual bikes now.

 

[sjpt]

My wife and I have a tandem (electrified) for when we go out together, an electric solo (for when just one of us goes out), and a non-electric solo (for when we both go out at once to different places).

We also use the non-electric for extra exercise sometimes as well; but it doesn't get that much use either way.

We often ride the electrics on level 1 or eco for exercise.

 

[ColinJTod]

I have come to the forum to research an ebike for a friend. I won't be getting an ebike of my own until I can no longer cope with the steep hills of Yorkshire and Lancashire under my own steam, which hopefully will be a decade or so in the future. (I am 64 now.)

Do those that do ride regular bikes after riding your ebike find it difficult or still enjoyable?

I'm coming at it from the other point of view... I don't want to ride an ebike until I need to because I think it might put me off riding my conventional bikes. It's a similar reason to why I haven't taken up the offer to try out a pal's fantastic carbon fibre road bike. I can't afford one of my own and I enjoy riding the aluminium Cannondale in my avatar picture, so why risk an unwanted dose of 'upgraditis'!

 

[MikeFB]

The dilemma I'm having is getting a regular bike and then not using it and just spending money and taking up more room in the garage. But the biggest issue that may lead to me not using it, is that I have steep hills in every direction from me and I simply cannot cycle under my own power up some of them without getting an asthma attack. There's simply not much in the way of flat areas, unless I drive somewhere first (can't see the point in that).

Then again, maybe the answer is to keep ebike cycling, build up more cycling experience and get an exercise bike for winter use, then go look at getting a regular bike next year once I am amazingly fit and can stave off the asthma gasping .

 

[ColinJTod]

But the biggest issue that may lead to me not using it, is that I have steep hills in every direction from me and I simply cannot cycle under my own power up some of them without getting an asthma attack.

Is that true even if you use very low gears and climb slowly? I couldn't get up my local hills properly until I put a triple chainset and big cassette on my bike. That made all the difference to me. I'm not quick, but I get there in the end! (Mind you, I don't have health issues.)

PS I have just noticed that @vfr400 also mentioned low gears. My bottom gear used to be 39/29 but is now a much more hill-friendly 28/30!

 

[MikeFB]

Is that true even if you use very low gears and climb slowly? I couldn't get up my local hills properly until I put a triple chainset and big cassette on my bike. That made all the difference to me. I'm not quick, but I get there in the end! (Mind you, I don't have health issues.)

Yeah, unfortunately despite working out for all my life, it doesn't make up for what I was born with. I have a heart murmur and get exercise induced asthma. There is a fine line of effort that can go from great workout to gasping for air, coughing and feeling faint/light headed. I use to do Karate as a teen, but had to give up as I often blacked out (and that's without being hit!)

This only affects me with high intensity effort though. I can still do physical activities for many hours at a reasonable intensity and be completely fine.

Good point on this thread about the gearing, maybe that is something I need to look at if I do get a conventional bike again.

 

[zakventis]

My increasingly arthritic knees gradually dictated that here, in 'hilly' Wales, I needed an eBike. That was 3 years and 13,000 miles ago and I wouldn't change it for the world. My regular bike is now mounted on a Elite Qubo fluid trainer for use when the weather puts me off the great outdoors!

 

[jimriley]

Just converted my ordinary bike, I also have a Brompton and several unicycles, mostly 20" wheels, one 5ft high. See avatar. I do have a 27" road wheel one, that can travel at a fair pace.

 

[MikeFB]

My increasingly arthritic knees gradually dictated that here, in 'hilly' Wales, I needed an eBike. That was 3 years and 13,000 miles ago and I wouldn't change it for the world. My regular bike is now mounted on a Elite Qubo fluid trainer for use when the weather puts me off the great outdoors!

Good idea, as I don't think I'll be doing a lot of riding in the wind/rain. So some indoor/garage setup to keep cycling will be in order (even if I have to force myself )

 

[MikeFB]

Just converted my ordinary bike, I also have a Brompton and several unicycles, mostly 20" wheels, one 5ft high. See avatar. I do have a 27" road wheel one, that can travel at a fair pace.

Nice, looks like you're halfway up a lot of hills before you've started

 

[grldtnr]

I own 2 recumbent trikes, four road bikes and 2 e-bikes, I thought I needed an e-bike ,which I used to commute to work, but I found it wasn't for me, e-bikes got me back cycling, but I now prefer the old 'clockwork' analogue bikes, for now.
Due to stiffness problems with my arm I invested in a new Azub Recumbent trike,and having a ball on it!
But then , I always been a bike nut ever since I discovered the joys to be had Velo!

