[Closed] How long till everyone is on a EMTB

Never

hopefully when I am old.

Never say never Simon
why do you need to be old to enjoy the benefits of an ebike trumpton ?

Almost certainly never.

If it does happen, it’ll be shortly before everyone in a rowing boat just uses outboard motors.

How long before everyone only rides a bike using virtual reality? Slippery slope these ebikes. Mark my words.

have any of the above naysayers ever tried one , if so what was so bad about it ?

Yes, a hybrid and a trail bike.

Not sure I noticed anything bad about either.

Never - i've ridden a few, I can sort of see the attraction as it's like riding but with free super fitness.

Personally the physical challenge is a big part of why I ride so i can't see me buying one - certainly I'd never buy a road e-bike that's be totally pointless.

They’re still going to be more expensive/complicated than a non e-bike, it’s like saying that full sus would kill hardtails.

...enhance even the flattest of trails to give more enjoyment.

How so?

I didn't say that there was anything bad about them, they're good fun. There will never be a day when everybody is on one though.

kcr, because you can ride the same trails faster and for longer

I have no need for one. My version of riding bicycles involves doing it without a motor/pedal assist/call it whatever. As Hemingway said ‘It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and can coast down them.... Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motorcar only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.’ That’s kind of why I ride bikes. Appreciate that others may have other reasons.

My opinion is that E-bikes are a solution to a problem that largely doesn’t exist. As an alternative for those who can’t ride a conventional bike - fine. I do like the application of them in urban areas as a practical delivery vehicle or commuter for longer journeys. As a recreational tool? Very concerned about the impact they might well have on our already limited access rights and perception with other trail user groups.

No doubt those that have used them have no problem justifying them. I do not consider them to be cycling as I know it though. Sometimes making things easier isn’t always the best idea.

I’ll have one in 20 years or so when I’m in my 60s and I can have a 30lb one for £2k.

Until then I don’t think I need one.

they are fun but you loose a lot of the physical challange, so I would have one if that was the only way I could compensate for an injury, but having one would make me less likely to try to fix that injury so I could ride, I would just take the easy option of the e-bike.

I will stick with cycling.

Hemmingway's been deed 60 years.

and could be a pompous **** even then.

If I could see the future I wouldn’t be wasting my time on here, but my bet is that in less than five years they’ll return to being a small niche and the manufacturers will be trying to sell us something else.

Has it been a week already since the last one ?

Once they outlaw regular bikes it might happen.

I find it hilarious when naive folk impose an age limit on themselves in regards to using an ebike.

unless you genuinely think it's going to take until you're 60/70/80* (*delete as inappropriate) for you to gain the skill to ride one well...

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They’ll never take over completely for the same reasons that people still ride rigid single speeds:-

Weight
Simplicity
Challenge
Attention/showing off
Cost

Pick one or all those reasons.

death of the universe they'll definitely not be around then.

and could be a pompous * even then

And you can be a pompous * now. At least he was a great writer and a genuine adventurer, you ?????
Personally I'll never have a E-mtb, the physical challenge is why I ride. Maybe way in the future a E-hybrid to get me out on sustrains routes, just to get out in the fresh air before I finally shuffle off.

Never. As each of us gets older and succumbs to the temptation there will be a younger generation who still want to cycle without electronic assistance. I intend to carry on without for as long as possible as the fitness/challenge element is one of the main reasons I cycle.

(and yes, I've probably ridden as many electric bikes as anyone else on this thread)

This topic sounds like somebody trying to convince themself they need an e bike to me!

However long it takes before i either cannot buy a non ebike, or I have a physical reason to need one. I know folk in their 70s that still ride analog mtbs, so hopefully it'll be a long time.

Nothing really against then, just actually enjoy the physical challenge of no power assist. Not the fittest at all, but having briefly had a go on one I don't buy the 'you still work as hard' line.

And you can be a pompous **** now. At least he was a great writer and a genuine adventurer, you ?????

