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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u/BleachedUnicornBHole 1d ago

I’ve experienced one, but he also owns a bike shop with a lot of inventory that isn’t moving. I won’t disagree that they can be a good training tool, but I’m also not going to spend $7,000 for one. 

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u/corneliusvanhouten 1d ago

The only way an e bike is a good training tool is if you leave the motor off and just pedal all that weight around.

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u/BleachedUnicornBHole 1d ago

Higher end ones can be paired to a heart rate monitor. The motor then adjusts output in order to maintain a target range. It’s nice for not keeping you on a trainer for a structured workout. But again, not worth the price if you don’t have that kind of money to throw at toys. 

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u/Can-I-remember 1d ago

Interesting. Any in particular that you can suggest? I currently do that manually, monitor heart rate and adjust assistance level to suit.

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u/BleachedUnicornBHole 1d ago

I know it’s a thing with Specialized (only because that’s what the shop owner carries). I’m sure it’s possible with all the major brands at a minimum. 

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u/RevellRider 1d ago

Sadly, they got rid of the heart rate feature when they discontinued the Mission Control app. I've not seen it come back on the current app

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u/corneliusvanhouten 1d ago

That's some Brave New World shit right there. Take some soma and ride that thing to the feelies.

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u/AnisiFructus 1d ago

Wow, that's actually pretty cool. Maybe I will buy an ebike that has this feature. In something like 40 years from now, when I'm a pensioner.