windschatten wrote:
Sure, if you only ride flat ground with constant over 25km/h it may be pointless. Or are able to fly up climbs at that speed (as you are a pro caliber tour rider).
I have ridden e-Road bikes in hilly to mountainous terrain, and 25 is a lot more than I (or most others) could average with a road bike.
Plus even on flats it increases your riding range.
Biggest downside for me in the past was that they felt sluggish, heavy with dumb electronics.
So having a lighter nimbler bike, with a motor/transmission optimized for higher cadence sure sounds more fun.
I hated e-road bikes when they passed me on the local rides (cheaters!), but can see now that they can make sense and even be beneficial if you know how to use them correctly in your training.
And lastly, you can ‘mod’ these bikes to go to 45km/h, in which case you’d just buy moped insurance for it, to be on the legal side (US side loopholes).
I neither work for Canyon nor have other financial interests in posting this.
I have some very steep climbs in the area. Not sure why it would be better to go up them at 25km/h vs 15km/h if for the rest of the ride (flats and down hill) I am stuck on a 30-40 lbs road bike.
Speaking of flats, it only increases your range if you are someone who averages less than 25km/h. For someone who averages 25 km/h on flats I can see it being nice, but that doesn't sound like the kind of person who rides road bikes vs hybrids or cruisers. Just sounds like a small target overlap with benefits primarily at the hills and only if you can't make it up otherwise.
If you can mod them legally to 45km/h then that changes things. Wasn't aware that's allowed.