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suspect they are a fad that will fade away.
Absolute Horlicks. They've been around for ages now and getting better every year and more and more people ride them. If you actually mountain biked more you'd see that. Two weeks ago I was out with a group of 12. We did nearly 30 miles in amongst some proper hills. Two of the guys were on ebikes and would have missed out without them due to age and illness. It was great to see them enjoying their biking so much. I'm not ready for one yet, too stubborn and poor but definitely one day but there'll always be a place for "normal" MTBs.
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.
Eh?
Pedal a shimano or spesh Emtb switched off and there's no percievable drag from the motor at all.
If you have to pedal an Emtb in max assistance just to ride at a normal pace you probably do need one. (as opposed to just wanting one)
If you can't pedal one switched off for a few miles you're really not very fit/capable.
if you can't lift one into a car or over a gate you really aren't very strong/fit/able.
We are getting E-tires, brakes etc all beefed up to handle the extra forces placed on the bikes
No. That's just a con from the industry trying to get even more money from noob Ebikers by fooling them into believing they need e bike specific parts.
you don't.
You don't need anything heavier than you'd run on your standard bike when riding the same way on the same trails.
Standard 11 spd SLX lasts longer on an emtb than every Ebike specific drivetrain.
You're correct about motor bearing durability issues though. but fortunately every motor is warrantied for 2 years and worn bearings generally means a brand new motor.
I'm 65 and don't mind being old and slow. I'm also not prepared to make the financial outlay. i can't help thinking Ebiking would be a bit like fell walking on a hover board. I can see me contemplating assistance on a cargo bike in the future.
tom.
Maybe going for a ride with him would be better than a poll?
Not the same as bashing a keyboard though is it as it's harder to hide.😘
They’re not for me as getting to the top of the hill without dabbing is as much if not more of an attraction of mtb riding to me as ripping downhill. I search out lung burstingly, thigh burning hills to challenge me as much as I look for sweet descents. Don’t others judge the success of a ride in metres climbed?
I’m amazed at how popular they are nowadays given their cost. Who’d of thought £3000+ bikes would be so common outside pro use a few years ago?
It’s a different attitude to cycling, not necessarily wrong, but definitely outside the purity of the original human powered sport.
I don't think me and his ego would fit on the same trail.
Saw quite a few out on the trails today. They all seemed to be having fun. Well apart from one biffer who'd killed his battery in turbo mode and was pushing back up the hill 😆
That's not a piss take BTW.
He really is good fun to ride with and was a great host in showing us some really good trails.
Strolling casually back to the ops question
I still think that the answer is never.
I still think that the answer is never.
Yep. A lot of people can't afford one/wouldn't want to spend the money while others are not interested in them and would rather ride as they do.
That’s not a piss take BTW.
He really is good fun to ride with and was a great host in showing us some really good trails.
It would be unusual for someone's online persona to actually match how they are in person. But this is online, and all most of us will ever have to go on regarding geex. So its..........
C.
I don’t get how any one cares so much. Don’t like them don’t get one and all that.
So you ride for the physical exertion etc, well why aren’t you slagging off dh riders taking the bus/chair? Surely an ebike is more effort than riding dh?
It would be unusual for someone’s online persona to actually match how they are in person.
Yep there's a few people on here that I've either met or ridden with can't walk the walk.
There's also plenty that have been great fun and no different in real life.
I don’t get how any one cares so much.
Exactly.
Got a shout from an uplift driver a couple of weeks ago of " are you putting any effort in"🤣
and no different in real life.
Which is a worry 😉😉
Roll the dice and you might just enjoy the results.😄
Yep there’s a few people on here that I’ve either met or ridden with can’t walk the walk.
You promised you wouldn't tell stu.
So you ride for the physical exertion etc, well why aren’t you slagging off dh riders taking the bus/chair? Surely an ebike is more effort than riding dh
I think it's probably because dh riders aren't pretending they're xc whippets.
Go ahead, buy an e-bike, it's fine, but don't then start pulling the 'it's just the same', 'I only do it for the extra distance', etc, etc.
