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Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike

lemond.com

241–250 of 308 posts

Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike

#241

Earlier quoted context omitted.

if you do the math you can quickly prove to yourself that reduced inertia isn’t doing anything for you. you then either have to conclude that newtonian mechanics does not apply to bikes or perception can’t be trusted! if you do a blind experiment, where you don’t know the wheels under you, or a third party adds weights to the rim you can demonstrate this. be sure to use the same tires, at the same pressure, as tires…

> if you do the math you can quickly prove to yourself that reduced inertia isn’t doing anything for you. This is exactly what I was talking about. People like to assume that a simple math equation tells the whole story, while ignoring the fact that bikers do more than just exist as rigid attachments to a bike that travels in straight lines. I can do the math, but I can also swap wheels in a matter of minutes and fee…

> I can do the math, but I can also swap wheels in a matter of minutes and feel the very obvious difference.

You’re not necessarily wrong, but I will point out that high end audiophiles will often say the same thing about their absurdly priced equipment, and then refuse to participate in a double blind test.

Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike

#242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

if you do the math you can quickly prove to yourself that reduced inertia isn’t doing anything for you. you then either have to conclude that newtonian mechanics does not apply to bikes or perception can’t be trusted! if you do a blind experiment, where you don’t know the wheels under you, or a third party adds weights to the rim you can demonstrate this. be sure to use the same tires, at the same pressure, as tires…

> if you do the math you can quickly prove to yourself that reduced inertia isn’t doing anything for you. This is exactly what I was talking about. People like to assume that a simple math equation tells the whole story, while ignoring the fact that bikers do more than just exist as rigid attachments to a bike that travels in straight lines. I can do the math, but I can also swap wheels in a matter of minutes and fee…

You meant 26 inch mtb bikes? 700c road wheels are also 29 inches

Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike

#243
post #226

This is really cool from a tech perspective. I’m sure it’s a great product too. The thing that bothers me about e-bikes in the US specifically is that we seem to be rediscovering scooters but worse. Among other things I am a motorcycle rider. I took the class. Before the pandemic I commuted on a 1970 Honda CB450. I know the risks, and the rules. These are mopeds at best . Electric motorcycles at worst . Europe and es…

> I am optimistic that these kinds of devices will get more people on two-wheeled personal transportation but I’m concerned about the people going 30mph on bike paths or riding in the road with no education.

At 20MPH your turbo assist turns off completely leaving the rider in this weird state where 1MPH slower is easy and 1MPH faster is brutal. If you are going 30MPH anywhere on this, it's because you are a world-class cyclist or are going downhill.

People ride on roads with no education all the time, we call them drivers. People going 20MPH on a 30 pound bike aren't dangerous to others. People surfing the web while driving a 6 ton truck are dangerous to everyone.

> Tangentially I’m disappointed that electric drive has translated to “no rules” on roads and bike paths.

This is literally every form of transportation. There were no/ terrible rules around cars when they came out as well.

Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike

#244
post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So complaining that they don’t have the right mount point for a light when one doesn’t need to be mounted shows that the product either isn’t a good fit for you, or that you are grasping at straws. I think it is unlikely that a carefully designed bike like this missed something simple like that. Much more likely you are kissing something.

It’s a simple matter of geometry. The bar is too high for the light to effectively light the road.

The light isn’t mounted on the bar.

Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike

#245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the path is mixed with pedestrians, 20mph on a bicycle is irresponsible whether peddling or ebiking.

If there are pedestrians it’s a sidewalk, not a bike path, and a bike should not be on it at all unless the rider has dismounted.

Almost all cycling paths around my area are mixed bicycle/pedestrian.

Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike

#246

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Belt drives can be nice, but the reason they aren't as common is because they are incredibly expensive, unless you're getting a single speed which many, many people aren't going to want. I don't know if part of the reason they are so expensive is because they are a niche bike item, and bike stuff is already hideously overpriced, or if there is another reason.

Fair point, but this isn't a cheap bike, so maybe at least make the option available? I also am not certain on the exact reasons why internal gear hubs and belt drives are more expensive. I imagine manufacturing those hubs are more costly just by the nature of their design. It also used to be the case that you needed a specific frame built for a belt drive to run one, but they make breakable belts now so that's no lo…

Internal gearing is generally a lot heavier as well as being more expensive. Looking at the priorities on this build, I suspect that was as important as price.

Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike

#247

Coming from conventional bikes, I don't understand who this is for. Carbon fibre frames are prohibitively expensive and the market for them serves very involved, often professional or semi-pro cyclists whose performance bottlenecks are imposed by the bike instead of themselves. Ditto for some of the other details on the bike, like the medium-dish carbon rims — all for the sake of weight savings and aerodynamics (sinc…

I live in the Bay Area on the peninsula - I could easily name ten coworkers that have carbon bikes and usually more than one.

They also often commute on them.

They’re expensive, but the market exists (at least here). Ride portola loop or old La Honda on any given day and you’ll probably pass 100k worth of bikes.

Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike

#248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

E-bikes are perhaps the most misunderstood category of bike products right now. Traditional bikers have underestimated demand for e-bikes at every step of the way for one reason: Traditional biking has a massive selection bias effect that excludes anyone who isn’t in great physical shape. The deeper you are into cycling, the more homogenous your perception of what constitutes a biker. You’re not going to see average…

Decoupling transportation and exercise is valuable even if you are in shape.

Huh?

So many advantages here. You save money, save time, and get more fit.

Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike

#249

I'm not sure who this product is for. Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful product design. But at $4500, with straight bars, it clearly isn't for racers and at that price point, not for commuters either.

It's clearly not for racers, it has a motor in it.

Take a look at the prices for ebikes from similar reputable companies. $4500 is nowhere near the high end, so this is a pretty reasonable price for a commuter ebike. And at 26lbs definitely light for an ebike.

Re: Greg LeMond’s New 26 LB. Carbon Fiber Ebike

#250
post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm an engineer and a biker. If you only look at the numbers or try to run simplistic calculations, it's easy to think that bikers are just deluding themselves. Bikes are all about diminishing returns. If you spend $500, you get a bike that's probably twice as good as a $250 department store bike. Spend $1000, and you get a bike that's half again as good as that $500 bike. Drop 2 large and you get a bike that's 25%…

> Bikes are all about diminishing returns. Pretty much everything is about diminishing returns though, so nothing special about bikes. For instance I can (and have) build a Miata race car for $5K to do good laptimes at the race track. Or I can spend over $100K on a car to go a handful seconds faster per lap.

> Pretty much everything is about diminishing returns though, so nothing special about bikes.

Mostly truth. Some things more than others.

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