anyone gone back to a normal bike?

[dobbyhasfriends]

well yesterday I reassembled my old Specialized enduro, it was horrible to ride but me and Sam ran it around the garden and what we both quickly realised was just how bloody heavy our e-bikes are.. and how easy a normal bike is to move around.
now im really considering going back to a normal bike, I have to choose cos theres no way I can afford to have both.
OR.
going lightweight ebike but the only one that I would be interested in is the KSL which seems underpowered and overpriced.

anyone gone back and happier ?

 

[RustyMTB]

I ride both. Eeb brilliant for expanding the playground. Nothing can touch the normy for feel & agility.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

I ride both. Eeb brilliant for expanding the playground. Nothing can touch the normy for feel & agility.

I have to admit, even coming from motobike enduro, the ebike is hard work to move around and I find myself conserving energy instead of throwing it around to where I want it, I have started to feel like a passenger.

 

[RustyMTB]

Maybe try a lightweight, see how you feel. The KSL isn't your only option, obvs.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

Maybe try a lightweight, see how you feel. The KSL isn't your only option, obvs.

want an enduro bike, 170mm+ kinda thing.
currently looking at normal bikes like the capra, strive, giga etc
not much choice of lightweight e enduro and the cost of the KSL is insane, a capra with ohlins is 3.7k, a KSL with similar spec.. 9k

 

[Mcharza]

It is a cold truth that there must be two bikes.
When you’re tired or you’re in new places, emtb is good for that.

A normal mtb is so much more fun, light and nimble.

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

It is a cold truth that there must be two bikes.
When you’re tired or you’re in new places, emtb is good for that.

A normal mtb is so much more fun, light and nimble.

I agree with you.. have been thinking about some of the rides I do where you couldnt go on a normal bike.. just not possible.
I just cant afford to run 4 bikes..

 

[Mcharza]

I agree with you.. have been thinking about some of the rides I do where you couldnt go on a normal bike.. just not possible.
I just cant afford to run 4 bikes..

That's true, 4 bike is too much
Sell the old enduro and get one used or new enduro style mtb with modern geometry. Then fight which one gets to ride it.

 

[RustyMTB]

Lightweight enduro is a bit of a contradiction in terms though. Might have a wait on your hands hanging on for one of those without an unreliable Spesh motor.

 

[CBSTD]

well yesterday I reassembled my old Specialized enduro, it was horrible to ride but me and Sam ran it around the garden and what we both quickly realised was just how bloody heavy our e-bikes are.. and how easy a normal bike is to move around.
now im really considering going back to a normal bike, I have to choose cos theres no way I can afford to have both.
OR.
going lightweight ebike but the only one that I would be interested in is the KSL which seems underpowered and overpriced.

anyone gone back and happier ?

I wanted a normal bike for big days in the hills, so bought a highlander I’m not happier it’s just horses for courses love the Thok but there’s no getting away from it it is heavy and with a light weight normal bike you are constantly looking for something to launch yourself off from

 

[Pdoz]

Stop thinking of an SL as underpowered - consider it ultralight AND ultra versatile. Suddenly they look like good value. My levo sl is easily the nicest bike in the family fleet , and I'll use it unpowered instead of the others.

For perspective, the family fleet:

Fugly is a full power 2018 giant full e pro. She's relatively light for a full power , but still a huge 23 kg , perhaps because she doesn't get washed any more?. She has been retired to commuting duties - if the kids need to ride more than 20 km they'll put up with riding fugly, otherwise they ride ANYTHING else. My levo SL was delayed at the lbs recently so I took fugly on the trails , it was like wearing 3 condoms and a blindfold then realising the other person is bored.

Sprog 1 has a scott genius 940. I could possibly live with this as my only bike but I'd most likely ride half as often. It's only a drink bottle lighter than the levo SL , has almost identical geometry and capability , but is nowhere near as playful. A new one is 1/2 the cost of a levo sl, and I'm seriously considering sinking silly $ on a carbon version for sprog 3 so I can inherit it if / when the levo sl dies.

Sprog 2 has my old giant trance x , it's light and agile and great fun for about 20 mins but frk that thing is horrible to climb hills with. Every time I hop aboard , I'm reminded why I stopped riding....

