eMTB deniers, not so much as haters, funny when they come around.

[sparrow]

I own/operate a bike shop in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Mt Rushmore, Devil's Tower, Deadwood, Custer, all that jazz. We've got loads of great trails, two track, dirt roads, rail trails. It's puzzling to have these common interactions with avid life long cyclists that are sort of a denier, but not a hater of pedal assist technology.

I see the same folks, on the regular, slogging up climbs in ignorance (not an insult, just ignorance) of just how much fun, and MORE riding, MORE exercise and MORE time out on the bike they'd be getting if they would give a legit test ride to an ebike. And we offer free test rides, on trail, on their home turf, etc, to really see how they work.

Typical 65 year old white man, on a $4k to $8k regular bike, be it enduro, trail, or XC oriented out there suffering through 8-10 mile high vertical death marches not knowing how they could be busting out 15-20 mile joy rides (at the same heart rates, or higher) instead.

It's great when I get one of these guys to finally try out an eMTB, or get their wife to, and blows their minds! "You mean I could've had this 5 years ago......?!?!" is a common reaction once they finally do try one out. One of my long time high level outdoor athlete customers FINALLY took the plunge this year and refers to the eMTB as a "time-machine", Takes him back to his 20s, takes him out for a ride every day, wether short or long.

I'm in that same age range of the hard-man mentality folks I deal with on the daily, so often I can get some buy in when they see me towing (GET A TOWWHEE) my 10 year old boy, or a 25 year old staff member, UP chunky fun trails at high speed to shuttle enduro laps behind the shop before/after work.

Just a rant/observation. Did you ever travel that path? Working at a bike shop, I'm always all-in to try whatever pops up, road/BMX/gravel/XC/Single Speed/bike-camping/DH, Freeride.... always willing and (fortunately) able to keep my 52 year old self aware of all the trends, and really try it out.

 

[Sapientiea]

Seems to be primarily a US discussion as here in Europe eMTBs are much more accepted. I'm 40+ and me and my wife also made the transition last year to eMTB. For us it levels out our difference in fitness and power levels completely. We have longer rides and go out more often when we are in the mountains now then ever before. I actually improved my fitness level much more than with my regular bike because I get more exercise. In Netherlands I use my Jeffsy still as there are really no mountains here.

 

[JoeBlow]

I agree with your axiom sparrow. But don’t forget that sometimes we must suffer by our own doing. Also as an owner of a high doller e bike, it doesn’t replace a good mountain bike.

It does for me. I used to do some cross country mountain biking but the typical short lived exhilaration of the down hill was outweighed by the extended effort of the uphill. As I got older I simply stopped enjoying half of the day and gave up. To be fair it was, at that time, always a secondary activity to my main one of rock climbing and mountaineering. Now I've discovered trail centres and e-mountain bikes and I'm far more enthusiastic than I was before. It's now my main activity and I can't get enough of it. Mind you I am 73 so any sarcasm with regard to EMTB's is met with equally robust dismissal of the reasoning. I ride more, walk less and enjoy both the up's and the downs almost in equal measure. If it were not for my EMTB I would not be riding.

Al

 

[miPbiP]

I own/operate a bike shop in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Mt Rushmore, Devil's Tower, Deadwood, Custer, all that jazz. We've got loads of great trails, two track, dirt roads, rail trails. It's puzzling to have these common interactions with avid life long cyclists that are sort of a denier, but not a hater of pedal assist technology.

Devil's Tower as in Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind?

 

[NotAveJoe]

I feel that. I'm 52, currently riding a Whyte T-130S analog bike in Central Wyoming. I took Wed afternoon off to ride some trails and after two 5-mile loops up and down the canyon, I was done. I'd loved to have done another couple trails or another loop and ridden for the whole afternoon but it's not happening anymore.

I love to commute to work with my bike but don't enjoy showing up sweaty, or riding against 30 mph winds that make the whole trip feel like an uphill slog.

And, yeah, when my neighbor showed up last year with a fat-tire e-bike that he uses to commute to work, I scoffed. Poser, I thought. Now I'm better educated.

I'll be riding an e-bike next spring and I love my Whyte but I can't wait to make the transition.

 

[Sapientiea]

I feel that. I'm 52, currently riding a Whyte T-130S analog bike in Central Wyoming. I took Wed afternoon off to ride some trails and after two 5-mile loops up and down the canyon, I was done. I'd loved to have done another couple trails or another loop and ridden for the whole afternoon but it's not happening anymore.

I love to commute to work with my bike but don't enjoy showing up sweaty, or riding against 30 mph winds that make the whole trip feel like an uphill slog.

