Cool use of electric bicycle

[honkinunit]

I went to the Boulder Indoor Velodrome to watch the races Friday night. The Boulder Velodrome is really tight and really steep and is in a pretty confined space in a warehouse, so I never thought they would run keirin races, but they did. For the derny, (the bike that paces the field for the first several laps), they had a rider on an Optibike.

For those not familiar with Keirin, it is a race with 4-8 riders who are motorpaced by a lead rider, usually a motorcycle, for the first several laps, and the pacer increases speed with each lap. Riders are not allowed to pass the pacer until it pulls off with 1-4 laps to go (depending on the length of the velodrome.)

The riders jockey for position behind the pacer, trying to be in the best position for the final sprint when the pacer pulls off. It is a great spectator sport.

The Optibike rider had no problem pacing the group up to about 30mph at the point he pulled off. It was a standard Optibike with what looked to be 26x1 slicks. You could see the suspension compressing in the bankings.

Pretty cool. They could never run keirin with a regular motorcycle in there because the space is too confined.

 

[FroggyBiker]

Gnarly!

 

[sean salach]

I went to (I think) the National Championships, might have been Junior worlds, at the Encino Velodrome in '04 or '05(great memory, huh....), and they used an electric bike for pacing as well. Excellent application of the technology.

 

[BenSwayne]

I assume you are spamming as your last post at the same time as this one said you were considering getting an electric bike?!? Do a little more research before you start telling people what's good or not good about electric bikes. Especially if you don't own one!

My bike is very easy to pedal without the electric assist. Plus I can cover 80km (~50 miles) on my electric in less than 3 hours with the electric. Are you regularly doing more than this "around town" to kill your battery? My guess is you don't own one and therefor don't know...

 

[Thomas SH]

I love my electric bike, it has really made my life a lot easier. Before I just took the car for distances greater than 10 miles, but now I enjoy the trip on an electric bike. Many people think that the bike does all the work for you, and you're therefore a sissy, but that's not true at all. The electric bike only helps you, you have to du the rest.

 

[rider95]

I sold my car and just use my e bike during the week it takes me back n forth to work , then to the store. And I have a basket set up to haul Growlers of beer !!! on it . Then on the week ends it goes on the bike rack to haul it to the Trail heads ,I also use it for out door festival's and sporting events mostly the MX out door Natl,s .