First of all, I'm neither fat nor lazy. And I'm not over 60 - I've been cycling for many years. But I also run and swim, do yoga, work and have a child - so I don't have an infinite amount of time to train myself to be a cycling mountain goat. Riding a road bike exclusively would be too boring for me anyway, but riding alone is too. And that's the crux of the matter: my female friends give me the bird: too fast, too far, too many hills. In male groups, on the other hand, I often feel a bit like a brake. And being pushed in between? Out of the question!
So is the Vivax Passione CF e-road bike my saviour? The carbon racer looks like a normal racing bike and weighs just under ten kilos. The motor is concealed in the seat tube, the battery is hidden in the water bottle or saddlebag depending on its capacity, and the button for switching the motor on and off is discreetly positioned at the end of the handlebars. There is no need for a display. There is only one support level, the battery charge level indicator lights up directly on it. The motor control is also unconventional: the motor in the seat tube drives the crank from the inside. Its output is not dependent on the force you apply to the pedals, but on the cadence. Depending on the variant, its maximum output of 110 watts unfolds at 75 or 90 rpm. If you crank slower or faster, the assistance is reduced accordingly. It sounds complicated, but the very first test on hilly terrain will give you a feel for how you need to crank to utilise the maximum support and how you can play with the intensity. It's just as easy to find out whether the 75 or 90 cadence version of the motor is the right one for you - after all, everyone has a different comfort zone when it comes to cadence. A good side effect in both cases: You also endeavour to pedal smoothly uphill.
So it's off to Tyrol for a self-experiment. The Hohe Salve region calls itself the "first e-road bike region in the world". What's behind the bold name: Vivax bikes can be hired at three test centres and instruction is provided. There are no battery changing stations, as a single charge, which is enough for 60 or 90 minutes of full power, is enough for a day trip. You don't have to switch on the assistance all the time.
Patrick Ager, passionate road cyclist and landlord of Gasthof Oberbräu in Hopfgarten - one of the Vivax test centres - takes me on a long Sunday ride through the mountains of his home region. Rolling through the Inn Valley - flat and fast - I would normally take the precaution of staying in the slipstream. Today I switch on the engine and crank along at a basic heart rate. Then we turn off into a quiet valley and head uphill. "10 per cent, we're doing 12 km/h," comments Patrick, looking at his bike computer. "That's fine." It works for me too. Thanks to the motor. Although it hums a little unusually through the silence of nature, it allows me to stay relaxed when I would otherwise be silently focussed on myself, my breathing - and my concerns: How far does the pass go? Will it get any steeper? Is there another one after that? Can I manage it all? Now I'm enjoying the well-dosed exertion and can still chat happily without getting out of breath.
SIMPLY PULL AWAY
At some point it gets steeper. The gear ratio forces me into a pedalling rhythm that is actually too slow for me - and the engine. Now I want to know. I start pedalling. I crank faster until the motor is pulling properly again, I start pedalling in the cradle, pedalling as hard as I would have to without the motor. My breathing quickens. One hundred, two hundred, three hundred metres, then I look around. Patrick has fallen behind, he looks really small back there. I cheer inside. Is that pride? Is it deserved? No matter, it feels great. I pedal on for a while longer, then let myself sink into the saddle - and do something I used to have to grudgingly watch: I turn round, roll back and place myself next to my fellow rider with a grin on my face. "Oh, for once in my life I wanted to do it like you men. Like the young dogs." All I get in return is a snort. Sweat is dripping from Patrick's forehead and nose faster than his legs are spinning and he gasps: "I'm at the limit. 255 watts. Maximum heart rate. And no chance."
I am thrilled. And allow me to make the following judgement: The Vivax Passione offers two opportunities. Firstly, it equalises differences in performance. The stronger cyclist cycles normally, the weaker one can keep up. Or secondly: It raises the performance level. The weaker rider rides as intensively as without a motor, but is faster - and the stronger rider can flatten himself out. One question remains: how does the male ego cope with this? Would Patrick be frustrated if his wife had a bike like this and he was no longer clearly superior? "No," he answers firmly. "It would motivate me."
We continue uphill at a relaxed pace. During the coffee break we meet a group of Innsbruck racing cyclists. Patrick shows them my racer and reveals its secret. I'm a little embarrassed at first, but the reactions reassure me: great curiosity, amused amazement, fascination. Not a trace of scepticism. Snide remarks, sideways glances? Not a thing.
