By Stan Purdum
As more long-time bike enthusiasts are extending their years of cycling by moving to ebikes, it’s increasingly common on group rides to find ebikers mixed in with those on regular bikes. In my experience, most riders of non-electric bikes are willing to accommodate ebikers in their group or event rides, but I’m convinced ebikers should do what they can to fit in without expecting the group to change its dynamics, speed or range.
After more than 40 years as a serious cyclist, I am now riding an ebike almost exclusively. At least once a week, I ride with a couple of friends, both about 10 years younger than I am, who ride regular bikes, and do so at a strong average speed. We typically ride 60-65 miles, and sometimes more.
I only met my new friends, Rich and Jeff, a few months ago, but they have welcomed me and my steed to join them. Neither knew much about ebikes, but they have learned about them from me and are aware of one primary limitation: range, which is constrained by how much charge the ebike battery can hold. But when they invited me to join their rides, I was determined to keep my ebike’s features and limitations from negatively impacting our weekly treks.
So far, I think I’ve done pretty well at that, so I’m offering the following suggestions not to brag, but in hope that they may be useful to you if you adopt an electric-assist bike and want to integrate smoothly with groups of riders on non-electric bikes.
First, I actively avoid being “king of the mountain.” Although our rides typically include lots of climbs, and my ebike makes it possible for me to be the first one to the top, I believe it’s bad form for me to trounce my companions on every steep upslope. This is especially the case since they are climbing using the pure power of their own muscles while I am supplementing my efforts with electric power.
Thus, when encountering a hill, I sometimes bleed off a little of my speed or shift to a lower gear or a lower assist level to remain in the pack but not beat it up the hill. There are occasional exceptions, where, for example, if I happen to be in the lead at the moment we first meet a climb, I may be the first one up, just as one or the other of my friends may be the first to the top on other climbs. And neither of them has ever complained when I hit the top first, but it feels more respectful of their efforts to keep my surges uphill to a minimum.
Second, I keep my battery range from being a group limitation. My ebike came with a battery in the downtube, which in ideal conditions (flat terrain with no opposing wind and using the lowest assist level), provides about an 80-mile range. But since “ideal conditions” are seldom the reality, and the lowest assist level yields a slower speed than many cyclists want to ride, I added a range-extender battery which adds 50% more range. Experimentation taught me that with the two batteries, I could achieve about 75 miles of range in hilly terrain even while using the middle assist level, which matches the speed my friends typically ride. Since our weekly ride is usually 65-70 miles, I can match both their speed and their distance.
The only way my range limits affect riding with my friends is that when they know in advance that they want to do a longer ride, they tell me, and I arrange to meet them at some point into the ride. By lopping off some of the beginning and ending miles, I can ride the heart of the journey with them without asking them to trim the route to accommodate my range limitations.
Third, I work at not interrupting the ride with mechanical issues that are primarily ebike problems. I’m not talking about mechanicals that are common to all bikes. On one ride, for example, the three of us stopped together so Jeff could fix a flat tire. Later, on that same ride, we all stopped together so I could fix a flat. But my steed, being an ebike, is only one of the three bikes that has a single chain ring (Rich rides a double and Jeff a triple.) Single rings, having no derailleur, are susceptible to dropping the chain. And this happened to me on two consecutive rides. The guys paused the ride while I put my chain back on, but after the second occurrence, I was determined to find a fix quickly. I’d have wanted to do this even if I were only riding alone, but with it interrupting the ride for others, I was doubly determined.
After trying a couple of fixes that didn’t improve things, I found a Reddit page devoted to my model ebike, where several participants discussed this problem and the primary recommendation was to swap out the Praxis chain ring for a “drop-stop” ring from Wolf Tooth. I ordered one and installed it, and I have not dropped my chain since.
Obviously, if I were riding with a slower group of riders, I’d want to take additional steps not to outpace them, but my overall learning is that an ebike rider, can, with a little thought and effort, have a place on rides where other cyclists are on regular bikes, without making them wish the ebiker had stayed home.
