- [Dan] Road bikes with hidden motors are not exactly new, but given that a pro
rider has just been caught with one in competition, we thought that the time
is right now, for us to have a go on one ourselves. Just what does a road bike with
a hidden motor feel like, and how fast can we go on one?
♪ [music] ♪
- [Si] What we have actually got here then? Well this is one of the first
production bikes here in the UK to be fitted with a hidden motor.
It's kept there, in the seat tube, and it drives the bottom bracket axel by a pinion
gear and then Dan can switch it on and off via the handlebars.
- The battery is located here, in the bottle, you can apparently get some
batteries which are hidden down here in the seat tube on top of the motor itself
but being much smaller, it's got a far shorter run or ride time.
- So we're at the burning question then. How much power, it feels quite dangerous
as we stood here, how much power is this going to contribute? Apparently between
one to 200 watts for an hour.
- Yeah, I think our decent group ride is just about to become a lot harder.
♪ [music] ♪
- Out on the open road then, what does it feel like? Well to start with,
we're cruising along now at 25, 30k an hour. And it's not on. I can't feel any
resistance coming from the motor, except when I backpedal, which is a bit weird.
And then, what happens when we switch it on then? Right here we go.
- I'll let you go in front now Si.
- Okay, okay mate. Now it's a really strange sensation because the motor's
actually has got a limit as to how fast it'll turn the cranks,
which at 86 rpm, so that's quite slow but then, it's just there in the background,
just taking over so I can...well, what I mean, I'm in like 50-11,
I'm not doing very much. Dan, are you doing much back there?
- Not too bad.
- So the fact that I can't peddle any quicker with the motor is a bit weird but
we're going pretty swiftly.
♪ [music] ♪
- It's very different to any electric bike I've ridden in the past where you pedal
and you can kind of just feel the motor giving a little bit back whereas this,
it literally feels like something else is turning the pedals for me.
- I can keep up with 200 watts, - Just having a little stretch.
- Right, well it's now my turn to inflict a little pain on the side and I'm loving
it already. The question is though, do I think that this particular system has
been used previously in the Pro Pedalthon. Well I guess the fact it has been now seen
in competition at a very big race, it has changed and skewed my opinion somewhat,
but thinking about this particular one, I still find it reasonably hard to believe
so I can very much hear this next to me now and I think that would be the same
case in the middle of a pedalthon. So you might just get a slightly quieter ones,
they might be slightly more sophisticated now in 2016 but the rumor was first
started quite a few years ago now, so presumably, this thing would have been
state of the art back at that time.
Now as Si already mention, this one is also a climbing model, which means that
the power only kicks in at cadences of below 86. Now apparently,
you can get one which is for flat terrain, which means that cadences of up
to a hundred, it'll still provide you with some power. Now that would make more sense
if you were racing, because actually my preferred cadence going higher for
climb like this one, would be 90 or perhaps even a hundred.
So my hunch is still no, at least that's my hope.
- One last question to answer is how effective can this motor really be?
Now we know it's putting about 150 watts, we were measuring it with a power tap back
wheel, but we've come to a particularly nasty climb in the south of England.
A nasty climb that a certain Mr. Lloyd actually has the king of the mountains on,
something he set in the 2011 Tour of Britain. So here we are, five years later,
three years into retirement. Can Dan break his KOM?
- Let's find out. So it's the moment of truth, in about 100 meters,
I'm going to turn left, I'm going to activate my motor and see if I can beat my
former self.
♪ [music] ♪
So we're not too far from the top now, Steve is there. He's all over that now.
Oh, I can see it. I remember how hard this was in the race.
♪ [music] ♪
And we're there, I think.
- Right, it's time for the results. Dan, how're you feeling?
- Slightly recovered but I was very puffed out. I guess it does go to show that
starting doesn't get any easier, you just go faster and that's the same for a motor
as it is with getting fitter.
- Right well the results. So fit Dan, racing Dan, did 7:02. Retired Dan with a
motor, was still one minute and 14 seconds slower.
- So they don't turn a donkey into a racehorse then.
- And you used to be quiet good. - Yeah.
- Right, I guess the question is then, should our viewers head out and buy
themselves a road bike with a hidden motor? Oh and also, is the pedalthon going
to get lots and lots of motor doping over the next few years?
- Yeah well, the first question, I guess a little bit depends on why you ride your
bike in the first place. I mean if you love the feeling of going fast or every
time you go out, you struggle to keep up with your riding mates who might be
younger or faster or have more time to train than you, then yeah,
I guess it kind of makes sense.
- It could work the other way around though. So if you've got a work colleague
or friend who's just got into cycling or maybe a spouse who's not quite as fit as
you or maybe even a teenage son or daughter that wouldn't normally be able to
keep up, then giving them a bike with a hidden motor inside is a great way for
you both to get something out of the ride, with a fairly equal effort,
nice and social, they can keep up fine.
- But what about a sense of accomplishment though? Now that is something that's going
to be important to all of us at some time or another and let's face it,
when you've got a motor, it's no longer your KOM that you're getting or not
getting. You're not the one conquering mountains or bossing the local bunch ride.
So, especially in accomplishment, it's kind of important to all of us,
at some time or another, when you ride a bike isn't it?
And that's now completely gone.
- Yeah and let's face it, anyone that wants to go really fast,
can just head out and buy a proper motor bike rather than one with a hidden motor
inside like this, so I don't think we necessarily need to be too worried even if
these do become slightly more commonplace in society over the next few years,
just so long as they are kept away from any kind of competition.
- Yeah, but if they help more people cycle to work or school, then that's a good
thing. Or indeed, if it helps more people just get out and ride and enjoy it,
then that is also a good thing. And I don't think many people are going to
turn up with a hidden motor to their local bunch race or local bunch ride,
although there will always be one or two idiots in there.
- The strange thing is Si, and quite frustrating is that ride actually did
get flagged down sort of by somebody.
- I don't know who would have done that.
- Anyways, if you would like to see the full Col de la Madone done with an
electric bike with by yours truly, you can find it, just up there.
- Or if you want to catch the latest GCN show where we keep you up to date with
everything Top Gun in cycling, then you can click just down there.
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