The route continues on a rapid descent, then back in hilly ups and downs above the Inn Valley. Now I often leave the assistance off on the ramps and allow Patrick the one or other climb. On the very last climb, the motor no longer seems to be pushing properly - and the charge level indicator confirms this: The battery is running low. My legs too. But at the same time I realise: At no point was I worried that the tour would be too far, too steep or that I would be too slow.
Happy and tired, but not exhausted, I get off my bike. The bike computer shows 75 kilometres, 1,200 metres in altitude and an average speed of 25 km/h. That's good. Now I just have to improve my downhill performance. Patrick was always way ahead on the downhill.
INFO Vivax Passione CF
Info www.vivax-assist.com
Price 5,649 Euro
Weight 9.9 kg
Frame sizes 48, 51, 54, 57, 60 cm
EQUIPMENT
Engine Vivax assist, 200 W; power output 110 W (variant 4.75) or 100 W (variant 4.90); 730 g
Battery Lithium-ion; water bottle: 180 Wh, approx. 60 min. runtime, 985 g; saddle bag: 180/270 Wh, approx. 60/90 min. runtime, 850/1,250 g
Brakes/gears Shimano Ultegra/Shimano Ultegra 11-speed
Wheels/tyres Shimano RS 700 x 23c/Schwalbe Ultremo ZX
Vivax retrofit kit 2,699 Euro
Information about the test centres www.kitzbueheler-alpen.com
E-LAW
E-bikes, pedelecs, S-pedelecs - not everyone is familiar with these terms. E-bike is often used as a collective term for bicycles with an additional electric drive. However, electric mopeds without pedal drive are also sometimes referred to as e-bikes. Pedelecs (Pedal Electric Cycle) are bicycles on which the rider can pedal up to a speed of 25 km/h is supported by an electric motor. They are considered bicycles and may be ridden without a helmet. With S-Pedelecs or fast pedelecs, the motor supports the rider up to 45 km/h. Under German law, S-pedelecs are classed as mopeds or, under EU law, as "low-powered light motorbikes", comparable to mopeds or mopeds. They require an operating licence from the Federal Motor Transport Authority, an insurance licence plate and may only be ridden by Persons aged 16 and over be driven, which Class AM driving licence own a helmet. A suitable safety helmet is mandatory for the use of S-pedelecs. However, what constitutes a suitable helmet is not yet defined in detail anywhere. In practice, cycle helmets are usually tolerated by the police, but this does not constitute a legal entitlement. In principle, S-pedelecs may be ridden wherever mopeds, mopeds and scooters are permitted: on all roads except motorways and motorways. Whether they may also be used on cycle paths is unclear. The general legal opinion is that the use of cycle paths is permitted outside urban areas, but not in urban areas. The use of S-pedelecs on forest and woodland paths is generally not permitted.
E-DOPING
The term "motor doping" has been doing the rounds in cycling in recent years. The discussion was triggered by Fabian Cancellara's attack in the 2010 Tour of Flanders, in which he rode away from the racing peloton at a speed that was difficult to explain. The as yet unproven suspicion was that Cancellara's bike had been rigged with an electric drive. The cycling world federation UCI is taking the issue seriously and has added "technological fraud" to the catalogue of penalties. The UCI checks bikes for such manipulations, but a specific case of fraud has not yet been reported.
Technically, such manipulation would be feasible. For ten years, the Austrian manufacturer Vivax drive has been offering the Vivax assist system, in which a compact electric motor in the seat tube drives the bottom bracket shaft (see article from p. 20). The system is almost invisible and can be retrofitted to many frames. The Vivax motor supports the rider with up to 110 watts of additional power at the touch of a button. However, the noise of the motor makes it difficult to imagine using it in bike races. The Belgian bike manufacturer Eddy Merckx has been working for some time on retrofitting its models with an optional motor. At the Eddy Merckx Classics cycling marathon, none other than Merckx himself used this additional help. He rode - out of competition and without a race number - the prototype of a racing bike fitted with a motor similar to the Vivax drive. According to reports, the engine came from a Hungarian manufacturer.
When asked by TOUR, Merckx did not want to comment on whether and when a series bike will be launched.
