Got an advertisement for Bianchi’s version of an e-bike that looks like a regular bike. Gotta say, it’s gorgeous:
“New research from the University of Zurich in Switzerland suggests that e-bike users are bigger in terms of Body Mass Index (BMI) but cycle further & get more exercise than traditional cyclists.”
Isn’t it great that those people are getting out and riding then, when they might not otherwise?
I hope e-bikes save cycling on the road for the rest of us.
If Grandma, Brother, Sister, 25 year old son, etc… can easily ride to work on their e-bike maybe it will influence governments to add bike lanes.
Isn’t it great that those people are getting out and riding then, when they might not otherwise?
Yes. In case it didn’t come across, “cheater” was meant tongue-in-cheek. I think they’re great and like I said, this one is beautiful.
Ahh ok, yeah given its slowtwitch and some of the recent threads, I wasn’t sure. I’m with you on that 100%
Just can’t get my head around that 1970’s swimming pool color, but it is a nicely shaped bike. If it would help get rid of some of the traffic and help create dedicated bike lanes then I’d be more than happy to see them on the road.
Hello Slug and All,
From Mr. Google: https://www.bicycling.com/news/a20014309/bianchi-celeste/
The origins of the 129-year-old Italian company’s marquee color are a bit of a mystery. “We have no real answer,” says David Reed, Bianchi USA’s vice president of marketing. “Years have gone by and the stories get more glorified and less truthful.”
Complicating the matter: Though it has always been called celeste (which translates roughly to “sky blue”), the actual shade has varied over the years from a bluish tint to its current minty green.
The facts may be elusive, but the tales are wonderful. The most well-known include the notion that company founder Edoardo Bianchi made a bike at the request of the Italian queen and painted it to match her eyes. Another suggests that the color comes from toned-down surplus military paint after World War I, though references to celeste in Bianchi ads predate the war. Still another says it’s the color of the sky over Milan.
It doesn’t matter that we may never know the real story. Celeste has come to symbolize a romanticized combination of Italian craftsmanship and cycling lore—and that’s the story we hope will forever endure.
I like the story that they had some old paint cans and Edoardo mixed the remainders and called it Celeste.
Sort of cool…
How do you get the battery out of the down tube?
On a side note, bike shops who are doing it well are seeing this go from basically zero to upwards and over 20% of their business.
I would say that 99% of those customers haven’t been in a bike store in 20 years (anecdote of course)
Maurice
Isn’t it great that those people are getting out and riding then, when they might not otherwise?
I’m ‘anti-E-Bike’, but you’re right - it is a really positive thing.
At my LBS here in Germany, 80% of their business is E Bikes, and they have a massive new customer base.
They have started stocking ‘Last-e-bikes’ (bike you can load?) which can carry up to 200kg of weight (about 700lbs) for shopping trips and things like that.
Medium term future we may well all be riding them.!
PS That Bianchi looks lovely.
Another fan here. Really hope they get more people onto bikes who wouldn’t otherwise consider it, with an accompanying investment in better cycling infrastructure and tipping the balance on the roads away from the car. Can also see one in my future as and when I reach the point where I can’t hang with the younger guys on my group ride and/or don’t have enough W/kg to enjoy the longer/steeper hills (hopefully a few more decades away!).
I’m not overly worried about cheating in any decent sized race. I would think they will be easy enough to spot that either officials or other competitors will be able to identify if somebody is trying to cheat. Suspect they’re going to make Strava segments largely meaningless though (some might argue they already are!). And clubs and group rides are going to have to figure out where they fit in. E.g. I’d have no issue if on a no drop road a weaker rider brought along an e-bike which enabled them to stay with the group where they might otherwise be struggling and causing us to wait or slow down. But wouldn’t want them on a more race-oriented rides where we’re trying to put the hurt on each other.
Sort of cool…
How do you get the battery out of the down tube?
There’s a port at the bottom side of the down tube/bottom bracket junction that allows access to the battery, but it’s supposed to be a shop-level service.