There will be some outliers who really push the tech and beast their bikes, or who need it because of medical issues. But for the main it's lazy-arse biffers with more money than sense, who want to have their cake and eat it without putting in some effort.
*Sits back and waits for the squeals of annoyance*
In answer to the OP, probably a long way off yet. Much the same way as MBR confidently predicted that everyone would be on 6" travel FS for many many years of utterly shite bike reviews and they were, as usual, completely totally wrong. 6" travel bikes have their place and most are very very good indeed but not everyone wants / needs one.
Same with e-bikes - they're generally superb, they're an absolute riot to ride, open up new dimensions to technical trails (especially climbs), they're good at getting less fit / able people out onto the trails perhaps helping with injury or illness rehab and for utility cycling they're amazing; they open up huge possibilities for last-mile deliveries that don't involve vans or cars, enabling mobility for older people whi again might otherwsie be reliant on a car or public transport so yes, I'm all in favour of them.
But then it comes down to things like cost, practicality, storage space and individuals justification for one. I'd love one but I can't afford it right now and given how little MTBing I do, I can't justify it either. Unless it'd get me out doing a lot more MTBing... Hmmm.
ajantom 🙂
You promised you wouldn’t tell stu.
😁
It's the new cool thing, like fat bikes were and all those other things. For a utility commuter focus trey are great, was awesome to see people riding to work further or more uphill than they would have done before. It's doing an excellent job of getting people out of cars in places.
For trails and mountain biking zero interest frim me, and I think a great number of people still see mountain biking as an unpowred sport or pastime where the rewards are earned - be that the decent or the fitness it gives you back.
So for the op not a chance of them being the default choice, it will be interesting to see how the market and manufacturers go with battery and motor swaps and the cost of those.
“Standard 11 spd SLX lasts longer on an emtb than every Ebike specific drivetrain.”
I hope so! Too many miles in turbo mode has destroyed the second smallest sprocket on my NX cassette in only 600 miles as that seems to match the 15mph cruising speed.
I'd quite like one but the weight is definitely a problem. 72 today with a bad back I've suffered with on and off for over 30yrs (loading in car & hoisting over gates/stiles would be a no no). My sore & aching arthritic knees really could do with some assistance though because ride mileage is now under 20 miles unless flatish.
Ride a Clockwork HT & a Four FS in West Yorkshire, Dales, North York Moors, Calderdale, Lancashire & occasional forays to the Peak & Lakes.
Would have been great climbing up this hill
[img] 
[/img]
ajantom
My views are pretty much the same offline. I probably swear a little more in real life but just as online rarely ever take anything too seriously. My humour is just as dry and I'm just as honest sharing most views. Just as realistic about my own riding experience.
What I don't really do online or off is snidey name calling.. and I'd bet you'd not be brave enough to do it to my face. (you don't even have the balls to apologise here).
With mates I love nothing more than royally ripping the piss out of each other in most situations... but only because we genuinely like each other.
If you're genuinely a total dick it'll usually be apparent rather quickly. in which case I'd probably just laugh at you and move on.
*No one actually cares what you think. nevermind squeal*.
When I can't pedal a normal bike anymore.
and C.
Chief.
I found with the Emtb specific cassettes having both wider range and less sprockets (bigger jumps) meant I end up using the same few sprockets far more often. This all added up to far more wear in certain favoured gear ratios. I had 15t sprockets lasting just 100miles. With a 36t chainring 15t or 17t (dependent on gradient) are my preferred sprint/spin up out of corners gearing but with less gears on an "Emtb specific cassette" there was no 17t but a useless 18t instead. Because of this I ended up in the 15t far far more. the individual sprockets were also far less hardwearing. (100miles Vs 1200 for SLX). It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to work out which brand I was talking about.
What I don’t really do online or off is snidey name calling.. and I’d bet you’d not be brave enough to do it to my face. (you don’t even have the balls to apologise here)
It's not snidey name calling. I do honestly think you come across as a massive knobber. This may be your online persona, but I suspect I'm not alone in thinking this based on your posts.