 

[grldtnr]

Just converted my ordinary bike, I also have a Brompton and several unicycles, mostly 20" wheels, one 5ft high. See avatar. I do have a 27" road wheel one, that can travel at a fair pace.

I have met a unicyclist on the road, he wanted me to show him the way back to town saying he was new to the area,
I suspect he wanted a little chaperoning, cos it was dark,and he had no lights, I was a little skeptical.

Do unicyclist go off road or tour?

 

[flecc]

I won't be getting an ebike of my own until I can no longer cope with the steep hills of Yorkshire and Lancashire under my own steam, which hopefully will be a decade or so in the future. (I am 64 now.)
I don't want to ride an ebike until I need to because I think it might put me off riding my conventional bikes.

Very wise Colin. Although I'd had contact with power assisted cycling since 1950 I never wanted to do it myself, always enjoying unassisted cycling too much, even in a very hilly area up into my late 60s.

But then I bought a pedelec to assist with pulling a trailer with large loads, and despite it being a very low powered model by today's standards, it did gradually spoil me and by three years later I was tempted into buying more powerul ones. And they finally destroyed my cycling fitness.

I've always regretted that since I've never had anything like the enjoyment I got from unassisted cycling when riding an e-bike, sacrilege in this forum of course! So hang on to your unassisted cycling for as long as you can enjoy it.

However all ended the same way for me as it happens. I'm now exactly 20 years older than you and with the heart trouble that runs in my family making any degree of cycling effort too dangerous now, so my exercise is confined to walking where I can regulate the effort more easily.
.

 

[MikeFB]

I own 2 recumbent trikes, four road bikes and 2 e-bikes, I thought I needed an e-bike ,which I used to commute to work, but I found it wasn't for me, e-bikes got me back cycling, but I now prefer the old 'clockwork' analogue bikes, for now.
Due to stiffness problems with my arm I invested in a new Azub Recumbent trike,and having a ball on it!
But then , I always been a bike nut ever since I discovered the joys to be had Velo!

Always feel uneasy when I see a recumbent due to how low they are. Hope you have a flag attached to yours. On the plus side I can see how they may benefit those not able to ride a regular bike whether electric or not. One thing I haven't quite got use to on any bike I ride is the numb hands I get after 30 mins plus of riding, despite trying to not hold on tight to the handlebars.

 

[WheezyRider]

Now I've gone electric, I don't think there will be any going back. Leg joints aren't up to it any more.

 

[georgehenry]

Before ebikes I used to love mountain biking purely for fun and exercise.

I was made redundant in 2008 credit crunch in my late 40's and luckily found a whole new career pathway. Previously I was suited and booted with a company car and there was no possibility of cycling to work.

My new job involved shift work, but could be quite sedentary. My cunning plan was to use an ebike to commute to work and back so that regular exercise was incorporated into my quite sedentary day.

Initially I used a rear hub cadence sensor bike, and then after a couple of years, added a torque sensor crank drive bike to the stable so I could travel cross country to any shift that allowed me to ride in daylight. My cross country route is stunning.

I started commuting by ebike in 2011. The whole thing has been so successful that I get enough exercise riding to work and back and now very rarely take out my very nice KTM hard tail non ebike mountain bike. But I do enjoy it when I do and will not be getting rid of it.

I took some pictures on my cross country ride into work today. It was a really lovely ride to work this morning setting off just after 08:00 in the morning.


Shadows cast by a still quite low in the sky rising sun.

Baby I'm amazed. View out from single track over a field of maze and countryside.

Lady of the lake. Well Lake really.

From woodland track to open field.

Shaded section of The North Downs Path.

Not a bad way to start my day.

 

[richtea99]

Road bike for exercise, electric bike for utility.

How about electric road bike for exercise, and electric road bike switched on (with mudguards and rack) for utility?
With it switched off I definitely get the same exercise as my old road bike. So it's one bike for me.

 

[danfoto]

Two of us here, one in her 60s and me in my 70s, living in hilly area. Gave up the motor car 8 years ago, since which time we've used our bikes for either transport or recreation practically every day unless there's been ice about. Currently replacing our 8-year-old pedelecs with new ones, while our muscle-powered Thorn Sherpas continue to be great fun to ride.

Having said that, though, the Lady Wife's tending to go electric more often that she used to, primarily because of an arthritic hip, whereas I'm definitely finding the hills are getting steeper each year now when I'm on my Sherpa. Whatever, I'm determined to keep doing my annual run to the nearest large town and back on it (16 miles, 4 very long hills and 8 shorter, steeper ones, mostly very busy A-road) on the nearest Sunday to my birthday at least until my 75th