[Closed] Ebike. What a great enabler

Mint. I'd love to get my mum one but her balance isn't good.

Nice

Great to hear ..they certainly breathe life into an old dog (..not that I'm calling anyone an old dog ) ..

One of our group got a Scott e spark recently ..only uses eco mode but tail end charlie has now become our climbing god ..aged 73!

It has undoubtedly extended his mountain biking life in terms of the type of off-road riding he has enjoyed for the last 20+years ..

Myself ..I don't need an excuse ..having hired one on two occasions in the past I'm completely sold purely from the amount of fun I had ..my next bike will be an ebike ..in approx 18 months time .

I am not that old but my body is quite broken. An ebike lets me ride with my mates, without it I could t ride off road at all. Life changer for me

hodgynd? Why are you waiting 18 months?

A couple of reasons ..but the main one being that I'm still riding & enjoying my T130 ..and for that matter still paying for it on a 0% deal ..

With the best will in the world I also know that the Whyte would become un-used once I got an E-bike..and I'm not ready to hand it down to my son just yet ..neither would I sell it to lose money on it .

What was your reason for asking ?

What's out there for kids? Son has a dodgy hip so Ebike would make family bike rides easyer and let him get up hills without me pushing. Would only want pedal assist mind.

They are all pedal assisted ..if you don't pedal you dont move and will fall off to whichever side you choose 😁

I'm not sure about kids bikes tbh ..

How tall is he. There was a small Specialized Turbo Levo in the classifieds a couple of days ago

I am waiting on my Ebike to arrive.
I have liked the idea from day one. But been puting off buying one for years now as I didn't think the battery technology was actually good enough. and still isn't yet. (they're still too heavy for the capacity needed). Ideally I'd like a lot more range and a lighter bike than is currently available.
But I realised by waiting any longer I'm simply missing out now. Battery/motor technology has improved but advancements are not going to happen all that quickly. And not without significant price increases. So I finally ordered one.
I already have a huge collection of bikes (road, BMX, Hardtail DJ/XC, Enduro, trail, slopestyle and DH). All are exacly to the spec I want them and I'm not planning on stopping riding any or selling any.

As I see it. the battery range of todays E-bikes simply can't (yet) mach the mileage a reasonably fit rider can do on an all day ride.
From what I have read and from talking with E-bike owners. unless you run them on Eco most of the time (which for my use defeats the purpose) you're unlikely to get more than 4-5000ft of climbing/20miles out of a single battery. Where I like to ride (30-40mins drive away) I'd be looking at around 3500ft+ per 10miles of riding and an all day ride on my 32lb 170mm travel non ebike is often twice that.

The weight of an E-bike can't possibly match the nimbleness of a non E-bike. I come from a DH/BMX background and still remember well the early days of racing 48lb DH monsters and riding 35lb BMXs and don't want to go back to that. I still have 2 26" wheel DH race bikes I use on uplift days. They weigh 35 and 36lb respectively. And am under no illusion the Ebike will handle as nicely as those or my 170mm carbon Enduro bike

The E-bike (when it finally arrives) will hopefully make solo local (tons of woodland singletrack but fairly dull flattish non technical terrain and a bit of a slog in places) riding a lot more enjoyable. and driving for evening blasts much more worthwhile. eg. Drive half an hour to much better riding spots Boost the climbs to cram in twice the descending time.
I can't see me riding the E-bike other than solo and unless extremely pushed for time. Can't see me riding it at weekends.
I know there's the option of carrying a second battery. But No. I rarely take a backpack at all nevermind a heavy one.

My last two rides were in the region of 20 miles and 2500ft of climbing, one in eMTB (50-200% variable depending on rider input) for 70% of it and Eco (50% assist) for the last 30% which flattened the battery completely and one in Tour (100% assist) which left me with 2 miles range remaining. The former was way more fun though...

I don't ride my clockwork bike anymore.

I occasionally carry the 2nd battery in a seat pack, but you’re correct, it’s not ideal.

eco/tour mode is usually enough though, which gives a good 30-40 miles of range if it’s not too hilly.

if you can ride 20 miles on a normal bike you’re probably not the target market for an ebike.

i couldn’t go that far on a normal bike unless it was flat, as i am really fat. ATM I’m also rehabilitating a broken ankle, but that’s improving albeit slowly.

Geex..I agree with just about everything you have said there ..and maybe you are a lot stronger willed than myself .

I heard exactly the same thing from my friend who swore blind that he would still be riding his "normal " bike ..and hasn't looked at it since !

I'm just being totally honest about it upfront and probably would carry an additional battery ( but they need to do something about the price ..c£600+ just for a battery !) .