How about you? If you ride a regular bike, and there are ebikers on your rides, do you have any peeves about how they interact with the group? Are there things you appreciate about how they ride with the group? If you ride an ebike, what do you do to fit in smoothly with the riders on regular bikes? Use the comments section below to tell us.
Stan Purdum has ridden several long-distance bike trips, including an across-America ride recounted in his book Roll Around Heaven All Day, and a trek on U.S. 62, from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas, the subject of his book Playing in Traffic. Stan, a freelance writer and editor, lives in Ohio. See more at www.StanPurdum.com.
As an e-bike rider I mirror each of the points articulated in this article. An additional consideration is fitness. Let me expand. If the e-bike rider is considered “fit” and in pursuit of fitness then inclusion becomes natural. To use the e-bike as a crutch to compensate for let’s say excess weight or perhaps less commitment to training will be perceived as “bad form” to discerning ride partners. Adhering to group ride etiquette and prioritizing fitness even in the face of the inevitable age related decline will hold e-bike riders in good stead. We will still be cyclists!
Hmm…. “To use the e-bike as a crutch “.
“All people are one simply displaced in time and circumstance”.
If you want to know what this means, put this bookmark down and come back to it in 40 years.
Of course by then, every aspect of current bikes will be looking like the penny farthing.
As an older person still riding a regular bike, I would rather they shoot ahead on a climb. It seems if they slow down to stay with the group, they want to hold a conversation while I’m sucking air. I do not believe e-bikes provide much exercise because they never shut up on the climbs.
Mark, A better suggestion for the e-bike riders would be to just shut up on the climbs rather than to ride off the front. (I personally think shooting off the front isan afront (sorry about the pun) to the conventional bike riders.
My group often splits into faster & slower parts. I am the oldest & have never been very fast, so on a day when the faster riders are the only ones planning to ride, I might take the e-bike. Since I seem to have been born with border collie genes, staying at the back is a natural choice for me.
I am surprised that you had problems with chain drops. My single ring has not (yet, and it’s been a,few years) done that to me. I assumed that the single chain ring was better that way. Will have to think about that possibility in case it catches up with me.
You forgot one important rule: “Ebikes to the front”. Be generous with your pull especially if someone is suffering.
Can’t do it, Mr. T. If I go to the front with my pedal-assist e-bike, I never can get the pace right for my conventional-bike riding buds. I respectfully stay back – usually at the end of the lead paceline.
I have an e-bike but I leave it home and ride my muscle powered bike on group rides. I use the e-bike for solo rides. I feel too self-conscious if I’m the only e-bike rider. Fortunately, although an older rider, I can still stay with the group on my regular bike. No one else uses an e-bike yet. But as age takes its toll I will reconsider, especially if others start riding e-bikes.
Consider yourself lucky, Jim. After being forced off the bike for 2023 by an arthritic hip (now it’s a bionic hip!) at age 75, I had the choice of either finding new friends to ride with or enduring the humility of switching to an e-bike. [Since I had grown attached to my riding buddies over the last 35 years of riding with them, I chose the latter option if I was not riding alone.]
My bike selection is the opposite of yours, Jim: conventional when I’m solo; pedal assist when I don’t want my younger buds to wait for me at the top of everyclimb.
Ummmm . . . I thought one of the advantages of a single ring was LESS trouble with dropped chains, mis-shifts, etc. (I have a Rohloff internal hub, with 1 ring, never had a chain dropped.)
I appreciate all your comments and I try to do the same.
I find that on flat roads I turn OFF the power assist which saves battery usage. These e-bikes are heavy (mine is 38# without me and my stuff!) so when riding partners accelerate faster than I can keep up I am usually OK at ECO mode.
But I’m finding that there are a lot of e-bikes out there and ‘most’ cyclists are OK with them. My only ’embarrassment’ comes when I meet another cyclist at my age (82) who still rides a normal bike!