Sprog 3 has my old norco optic (2017) . Yup, within a year of buying that I bought fugly. So that's $9 k I spent in 2017 /2018 ( closer to $15 k in post covid currency ) - both fugly and the norco have had a LOT of family use , so I shouldn't resent the $ I spent on them. I should be grateful that fugly got me riding again and I've had 4 years of kids riding that norco.

Last month we were on holiday and I wandered into an empty garage, for a horrible few minutes I thought someone had stolen the fleet overnight. The only bikes I was worried about losing were the levo sl and the scott genius.

 

[Pdoz]

As for the sl being under powered.....

Yesterday I'd spent a lovely couple of hours on tight technical black trails with sprog 3 and we were 2/3 back up the access climb when he ran out of steam. Think 13 yo stringbean who had been running on adrenaline suddenly realising it's raining, he's covered in mud, the red stuff smeared across his shins actually hurts, and the car is another hill away.

I was able to push him along just as easilly as I would on the giant - it was simply a matter of keeping the cranks spinning. They put out almost as much power as a normal bike once the cranks are spinning, all you miss out on is that lazy surge when YOU are in the wrong gear of have the wrong technique

 

[KnollyBro]

The only reason I would go back to a regular bike would be ride at the bike park with a chair lift. For me, I prefer to "master" my understanding of how a bike performs on the types of trails I ride on. I think my SL works similar to my old DH bike on the way down and still pedals up just fine. Let the kids, the strong and the less financially able ride regular bikes .

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

Interesting, I clearly need to try an SL bike

 

[Gary]

I quite like the SL but wouldn't ever compare one to any decent DH bike

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

I quite like the SL but wouldn't ever compare one to any decent DH bike

this is the other option, bikepark uplift days only. Ive never ridden a DH bike either though

 

[Gary]

A DH bike would be a complete waste of money for a slow old guy with very limited skills.

 

[Doomanic]

Interesting, I clearly need to try an SL bike

This is the last time I'm going to offer, but you're welcome to try mine at FoD.

 

[Zimmerframe]

A DH bike would be a complete waste of money for a slow old guy with very limited skills.

There should be a forum rule ..

No shattering our illusions on weekends ...

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

A DH bike would be a complete waste of money for a slow old guy with very limited skills.

so would a Levo but someone seems to have thought it a good idea to sell me one

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

This is the last time I'm going to offer, but you're welcome to try mine at FoD.

I will, soon.

 

[The Hodge]

A DH bike would be a complete waste of money for a slow old guy with very limited skills.

FFS..I know you tell it the way it is ..but that was brutal !
( even though I fall into that category too..)

 

[RickBullotta]

Yes, mostly. My Orbea Rise only has a couple of rides in the past year. I got back into racing for a bit and that beat me back into shape, so that was the impetus for riding the "regular" bikes (MTB, gravel, fatbike) most of the time. Also, not many of my riding friends have eMTBs, so there's always that challenge. I'm thinking of selling it and getting an electric dirt bike instead (no, not for use on MTB trails).

 

[dobbyhasfriends]

FFS..I know you tell it the way it is ..but that was brutal !
( even though I fall into that category too..)

it was a retarded comment, therefore easy to ignore or make light of.

 

[Gary]

that was brutal !

Reality often is.

 

[Kilham5]

Gone back ? ... they never went anywhere.

Loving my regular bikes.

The e-bike is great fun, but in a "Desert Island Disc" dilemna, and I could choose only one, it would be a regular bike all day long.

 

[Doomanic]

Does the desert island have an uplift?

 

[Growmac]

For me the ebike is a second bike. I love it, wouldn't want to be without it, but I'd get rid of it before my Enduro.

 

[Healy]

Time for another group ride then

 

[cozzy]

I thought it wrong not to have a pedalbike once I sold my DH so bought an enduro bike.
Rode it 3 times then sold it again 5 weeks later.
I didn't see the point in owning a bike that offered less riding and more pushing uphill.
And as for light, playful and nimble, that translated into unstable and twitchy for me.
Lesson learnt. Never again.