Anyone else get called a cheat??

[Snoozeboy]

Yesterday made a little trip into the woods, there were only 15 to 20 other mtb riders. At least 10 looked at me and almost shaked their heads. Are you sick or lazy?thats how they looked at me.Here in Holland it's a real big no, those EMTB.
But I smile and love it.??

Holland not big on mountains either. Did the other MTBers have baskets on the front?

 

[SolePassenger]

I work 10+ hour days of manual labor on concrete floors, Sometimes 6 days a week. And I now ride too and from work on my bike. Anyone who calls me a cheat for getting out and enjoying my small amount of free time can go kick rocks.

I wouldn't have the energy to get out and ride if it weren't for my Ebike. I've lost a ridiculous amount of weight considering how short a time frame I've been riding (7kg in little over 2 weeks), I understand that ebikes wont be for everyone, And that's totally fine, But why try and dampen someone else's enjoyment in what in my eyes is a hobby/sport about bettering yourself and improving your own skills.

 

[iXi]

I always ride with music blaring through my galaxy buds so I have nfi if anyone actually says anything, I've had some odd looks but couldn't care less cause I'm enjoying myself.

 

[Alan wolfe]

I bought an e-mtb for a few reasons - to get out on my bike again after a long period of absence (and corresponding loss of fitness), to be able to keep up with my husband, to go further and faster and to love mountain biking again! Twice in one day last week I was accused of being a cheat when people realised I was riding an emtb. I tried to explain why I ride electric but just got the “nah nah nah, it’s just cheating!”response. Anyone else get this? How do you respond?

Get it all time tell them try before judge then just ignore them as climbing past them lol

 

[drjarvis2003]

I know that i have said it on here before, but first off nobody has ever been nasty to me on the trails about this although one guy that had a moan, complaining that i was not having as much fun as everyone else on the Golfie trails near Innerleithen, not realizing that the people who he was talking to were with me.
when i hear the cheating thing, my reply is always that this will be you in 2 years and more often than not the answer is, yes i know!
I think nowadays most people are not being malicious when they make that comment, well maybe online!

 

[Akiwi]

I love the comment on another thread here with the best answers. The one that made me laugh was.
when called a "cheat" answer:
"Ooooh, so your wife told you about us." ;-)

 

[Rocket Roche]

On the odd occasion of a cheat comment I reply with there is no cheating in having fun! And it usually all goes quite...

 

[njn]

It's cheating if you are posting strava KOMs on bike segments.

 

[TommyBall]

Most folks are interested in the bike and how it works. But as life is varied then there are other who are a*!?&@*!s who take life too seriously and like to spoil the enjoyment of others regardless.

The type of people who sit in the outside lane with no traffic at 69mph and don't move because they are doing the limit. Everyone must abide to their rules or only chaos will reign. T*"#s!!!

 

[Ross1137]

I bought an e-mtb for a few reasons - to get out on my bike again after a long period of absence (and corresponding loss of fitness), to be able to keep up with my husband, to go further and faster and to love mountain biking again! Twice in one day last week I was accused of being a cheat when people realised I was riding an emtb. I tried to explain why I ride electric but just got the “nah nah nah, it’s just cheating!”response. Anyone else get this? How do you respond?

I just tell em to f.. K off.

 

[lumpy]

I have gotten a few "cheater" comments. I point out my age and tell them about what's left of my knee and they usually back off. One guy I see fairly regularly has kept up the comments and refuses to try my bike when I offer. I just called him a cheater back when I pointed out his whole bike was carbon and a "real rider" wouldn't ride one of those fancy pants things.
I think it comes down to them suffering to get up a mountain and upon seeing someone who didn't have to suffer gets under their skin. They feel I haven't earned it.

By the way, I live in the SF Bay area and despite the USA anti-ebike sentiment, I'm seeing more of them every day and I'm getting lots more "nice bike" comments.

Tim

 

[gaba]

My response:

 

[Dirtnvert]

I have gotten a few "cheater" comments. I point out my age and tell them about what's left of my knee and they usually back off. One guy I see fairly regularly has kept up the comments and refuses to try my bike when I offer. I just called him a cheater back when I pointed out his whole bike was carbon and a "real rider" wouldn't ride one of those fancy pants things.
I think it comes down to them suffering to get up a mountain and upon seeing someone who didn't have to suffer gets under their skin. They feel I haven't earned it.

By the way, I live in the SF Bay area and despite the USA anti-ebike sentiment, I'm seeing more of them every day and I'm getting lots more "nice bike" comments.