Careful with that keyboard now. it won't last forever if you keep hitting it so hard 😉

Personally I’ll never have a E-mtb, the physical challenge is why I ride.

You saying getting a 50lb bike sideways stylishly over a 12ft step up isn't physically challenging?

I was a massive naysayer, I'm strong, young and fit, got one this winter, best thing I've ever done to get the most out of flat, slow trails, bought the fun back 10 fold on that kind of stuff and fitter and stronger than ever, on rubbish local xc stuff because I'm going faster on a bike I actually like, I have more fun and go harder for longer. I used to use a rigid xc 29 over winter just to have something that felt like the effort I was putting in was doing something, never again.

I keep fit and strong just so I can ride more fun stuff, be it uplift days or pump track, I definitely don't like the ebike as much as my proper bike for playing with the trail/jumps, but it's still pretty good.

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Never, I enjoy actually cycling.

I'm more ruined on a 2 hour thrash on the ebike than a 4 hour mission on the trail bike.

They are nt going to get significantly lighter and cheaper without a paradigm shift in motor and battery tech. Myself I suspect they are a fad that will fade away. For utility cycling they are great. for MTBing - too limiting by far for me - and yes I have ridden them. weight is far too much, range is far too small for what I like doing.

You saying getting a 50lb bike sideways stylishly over a 12ft step up isn’t physically challenging?

supply some stylish footage and we will judge.

As long as I’m fit enough to ride a proper MTB.....that’s where you’ll find me..

However, one day I might not be but till then though the only assistance I’ll be getting will either be a tail wind & a few pies (*probably not an actual pie...)

TJ do wake up mate.
they've gradually been getting lighter and lighter every single product year.
This won't stop happening for a good few years yet.
There is already a shift in motor and battery tech happening.
range is slowly extending. Plus there is also a very wide range of power assist outputs to choose from and motors to care for every end of that scale.
Variety in type of Emtb available is also increasing hugely.
Capability (ie. in what can be ridden on them) is already off the scale of regular mtb

I can confidently say I am better at every single facet of actually riding a mtb than you.
and I can still do absolutely everything on my 170mm 47lb E-mtb enduro bike that I do on my 170mm 30lb carbon enduro mtb.

Sorry dude but the limiting factor here is YOU!
not the bike

Early freeride bikes were 40+ lb and people were tail whipping them.

Your question would of been better if asked the majority of us rather than everyone .
It would be an impossibility for everyone.
I personally don,t have any issue with anyone wanting to use them but I personally would not ride one

I can confidently say I am better at every single fascette of actually riding a mtb than you.

"And you can be a pompous **** now."
Honestly geex your a well that keeps giving and giving 🤣🤣

I can confidently say I am better at every single fascette of actually riding a mtb than you.

What a prize wassock.

I can confidently say I am better at every single fascette of actually riding a mtb than you.

fascette - clamp or tie

Yep, you are probably are better at being a clamp than most people.

I can confidently say I am better at every single fascette of actually riding a mtb than you.

Bedwetter.

typo corrected for Dicktionary corner

only if you pay me in advance Yossarian

i may be wrong, but i am pretty sure me and WCA were the first on here tp have a ebike.
and they were great to keep us riding through illness when we would have had to stop.

once fixed i got shot of mine asap.
and until last week, i have had no desire to get one.
i almost bought one this week, but something told me not to surrender just yet. i like to suffer, it is one of the reasons i cycle.

in the future possibly, but hopefully no in the too near future.

Geex - I built one that was sub 40 lbs and I still prefered my sub 25 lb mtb to ride ( actually it was the ssme bike :-). Range just is not enough for much of what I like to do - unless run with minimal to no assistance in which case whats the point? I see them for stormtroupers at trail centres working OK - but for multiday offroad touring? Long rides of 50 mile plus?

