Hank: It's fair to say e-bikes had a bad rep for being slow and heavy, and we're more akin
to a grandpa that wants to strap it to their motor, but that was true maybe five years
ago. If you look around at local bike shops, things have changed, and then if we look at
this for an example, look at e-bikes now. Conor: That being said, though, Hank, pesky
laws and regulations, they've got in the way of an e-bike's true potential, limiting their
maximum speed out on the road. As a result, we don't really know what this thing is capable
of. Hank: What if we took it from the grass, put
it on the track, derestrict it, made it illegal, then, can we find out what e-bike is really
capable of? Yes. [music]
When it comes to the restrictions, for the UK in the European market it's restricted
to 25 kilometers per hour, and then if you head overseas to the US, it's restricted to
20 miles per hour, but there is a class called Class 3 e-bike category, which takes up to
45 kilometers per hour before it gets limited. Conor: Which is why we've come to Castle Combe,
a closed-circuit motor racing track here in the southwest of England. We have [unintelligible
00:01:27] Hank: Well, we tuned it. Okay. We've tampered
with it, we've made it illegal, and we have to stress, this is illegal. Not only is it
hard to derestrict an e-bike, you just shouldn't do it. Let's just not try this at home.
Conor: Which is why we've got Hank, who-- Well, he's an ex-professional cyclist, and
he's got quite a cavalier attitude to life, he also crashes quite a bit without any kind
of seeming injury to himself. Hank: [screams]
Conor: He's going to test this bike, push it to its absolute limits and see how fast
it can go, so you guys don't have to. Hank: We won't mention the practice run Conor
had on this e-bike. Conor: Let's not talk about what happened
in the car park, Hank. Hank: Okay.
[music] I've got hold of a Canyon Grail:ON, a gravel
bike with a Bosch motor in there. Now, this has been taken straight from the supercharged
world of e-mountain bikes. They tend to have a smaller motor so you can rise within the
restrictions with a lighter frame. You have just the right amount of power so you can
sail up the climbs. Whereas this, this gives me 340% extra. It's got 85 newton-meters of
torque. When Si rode it last, he said he could barely hold onto the handlebars. As I've just
seen from Conor, he can't either. Conor: [laughs] It does have small arms, doesn't
it? Hank: What's your excuse then, Conor? Anyway,
we'll leave that one for another time. Conor: I was thinking of an excuse, couldn't
find one. Anyway, what is going to be the difference between these two bikes? Because
this is a race bike, it's my Orbea. It's got SRAM eTap on it, 6.8 kilos, and I'm going
to be riding it, Hank. I've got a 350-watt FTP.
Hank: Not bad, not bad. Conor: I'll have you know. We've also devised
a simple set of tests to compare the two bikes as you're about to explain.
Hank: We're going to start off with a standing start 50-meter sprint. Now not only is this
to warm up your legs, my motor, but also to find out just who's got the most torque.
Conor: After that 50-meter sprint, we're going to go straight into a 500-meter flying sprint
to find out who's got the best top speed. Hank: Once we've done that, we're going to
end with the final showdown. In order to find out really who's the best, we thought, a race,
a one-lap race, winner takes all. I'm going to win this. Yes, I haven't ridden this bike
before, I don't know what I can give it, how much I can give it, it's got off-road tires,
but yet, I'm confident. Conor: Don't speak too soon, Hank. I'm feeling
competitive today. Hank: I bet you are. Right, should we roll-up
to the start line? Conor: Let's do it, mate.
Hank: [whoops] [music]
The horses are in the stable. This is our first test, the 50-meter standing start test.
Now, if I was going to put my money on anyone, it would be on me. I'm going to chuck it in
turbo mode, unleashing 85 newton-meters of torque and that is on top of the torque I'm
bringing to the party. You got no chance, mate. Are you ready?
Conor: I think so. Hank: Right. Manon, take it away.
Manon: Three, two, one, go. [screams]
Hank: [inaudible 00:05:14] I'd still beat you.
Conor: I nearly had you. I nearly had you. I thought I was going to get you then. No
chance. Hank: It looks like even though I didn't get
clipped in properly, few setbacks, I still absolutely annihilated you, Conor.
Conor: I've got to hand it to you, with the acceleration of the line there. It was unbelievable.
Hank: It is unbelievable. Conor: Like a sports car.