And, yeah, when my neighbor showed up last year with a fat-tire e-bike that he uses to commute to work, I scoffed. Poser, I thought. Now I'm better educated.

I'll be riding an e-bike next spring and I love my Whyte but I can't wait to make the transition.

Good for you! BTW those bikeparks boys also use electricity to go most of the time...it's called ski-lifts

 

[Velociraptor]

I have been riding bikes for most of my life but only at age 63 after retirement did I start serious mountain biking. I was lucky because I only rode my analog mountain bike a short time before taking a test spin on a friend's Turbo Levo and having my mind blown. Since then I have been happily having rides and adventures with friends on e-bikes. Just for comparison I did a big climb on my analog bike last week. I was able to do it but once again concluded that Class 1 eMTB are 10x more fun!

 

[Mabman]

Most "hard core" cyclists resist change, always have and always will. But major enhancement benefits of some new innovations always catch on e ventually. Remember the hate that supension, disc brakes and 29" wheels had at their inception? Early adopters with open minds just get to have a better time sooner without the angst.

 

[Monkey Dog]

I too have rode bikes near as damn it all my life.
I discovered an ekit a few years ago, fitted it to my hard tail to help with my commute. My arthritic knees have thanked me over the past few years. I rode it until March when I purchased a E-Zobop. I found out that my spine is also riddled arthritis so full sus for the spine & motor for my knees.
I'm 54 next month, but some days feel 94.
I collect a Scott E Spark soon for weekend jollies with my lass. Really looking forward to it too.
I also have an analog fs that I'm fitting the kit too. Then it's up for sale.

 

[mak]

I sort of get it, I used to mtb 20 years ago and still remember the effort involved in getting faster and further over the years, I eventually got bored of the pain, normal people reach a limit where it neither gets faster or easier . I'm not talking competition or even a decent bike just an old shed and a 32 year old unfit bloke

I met a guy early on this year before covid ( probably 60 years old) on a trail, nice bike all the kit, I was behind him on a big climb, he made it no problem albeit emtb slow. We had a chat and I offered him a go on my bike, under no circumstances did he wont a go, not even curious

I get it now, I didn't used to but it helps if you've been there before, there scared to death all the effort they have put in to get to the level of fitness involved in actually getting to a level where you can travel distance on a mtb is going to dissolve in a frenzy of turbo mode if they like it.
Have you noticed if you let a friend have a go on your emtb all they wont to experience is turbo mode, no ones interested in the finer details of the lower power modes.

 

[CodyDog]

I finally made the switch this week from a Rocky Mountain Altitude to a Levo Comp. Spending the entire summer in Colorado I found myself stopping to catch my breath and even sometimes pushing my bike up a steep hills. 15 mile rides were taking it out of me and the rest of the day was shot. My wife has had a Specialized Como for a couple of years and I often said I would want to try a EMTB on a difficult trail. After my maiden voyage today I can tell you I'll never turn back. I found my ride to be much more enjoyable and still a great exercise session. Wish I had switch years ago.

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

.

I have been riding bikes for most of my life but only at age 63 after retirement did I start serious mountain biking. I was lucky because I only rode my analog mountain bike a short time before taking a test spin on a friend's Turbo Levo and having my mind blown. Since then I have been happily having rides and adventures with friends on e-bikes. Just for comparison I did a big climb on my analog bike last week. I was able to do it but once again concluded that Class 1 eMTB are 10x more fun!

I agree. For me a Class1 eMTB (the one with 32kph assist limit) is the ideal balance between enjoyment and effort. My previous eBike has a 450watt Bafang motor and fully unrestricted - which can easily maintain 50kph on the flats, and has nine power levels - with level 5 more than capable of climbing the steepest slopes that can still maintain tyre traction... and, I don't like it because there's a disconnect I can't put my finger to. It's like dynamite fishing, whereas Class1 is like fly fishing (not that I've ever done either ?).

Unfortunately, I'm now on blood-thinner + atrial fibrillation medication and some of the occasional side effects I get is vertigo and general weakness - but eBikes have given me a welcome and timely extension. So with Class1 and my limitations, I really have to think ahead, ride smart, calculate approaches, pick the right gearing, choose a better line, etc. It's more fulfilling and I hope to be doing rides for as long as I can manage. I have no interest in barreling down the trails with a 1000watt+ rocket... been there, done that on my motorbikes of old.

All I can say is life is too short to be a hold-out if an eBike would enhance quality of life. So I don't really get it why some people (who would benefit) are holding back as if it has anything to do with personal integrity. It doesn't.

