How many converts here?

[Astom22]

When I first learned of e-bikes, I was opposed due to ignorance of what an e-bike actually was. I didn't understand the assist part and felt like riders were cheating.

Now that I have one, I realize my heart rate is just as high, I just cover more ground and have more fun in the same amount of time. I also find I want to go ride more often.

I ride in the US, so there is still a lot of ignorance here on e-bikes, most shops in my area (Texas) don't even carry them. The few shops that do, only have a couple in stock. I think they are catching on better in California and in the Rockies, so it is happening, just slowly.

 

[mak]

I am new to e mtb, I used to ride a fair bit years ago but that was long before the e mtb, to be honest they have intrigued me for a couple of years but never really seriously considered one.
on Christmas eve I purchased a new e mtb ( cube 140) .

Since the purchase I have discovered more trails and places I didn't even no existed due to the fact they can get you places you wouldn't dream of being bothered to investigate on a traditional bike

I am however getting a bit bored of local stuff so may have to resort to strapping the bike in the van and going further afield for some decent adventures.

I am an e mtb loner, i dont have any freinds that ride mtb. The freinds i do have think that the cost of my bike ( middle ground for an e mtb) is ridiculous and insist you cant get fit on a bike with a motor, most going as far to say as you just twist the throttle i cant be arsed to even explain what there about so don't bother.

I have a local night time route set up on the Garmin, its only 7 miles long and i use it for fitness, it has some steep climbs and i ride it in mode eco and off, i am fitter now than i have been in 15 years and only 2 months into my e mtb hobby, roll on summer because i am sick of mud

 

[simonk]

The antidote to naysayers and sceptics is to let them spend 5 minutes riding around on your bike... I’ve found they change their tune pretty quickly then. I ought to be on commission with my LBS I think, as I’ve definitely led to a few sales.

 

[Astom22]

I am new to e mtb, I used to ride a fair bit years ago but that was long before the e mtb, to be honest they have intrigued me for a couple of years but never really seriously considered one.
on Christmas eve I purchased a new e mtb ( cube 140) .

Since the purchase I have discovered more trails and places I didn't even no existed due to the fact they can get you places you wouldn't dream of being bothered to investigate on a traditional bike

I am however getting a bit bored of local stuff so may have to resort to strapping the bike in the van and going further afield for some decent adventures.

I am an e mtb loner, i dont have any freinds that ride mtb. The freinds i do have think that the cost of my bike ( middle ground for an e mtb) is ridiculous and insist you cant get fit on a bike with a motor, most going as far to say as you just twist the throttle i cant be arsed to even explain what there about so don't bother.

I have a local night time route set up on the Garmin, its only 7 miles long and i use it for fitness, it has some steep climbs and i ride it in mode eco and off, i am fitter now than i have been in 15 years and only 2 months into my e mtb hobby, roll on summer because i am sick of mud

Here in North Texas we can't even ride in the mud, the stuff is clay and sticks to the bike so bad it will stop even ebike wheels from spinning.

I keep hoping for a few days of clear sky to be able to get out and ride some real single track. So far I have been relegated to dirt roads and crushed granite trails.

This weekend I'm driving to a trail that is an old railroad bed, so it is rideable even after rains. Should get me a good 30 to 40 mile ride though.

 

[Yorkshire redneck]

I'm 44 soon , rode bikes all my life , in 2017 test rode a kenevo ...couldn't stop laughing , that was it , couldn't afford that bike , but managed to get an ex display trek for 2 grand and that was it , hooked , pimped up the trek ...never an excuse to get out now.

 

[Astom22]

I'm 44 soon , rode bikes all my life , in 2017 test rode a kenevo ...couldn't stop laughing , that was it , couldn't afford that bike , but managed to get an ex display trek for 2 grand and that was it , hooked , pimped up the trek ...never an excuse to get out now.

Almost 48 here and feel like I'm 18 when I ride now. Been a long time since I could power through hills with a smile on my face.

Also, love for screen name, I'm a Texas Redneck.

 

[Yorkshire redneck]

Almost 48 here and feel like I'm 18 when I ride now. Been a long time since I could power through hills with a smile on my face.

Same , when I rode naturally aspirated bikes ? I hated the climbs , now I actively seek out crazy technical climbs , and the weight of the bikes even make the DH sections more heart pounding than before

 

[steve_sordy]

I'm still on my first emtb and I LOVE it!

For me it was a necessity (knee problems). I was aware of them for years but decided my knees were "not bad enough yet". Then they were! Buying an emtb was the best biking thing I ever did, wish I'd done it sooner.

 

[salko]

I'm also newly hooked into eMTBs, I bought my first one 4 months back (to be honest - this is also my first serious MTB), and absolutelly love it. Since I have it I made more kms on the trails (even that last 2 months day is very short so I managed to ride only 1-2 days/week) that I made on my previous trekking road bike in 5 years for sure. I can say with certainty this was one of my best investment in last 5, if not 10 years. It really gives you tons of motivation, so much fun and high pulse at the same time! What more can you wish for?