I haven't apologised because I see nothing to apologise for, and I would happily say all this to your face. I'm well known amongst friends as not being backwards in coming forwards with my opinions.
It’s not snidey name calling. I do honestly think you come across as a massive knobber. This may be your online persona, but I suspect I’m not alone in thinking this based on your posts.
He does come across as well..a bit of a cock. It might just be how he comes across on the page though. I’ve know a few like that - sound enough in person but have some kind of weird ****tish version of themselves online. I guess that the knowledge and obvious experience of riding gets mixed up in the ego inflation. Some folk just can’t help themselves when they have an audience and an image to uphold. It’s almost like they are in some kind of ‘assisted’ state 😉
It’s pretty easy to see person plus motor means more speed, more speed means more fun simples.
As for the weight of the bike there’s enough back to back tests with normal bikes and there seems little difference in times even on downhill runs, even at my novice level riding with normal bikes on sections my ebike has no power advantage there’s little difference.
As for the cost I’ve come from racing motorbikes and this cycling lark is silly cheap, a day out at bpw costs £35 and my local trail centre is a £10 with parking and food. If you’re finding cycling expensive you should have listened more at school like the ebikers 😀😁😀😁
Met a couple of e-bikers recently.
A couple of lads at Farmer Johns using their motors to do lap after lap, but Jesus the landings sounded VERY heavy!!!
A bloke at Foel G practiced the day before the enduro on his e-bike and then raced on his pushbike. Not exactly spirit of enduro but there’s no rules against it...yet.
Today I rode at Hamsterley there was some sort of e-bike demo and lots of smug riders cruising past me. Thankfully I had enough in reserve to shout insults.
Chatting to a couple of e-bikers after and one said: “it’s great for me because I smoke and it’s easier on my lungs”.
Would I ride one yea I would, but the ones I’ve ridden are heavy and shit on twisty single track.
That embn video with Brayton and Jones looks brilliant though - my kind of e-Biking.
A couple of lads at Farmer Johns using their motors to do lap after lap, but Jesus the landings sounded VERY heavy!!!
Never been to farmer Johns but it's exacly the same to land one smoothly as it is to land a regular bike. you've gotta remember a lot of emtb riders are sort of nooby and tend to go for longer travel bikes.
Go to glentress freeride area and most of the jump/drop landings you hear/see make me whince for the same reason. none are by Ebikes.
Hopefully these lads'll get the hang of it faster (MORE LAPS) and end up smoother.
Sofaking, I thought you wanted click bait thread titles banned...😉
A couple of lads at Farmer Johns using their motors to do lap after lap, but Jesus the landings sounded VERY heavy!!!
I hate to agree with geex but that will be down to the rider not the bike.
@pennine
Happy birthday. I hope I’m still doing 20 mile rides when I’m your age.
If he gets banned again will he come back as GWhy?
"If you can’t pedal one switched off for a few miles you’re really not very fit/capable.
if you can’t lift one into a car or over a gate you really aren’t very strong/fit/able."
....And the main market for these bikes is.....? 😉
I love my ebike but I don’t consider myself a cyclist, I’m a mountain biker.
I get why people love the challenge of riding uphill but it does nothing for me, it’s just the shit bit on the way to the good bit.
Look through any of these threads and it’s usually the people who refer to themselves as cyclists who dislike the idea of ebikes. That’s fine but don’t look down on the people who enjoy them, we aren’t all fat lazy biffers.
I don't get the hate. They are enormous fun.
I'm going to get one when I'm old and frail.
But first I have to go through the gears and suspension frailty stage... 🙂
Take the point about landing smooth etc and to be fair you don’t hear horrible noises from Sam Pilgrim’s bike , but if it does go a bit wrong on an e-bike with all that weight it sounds horrible. Must feel pretty nasty too!
But the lads at Farmer Johns must have done ten runs while I was pissing about in the woods, so yea there’s some accelerated learning for e-bikers!
No. That’s just a con from the industry trying to get even more money from noob Ebikers by fooling them into believing they need e bike specific parts.
