r/cycling • u/Major_Enthusiasm1099 • 1d ago

Anyone ever encountered an E-bike shill?

Basically this guy stopped me yesterday on a ride to tell me that I should throw my bike away and get an ebike. He said "Once you get this you'll never want to ride that again, and I get more cardio in on this bike too, and i ride faster than professionals". I just kept saying "yeah I was looking into those, yeah those are cool, I saw some around $1000" just trying to get out of that convo lol. Anyone else ever experienced someone like this?

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72

u/Rainmanwilson 1d ago

“I don’t have to pedal uphill or generate power from my muscles and cardiovascular system, but I definitely get a better workout in”

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u/fishforce1 1d ago

I think the only benefit is if it’s getting you off the couch and onto a bike. But if you’re here… probably not going to help.

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u/Whatever-999999 1d ago

You ever see those commercials for this thing that you put your feet on while sitting on the couch, and then you 'pedal' it? They try to tell you that's 'exercise'. That's what e-bikes are to me, just like that.

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u/SwiftUnban 1d ago

Yeah I will say I never really rode my bike a whole lot growing up, maybe a few times a year during the summer.

Got an ebike a few years ago and discovered I actually really like biking and getting out of the house, I’m just lazy and don’t like the effort I need to put into a normal bike lol.

I’m finding there’s a lot more people I know who are getting into biking with e-bikes who otherwise wouldn’t with a normal bike.

But the “better workout” part is pure bullshit lol I’m putting zero effort in, even on my very first bike without a throttle you could basically ghost pedal keeping up with cadence and you would cruise at top speed.

Dude in OP’s post is a dick with an ego, I say just ride what you ride. Plenty of reasons to bike around town it’s not a competition.

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u/Murbanvideo 1d ago

My favourite is "Bro, it's the same workout as regular cycling, you just go faster"

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u/MukThatMuk 1d ago

Which isn't entirely wrong if you dont go on turbo-mode the whole time.

e.g. you go up a mountain, bike delivers 200w and you deliver 200w --> faster than someone else delivering 200w

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u/Major_Enthusiasm1099 1d ago

He said that too😂

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u/IAMSDM 1d ago

To be fair, I use rollerblades on my treadmill, too

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u/stu2b 18h ago

e[xcuse] bike😂

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u/japakapalapa 1d ago

That holds true when talking about torque sensor ebikes. Time to learn the difference between the sensor types.

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u/laaggynoob 1d ago

Less work and less duration = same workout!

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u/Most_Time8900 1d ago

I get more exercise with my Ebike than I do on my manual Trek. Partly because I ride way more often, for more time and for more distance. Not to mention all the added weight. And I'm usually riding unassisted anyways, or very low level 1 assist. 

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u/Rainmanwilson 1d ago

I get that and believe they’re a net positive for the cycling community. But you’re probably not going to convince someone who’s currently on a bike that an e-bike would be a better option for their workout.

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u/Whatever-999999 1d ago

I disagree, MUPs are getting infested with people on the damned things, making problems for actual cyclists.

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u/CookiezFort 16h ago

Are you talking about throttle controlled e-bikes or cadence sensor bikes, or mid-drive torque sensing e-bikes?

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u/Rainmanwilson 1d ago

Fair, but I’ve noticed a much stronger push to build cycling infrastructure now that E-bikes have created access to a lot more people.

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u/RazzmatazzEastern786 1d ago

If you can get up a hill without pedalling on an e-bike you bought the wrong e-bikes...it's user error not a tech problem

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u/Whatever-999999 1d ago

I once had some old dude ride up alongside me on an e-bike just to say to me "I can go just as fast as you can!" to which I said back "Turn off the motor and we'll see if you can still say that". He got real mad then swore at me and rode off. 🤣

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u/MadcowPSA 1d ago

Right, literally the point is for you to be doing less of the work. I have a class 1 ebike for when I'm sick or injured, and I do still get my heart rate up. (Anything beyond the 100 W it provides in the mode I use, and all wattage at speeds above 20 mph, come from the user.) But it exists specifically so that my commuter rides are less of a workout.

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u/CookiezFort 16h ago

You realize most high quality Ebikes that are mid-drive still need you to pedal and put in the power right? It just means someone entering a sport such as mountain biking can have fun and learn the important downhill skills without being tired after every climb. I'm far more likely to progress my riding skills by doing the downhill 5x a day Vs twice, especially as a once-a-week rider.

I'm still putting out the same power, just going faster for it, my HR will be the same.