Incremental improvements is all we have seen. To get a 30lb ebike with a 60 mile range will take a paradigm shift

Don't get me wrong - I enjoy riding them but the limitations / compromises mean they don't really work for me for the sort of offroad riding I like.

Geex was saying he is a better rider than me - and apart from physical endurance he will be correct. Remember we have ridden together in real life.

+1 to @yossarian for the points about access rights and perception.

@lister - I'll let you know in a couple of weeks about needing one in your sixties 😉

I can't see myself using one for the foreseeable future, I'm not going to say never, I might develop a heart condition or similar but on current performances it will be a while before I'd consider one.

TJ what you "built" is massively irrelevant to how capable, versatile and maneouverable a good modern Emtb these days is.

a range of 60miles isn't actually difficult by simply carrying a spare battery.
for mountainbiking*, why would it need to be 30lb? (serious question?)

WTF are you on about stormtroopers for? (this sin't even a thing)
trail centres are full of everyone from complete beginners to professional riders. Young to old, families, groups and folk looking for a quick "fun" ride in a safe all weather (mtb on a plate) environment.

*multiday off-road touring isn't mountainbiking

You're once again absolutely clueless about the subject.

I like a light bike. to me its nicer to ride. Simple as that.

Ermm - I bet I have riden in and around mountains much more than you 🙂 That would make me more of a mountainbiker.

Game set and match!

Oh - and the motor kit I used is actually as nice to ride as a bosch. they stopped making it as the market for high end add on kits collapsed and they couldn't compete on price with the bosch motor with Bafeng mopping up the cheapo end for add on kits

I think you would be surprised how nice a piece of kit it is.

… and apart from physical endurance he will be correct

Sounds like a key faucet* of mountain biking to me.

*childish giggles

Anyway, all pointless as regards the original post. One day I hope most homes have an eBike… I've been saying that on here for a decade… but of course bikes without any powered assistance will still be bought, owned, and ridden. Why on earth wouldn't they be? They are ace in so many use cases, from pub ride to scaring yourself silly off-road, and always will be.

They are very, very expensive. That's in comparison to purchasing a trail bike from a manufacturer like Commencal, Vitus, YT etc where the whole direct sales thing seems to be bringing out great bikes with a good spec at really competitive prices. I'm not sure how much more exactly I'd be willing to pay to go E properly, but currently 1.5 to 2k more is just too big a step for me.

Will prices come down quickly, or will everyone start accepting that (full sus) bikes start at £3.5k? I've no other opposition to the idea of having one though.

Here in the south of Germany it would appear almost everyone! From E-shopping bikes, e-fat bikes, e-road bikes and last week i even saw an e-childs bike, they have really taken off here. I can see the benefits for most - but for me, at the moment i prefer to put the effort in with my legs. (Although, it's super frustrating when some of the e-road bikes come past up some of the longer climbs!)

Shit the bed.

Riding bikes in mountains isn't mountain biking

But taking them round Mx tracks with 12ft step ups is.

Where does your book of definitions place 24 hours round a field in the terms of mountain biking...or is that intact a road bike time trial ?

I see them as becoming ever more popular for utility cycling. Pulling a trailer with 50+ lb of stuff back from B&Q is where they really shine or when yo9 have to make your third ride up to town from leith in a day

Timely question, as I type a MTB riders group just went passed the cafe I'm in. All nice £££ bikes, riders looked late 30s to early 50s and 1/2 were eMTBs.

I can confidently say I am better at every single fascette of actually riding a mtb than you.

Surfmatt walks among us again. Rejoice!

It's not ****ing tennis TJ. Despite living in a nicer area I'm still not posh enough. 😉

I actually bet you haven't ridden mtb in or around more mountains than me and I'd put money on me having ridden way more elevation in real mountains than you ever will.
I also bet your endurance fitness is no better than mine.
your threshold for dull riding is massively greater than mine. i'll give you that.