 

[Astom22]

I'm still on my first emtb and I LOVE it!

For me it was a necessity (knee problems). I was aware of them for years but decided my knees were "not bad enough yet". Then they were! Buying an emtb was the best biking thing I ever did, wish I'd done it sooner.

I have almost zero cartilage left in my left knee, "luckily" nerve damage prevents any pain from it. Just swelling post ride and grinding. I'm getting less swelling after rides now, but we'll see if that holds true once I get on some single track and push it more when the trails dry up.

 

[deksawyer]

I have almost zero cartilage left in my left knee, "luckily" nerve damage prevents any pain from it. Just swelling post ride and grinding. I'm getting less swelling after rides now, but we'll see if that holds true once I get on some single track and push it more when the trails dry up.

Same here, but on right knee. If I go a few weeks without riding, my leg feels like it tightens up - I had physio on the muscle/tendon that runs from the knee to the inner thigh/groin area a few years ago because of my shitty knee.

Cycling helps - eCycling helps even more....

 

[Santa]

Just like everyone, I was a sceptic at first. I'm 50, fit, and I'm into DH and Enduro. "Regular" trail riding is not really my cup of tea.

So... during a trip in Italy, there were those two guys in our group who were on e-bikes (honestly they looked like two posers), and they kept falling all over the place on the descents. So I figured e-mtbs were not serious.

Then I met this guy (here at home) who brought his Levo to the DH park (because his other bike was out of commission). He was a big guy, and he was honestly one of the best shredders I ever met - he was super fast, did jumps, steep tech, the works. That opened my eyes.

And then one day at my local trails, I crossed this random guy who had an e-mtb. I stopped to ask him how he liked it. He got off the bike and said: "here, go try it". After 2 pedal strokes, I knew that was it. As he described it, it's like taking your first hit of crack. I knew I had to get one.

Last week I put my order in for a Decoy! As I see it, this will be my "shuttle" up so that I can get more descents. But also, I've realized that going UP the trails might be just as much fun as going down - because you can go fast!

I'm lucky to live in Quebec, Canada, where e-bikes are tolerated everywhere. Unfortunately, crossing the border to ride in the USA is still problematic.

 

[frankenbike]

Preaching to the choir here, aren't we BTW - the more I learn about Canada, the more I like it.
The first time I heard about electric assist MTB with torque sensing, I knew it was for me. The torque sensing was key for me as I knew it had to feel like a natural extension or amplification of my effort rather than a pedal-actuated throttle. I took the plunge in March of 2018 and have about 3K miles of single track on my eMTB. I've done a lot of sports in my time (59y) including hang gliding, back country skiing, in-line skate racing, alpine climbing, motocross plus long time MTB and eMTB is my new favorite. I actually prefer the flats and uphills to DH with the eMTB since it combines flow with exertion and that is what I love about it.
OK so now we just need to help the rest of the world see it for what it is. BTW - this is just an early example of an emerging ecosystem of technologies related to mobility. In the decades to follow, there will be a plethora of mobility-assist technologies emerging including powered exo-skeletons, advanced bio-mechanical devices and prosthetics and so on - the point being that progressive thinking about access to local, state and federal lands should contemplate (and embrace) these future scenarios in that context. As a parting note, allow me a rant about the ironic restrictions that exist on many local trails (including the trails in my home-owner community) that allow horse back riding but not mountain bikes (much less eMTBs) ...isn't an equestrian just a trail-destroying, manure-spewing, one-horse-powered "motorized" vehicle?

 

[Mike C]

I'm 71 years-old and have been riding MTBs for almost 30 years. On New Year's Eve I dove in and bought a Specialized eMTB. For me riding an eMTB is like it was back when I first started riding where the joy and fun of mountain biking was not so much limited by age. No regrets. Here in SoCal eMTBs are gaining popularity fast. A friend who is an expert rider (participated in the Ride Across America) tried my bike out today when we happened to meet at the same trailhead and he was blown away by how much fun it was.

 

[Rich the gasman]

I was a convert but now I’m that rare person that ditched the e bike and got back to a normal bike.
ill probs change my mind again next year ???

 

[Al Boneta]

 

[steve_sordy]

...isn't an equestrian just a trail-destroying, manure-spewing, one-horse-powered "motorized" vehicle?

Yes, very much so! I am not a fan of those one-ton, steel toe-cap booted psychopaths that startle at their own shadow. I'm not too keen on some of the owners I have met either.

Here in England-UK, there is more than a 1000 years of rights that have been built up by the horse owning fraternity. Initially out of necessity, but now those rights are no longer needed the fraternity are not going to let them go without a fight. To be honest, nor would I, but time marches on and trails can be shared - they don't have to be either/or.