Are you referring to OEM parts on ebikes being beefed up? If so, that's more about passing more stringent tests and reducing the volume of warranty returns. No one is being fooled to spend more, just manufacturers making sure the kit is up to the job.
There's a guy on a shop ride I do who's in his 70's and because of the ebike, he's riding loads and can keep up with the younger guys on the ride.
I'm 37 and I'm not yet in the market for an e-mtb, but I would love to still be riding in another 35 years time, and an e-mtb is probably going to let me do that!!
I am in the market for an ebike of a different kind though, a lightweight road ebike, for commuting - 3-4kg heavier than a regular road/gravel bike, and the assistance should let me climb at 15mph and then will have little affect (other than the weight) on the flat or downhills. End result will be either a much faster commute to work, or a slower commute but no need to have a shower at the end. Also, doing 20 miles a day to work and back n a regular bike would probably see me exhausted come the weekend and not wanting to ride my mtb. 20 miles a day on an ebike will be just fine I reckon.
ebikes certainly have their place, and they are starting to get really good - YT Decoy, and road bikes like the Orbea gain.
I don't mind ebikes at all and I think they are here to stay as many have said.
What I would be really gutted about is if they became the absolute default and you could no longer buy purely human powered bikes but I just don't see that ever being a problem.
Not sure ebikes are for me though as I enjoy the ups even if im pushing the bike up. In fact I'll some times go an off road route I know I am not even close to being fit enough to get up... because I get to enjoy the countryside around me on a different level when I'm at walking speed. Yet.... The idea of pure hiking doesn't attract me,odd eh?Lol
I suppose I'm old enough that I now appreciate that even when biking there is a lot of enjoyment to be had when going slow our even just pushing the bike along.
My opinion would probably have been very different 20 years back.
Are you referring to OEM parts on ebikes being beefed up?
Nope.
I'm referring to overpriced "Ebike specific" components and accessories.
Everything from saddles, to chain lube to cleaning products to wheels n tyres to drivetrain components and brakes. Most are overpriced and chains and cassettes in particular are a massive rip off (there's no new technology in them and they are often actually less durable)
We already had plenty strong and durable enough components for Emtb readily available.
if you're a trail rider on a trail Emtb normal trail parts will be plenty strong enough.
If you're more of an enduro rider on a longer travel Endoro emtb normal enduro parts are strong enough.
DHer? hucker? jumper? exactly the same deal.
Other than the motor, battery and controller there's nothing different about an emtb other than it's weight and 15lb extra weight all situated down low and centrally does not suddenly mean you should need anything hugely stronger.
If you put on a stone or carry a heavy backpack do you change all the parts on your regular bikes?
No.
You up the tyre and shock pressures slighty alter rebound and go riding.
If I were a lot richer than I am now I could see myself having two. A commuter/folder, to help stop me getting sweaty on the way to and from trains etc, and a long travel bike to use as a portable uplift. There are a load of great technical trails down the side of a mountain in Sirhowy Valley, but the way back to the top is 20 odd minutes of winching on fire-road. I can see how an e-bike would be very useful there. I like to ride my normal bike out there but it takes an hour because the ride over is very hilly too, and an e-bike would really help there too.
However I'd still like a conventional long travel bike for the lightness and for the general biking. The e version would have pretty specific uses for me.
Actually, having read tallpaul's post, I do wonder if one of the 'stealth' road e-bikes would be useful for me to get to Bristol from Cardiff. That route's not that hilly though so most of it is spent above 15mph except for a few spots. I don't think it would save all that much time. But it's an interesting idea - maybe if it were de-restricted.
it’s an interesting idea – maybe if it were de-restricted.
A motorbike?
Other than the motor, battery and controller there’s nothing different about an emtb other than it’s weight and 15lb extra weight all situated down low and centrally does not suddenly mean you should need anything hugely stronger.
Agree. Point made even easier by the fact that the body weight between different riders can be way more than 15lbs. An 11 stone rider does not need a different bike than a 13 stone rider yet there is 28lbs difference.