Tim

Haa that's good. If he keeps comment you may want to say, we all make choices to gain an advantage to have more fun. You should make better choices like ditch the fancy pants plastic bike for en eeb

 

[xcentric]

my first mtb was one of the first mtb's - a Specialized stump jumper in yellow - think they were all yellow. No suspension, no decent brakes, no particularly low gears. If ebiking is cheating, then I guess anything that has come after that stumpy is cheating too. Fancy gears? cheat. Brakes - cheat. Carbon - cheat. Suspension - cheat. Or, just get with the progress program.....

 

[Ross1137]

Oh I'm sorry! We're we racing each other?... Wanker.

 

[Sideup]

Here is my perspective from a old mountain biker that has just spent the first week on his new emtb.
No one will remember this but my first mountain bike was a Cannondale with a 26 inch front and a 24 inch rear. 1984ish?

As an avid mountain biker for some 35 years. I too could not see the point of e-bikes. UNTIL at 63 years old I was diagnosed with chronic Asthma. Realizing I had to quit stressing my lungs so much I gave e-bikes another look. I realized my perception was completely wrong. Best way for me to describe it was it gave me the stronger legs when I was much younger and I wasn't maxing out my heart rate and lungs on those steep climbs. Coming down hill for the most part the system is off and is just like a MTB. It is allowing me to keep my HR at an steady aerobic level, not over stressing my breathing and still enjoy MTB the sport I have loved for so many years. I have never smoked, the asthma just lower the hammer on me last year. Living in the States I will respect the rules and hope for the best. I am not out to prove anything I just want to keep riding. Bottom line , never say never. Stuff happens you can’t control, but in this example technology has given me the gift that I don’t have to stop what I enjoy.

 

[Pdoz]

We had a family ride today into a 20 knt headwind. At the 20 minute mark, sprog 3 ran out of juice . No worries, he can ride cheetah .

Anyone who has a problem with that is an egotist.

 

[Yielar]

I've had a couple stopped out of breath on a popular steep hill in my area say I was "cheating" and I said, "no I changed the game" and they got a chuckle. Most people say something like that in jest and deep down they're simple jealous if you ask me. All good, doesn't bother me. I firmly believe eMTB's are the future and for those who can afford them will buy them and the rest will wait until prices drop substantially.

 

[Pdoz]

I've had a couple stopped out of breath on a popular steep hill in my area say I was "cheating" and I said, "no I changed the game" and they got a chuckle. Most people say something like that in jest and deep down they're simple jealous if you ask me. All good, doesn't bother me. I firmly believe eMTB's are the future and for those who can afford them will buy them and the rest will wait until prices drop substantially.

I love that response, thankyou.

A lighthearted response is appropriate for 90% of cheetah chanters , but there is a minority who are responding aggressively - even these people might think twice to " game changer" .

 

[SiDobsFig]

Choose as appropriate to who they appear to be.

# Give me your age (usually between 20 and 40 years younger than me) and you can have this bike!
# I'll bet I'm having more fun than you!
# Don't you believe in using technological advancements?
# Isn't suspension cheating?
# Isn't your carbon framed super lightweight blingtastic bike cheating vs a budget model?
# if you are such a purist, why aren't you riding an old school rigid steel bike?
# It's this or I'd be walking!
# Did you drive here?

Very good points. I have a work customer in Somerset who used to MTB and when I bought a Specialised Enduro he asked me if I had gone for a “Zebedee bike” eg suspension. He said he had tried one a couple of times years back but couldn’t get used to it.

 

[steve_sordy]

There are numpties in all walks of life.

 

[gaba]

If their ego is so fragile that their self worth diminishes when an Ebike passes, nothing I can say will help much.

 

[Pedro78]

Check out this tee!!

I ride EMTB, Yes I'm cheating but I don't give a f*@k. Haha

https://www.redbubble.com/people/mt...-71531d60e71c&ref=artist_shop_grid&style=mens

 

[derby]

We all have our personal reasons for riding an ebike. I'm getting older and wanted to ride the 4+ hour 4,000 vertical feet climbing rides again that I was able to ride often 25 years ago. I usually ride my 2018 Levo from my home in central Marin County, just north of San Francisco.

In my now 3 months of owning my ebike, just once while stopped and resting mid way up a very long climb, one high school rider in a group riding up past us called out "cheaters!". (Later we caught up because one of the high school riders had a flat and they didn't have tube or patch kit, we did and helped and had a good conversation).

During my first ebike rides when climbing past riders on regular bikes I felt embarrassed. But soon I felt sorry for them not also having an ebike.

I actually have heard much interest in my ebike by riders on regular mountain bikes. Here in the SF Bay Area where there is only much climbing everywhere except some flatter streets and bike paths between towns, I expect in 5 years most high end mountain bikes sold will be ebikes, even to much younger riders than me and other seniors.