Good for you, Mr. Kagan! I hope to still be riding with my same riding buddies when I am 82 (in five years).
I use your battery-saving technique too – no power assist on the flats or downhill and only as needed otherwise. With this method I was able to complete the Mammoth (California) Gran Fondo – just over 100 miles in the beautiful Sierra Montain Range – and still have about 20% battery capacity left.
Wonderful!!
Riding in California is the greatest!!
I got my ebike as a birthday present to myself when age took its inevitable toll and I couldn’t reasonably keep up with the pack (a slower pack, mind you). It’s really a matter of managing the level of assist one uses. In my eco boost mode, which I use almost all the time, I average around 1% battery drain per mile which gives me enough ooomph to keep up . I generally do not up the boost on climbs, so I tend to fall back just as I do/did on my analog bikes (never was much of a climber), but having the boost lets be catch back up when the road flattens. As Specialized advertises, “It’s [now old me], just faster.”
Another plus side: the shift cable broke on the wrong side of a steep river valley, but I still had a three speed to get me home.
How about riding a Tri bike with a road bike group?
In my experience E bike riders don’t pace themselves the same way regular riders do and rarely resist the temptation to be the ” hero” rider by riding off the front or upping the pace. I find it to be disruptive and annoying.
I completely agree with you, Donald. And I am ane-bike rider. I never cave to those temptations you mention out of respect for my conventional-bike riding friends. I think it is disrespectful and arrogant.
Perhaps it’s not the ebike but the rider. Just a thought.
Yes it’s the ebike rider
Yes it;s the ebike rider
re: chain falling off the front chainring – I learned recently on my new bike that the rear derailleur has a clutch that can be activated/de-activated, The clutch keeps the derailleurs idler wheels from bouncing around when the derailleur is not being shifted. Perhaps the clutch is de-activated, and so the chain bounces around and causes the chain to fall off the chainring. Just guessing here.
In my experience, E-bike riders don’t pace themselves the way regular riders do. And most can’t resist the temptation to be the “hero” by riding off the front or upping the pace because they can. I find it very disrupting and annoying.
Advancing age (78+) and serious back problems (disc fusions etc.) made it impossible to keep up on the Club rides or to push hard on the climbs so I got an e-bike. I follow all the recommendations in this post plus typically ride closer to the back— out of respect I guess. I very rarely use anything more than eco mode and then only when I’m climbing a tough hill or the pace is too fast. I usually turn off the boost everywhere else.
I live in the Sierra Nevada foothills so there are lots of climbs but depending on amount of climb and pace I can get up to 100 miles or more on the regular battery. I have Shimano double Praxis chain rings and regularly drop the chain so I’m going to look at the chain ring recommendation in an earlier post.,
Thanks for all the comments!
I am 83, bought an ebike 5 years ago, now have about 11k miles on it. I ride 2-3x per week with my club, which is typically 35% ebikes. We are almost all retirees, and typically 30-40 miles per ride, on moderately hilly roads.
The fast guys go fast, and we all regroup at about 10 miles. No bitterness, lots of fun banter.
I personally like to stay in the middle of the group, and use my motor on hills, or when I am returning home and going to do another physical event.
It is/was a great investment.
It seems the audience for this article is for dedicated life long cyclists that have moved to eBikes and should adhere to some sort of etiquette to avoid hurting the feelings of the acoustic riders. I get annoyed by these articles. I have been cycling regularly for the last 25 years. I started riding eBikes 5 years ago, mostly for hill climbing and biking into the wind. The people I regularly biked with don’t give a rip whether myself or anyone is on an eBike or not. Range is rarely an issue and as long as you keep up and use normal biking etiquette no problem. According to my Fitbit, my heart rate metrics stays very healthy even with battery power. My acoustic riding friends find there’s benefits to riding with eBikes. For example, eBikes generally lead riding into a strong wind to allow others to tuck in behind for an easier ride. Also, since my bike has a heavier frame I can easily carry more stuff for things like repairs that my friends find useful.