Short answer is ‘never’ - they run counter to the simplicity of human powered transport that appeals to a lot of folk. I can understand their appeal for self-powered uplift at trail centres, but I wonder whether, if they became anything like ubiquitous on shared use trail systems, you might start to get conflict occurring, where they’d be vulnerable to the claim that they’re not ‘human powered’ in the spirit of the outdoor access laws.
A motorbike?
But then I would get no exercise at all...
They're not what I recognise as a 'true' bicycle as they lack that completely Human powered element, but they have their place in the world now, and I would never completely write off the possibility of me having one later in life. But while I can pedal for myself I would prefer to do so, even if it is slower.
The idea that they would become the 'default' choice is sort of laughable though, they'll always be more expensive, complex heavier and limited in range than their non 'E' equivalents, so there will always be a number of reasons to choose a conventional bicycle by default before going for a leccy one...
I can imagine I'd have one, maybe, but I'd always have a normal bike as well - I like riding up and downhill as hard as I can. If a lot of my riding buddies got them I'd probably be tempted to try and ride my normal bike with them as decent training - I do something similar now when they get the uplift truck at Innerleithen, I ride up and try to catch them at least every 2nd run.
I don't think riding an eMTB downhill on anything decently technical would help me be quicker on them, it'd only be on the climbs. I suspect that on a decently technical and steep trail my skills would be restricting my speed not my pedalling ability, and on less technical descents you'd be going over 15mph anyway. I'm happy for geex to set me right on that.
But, if other people fancy them they're more than welcome to have them. They're just bicycles, and they are really good fun. I'd definitely have one for commuting if my commute got too tedious.
I'm tempted by either a canyon or the new YT. I'd class myself as relatively fit but two young kids mean limited free time and based on the test I had on a levo a while back I can get a lot more downhill fun times in the same 2 hour biking slot with a similar level of physical effort. I completely get why they don't work for some but for my ride up fireroads and roads to then hoof down trails they make a lot of sense.
is there any video of geex being ******* awesome on an MTB or eMTB?
I keep reading about how ace he is.
I hate climbing so more downhills for less effort sound great to me, if I had the money I'd get one of those yt decoys.
I reckon I'd probably never ride my normal bike again apart from at uplift venues.
Would love to borrow one for a few weeks and give it a proper test, just to see whether I really would enjoy one, or whether I'd actually miss putting effort in uphill.
They're here to stay I reckon, but normal pedal powered bikes will also continue to be available . Just like motor bikes haven't eliminated pedal bikes, neither will e bikes.
I can imagine pages 2 and 3 were and bounce back and forth between geex and TJ, geex and someone else and geex and his ego, but I'll jump in and say, I like mountain biking, I've ridden eBikes on demo days and I can see they have their place in the world of "fun" (TheyFUHAVeyoueventriedonethey'resmcuhfun funfunf!) but, hopefully I can keep mountain biking for a bit longer and ddon't need to resort to an eBike. My son absolutely loved it when he demo'ed one - we were out riding last week and I suggested we get eBikes (he needs a new bike, still using my old one but will outgrow it) and he said "They're gay*". So that's the final word 😀
[url= https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Gay ]*[/url]
I love my ebike but I don’t consider myself a cyclist, I’m a mountain biker.
I get why people love the challenge of riding uphill but it does nothing for me, it’s just the shit bit on the way to the good bit.
Look through any of these threads and it’s usually the people who refer to themselves as cyclists who dislike the idea of ebikes. That’s fine but don’t look down on the people who enjoy them, we aren’t all fat lazy biffers.
This sums up eBike no for me (apart from the fat biffer bit).
I’m riding more distance, more often, more climbing, more technical than I ever did on my non-eMTB and I’m loving every sweaty, high heart-rate minute of it. If anyone doubts that an eBike can be a good workout I can show you some heart rate traces that prove it’s not the case.
As to the original question; I certainly hope they don’t take over, after all if everyone is riding them who will I pass on the climbs?
@blackflag maybe he is one of the emtber’s that I saw at a race in the tweed valley last year, we were grinding up a climb and they came past everyone smoking tabs and drinking cans of tenants, that was ******* awesome!