 

[Dpickin1]

I'm also newly hooked into eMTBs, I bought my first one 4 months back (to be honest - this is also my first serious MTB), and absolutelly love it. Since I have it I made more kms on the trails (even that last 2 months day is very short so I managed to ride only 1-2 days/week) that I made on my previous trekking road bike in 5 years for sure. I can say with certainty this was one of my best investment in last 5, if not 10 years. It really gives you tons of motivation, so much fun and high pulse at the same time! What more can you wish for?

Perfectly stated!

 

[Gary]

Here in the UK there is more than a 1000 years of rights that have been built up by the horse owning fraternity

No. Cuz. That would be England.

Us Scots are a lot less arsey about access rights with our 80,077 km² of land and... you know.. .actual mountains
We're even happy to share them with the English

A few Horse riders here still act like dicks... but people in general can be dicks in all walks of life. Other than educating people , what can you do?

 

[GrahamPaul]

Other than educating people , what can you do?

I thought that peasant shooting was still a big thing in England, especially if they were having a grouse... or did I misread that?

 

[Goodmango13]

The antidote to naysayers and sceptics is to let them spend 5 minutes riding around on your bike... I’ve found they change their tune pretty quickly then. I ought to be on commission with my LBS I think, as I’ve definitely led to a few sales.

That's exactly what I did.....corrupted innocent purests by having them try a demo at my LBS. All 3 of my friends who questioned E-Mtb bought the demo bike they tried. One class A road and Mtb rider handed me his phone as we got 8 miles into our journey together and said..."here, take a picture of me with my new bike....why would I ever want to go back to my regular Mtb?"...We got back to the shop after the 16 miler and he handed the shop owner his credit card.
Ya know, in surfing we say it's like joining the mafia....once you're "in"...you can't get out.
Emtb's have changed our lives for the better. So glad it's now and sure, there's going to be major advancements and changes in weight/power/speed, etc.......but we are riding that wave of momentum early enough on to help with the coming changes

 

[steve_sordy]

No. Cuz. That would be England.
...................
. Other than educating people , what can you do?

I feel more educated now.

 

[Oldcrank]

Old to MTB, New to E-MTB.
I and my Bride of 54 years are both 74.
Some knee problems, some tired problems & less ability to climb.
I test drove both the Trek (Bosch) & Giant (Yamaha) about a year ago but couldn’t rationalize the cost for a very good ‘city’ bike.
No E-MTB at my LBS’s.
Then I made a big mistake!
I took my wife in the LBS while I bought an inner tube. SHE saw the bright red , full suspension, 27.5, Giant Stance E-2!
Said she: “We could ride the dirt trail open space behind our house with these....”
Note lack of any question mark.
So....
After a bit of haggling, I have 2 of them & and a empty savings account & a very happy wife.
OK....AND a very happy me.
?

 

[MassDeduction]

I have been selling e-bikes since 2005. Test rode various models over the years, but was never inspired to own one. Finally was inspired to purchase my first e-bike in 2019. Now I just feel foolish, I should have got one a long time ago. For me, it was trying a class 3 e-bike that finally got me to buy one. But with the benefit of hindsight, they were probably starting to meet my needs (long range, light weight, etc.) as far back as 2017.

 

[w2ge]

I know this thread has long been dead... but I don’t care ?‍ .

My story, basically a 63 yo couch potato, during covid and after sitting around staring at the tv mostly, bored to death (covid in a way caused me to totally retire, i was partially even before, I’m in the health care field) I dusted off my ten year old Giant mtb and started getting out for some fresh air. That got me going... then started reading about emtb, talked to some people, watched YouTube videos, etc. I bought one without ever even trying one! Pocket about $5k lighter.. Well, I’m hooked. My street motorcycles are gathering dust, I’m back riding in the woods in areas that many years ago I used to ride enduro 2 stroke KTMs... Here in NJ so many places that we used to ride dirt bikes are now hiking, biking only. It’s been a real pleasure getting back out in the woods, trail riding again, smelling the air and getting some exercise. FUN!

 

[steve_sordy]

................... As a parting note, allow me a rant about the ironic restrictions that exist on many local trails (including the trails in my home-owner community) that allow horse back riding but not mountain bikes (much less eMTBs) ...isn't an equestrian just a trail-destroying, manure-spewing, one-horse-powered "motorized" vehicle?

