Has your EMTB made you fitter, or kept you as fit, as your regular MTB?

[emtbPhil]

Lower blood pressure, lost weight, gained a load of leg strength.

I rode a non electric MTB last year but some of the climbs resulted in me walking with the bike, which wasn't fun, and put me off.
Mentally it's much easier to get out 3-4 times a week knowing that if you get somewhere a bit too tough you can have some assistance.

At the end of the day there is an "off" mode too that I think a lot of people forget, I see rides on e-bikes with 80+% in turbo mode. If you do that you can forget any fitness increases.

It also depends where you're starting from. If you were some 100km road biker going to e-mtb then yeah sure you're going to lose fitness.
If you're a middle aged guy in the tech industry that does 10hrs a day sat at a desk... you're going to get fitter

 

[Binhill1]

I spent a shedload of money on my T130 rs ( complete new drivetrain) before gifting it to my son and rode it along the road to make sure all was ok ..It felt like I was riding through glue and that was going down ..nearly had a seizure coming back up !
Im not missing the old girl at all..?

Same here 3 times in past 2 years used old bike hard work. In process of much needed service before going to new owner.

 

[brizi2003]

Does anyone have actual comparative data of regular MTB rides before and after EMTB purchase / prolonged use?

Over 95 replies and nobody has presented comparative data of regular MTB rides before and after EMTB purchase. Sadly I haven't got any either, so I guess my short reply is: Sorry no.

 

[Pdoz]

Over 95 replies and nobody has presented comparative data of regular MTB rides before and after EMTB purchase. Sadly I haven't got any either, so I guess my short reply is: Sorry no.

What would you consider " comparative data" ?

Post 5,6 compare performance, then 7 was the first to mention the elephant in this discussion - the last 18 months haven't been normal. Which perhaps Gary touched on during post 9?

Or do you need numbers. ...post 12 ?

 

[brizi2003]

What would you consider " comparative data" ?

Post 5,6 compare performance, then 7 was the first to mention the elephant in this discussion - the last 18 months haven't been normal. Which perhaps Gary touched on during post 9?

Or do you need numbers. ...post 12 ?

I've re-read those posts and don't feel they really answer the question posed, as they lack empirical data.
Post 5 - lost leg strength - how was this measured before and after?
Post 6 - riding trail that was previously walked - but later says now rides more - so has this resulted from riding an EMTB or riding more?
Post 7 - states drop in fitness due to not riding an analogue bike as much, and no real data for affect of EMTB use.
Post 9 - lots of factors here could have affected loss of fitness - not necessarily EMTB use.
Post 12 - comparison here is improvement of 'all metrics' when using an emtb - doesn't give MTB before and MTB after data, but rather talks about improved performance when actually using an EMTB.
I was expecting something more like e.g. "I used to do a local loop in 3 hours on a regular MTB now it takes only 2.5 hours." i.e. real comparitive data for MTB before and MTB after the EMTB purchase. Of course, even this could be affected by whether regular MTB rides were substituted by EMTB rides or if the EMTB rides were in addition to regular MTB riding. There are a lot of factors here preventing an easy comparison. In my case, I ride my EMTB much more than I used to ride my MTB. Also, I now ride my MTB much less than before. I ride my road bike about the same as before. I keep getting new PBs on Strava on my road bike due to, I think, my improved fitness. I also know my off-road skills have improved - I think, due to simply riding my EMTB more. I think the ease of use of the EMTB makes it easier for me to motivate myself to simply ride more than I would otherwise do on a a regular MTB and this increase in riding time leads to improved performance. If you ride exactly the same time/distance/climbing as you did before but use an EMTB instead of a regular MTB I can only imagine that this will result in loss of fitness. More anecdotal evidence - I know!!

 

[Pdoz]

I've re-read those posts and don't feel they really answer the question posed, as they lack empirical data.
Post 5 - lost leg strength - how was this measured before and after?
Post 6 - riding trail that was previously walked - but later says now rides more - so has this resulted from riding an EMTB or riding more?
Post 7 - states drop in fitness due to not riding an analogue bike as much, and no real data for affect of EMTB use.
Post 9 - lots of factors here could have affected loss of fitness - not necessarily EMTB use.
Post 12 - comparison here is improvement of 'all metrics' when using an emtb - doesn't give MTB before and MTB after data, but rather talks about improved performance when actually using an EMTB.
I was expecting something more like e.g. "I used to do a local loop in 3 hours on a regular MTB now it takes only 2.5 hours." i.e. real comparitive data for MTB before and MTB after the EMTB purchase. Of course, even this could be affected by whether regular MTB rides were substituted by EMTB rides or if the EMTB rides were in addition to regular MTB riding. There are a lot of factors here preventing an easy comparison. In my case, I ride my EMTB much more than I used to ride my MTB. Also, I now ride my MTB much less than before. I ride my road bike about the same as before. I keep getting new PBs on Strava on my road bike due to, I think, my improved fitness. I also know my off-road skills have improved - I think, due to simply riding my EMTB more. I think the ease of use of the EMTB makes it easier for me to motivate myself to simply ride more than I would otherwise do on a a regular MTB and this increase in riding time leads to improved performance. If you ride exactly the same time/distance/climbing as you did before but use an EMTB instead of a regular MTB I can only imagine that this will result in loss of fitness. More anecdotal evidence - I know!!