I don't know about "everyone" being on one, but I do reckon they're good, and I'd certainly entertain the idea of one right now. I've never understood what I interpret as some kind of old purist "cyclist" mentality of "it's about suffering and physical effort", having come into MTB from an action sports background rather than "cycling".
My view? It opens up riding to a potential new market, as well as widening the scope for some seriously big rides. Saw this last week and really liked the idea - a hell of a day out by the looks of things:
I’ve never understood what I interpret as some kind of old purist “cyclist” mentality of “it’s about suffering and physical effort”
Thing is, why make any effort at all? I'm sure mx bikes are more "fun".. there was a twonk at Swinley on the weekend on a E-MX bike. Was he having so much more fun than everyone else? Because he didn't have to pedal at all! Why don't we all get those? Lets get rid of effort altogether!
Me personally, i tried one for the first time at the bike show, and it seemed fun, but not for me, i like the fact that cycling (road, gravel, MTB whatever..) is something i do to try and push my personal limits, me as a piece of bio-mechanical machinery, i'm not that fit compared to some at all, but i like to see what this old knackered body can do self-propelled (and yes i know that you still get a workout, yada-yada...)
What i would really like to see is them putting as much effort into using e-bikes for cargo carrying purposes and commuters and to try and replace some of the traffic on the roads here in the UK, as they do so well in some European Countries, instead of just making "toys for the boys", I think that is where the true benefit could come, getting people out of a car and getting fit and outside riding e-bike to work, or collecting shopping etc.
Thing is, why make any effort at all? I’m sure mx bikes are more “fun”.
Ever ridden an MX bike?
The average “cyclist” would be destroyed in a couple of laps
Nice selective quote.
I rode one the other week. Posted about it on here. Said I liked it, but ultimately didn’t want one. Got slagged off.
I’ll have one when I can’t do what I want to do on a non Ebike.
is there any video of geex being ******* awesome on an MTB or eMTB?
Annoyingly, his Strava times on rowdy downhills in the Tweed Valley are very fast. He's very humble about how fast he is on here 😉
Nice
Cheers buddy 🙂
Welcome
To the OP, I have one & I bet that doesn't shock you 😉
I like to occasionally ride with friends who are fitter than me & an ebike lets me do that, I tend to ride in eco & you don't get as much assistance as most people think, most of my mates that have never had a go on one are shocked at how little assistance you get in any setting other than turbo, proper emtb's are very different to hub drives & bolt on kits, they are also very clever in dishing out the power. If you think you can ride them without putting in the effort then think again & get a test ride.
Another reason I bought one was I can ride a bike that I normally wouldn't, my Merida E120 is way more bike than I need but I like a tougher planted bike more than the skittish lightweight hardtail I would normally choose to ride (to compensate for my lack of fitness) & the rear suspension helps my aching back loads. Yes I'm sure I could ride a nice normal FS if I got fitter & if your goals are fitness over fun then I'm sure its not the way to go but for me I don't get enough time to ride to get fit but I still love to get out on the bike when I have time & the weather is playing ball, maybe I'm just a fair weather MTBer but its still my main hobby.
Cheers.
I'm 43, fairly fit, run 30 miles a week, my next bike will be a burly E-nduro bike.
Bring it.
Actually, having read tallpaul’s post, I do wonder if one of the ‘stealth’ road e-bikes would be useful for me to get to Bristol from Cardiff. That route’s not that hilly though so most of it is spent above 15mph except for a few spots. I don’t think it would save all that much time. But it’s an interesting idea – maybe if it were de-restricted.
I doubt it would help much as you'd be above the assistance level most of the time, only if there's a massive headwind would it help.
The good thing about the lightweight e-road bikes is they should still be able to be ridden at 'normal' road bike speeds on the flat and then you'll be able to climb like a tour de France winner 😀
A really hilly commute is where they'll come into their own.
I've taken both a hardtail and a fulls us e-mtb out around some trails and was impressed at ow easy they made things, but also at how much extra momentum they took into corners. I guess you would get used to that eventually, but it freaked me out the first few times.