You think you have it bad, you've only got 300 years or so of horse-riding history to contend with. In the UK we have thousands of years of it with access rights written into our legal and political DNA. In addition, the rules were written by the gentry and protect their rights. If anyone tries to counter this, the full weight of the "entitled" falls upon you. You can see this even today in the entitled behaviour of horse riders and other horsey folk. This can be as simple as walking their horse on a main road and expecting all traffic to slow down, give way or move over. What they should have done is use a bloody horsebox! There is a "tradition" of hunting foxes on horseback. It is now much frowned upon, but not by me as I understand the need to control vermin. What gets my goat is the way, at hunt meets, that the horsey folk block the pavements and half the road with their massive horseboxes and 4x4 vehicles and then meet up in the middle of the road on horseback. All having a great time! But when I ask them to move so I can get to work on time, the abuse has to be believed. It is that sort of behaviour that does them no favours. Like all such stuff, it's the minority that gives the majority a bad name. But I only seem to meet the minority. I compensate by being extremely polite when on my bike. This is especially true when I meet a horse and rider riding on a bike trail.

I once asked a horse rider if they were in touch with their animal, its moods and so forth. "Why yes, it is as though Fergie speaks to me!" I replied "In that case would you listen next time and move a few feet to one side please, before he dumps a pile of manure in the middle of the bike trail". (Said with a smile of course).

 

[KeithR]

There is a "tradition" of hunting foxes on horseback. It is now much frowned upon, but not by me as I understand the need to control vermin.

Which hunting them from horses completely fails at, of course

 

[Zimmerframe]

You can see this even today in the entitled behaviour of horse riders and other horsey folk. This can be as simple as walking their horse on a main road and expecting all traffic to slow down, give way or move over. What they should have done is use a bloody horsebox!

You know this is just a reaction to the regret of not using your windsurfer more often ?

Anyway, I think you're slightly over simplifying things into the typical binary approach we've been led into via modern day life and politics .. right and wrong ? I wouldn't say someone leading or riding a horse acts in an "entitled" manner. I think you'll find that it they're a 16 year old boy/girl or a 50 year old experience rider either leading or riding their horse, they're basically connected to a 450kg-1000kg terrified rabbit that at any point may or may not panic and trample/kill/destroy anything in their immediate vicinity due to pure terror. Not because they're not trained - but more because the people who are trained (have an iq/driving licence/had lessons/hopefully have a windscreen/don't think the highway code is something you need to crack) act like they have no responsibility to any other human or entity on the planet.

And yes. Horses DO have right of way .. because they are an animal that doesn't have the same degree of control and understanding as any moron who can just brake and wait for 5 minutes to potentially have a life changing influence on their surroundings. Remember this was all going on long before the motor car came along and PEOPLE become more self entitled and self important in their armoured glass boxes where they have lost any sense of politeness to others .. or e-bikes became faster ? more important than regular bikes .. (I'm sure you see what I mean).

Obviously there's still going to be pricks on horses .. As there are pricks on bikes .. Pricks skiiing, Pricks on Jetski's, Pricks walking their dogs, drunk pricks unloading on your doorstep. People in Audi's and BMW's who've never yet worked out what that annoying repeated clicking sound is that starts when you're waving your hands around erratically when your on the phone and always seems to stop on a corner or roundabout.

 

[Jackware]

What's the average French driver's reaction to horses on the highway? Or do you just stick to trampling sunbathers on the beach?

 

[DrStupid]

You know this is just a reaction to the regret of not using your windsurfer more often ?

Anyway, I think you're slightly over simplifying things into the typical binary approach we've been led into via modern day life and politics .. right and wrong ? I wouldn't say someone leading or riding a horse acts in an "entitled" manner. I think you'll find that it they're a 16 year old boy/girl or a 50 year old experience rider either leading or riding their horse, they're basically connected to a 450kg-1000kg terrified rabbit that at any point may or may not panic and trample/kill/destroy anything in their immediate vicinity due to pure terror. Not because they're not trained - but more because the people who are trained (have an iq/driving licence/had lessons/hopefully have a windscreen/don't think the highway code is something you need to crack) act like they have no responsibility to any other human or entity on the planet.

And yes. Horses DO have right of way .. because they are an animal that doesn't have the same degree of control and understanding as any moron who can just brake and wait for 5 minutes to potentially have a life changing influence on their surroundings. Remember this was all going on long before the motor car came along and PEOPLE become more self entitled and self important in their armoured glass boxes where they have lost any sense of politeness to others .. or e-bikes became faster ? more important than regular bikes .. (I'm sure you see what I mean).

Obviously there's still going to be pricks on horses .. As there are pricks on bikes .. Pricks skiiing, Pricks on Jetski's, Pricks walking their dogs, drunk pricks unloading on your doorstep. People in Audi's and BMW's who've never yet worked out what that annoying repeated clicking sound is that starts when you're waving your hands around erratically when your on the phone and always seems to stop on a corner or roundabout.

Out here its pricks on tractors, who no doubt have many implements of death and destruction at there finger tips too. I slow down and pay attention, wave nicely.

As far a being a convert; from motocross and offroad riding, the emtb was the thing I was looking for, before I knew I was looking for something. It found me.