 

[Velociraptor]

.

I agree. For me a Class1 eMTB (the one with 32kph assist limit) is the ideal balance between enjoyment and effort. My previous eBike has a 450watt Bafang motor and fully unrestricted - which can easily maintain 50kph on the flats, and has nine power levels - with level 5 more than capable of climbing the steepest slopes that can still maintain tyre traction... and, I don't like it because there's a disconnect I can't put my finger to. It's like dynamite fishing, whereas Class1 is like fly fishing (not that I've ever done either ?).

Unfortunately, I'm now on blood-thinner + atrial fibrillation medication and some of the occasional side effects I get is vertigo and general weakness - but eBikes have given me a welcome and timely extension. So with Class1 and my limitations, I really have to think ahead, ride smart, calculate approaches, pick the right gearing, choose a better line, etc. It's more fulfilling and I hope to be doing rides for as long as I can manage. I have no interest in barreling down the trails with a 1000watt+ rocket... been there, done that on my motorbikes of old.

All I can say is life is too short to be a hold-out if an eBike would enhance quality of life. So I don't really get it why some people (who would benefit) are holding back as if it has anything to do with personal integrity. It doesn't.

Glad you can keep riding despite the medical challenges. The group I ride with is mostly in their low 70s and I am the kid at 63. Still tough to hang with those guys and one has had bypass surgery plus a recent pacemaker too. Still going strong.!

 

[Doug Stampfer]

Why do we bring age into the discussion whenever we talk about ebikes? Hills don't discriminate on an age basis

 

[Jubby]

I think emtbs are like electric cars, there not for everyone, but for those who ride them really love them, as do non electric serious enthusiasts roadies an mtbers.

Peeps can't keep saying "its cheating" its not. It's EMTB riding not mtb riding

 

[smtkelly]

People are capable of self delusion to amazing degrees esp to a belief system. Fitness was a barrier to entry that made people feel special and the belief you had to be fit to be a MTBer. I can't remember ever going home because the trails were too technical. eMTB lowers that bar and threatens that special belief.

My friend is in love with the idea of hardtails as faster. He's held that belief since we were kids and the debate on full suspension XC bikes. So invested in that belief, that in-spite he's clearly happier on a 160/160mm bike, he'll bee line for a hardtail given a choice.

 

[sailfast]

Most "hard core" cyclists resist change, always have and always will. But major enhancement benefits of some new innovations always catch on e ventually. Remember the hate that supension, disc brakes and 29" wheels had at their inception? Early adopters with open minds just get to have a better time sooner without the angst.

Yep, I remember the days I lined up on my Snowboard with three other people to ride up on the chairlift, when it was our turn, ....... I was all by myself on the seat.

 

[Jeff H]

...e ventually...

Ha! I saw what you did there

 

[sparrow]

Devil's Tower as in Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind?

The very same.

 

[sparrow]

Most "hard core" cyclists resist change, always have and always will. But major enhancement benefits of some new innovations always catch on e ventually. Remember the hate that supension, disc brakes and 29" wheels had at their inception? Early adopters with open minds just get to have a better time sooner without the angst.

"Dropper posts!? Pfffft" was another technology refusal by the traditional mountain biker...

 

[GrandPaBrogan]

"Dropper posts!? Pfffft" was another technology refusal by the traditional mountain biker...

I was one of those, although I wouldn't consider myself traditional. My Giant Trance e+Pro came with a dropper post and I just had to accept the specs the way they were and thought I'd change it to a normal seat post later on. But after a month of humouring myself by playing around with it... I wouldn't want to ride a bike without one now! ?

 

[dowroa]

I think emtbs are like electric cars, there not for everyone, but for those who ride them really love them, as do non electric serious enthusiasts roadies an mtbers.

Peeps can't keep saying "its cheating" its not. It's EMTB riding not mtb riding

hmm... that's a good analogy that I find myself on the different sides, depending on the topic.

So, I am an eMTB + acoustic MTB rider. As I am getting older, the eMTB allows me to ride on down days and trails / epics I am not ready for, but I can at least go and have a shot.

For cars, I am definitely not someone who wants an electric car (but I see the purpose). In cars, the experience of a fully manual car (6MT, power deadspots, learning and setting up the car) is what I want at this point than a 5k lbs Tesla Model 3 appliance. I would much prefer the NA MX5 or older 90s/00s sports car.

Maybe it is the benefits of the device as opposed to specific methodologies. I can see myself moving into more of a mindset of an electric van as I age if the experience of driving wasn't my first concern.

Good things to think about. Thanks.