So your fitness data is the road pb / strava times - see, you do have comparative data to add.

 

[Gary]

What's your obsession with Data?

4 years ago I'd think nothing of doing mtb rides with 5000ft of climbing and still be fresh enough to have a play on jumps etc. afterwards and would frequently bang out 60-100mile road rides.
Now I'm a stone heavier and am fucked after 3500ft of mtb climbing and barely ever do more than 40miles on the road.

Do you really want me to pour over strava to find you 2 comparative rides for you to analyse? Jog on mate!

 

[brizi2003]

What's your obsession with Data?

4 years ago I'd think nothinhg of doing mtb rides with 5000ft of climbing and still be fresh enough to have a play on jumps etc. afterwards and would frequently bang out 60-100mile road rides.
Now I'm a stone heavier and am fucked after 3500ft of mtb climbing and barely ever do more than 40miles on the road.

Do you really want me to pour over strava to find you 2 comparative ridesfor you to analyse? Jog on mate!

Not an obsession with data. It's just what the original post asked for.

 

[Gary]

Yeah. Fair enough.

it's a long thread

 

[The Hodge]

Naaa..a take on the Scottish accent ..although I do believe the first word should start with a G instead of a C..
A rough translation would be ..If you take your time you wont have a hard fall..

 

[brizi2003]

So your fitness data is the road pb / strava times - see, you do have comparative data to add.

Yes, I guess, but improved times could be as a result of many factors not necessarily just riding an EMTB. That wasn't really my objective when I got my EMTB. It was more about enjoying the riding more.

 

[RustyIron]

so put your lacy knickers back in their box before getting them in a twist ...sweetie

Well at least your demeanor is consistent.

 

[twistgripper]

Less fit, but more fun, and i ride more often....i was seriously stressing my heart trying to keep up with my riding group before. now, still a great workout but I don't feel like i'm about to die from the climbs.

 

[nasamorpheus]

I definitely lost leg strength and gain weight, but I also spent much more time on bike, in nature and I am really happy for that. Fitness is worst but who cares... I was stressed, my heart ?? went bum bum but now.. only joy and happiness, a lot of beer and barbecue grill love it .. regular bike? No thx " I rather die.." I do 5* time more kilometres and I enjoy it so much, also I derestrict my bike and now is pure joy.. last week I drove my old manual bike on same trail then I was driving ebike regularly.. I didn't manage to do same course in once so yeah...

 

[nasamorpheus]

Does anyone have actual comparative data of regular MTB rides before and after EMTB purchase / prolonged use?

I have it, my Strava results don't lie, basics are : drove 5 times more in same time window and much faster but much less effort. Lost fitness gain weight.. manual is much much harder

 

[nasamorpheus]

I'm married with my ebike, I love it.. I only liked my regular bike..

 

[OldBean]

I bought an E MTB when I was 78 I am now 81 so it must be good for me! I dont need an HR monitor because if I am still upright I must be alive ! Without question The bike helps get rid of the aches and pains associated with being mature ....?? maybe that is not the correct word to describe an 81 year old EMTBer immature would be better... keep going as long as possible...... yippeeeeeee

 

[Andym123]

Too many variables to answer this accurately. You get out of it what you put in. I would say I’m fitter because I use it more and for general commuting tend mostly to ride in lowest setting or off altogether. I’ve also had some of my highest heart rates going for it as hard as I can on full power.

 

[Gary]

Fact:
Marriage makes you less fit
Single and dating makes you more fit.

Hmm... I dunno about that... I've never been married but I've certainly "exercised" vigorously with quite a few very fit married women over the years.

For legal reasons I won't be sharing any data here.

 

[Ginn]

I have a 2x power assist EMTB which has enabled me to ride further and to effectively eliminate uphill "hike a bike". Most days, I ride in the lowest power mode (Eco) to maximize the fitness aspect of riding. I will up the power assist when energy levels are low or I want to enjoy some of the EMTB benefits of riding at a faster pace to enhance my riding skills. I believe the 2x offers the right amount of balance of power assist and a ride similar to a regular MTB bike.