Round town, they make a load more sense. People can cycle commute for further away in the same time _and_ not turn up to work a sweaty mess. Charge the battery at work and you have a winner; it's the reason Stockholm has a 25% discount for e-bikes in the city.
Even though I know that they have the edge on me up hills, it _still_ does not stop me from trying to keep up or stay ahead of them. I'm trashed after some of the hills.
I don't mind the idea of ebikes, and there are situations in which I could even see myself using one (such as old age, infirmity, or even just as an alternative to the car as a serious commuter alternative).
I feel very uncomfortable, however, with the suggestion that riding ebikes is "just another form of cycling". It is and it isn't, and I don't think we've figured out exactly where they fall on the spectrum.
@molgrips and I saw a father and son on ebikes at Cwmcarn last year, and we had a bit of a debate then as to whether that should be normalised or not. My instinctive position was that an apparently healthy dad and son riding ebikes around trails should not be confused with the rigours of actual riding. Then again, as molgrips argued, without the ebikes perhaps they wouldn't have been out at all.
I don't know what the answer is, although I am inclined to think that if we could visually demarcate ebikes somehow, so that psychologically we made the distinction between the "pure" activity and the "assisted" activity, it would be a good thing.
So in answer to the OP's question: Everyone one an emtb? Hopefully never. Everyone who needs one? Anytime.
how much extra momentum they took into corners. I guess you would get used to that eventually
Eventually?
You get used to it very very quickly.
it's really not an issue at all after just one or two proper rides.
They also generate greater grip (with the same tyres)
braking points do alter between an Emtb and a similarly spec'd mtb with the same tyres. but it's actually a really subtle difference.
pretty much all emtbs have 200mm rotors and 3 pot pistons so braking control isn't an issue.
Because of the motor it's tempting to put a half crank in between consecutive downhill corners (like switchbacks or tight rutted/bermed turns) to boost out of them. When in reality if your cornering technique is good an Emtb holds more momentum through the corner in the first place so you can end up then needing to overbrake before each subsequent corner.
I ride a lot smoother on an emtb than a 15lb lighter enduro bike with the same travel, similar suspension, similar geometry, tyres and parts. even with the motor switched off.
I descend right around the same speed on each. (maybe one or two seconds difference over a 2min technical descent - ie. no pedalling)
I'm young-ish and enjoy the descents, will consider for next bike or even before if I could afford it. I could go out for a power hour ride after work and get more descents in, sounds excellent to me.
I don’t know what the answer is, although I am inclined to think that if we could visually demarcate ebikes somehow, so that psychologically we made the distinction between the “pure” activity and the “assisted” activity, it would be a good thing.
What a load of shite.
Am I allowed one of these? Its on my list for when I retire for a loooooooong tour with lots of hills
What a load of shite.
By all means say so, but do you want to say why? I'm open to argument, but if I went swimming with someone who was using invisible fins while I wasn't, and he was consistently able to out-perform me when I didn't expect it, then I would be left wondering why. Hell, I might even get a bit frustrated.
If, however, I knew he was using fins (i.e. they were fully visible), it wouldn't bother me at all, as their visibility would be like disclosure.
But by all means, disagree.
the distinction between the “pure” activity and the “assisted” activity,
So are the rigid SSers the purest*?
*purest idiots maybe
I am inclined to think that if we could visually demarcate ebikes somehow, so that psychologically we made the distinction between the “pure” activity and the “assisted” activity
But why does it matter? The only reason it would matter is if you care who's beating you to the top of climbs. In a recreational context, it doesn't matter really. As I say to my kids, just do your best and that's enough. It's not a race, at least as far as random strangers are concerned.
I would be left wondering why. Hell, I might even get a bit frustrated.
To always be comparing yourself to whoever you see out and about - is that not a rather negative mindset?
*purest idiots maybe
Na, they'd have blonde hair and blue eyes. Aryan bikers, or A-bikes.
The ebike riders could wear an arm band, denote them from the purists?.