gregf83 

I don't want riders in paceline having to jam on their brakes.

The problem is it would be more difficult to control your speed and maintain a smooth paceline with an e-bike. An experienced rider might be able to adjust but an inexperienced rider would undoubtedly be a hazard to the other riders in the line.

kickstart

I've only ridden a E assist bike around a shopping center, it felt like nothing more than riding a normal bike down a modest hill to me.

kickstart

But if inexperienced paceline riders were welcome, what would make an E bike inherently more of a hazard for any given cyclist?

gregf83 

The one I rode was quite a heavy bike as it had fat tires so it likely had a fairly big motor. It's fine when you're pedaling along at a steady speed but I suspect it's more difficult to make subtle adjustments to your speed.

Newbies have a hard enough time riding smoothly without an extra 100-200W pushing them along. Imagine riding 12" behind someone's wheel and you notice the distance is shrinking. An experienced rider will keep pedaling but ease off the pressure on the pedals and, if the rider in front isn't braking, should be able to maintain some distance between the wheels. That's going to be much more difficult with an electric motor that doesn't respond instantly.

gregf83 

It's somewhat analogous to giving a 16 yr old kid a 400HP car to learn to drive on. Sure they can learn but it's a distraction and not optimal.

No problem if it's a casual group ride where everybody maintains a few bike lengths between each other. Not a good idea if there are pacelines involved.

Maelochs

Maybe Some humans .... I guess I need e-assist feet.

Machka 

Maybe the e-bike riders should try to ride with the Harley riders on one of their club rides. I wonder what kind of reaction they'd get there.

caloso

I think you continue to misunderstand the safety concern. Inexperienced paceline riders gain their experience in slower groups. As their fitness and bike handling improves, they move up to faster groups. My concern is a rider who never learned to handle his bike in a paceline at lower speeds but now is going much faster than he could on his own and jumps into the fast group without developing the requisite paceline skills. At higher speeds, say 28 mph +, riders are much more closely spaced, there's much less room for error, and the consequences of error are much greater than they are at 20mph.

Where did you get the idea that inexperienced riders are welcome in a fast group?

Rowan

This is true, but I don't think you understand why.

Group riders are quite at liberty to decide who should and shouldn't ride with them. Among them is if a rider is no good at maintaining steady pace and distance behind the wheel in front of them.

If the ebike people want to ride in groups so badly, let them set up their own groups.

Rowan

There are people who have suffered horrendous injuries for whatever reason -- motor vehicle accident, workplace accident, war -- who have been able to ride and race adapted bicycles and tricycles, using their own power. They are an inspiration to all who have ridden with them, as I have on a 24-hour time trial, or seen them.

They have been dedicated in improving their fitness and adapting whatever limbs they needed to ride. Among the things that rub my nuts here is the idea that someone with a disability should just rock up to a group ride on an ebike and expect to ride with the hounds. It vastly diminishes the achievements of those who have overcome their disabilities under their own power.

Use ebikes for transport? Yeah, go knock yourself out... on the road where motorbikes belong. But keep them out of pure cycling.

chasm54

If you'd ever ridden at close quarters at >25mph you wouldn't be suggesting good brakes as a solution. There's a reason trackies aren't allowed brakes. It's because if someone in the middle of the bunch grabs a handful, carnage results.

As for 20mph not being fast, I suggest you pedal up to that speed then hurl yourself and your riding partners to the road. Come back and report on your soft landing.

corrado33

That is not at all why track bikes don't have brakes....

There's a thing called "modulation." You should learn about it. Brakes aren't black and white. I can even apply my brakes gently enough to imperceptibly slow me down... Imagine that.