FYI:
I don't even have an ebike just now (Haven't had mine here for over 2 months).
I've been riding mainly my 4X bike, road bike and enduro bike in that time (with a l'il bit of BMX, some shitey just eat city bikes and a couple of short Emtb test rides)
I prefer riding all of my non-ebikes to my Emtb.
The emtb is great as another bike (got loads, eh?). But I wouldn't want to have only an emtb either.

I like light bikes too
100mm 4X hardtail is 25lb, roadbike 18, BMX 18, 170mm Enduro 30, DH bikes 35.
Emtb 47

Mothercare sell sheets for that Terry

What's the biggest wheelie you've done geex? Bet mines bigger.

Ps Does that give me any more right to have an opinion on mountain bikes?

I seem to remember you running out of steam when we rode together a few years back - and i had ridden 15 miles more than you 🙂 As for elevation?

Don't froth so much Geex It makes you look silly.

Still happy trails old chap

Can see the head lines now . Cory Wallace elects to ride ebike at 2019 24hour world champs as it makes even dull rides come alive.

(Still as much part of the wide ranging definition of mountain biking as sending it gravity assisted over a 12 ft step up and leaving the back end hanging out -even if you don't think it is)

Top work there Sofaking.

It's like shooting fish in a barrel.
You going to start a new thread with pics of your nice new bike or post them on this one?
🤣

For those that have a few bikes, and who can afford an ebike, I suspect they will become one of the types of bike such people own, along with their commuter, road bike, XC bike, trail bike and so on. Just another competitor for garage space really.

For those that have a few bikes, and who can afford an ebike, I suspect they will become one of the types of bike such people own, along with their commuter, road bike, XC bike, trail bike and so on. Just another competitor for garage space really.

TBH I'd currently rather spend that money on a motorbike.

I’m mainly an ebiker and I ride for the Adrenalin buzz of riding as quick as I can, if I had a downhill centre and lift on my doorstep that is all I would do but as I don’t the bike turns lots of trails into faster trails. Most I speak to on the trails are riding a bike for the physical challenge too so will never ride an ebike, they also seem to struggle to understand why anyone would ride for the reasons I give.
They also make the mistake that an ebike takes away the physical effort, it doesn’t if you choose to try as hard as on a normal bike, at my local trail centre I’m 20-25mins quicker round a red route than on a normal bike, that’s the difference the ebike makes. If I went the same speed as my normal bike I wouldn’t get a workout but I don’t I use the power to add to the speed not to make the ride easier. Extra speed also gives me the incentive to try harder I don’t get that incentive going uphill slowly puffing out my arse which goes back to the main reason I use one and that’s not for fitness

My time on the ebike is also the same as the fastest rider on a normal bike, that being a top class racer so it shows how much speed the ebike adds which shows how much excitement it adds.

I have however just bought a new normal bike as my fitness has increased loads so I can now enjoy a more gentler ride which goes against why I started on an ebike 6 months ago 😀😀

Actually, is anyone/ does anyone know of an e-mtber who doesn't also ride a normally aspirated one?
That crossed with crouchy's post

For those that have a few bikes, and who can afford an ebike, I suspect they will become one of the types of bike such people own, along with their commuter, road bike, XC bike, trail bike and so on. Just another competitor for garage space really.

TBH I’d currently rather spend that money on a motorbike.

Different sports, how many motorbikes would you have in the garage?

My serious answer to what I don't think is a serious question is that the bikes will still continue to struggle with weight. I don't agree that weight will come down to what I'd call acceptable levels due to the increase in wear and tear on these bikes. We are getting E-tires, brakes etc all beefed up to handle the extra forces placed on the bikes which will partially counter-act the weight losses elsewhere. Drivetrains are getting worn out fast due to the extra load placed on them too. Which leads us to the whole 'strong, light, cheap, choose two' scenario. Sram make an E-specific drivetrain but have you seen the price of it?! Will motors get lighter without an increase in price? Many of them sound like the bearings have dried out within a few months as it is. Creaky bottom bracket? Time for a new motor I guess? You gotta pay to play.