But I accept I am "cheating" compared to the 3 times or more effort to climb the same hill on my similar suspension travel Hightower. And I know I must ride 3 times or more distance for the same calorie burn compared to no assist. But ebikes are allowed, and much more fun when there is much climbing, and not much more damaging to trails than a mountain bike other than enabling the same person to ride and erode 3 times or more trail distance compared to riding a true bicycle.

By the way, I've visited Holland. Holland is flat, everywhere. And I can see why there is nearly all negative views of ebikes in Holland. Unless carrying a heavy cargo load, an ebike is easily too fast and dangerous on flat roads or flat trails when mixed with many others on bicycles.

 

[xcentric]

chatting to a marshal on the EnduroWales event today (even saw a few emtbs there!) and his view was that they were fundamentally fine, but he got p***ed off with people blasting past on turbo without a request to move over - just being numpties themselves, really. On that basis, being called a cheat is getting off lightly!

Live and let live is the best bet.

 

[steve_sordy]

I was at a trail new to me today and it had some seriously steep climbs. Us five on our emtbs were stood at the top of one of these climbs watching a guy try to get up on his clockwork FS. He was very good and gave it his all but he failed. We commiserated, but he said "I could have done with some encouraging cheers!" As he was saying this a trainload of clockwork bikes approached the bottom of the same climb. As one voice, we all started yelling encouragement to the first guy and I'm sure he only managed it because of us urging him on (of course!). Every single one of the other dozen or so had to push up. It turned out the lead guy was the only one on a hardtail (he looked super fit by the way). I yelled out to the others "he's on a hardtail, he's cheating!"

 

[JimBo]

I was just re-reading a 2015 Anna Schwinn interview of an IMBA co-founder, who had this to say about "cheating" with eMTBs (emphases are mine):

MICHAEL KELLEY: ...I hear this other term. “Cheating.” Are you actually competing with an old dude on an e-bike? That he’s riding with you? Or even ahead of you? Does it really make the slightest difference to your life? Are you not confident enough in yourself that that’s a different thing? I’m cheating, yes- I’m cheating old age.

BIKERUMOR: It’s always a competition.

MICHAEL: If you get somebody who is able to keep up with you at any age with an e-bike, what difference does it make? I’ve gotten, “You’re cheating! You’re cheating!” a few times. Sweat is pouring off of me and I’m cheating. I don’t get it. There is an emotional response that these people are often having that this is some kind of competitive thing.

BIKERUMOR: I mean, suspension was, at one point, cheating.

MICHAEL: Yeah. “You’re cheating, you have suspension.” We’ve already covered that I’ve worked so long that- when I read these people that say I should hang it up-

BIKERUMOR: – which they’ll believe exactly until they have someone tell them that they have to hang it up.

MICHAEL: Or if they still believe it when they have to hang it up, that’s fine. I won’t miss you. I don’t like the idea people on e-bikes aren’t real cyclists. I’m sorry, I am a real cyclist. I’m not a great cyclist. I’m a real cyclist. It’s offensive. They don’t need to have those kinds of arguments...

 

[Akiwi]

chatting to a marshal on the EnduroWales event today (even saw a few emtbs there!) and his view was that they were fundamentally fine, but he got p***ed off with people blasting past on turbo without a request to move over - just being numpties themselves, really. On that basis, being called a cheat is getting off lightly!

Live and let live is the best bet.

I call them the Turbo Cowboys!!

 

[Snoozeboy]

By the way, I've visited Holland. Holland is flat, everywhere. And I can see why there is nearly all negative views of ebikes in Holland. Unless carrying a heavy cargo load, an ebike is easily too fast and dangerous on flat roads or flat trails when mixed with many others on bicycles.

But an ebikes (pedelecs) are only fast up to 25km/h, which isn't exactly quick. Thereafter, they're the same speed (or slower if they're Bosch).

I think the Dutch problem stems from a different source. It's likely a thowback from Calvinism. They don't like these "Cavaliers" turning up and getting places without virtue. One part which I have some sympathy with - Netherlands is almost completely flat, so there's little need for e-assistance on paved roads.

 

[Akiwi]

But an ebikes (pedelecs) are only fast up to 25km/h, which isn't exactly quick. Thereafter, they're the same speed (or slower if they're Bosch).

I think the Dutch problem stems from a different source. It's likely a thowback from Calvinism. They don't like these "Cavaliers" turning up and getting places without virtue. One part which I have some sympathy with - Netherlands is almost completely flat, so there's little need for e-assistance on paved roads.

Do you ride a Bosch?
I have had a Shimano, and a Bosch, and basically don't notice any difference over 25Kmh. The difference is so minimal it doesn't really count in my opinion.