Hank: 85 newton-meter torque, and to be honest, I reckon I've got that in my legs too. Anyway,
now it's the 500-meter test. Do you reckon you got me?
Conor: This is going to be interesting. I think this one's going to be closer. I think
I could do it. Hank: All right. Let's take it to the start
line. Let's do it. [whoops] Conor: Let's do it. Okay.
[music] Right, let's get up the speed. Gradually,
we'll ramp it up and then all out, soon we can get to that max speed, okay?
Hank: You ready? Conor: Yes. Okay, you ready?
Hank: Three, two, one. Conor: Let's do it.
Hank: [screams] Oh, yes. I know I'm on e-bike, and I've got an unrestricted motor, but I'm
still putting in some power. Yes, it's fair to say, mate, I think I had you.
Conor: You just disappeared off into the horizons, to be honest.
Hank: What kind of speed were you hitting? Conor: I managed 48k an hour and we are on
a bit of a slope uphill there to the line actually, very gradual, but still feel it.
Hank: I hit 60 kilometers per hour in that 500-meter section. Pretty happy with that.
Conor: That's pretty decent. Hank: You ready for the race? The ultimate
showdown. Can you win this one to take them all, mate?
Conor: I think I'm going to use a bit of miles, a bit of tactic. I'm going to get the best
of you, if I'm honest. Hank: All right, let's roll up to the final
test. Will the e-bike have a clean sweep? We just have to find out.
[music] Conor, the ultimate showdown one knot, 2.9
kilometers, ultimate race, all tactics come into play. Are you ready?
Conor: I'm ready, and I've got my time sorted. You're not getting this one easy, Hank.
Hank: Right. As soon as we hit the line, it's full gas. Have you ridden in the Giro?
Conor: Did I not tell you that once before, mate?
Hank: Do you need a motor? Conor: I told you that.
Hank: We're off. Conor: We're off. He's got ahead of me already.
Hank: Come on. I [unintelligible 00:08:11] just now. Here comes the first [unintelligible
00:08:13] Oh, Conor off ahead. Here's the finishing line. The e-bike, that's Conor up
ahead. I've got enough time to relax, get off, go to the loo, have a stretch. I can
probably even do, I reckon, 10 press-ups, 100 sit-ups, some squat-thrusts.
Conor: [unintelligible 00:09:15] I was thinking if I can get on your wheel, get a bit of draft,
maybe I could stick with you, but- Hank: Did you try to get on the wheel?
Conor: Yes, I did. I hope two chances on getting on your [unintelligible 00:09:30] No chance.
[laughter] Hank: I was trying to sit at 55-60 kilos an
hour. Conor: Really?
Hank: That's, guys, on an off-road gravel bike. It just shows how incredibly fast and
unrestricted e-bike is. I have to say I really enjoyed making this film and I hope you guys
have too. What an incredible-- I'm amazed. The results speak for themselves. Don't they
really? Conor: Yes, if we go into those results in
more detail, Hank won the 50-meter sprint. Hank: [unintelligible 00:10:07] and I'll still
beat you. Conor: Hank won the 500-meter flying sprint
and Hank won the race at the end of it all. Hank: Three to zero.
Conor: Hank is the undisputed winner. Hank: Thanks. Thanks, Conor.
Conor: I'm not too disappointed because this is an incredible piece of tech, really. I
think we've shown that today. I know we have derestricted the bike so it could hit higher
speeds, but when you look at restricted bikes as well, it just shows how useful they are
in terms of really steep climbs, carrying heavy loads, and also going off-road where
you have loose gravel and you don't have as much grip on the road just so you can power
through those terrains. Hank: I guess you can access the more power
with the different classes like the Class 3 e-bike category where you can access more
power. You have to remember that the unrestricted bikes or the bikes that aren't restricted
until the higher speeds, you actually have to, like in Switzerland, have a license plate
to be able to ride them. I guess that just shows. Let us know in the comment section
below, what you thought of our tests. It was quite incredible. I'm still beaming from ear
to ear. I loved doing it all that. Conor: I know you did. I just wish I'd at
least beat you one little [unintelligible 00:11:25] but there we go.
Hank: Don't forget to give this video a big thumbs up, and Conor and I are sure we'll
see you in the next video. [00:11:33] [END OF AUDIO]