You made me think of a recent e-bike experience. I (little 73 year old woman) was riding mine to a yoga class, about 8 miles each way, & didn’t have time to go acoustic. So I loaded up & went as fast as eco would take me. Chatted briefly with a much younger, faster guy at a red light, and was off again. At the next red light, I heard 2 guys chatting. “She’s probably expensive…”
The guy I’d talked to before came up beside me, “We were trying to decide how much you’d charge us for pulling us so many miles!”
Winnie,
That made me smile! Good work!
As a mid 50 year old on conventional bikes, am happy with eBikes around me, and their etiquette Except for one use case – uphill MTB single track.
I can solidly climb the 35 minute single track uphill near me on a fat-bike, but up-powered ebike riders catch up semi-regularily. That is fine – I pull over at next chance. The problem is when they stop and chat amongst themselves, I pass them, then they catch up again when they ride again on high power assist. Multiple disruptions where I pull over from the same ebike riders on the one uphill single track is very poor form in my opinion.
To be fair to most on this thread, the riders doing this seem to be younger (30s and 40s yr old), and likely questionable endurance on low power assist up a long climb
I like what my ebike riding ride leader friend says: ride so nobody can tell that you are riding an ebike. That means: don’t fly up hills while everybody else is working hard. Don’t try to ride without assist until you can’t anymore ( as a personal challenge) and then zoom off, leaving ppl behind you ( like a sweep) to scramble to catch up after you slowed them down.
I can’t agree with calling out big ppl riding ebikes, as long as their ride etiquette is respectful to others. There are many reasons somebody might be overweight. Really not for somebody else to judge. At least they are doing something… unless they are riding a throttle bike and don’t even pedal.
I’m 67 and overweight. I can no longer keep up on my club ride but would never consider an ebike.
I ride solo against the clock now.
If you are not keeping up ride solo or find others who you can keep pace with.
I don’t believe ebikes have a place in road riding.
Ebikes are for transport not sport.
Bruce,
In my opinion, you don’t know what you’re talking about! That’s a very narrow-=minded view of e-bikes.
I believe you are thinking about those throttle-activated bikes, not pedal assist, which is what they do, they “assist”. There is nothing wrong with ‘assistance’ when it enables you to keep riding “forever”.
I’m 82 and am able to enjoy my road riding with or without others in this very hilly area where I live.
Respectfully disagree. I ride an e-road bike with my husband, who rides acoustic and is much stronger than me. Before the e-bike, I would average 4 mph slower than him on the same ride, so he would have to double back or wait for me numerous times. We enjoy riding together so much more than solo and feel that it’s safer, especially for me, a woman riding in a rural area. With my e-bike, we are well-matched and typically ride 25-45 miles together at the same speed now. Keep an open mind!
Thanks so much for your great article – very intriguing! Jus curious – which ebike do you have where you were dropping chain? I bought used ’21 Specialized Creo SL with GRX 1x and have never dropped chain.
After losing 55% of my vision in left eye plus mysterious deep fatigue and muscle weakness I lost most of my 40+ years of racing/riding fitness and could no longer keep up on my fast club rides where we are older (70s-80s) but still often ave 17mph+ on 60 mile rides with 4-5000ft climbing. Friend offered to loan me the Creo and I loved it so bought it. I ride my conventional Giant on most solo ride but ebike in groups. I’m very aware of the group pacing and moderate my ebike speed to basically just stay with fastest riders. Also often go to front and pull…on hills do not shoot ahead but stay with strongest climbers. Also use 0 assist on flatter sections then 2 assist on steeper hills. And Stan – just ordered your book Heaven All Day
My ebike is a 2021 Turbo Creo SL Comp E5. I’m working on an article which I will post on RBR where I’ll tell more about the dropping chain problem..
Hope you enjoy the book.