Are E-Bikes Fun? Road Bike Vs Road E-Bike

Thanks to Giant for the products used in this video. All opinions are the presenters' own.

Matt and Simon pit E-bikes against standard road bikes to find out... Are E-Bikes Fun? (Also, are they faster than Simon over the medium course at the legendary Maratona dles Dolomites)

Capable of putting out 500 watts for one hour, the E-Bike in this video is faster than Simon. Pacing strategy aside, we wanted to find out if E-Bikes are fun?

To answer that questions, first we needed to explore who E-Bikes are for. The E-Bike used in this video has bosses for mudguards and, like all E-Bikes in Europe, is limited to 25kph maximum. That means it has a lot of uses for people who might find it more difficult to get out on a standard road bike, and commuters.

Back to the fun part. It is fun to drop Simon on the climbs, but it'd be no fun to drag the extra weight of a dead battery around having used up all the juice. Luckily, Matt had a plan. That plan involves coffee and climbing.

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[sfdint]

My ebike has changed my life. I'm 68 years old and in the past have always ridden my bike whenever and wherever possible, but the hills in western VA and my aging body were taking the fun out of biking. Yea, I should have been strong, toughed it out, pushed through the pain, and all that, but I just didn't have the motivation. I got a Trek Powerfly 5. My first outing I rode up a gravel trail to the top of Massanutten Mt. I got my workout. I rode in "Touring" level until my legs and lungs were on fire, then I bumped it up to eMTB level and cruised on up. Now I'm going for rides every day that I'm at home ( I drive tractor-trailer so I'm on the road a lot). I'm getting better cardio workouts than I have for years, and loving every minute of it. I went for a 37 mile ride on some of our glorious gravel roads in the Shenandoah Valley with my son-in-law who is a serious hard core mountain biker, and yea, he could easily pull away from me on the downhills, but we could ride together and that is a real treat. I'm sure that if you filmed me while riding you would notice that I am grinning like an idiot during the whole ride.

[davidwiner]

All these tales of old guys rediscovering the fun and exercise biking through e-bikes! Well, I am one of them, having found out that I can now keep up with the group of cyclists that I organize for a weekly tour. Most of these fellas don't seem very old to me--I'm going on 86. I have just ordered my next e-bike.

[adampriest]

I am 60 years old. I had a mild heart attack at 39 and started biking seriously after that. About 7 years ago I started experiencing arrhythmias That I was told were benign but that I should stop biking so much. The less I exercised the weaker I got. I finally have some relief from the arrhythmiasand I 've tried to bike again but the legs are shot after a seven year layoff. So, I got myself an e-bike. Icouldn't afford one as nice as the one in your video but mine is nice enough. I have to say this was the best purchase I ever made. At 60 I'm better than I was at 50 and soon I will try to jump on the old road bike (not e-bike) again. The e-bike really saved me If I do get back the road bike, I may keep using the e-bike for the commute. Stay nice and dry and get to work faster... Sounds good to me!

[rtlamb]

As a disabled guy who used to ride 350 miles a month being able to ride my recumbent trike with e-assist is a gift from God! Yes I smile like a 10 year old the whole damn ride!!

[JmeyerVersionTV]

I've never seen such an accepting, polite comment section in a video. This is nice

[ysabellpp]

My initial reaction was to do “whaaaat? that’s cheating!” when an older person takes over on an e-bike whilst climbing 😂 but actually I think it’s brilliant! I love the fact that so many more people will be able to enjoy more active ways of spending free time and go to places they couldn’t before. It makes me so happy to see older couples enjoying the world together on an e-bike. I think so many people can benefit from it. Not just older but also mountain bikers and people with all sorts of disabilities and/or those who don’t want to drive a car. What’s not to love ?

[zwergstein]

I am just happy that people are riding bikes instead of taking their cars, and if an e-bike let's them do that then they should go ahead

[Avvisoful]

My father was riding bikes a lot when he was younger, but now he's almsot 60 and has some problems with illnesses, so he almost completely stopped cycling a few years ago. A few weeks ago, he bought an E-Bike, which marked the fullpower return oh his cycling. In fact, he is now cycling more than ever, just with a little help by the motor. Seems legit to me

[matthewjohnson]

Any technology that gets more people on bikes, is a great thing in my book!

[mickthemove]

I rent my mrs an E bike and that enables us to climb mountains in the Alps instead of me leaving her sitting around for hours waiting for me, she has a ball on them. If it gets people out on two wheels and into the fresh air, that can only be a good thing!

[DifficultNerd]

During my lunch break yesterday I went into the shop to pickup a tyre for my super-fit partner and the sales guy suggested I go on a test ride on an e mountain bike - I gave it a go and bought it and when I got back to the store, I bought the bike and helmet immediately. I rode home from work (about 9km) - here is the kicker - I weigh 150kg, and haven't ridden a bike in about 25 years. Don't get me wrong, the ride home was still rough going, it took me about an hour and I am still sore all over, but this machine has given me a glimpse into a world where I can ride to work each day, where I can be active, where it's possible to get out and about and do things. And, when I got home today, I went for small ride around the block. The most important part is that test-ride showed me that life could be different and now I really want that different life. Ok, so my credit card statement is going to hurt far more than my rear by the end of the month, but it's given me hope and a shot at change... What was the last product that did that for you?

[williamwoods]

I commute on an ebike. I turn the peddle assist all the way up on the way in and half way up on the way home. 27 miles round trip, 245 days a Year. Love that damn bike.

[stephenspencer]

A few weeks back I saw a bloke out training hard on some hills while his wife was keeping him company on an ebike, Iknow some people cycle to get away from the other half but they looked happy.

[cartheym]

What an overwhelmingly positive comments section! I nerviously scrolled down the page expecting a barrage of eBike hate, but all I saw was good positive opinions and how eBikes have changed peoples lives for the better. I never really gave eBikes any thought till I rode one in New Zealand last November, I was converted immediately and bought one by Christmas. Now I'm an advocate, the smile on peoples faces when they ride one for the first time - the eSmile as I like to call it - is a joy in itself, but the one constant for even the skeptics is eBikes are fun - no matter how you look at it they allow anyone to have more fun on the pedals, and that can only be a good thing.

[jfrakers]

I'm waiting for my new ebike to be delivered. I'm 70, and was finding hills difficult on my push bike. Can't wait to get out again!

[Quevallyn]

Used to think Top Gear presenter was the best job in the world - GCN presenter now tops it. Riding with your mates on some of the best climbs in the world and getting paid for it... brilliant. As for e-bikes? If it gets more people into riding then I'm all for it.

[paradox]

I can see a use for e-bikes, they could be used as a pacing bike for a coach or for someone like my father is in his 70's and has always been an avid cyclist this would let him ride with me and some of the groups around town that he couldn't keep up with on his own but with some assist he could still get a good workout and be able to keep up.

[jow.]

I am in my seventies and have never enjoyed cycling as much as I do now, since I bought an e-bike. It has taken away all the negative aspects of cycling, such as slogging up hills. It's all about getting out there, having fun, and exercising comfortably. If you think this is cheating, that's your problem.

[wilkinsontsamuel]

My best E-bike moment is being overtaken up Mont Ventoux by the happiest middle aged woman I have ever seen. While I, on the other hand was achieving new levels of facial contortion that would put Lasty to shame. After a load of self muttered expletives it did encourage me to ride faster, so we both ended up quite happy at the summit.

[davepratt]

The real time saver on the first run wasn't the ebike. It was that Matt started clipped in. That alone saved 2-3 minutes.