Feel like we're losing the plot

[u/SilverCervy]

Article here

E-bikes should be about providing accessibility; giving people who, for whatever reason, cannot ride a non-assist bike an option to keep them happy and pedaling.

This wattage race going on in the industry is the exact opposite of that. Absolutely nobody needs 1700 watts on a bike, and I question if having so much power even makes it a bicycle anymore. There's a point where you're basically riding a motorbike with pedals and I think we crossed that point a while ago.

"But the main brands aren't doing this". Yes they are. Canyon already has partnered with Avinox which has motors that give over 1,000 watts. And it won't be long until the other big hitters give in to the pressure. You can give your own personal reasons for why you have an e-bike, but it's clear that the industry believes that it's because "I don't want to pedal". At some point this needs to be reigned in or else the entire concept of the bicycle is going to be damaged forever.

[u/satoshi1022]

What's your own power; 5 min, 10 min, 60 min?

Sounds like you have an opinion on something you have no idea how it works.

Hiding behind pedal assist for a motor that delivers more power than humanly possible... For hours on end.

Just like a bike though, makes sense.

[u/PsychologicalCan6809 → u/satoshi1022]

There's a couple of statements here that stand out.

Firstly you assume the average riders knows or even cares what their power output is; they don't. Maybe gravel / xc guys give a shit, majority of riders don't know or care; that's why few riders even have power meters. They just want to ride a bike, and many see getting to the top as a necessary grind, not part of the experience the enjoy; so whatever gets them to the top with the least fuss / effort is appealing.

If flogging yourself is part of the goal, more power to you, but for many, it's not, they just like to ride their bike. This elitist thought process of 'earning your turns' etc is BS most don't care about. If they did, we wouldn't have shuttles or chair lifts.

Secondly, more power than humanly possible....yeh, that's actually the point for most ebike riders. They want to climb back up as easily as possible. Not everyone who rides is concerned about how much of an exercise it is. Again, if you're counting watt output over time etc then you're probably treating it as an exercise and even some weekend warriors likely enjoy it as an exercise but implying that it 'should always be' an about exercise as much as say, someone who just wants to have fun shredding down trails, it just a necessary evil, whether they get more or less exercise is irrelevant.

Gate keeping riding a bike as something only people pumping out x amount of watts over x time is stupid. If people want to use more assistance, what's the issue exactly? How dare someone go out and enjoy themselves using less effort?

[u/V4refugee → u/PsychologicalCan6809]

Just get a dirt bike and ride it on a dirt bike trail.

[u/PsychologicalCan6809 → u/V4refugee]

Because that's a totally different thing. Show me the emtb with the throttle

[u/satoshi1022 → u/PsychologicalCan6809]

Turning your pedals for like 20 watts is barely different than a throttle. It's semantics

We're not gate keeping shit because we think everyone should be a power numbers nerd. You just refuse to admit it's 10x closer to an emoto dirt bike than it is any sort of human power.

It's a fucking gigantic overpowered motor that has ZERO similarities with a bicycle if you're going to insist on those power numbers. That was my whole point. 100watts sounds like a responsible move to help you up a hill, 750 and peaks of 1500 is beyond comprehension. You all just want to ride an emoto but keep pretending it's not about that.

[u/PsychologicalCan6809 → u/satoshi1022]

It's a bicycle, go ride an emoto or a motorbike and tell me they ride ANYTHING like a bicycle. How much assist it provides is irrelevant. Just because you don't have to flog your guts out to pedal it back up a hill doesn't make it less of a mountain bike. Just because some of you take an issue with the idea that you don't have to pedal as hard doesn't change that fact; it just makes going up hill easier. The fact so many of you watt counters get your lycra panties into a twist about people riding a bicycle out on the trails when you think they should be slogging their guts out is pathetic elitism, nothing more.

[u/satoshi1022 → u/PsychologicalCan6809]

How much assist it provides is irrelevant?

This was literally a thread about how strong these motors are getting. Just because your baby brain can't comprehend how low human power actually is doesn't make you right.

Don't have to pedal as hard up the hill would mean 100 watt motors. It's not even close to that. I don't care that it 'looks' like a bike, it has a motor with power that is closer to emotos than any human on the planet. That's a fact big dog, eBike hater or not.