“New research from the University of Zurich in Switzerland suggests that e-bike users are bigger in terms of Body Mass Index (BMI) but cycle further & get more exercise than traditional cyclists.”
Obvious question: then how are they still a higher BMI if they get more exercise?
I have been generally anti-ebike but this weekend I overhead a guy at Rope Mill talking about his ebike. He’s got a congenital heart problem and the ebike assist is the only way he can still get out on the trail. That seemed like a great thing.
I do cringe when someone announces “rider back” and I pull over only to see an ebike scoot by while I’m busting my rear.
“New research from the University of Zurich in Switzerland suggests that e-bike users are bigger in terms of Body Mass Index (BMI) but cycle further & get more exercise than traditional cyclists.”
https://electricbikereport.com/...lists-use-cars-less/
Obvious question: then how are they still a higher BMI if they get more exercise?
I think the article misrepresents the study a bit. Some bias can be expected, since the article is from an electric bike review website. The study is at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S259019821930017X (linked from the electricbikereport article). Study’s abstract has in part:
“Travel-related activities of e-bikers who switched from cycling decreased by around 200 MET min/wk., while those switching from private motorized vehicle and public transport gained around 550 and 800 MET min/wk. respectively.”
So if you switch from a regular bike to an e-bike, then you really burn less.
As for the e-bikers having a higher BMI, it is still early days for e-bikes. Give it a few more years and see if e-bikes have significantly helped people become healthier.
and that Bianchi is a very nice looking bike.
I have been generally anti-ebike but this weekend I overhead a guy at Rope Mill talking about his ebike. He’s got a congenital heart problem and the ebike assist is the only way he can still get out on the trail. That seemed like a great thing.
I do cringe when someone announces “rider back” and I pull over only to see an ebike scoot by while I’m busting my rear.
Same here. I did not like the ebike idea but have come around to it now.
My wife and I took a trip to France this summer. ebikes were everywhere, and it was cool to see. Elderly people were pedaling up mountains, with e-assistance, but they were out enjoying themselves. My wife used an ebike as well, and it was awesome because she was able to do these mountainous rides she could have never done on a regular bike. She has had several operations on both knees. Even though she was on an ebike, she was able to set the assistance such that she was still getting a good workout going up the mountain but it was not wrecking her knees to do so.
And there are some nice rental places in France. Right near Mont Ventoux, in Bedoin, there’s a place that rents the Pinarello Nyrto ebike. Super nice ebike.
I’m definitely mixed on the whole e-bike thing. On one hand, for reasons illustrated above, some folks who otherwise couldn’t do certain rides can definitely benefit and it’s great to get people riding. But on the other hand, I also see how some people who are otherwise healthy would use e-bikes as a crutch or substitute for actually putting in the work to become fitter individuals. I doubt that the e-bike crowd could be potential standard bike customers, once you go electric do people ever go back?
I saw a couple riding this weekend where the guy was pretty miserable going super slow while the gal was killing herself trying to keep up. That was the first time I thought to myself, “There’s somebody that could use an e-bike.” And then I realized my own wife could get one and we could go on rides and stay together. Count me in as a convert.
I also see how some people who are otherwise healthy would use e-bikes as a crutch or substitute for actually putting in the work to become fitter individuals. I doubt that the e-bike crowd could be potential standard bike customers, once you go electric do people ever go back?
Oh, who cares? Not everyone needs to be on a life mission to acheive their genetic potential. If you hold this opinion, I assume you only ride the heaviest, least aero bike possible when you’re “training” right?
I saw a couple riding this weekend where the guy was pretty miserable going super slow while the gal was killing herself trying to keep up. That was the first time I thought to myself, “There’s somebody that could use an e-bike.” And then I realized my own wife could get one and we could go on rides and stay together. Count me in as a convert.
Yes, I’d love to have an ebike for my wife so we could ride together at a pace that still feels like “work” to me.