I also find it amusing doing updates on these things and seeing what mode people run them in most of the time. Full turbo! Why? We'll if you don't then they always feel less efficient than an 'acoustic' bike to me due to the weight, and guessing here but I bet pedaling a bike with a motor is sucking some of the efficiency out of the system. They are certainly horrible to pedal unassisted.
So you end up with a bike that's 45lb+ that you have to run in max assistance all the time that's wearing out parts like there's no tomorrow, and good luck lifting it into the back of your car, truck etc. Or maybe we'll get lighter bikes that cost as much as a car and still less fun than ripping around Cannock Chase on a 23lb hardtail. Given the choice of riding a 50lb bike around Cannock or slathering my cock and balls with fresh blood and waving them at an angry Pit Bull, I think I'd go with the latter.

"You going to start a new thread with pics of your nice new bike or post them on this one?" will save that for another day Stu 🙂

greyspoke has kind of hit on a very good point there that gets overlooked by a lot of the haters.
I sometimes ride my ebike and I sometimes ride one of my other non ebikes.
I've just come back from a weeks riding in Spain and on the same trip were a couple where the guy was almost 70.
He was on a normal bike like everyone else on the trip but kept saying that he'd "not given up" and wouldn't buy an ebike until he had.
Seems a waste that he'll wait until he's unable to ride offroad and enjoy it.
He had no problem getting in the uplift bus but thought that ebikes were "cheating"
Seems a bit odd to me.
The suggestion of buying one and self uplifting seems totally lost on some people that will quite happily sit in a bus or on a chairlift.

will save that for another day Stu 🙂

Another day another bit of fun ay.😎

Never, they are shit

A really strong case with an insightfull back up of evindence there wildly.

tjagain

Member
I see them as becoming ever more popular for utility cycling.

The drug dealers Deliveroo vehicle in Newport it would seem.
One cut me up as it delivered its little white wrap as I cycled back home after todays club ride ... they are pretty fast!

Maybe not quite yet - but I definitely see me getting one in the future.
In our club the old fellas do their own club ride because inevitable they cannot keep up on the climbs, or if the pace picks up a couple mph with the younger riders. So if an ebike provided a bit of electric assistance to keep up with the group - I see them as a great option.

But of course they need to get much lighter and offer more distance than they do presently.

No worries, glad to be of service

Point still remains, they are shit.

Can't see them replacing non battery powered bikes altogether. They don't interest me at moment but I dare say one day I'll be looking at them as my body falls apart!

I can confidently say I am better at every single facet of actually riding a mtb than you.

Can we please have a Singletrack poll over there >
Question is - "How much of a cockwomble do you think Geex is?"
a) Mildly cockwomblish.
b) A big cockwomble.
c) A cockwomble of deathstar proportions.

I seem to remember you running out of steam when we rode together a few years back – and i had ridden 15 miles more than you 🙂

*sigh*
No TJ. I'd ridden to the starting point of that ride aswell so we'd probably ridden roughly the same distance. The main difference between us is 'how' we ride. not the distances. always has been and probably always will.
Riding along sat down for ages just turning the cranks at a steady pace and rarely putting any more body language than turning the bars slightly isn't really tiring in the slightest and doesn't really take a huge level of endurance fitness. I just find riding like that on any mtb incredibly dull and prefer sprinting about popping wheelies and manuals and putting more effort into the faster, twistier flat and descending parts of all the rides I do. Infact I even find riding my roadbike that steadily pretty dull.
I wouldn't want an Ebike at all if I rode like you.

Arrange another ride out this way and if I'm free I'll gladly lead it for you. My local trail knowledge here is very good. (I might even warn you before leading you in to any gap jumps and doubles) It's been ages and yer craik is better in person.
Bring sheckles for a bevy as well.

The only time I ever froth is from my cock not my head and it's certainly never going to be caused by anything you type on a forum 😉