Hope you have a lot of fun !

They are great (especially when recovering from a broken ankle) and riding in ECO isn't 'missing the point'.

Remember they are just bikes with assistance. Eco is the least assistance you get and is, for most conditions, the right level to feel you are properly riding. You only really use Turbo when you have your test ride and a few times when showing off. Except on the steepest hills  or boggiest mudfests it feels unnatural and over boosted IMHO..

You will notice the weight a bit when doing jumps or high speed twisty stuff but it is all low and central on the bike so not as bad as a normal bike of the same weight. I lend mine out occasionally to people at Southampton Bike Park  and send them down the trails in Eco but tell them to switch to Turbo for the ride back up. They always arrive back at the top giggling. I then ask them to lift the bike and they are shocked by the weight as, to ride, it feels a lot lighter. This reaction is true of some pretty experienced riders who often demand a second go now that they know the weight. They normally come back saying they can feel the weight through the corners - but strangely only AFTER they have been told about it.....

Did someone say riding in Eco was missing the point?
I certainly didn't say that. or read it.

For my particular reasoning behind buying mine I do see very little value in using the Eco mode.
I won't be taking it out on social rides or to anywhere I don't already ride. and other than the local solo riding I described above I'll be riding it primarily to access descents. (winch and sledge style riding)
I see myself riding most descents with the motor OFF. Everything else I expect I'll ride in Trail or boost (not to show off, but to get to the next descent AFAP).
I have 11 other non assisted very specic bikes that will still be the better choice for the riding they're meant for (and I use them for).
I'm not going to suddenly become obsessed with the E-bike in the way say a new fatbiker does the first time he rides on sand, make up catchy new words to describe riding folk have done for decades and sell all my massively fun bike collection.

That's  fine..ride it whichever way you want ..no one is judging you ( or even that bothered ) ..just remember to smile ..😁

How tall is he. There was a small Specialized Turbo Levo in the classifieds a couple of days ago

He's only 10, plan is to wait till he can fit on a 26" unless something comes up sooner.

geex, I don't know how much climbing you are hoping to do, but the Verderers will pretty much kill a battery in one lap if you use boost.

I used to think Eco was a waste of time, then I bought an eBike. Eco is plenty for a bimble. More assist = more fun but less range.

geex - My mis-read, sorry. As a free uplift then yes, eco probably isn't so great, you are right. I would use it on the descents unless you never have to pedal. Otherwise every pedal stroke is having to push the motor as well as the bike.

If you bike is one of the Bosch motor ones then there is also the option to 'chip' it so it provides assistance up to 45mph rather than just 15. Make the ride to the trails a lot quicker but obviously only on private land and all the other stuff to prove I am not suggesting law breaking. I think you can do the same with an app for the Spesh bikes.

I think it will make and excellent addition to your existing fleet of bikes.

Like so many things, it has a use and a purpose but will not do everything for everyone.

I have just bought an old TY 125 its awesome and a great way getting my old bones around the trails.

Big dean, legal age for riding an ebike is 14, hence no ‘kids’ option.

also, there’s really no point switching them off for the descents. If you aren’t pedalling the battery won’t drain, and if you are, well, it does what it’s supposed to do, and the bike won’t feel like a 45lb+ lump.

also, don’t discount your other bikes. I got mine 2 years ago and was worried I’d render my, not insignificant, squadron useless, but it hasn’t, it got me fitter, to the point where it wasn’t a massive slog to ride regular bikes, now mrsTHtobe rides it while I ride normal bikes, mostly, still use it if I CBA in a morning for the commute

I found it very encouraging to read this thread. I too am over 70 and have been MTB'ing for over 25 years but found it increasingly difficult keeping up with my tolerant riding buddies so I took the plunge and now have an Emtb. I do all my riding in eco mode so far and my enjoyment of MTB'ing has returned big style. There is no doubt in my mind that the E is bringing more new enthusiastic riders who perhaps could not enjoy MTB'ing for a variety of reasons and we should welcome them, not slag them off.

Tom

An E-bike isn't a free uplift. I'll still be pedalling just as hard as on my other bikes uphill. With the assistance I simply won't have to spend as long riding the part I enjoy least.

It's not a Bosch motor. I'm not planning on riding anymore than 200m or so to get to any trails on it. And I'm sure it'll be absolutely fine with no assist for the tiny amount of pedalling involved in a lot of the sort of descents I'll be riding. I should find out for myself soon enough though. Being Shimano I can always adjust the levels to suit anyway.

The bike weighs 50lb. I spent years riding DH bikes around that weight every weekend so am under no illusion as to how a heavy bike handles. Pedal assist won't magically make handling and control any lighter while not pedalling.