 

[Binhill1]

Is this English? Galic or something?

Doric language , first word should have been Ca. Means take it easy you won't take a hard fall . No disrespect but at 79 you don't bounce so good.

Naaa..a take on the Scottish accent ..although I do believe the first word should start with a G instead of a C..
A rough translation would be ..If you take your time your body wont survive a hard fall..

Doric language , first word should have been Ca. Means take it easy you won't survive a hard fall . No disrespect but at 79 you don't bounce so good.

 

[The Hodge]

Doric language , first word should have been Ca. Means take it easy you won't take a hard fall . No disrespect but at 79 you don't bounce so good.
Doric language , first word should have been Ca. Means take it easy you won't survive a hard fall . No disrespect but at 79 you don't bounce so good.

So a North East Scotland dialect ..Doric ..must admit I hadnt heard of it before ..
In the same way that " Geordie " is a North East England dialect ..neither being a seperate language ..just bloody hard to understand if you come from outside the area ?

 

[Binhill1]

So a North East Scotland dialect ..Doric ..must admit I hadnt heard of it before ..
In the same way that " Geordie " is a North East England dialect ..neither being a seperate language ..just bloody hard to understand if you come from outside the area ?

Yes lot of different words for things . Your oxter meaning armpit , spaver your trousers zip. I couldn't resist it with that post to be honest.

 

[Neeko DeVinchi]

I guess the better question is, how does one gauge fitness gain/loss through using an emtb?

Certain factors when riding either an ebike or regular bikes remains universal such as arm pump, the odd cramp and rider fatigue.

In addition, a riders endurance and stamina 'I feel' isn't amplified by the motor or battery. Moreso, it just gives a rider piece of mind that they can use a higher level of assist if required (like shutting).

I'm not to sure if anyone else does this but for me, the eebs almost acts like a confidence booster. I.e. if I conquer a steep section to climb, I'll attempt it on a regular bike. And I pride myself being able to conquer the same climb without using or relying on the E-assist (although, the ebike is quicker).

Quite recently, I've deliberately started using only my 400wh battery in my Kenevo Gen1, in an effort mentally train myself to be conservative regarding the battery range. So I'm only using eco at 15% nominal, 30% peak.

As a result, I find that I'm able to better use my regular long travel bikes without suffering as much through the climbs. Resulting in less time required to recompose myself before dropping into a descent or, ensuring I can get as many laps in on my power hours.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, no one should sell themselves short for 'losing fitness'. Especially if they don't ride for fitness and more for fun. But in the grand scheme of things, cycling is proven to increase health (mentally and physically). So as far as I'm concerned, everyone who rides is a fit person ??

 

[Shifty]

Fitter in general as I ride more for longer on an e-bike, but pretty obviously lost leg strength as part of that. But I run and walk too so all good.

 

[Steady McCalla]

I run for fitness, MTB is purely for fun. I've been riding since 2003, first ebike came last week, most fun I've had on two wheels!.

I rode a local group of hills on Saturday, 4000' of ascent in 2.30 hours. On my Bronson, that would have been 5 hours easily, and *a lot* of the climbing would have been a push, with hr around 100bpm. But on the ebike, I can pedal the whole lot, hr lots higher, and as such it's a better workout.

If you live in a relatively flat area, then I guess you may not get that benefit.

 

[The Hodge]

@Steady McCalla
I love Scotland for its hills & mountains but your last comment caught my eye ..
Prestwick isnt relatively flat ?
I was looking for your local group of hills to see where you could achieve that sort of altitude ..?
Do you visit Arran often ..now there is a cracking mountain bike destination ..love the place..
Welcome to the forum ..

 

[Steady McCalla]

@Steady McCalla
I love Scotland for its hills & mountains but your last comment caught my eye ..
Prestwick isnt relatively flat ?
I was looking for your local group of hills to see where you could achieve that sort of altitude ..?
Do you visit Arran often ..now there is a cracking mountain bike destination ..love the place..
Welcome to the forum ..

I was riding the Rhinn of Kells, 30 minutes down the road, not from the door riding, but fairly local. I ride that area, the hills behind largs, Arran and a few other local hills. Canny be arsed driving for hours these days tbh!.

 

[Gary]

I used to ride Largs quite a bit... back when the old DH track was there. Was a fun little track for sure.

 

[Steady McCalla]

I used to ride Largs quite a bit... back when the old DH track was there. Was a fun little track for sure.

Aye, it was revived a few years ago, but has disappeared again, sadly. Some great riding up on the moors though.