I was aware of ebike hate / jealousy but I thought opinions were changing

[Doug Stampfer]

I'd like to throw another opinion out there. I'm coming across a lot of ebikers up on the trails lately & what pisses me off is the basic trail etiquette that is lacking. It seems a lot are new to biking FFs or oldies that have never been able to ride to the top of the local steep trails & have no idea how to act. Common courtesies we have learnt from riding over the years aren't present. Oldies seem to hunt in packs & stop with bikes left across tracks, blocking tracks, groups riding up tracks that were traditionally downhill tracks, passing full speed on a narrow singletrack. Yep they're well within their rights doing it but just because you can doesn't mean you should. A little bit of consideration would go along way to stop comments from "ebike haters"

 

[Pukmeister]

I overtook my first hater last weekend on a short steep concreted farm road section. He couldn't contain his anger and I felt sorry for him, the bitter and twisted attitude seemed pointless when the fact I had overtaken him was an irrelevance. I wasn't competing against him I was just out for a cross country ride and had the advantage due to a motor, he clearly didn't like being passed on a climb..

He took it all very personally in his incorrect and insecure view that two overweight older men had just used an electric motor to try and humiliate him?

In truth, he was a very strong rider and was going "hard at it" at a commendable pace. I probably couldn't have matched it myself even when younger/fitter, but I wasn't about to massage his bruised ego and tell him so after suffering his abusive comments.

 

[DrStupid]

It is odd that it's okay to use batteries for anything except pulling the chain forward.

We have batteries for moving the chain to a different cog, batteries to operate the dropper, batteries for abs, batteries for active suspensions, batteries for more stuff than I care to catalogue here, and all of this is to make you faster, safer, better at ... what ever, and all of this is ok.

But use a battery to move a chain in the (X) direction, and suddenly it's a problem.

 

[miPbiP]

My pedal mates regularly call me "e-bike wanker".

Fair enough really.

 

[Eeh (bah gum) biker]

It is odd that it's okay to use batteries for anything except pulling the chain forward.

We have batteries for moving the chain to a different cog, batteries to operate the dropper, batteries for abs, batteries for active suspensions, batteries for more stuff than I care to catalogue here, and all of this is to make you faster, safer, better at ... what ever, and all of this is ok.

But use a battery to move a chain in the (X) direction, and suddenly it's a problem.

Yeah and even more puzzling is that the majority of haters don’t even ride bikes

 

[Swissrob]

We are lucky in Switzerland, walkers and horse riders hate anyone on any sort of bike so Emtbs don't get singled out!

Beautiful autumn day for riding except for the fat walkers, the fatter the walker the more they walk in the middle of the road. Cmon guys Switzerland is a small country so how about sharing some of it!

 

[Beekeeper]

I overtook my first hater last weekend on a short steep concreted farm road section. He couldn't contain his anger and I felt sorry for him, the bitter and twisted attitude seemed pointless when the fact I had overtaken him was an irrelevance. I wasn't competing against him I was just out for a cross country ride and had the advantage due to a motor, he clearly didn't like being passed on a climb..

He took it all very personally in his incorrect and insecure view that two overweight older men had just used an electric motor to try and humiliate him?

In truth, he was a very strong rider and was going "hard at it" at a commendable pace. I probably couldn't have matched it myself even when younger/fitter, but I wasn't about to massage his bruised ego and tell him so after suffering his abusive comments.

There will come a day (if not already) where you will overtake someone on a climb and they will then decide to buy and e-bike because of it. That’s what made me decide to get one. It’s the most effective marketing tool available. I’m surprised the manufactures don’t get bunch of workers together to do just that on a weekend. They could call it something like Project Humiliation. I’m sure it would boost sales dramatically.
But when everyone has e-bikes we will probably have moved on to something else because we are early adopters by nature.

 

[lumpy]

I haven't been called a cheater in months. Where before I never saw an emtb, now I see at least one on every ride. In fact, I have a lot of people ask me about it and I always offer it up for them to take a quick spin on. Most didn't realize you had to pedal to make it go! Once they ride it, they're sold on it.

 

[steve_sordy]

I haven't been called a cheater in months. Where before I never saw an emtb, now I see at least one on every ride. In fact, I have a lot of people ask me about it and I always offer it up for them to take a quick spin on. Most didn't realize you had to pedal to make it go! Once they ride it, they're sold on it.

Be very careful that they don't just keep going! Without making it obvious, I always ensure that there is a hostage left behind. This could be their wife or child, or their car for example. Their ratty old hardtail is insufficient.

 

[Shifty]

To be honest if you tried to fight every social media negative comment about e-bikes or on Reddit you would go nuts! 14 year old keyboard warriors and most are just too ignorant to converse with anyway. Writing a post like that on reddit is like turning up at Hells Angels convention dressed like you’re going to sing YMCA and asking them if they like your outfit.

 

[Gary]

TBF most hells angels still dress pretty much like '90s gay stereotypes and wouldn't look out of place in the Blue Oyster bar from Police Academy.

 

[Pukmeister]

TBF most hells angels still dress pretty much like '90s gay stereotypes and wouldn't look out of place in the Blue Oyster bar from Police Academy.

I can imagine their response if you were brave enough to tell them so. When I lived in Perth, WA, the local bike gang blew up the police chiefs car with explosives whilst parked on his driveway. Not the kind of people you want to upset.

 

[Gary]

What's your point?
Where I live the guys in the local gay bar all fuck other guys up the arse.
Not exactly the type of men you want to upset either..

 

[Karel Tyc]

Ignore it and just enjoy. I still get my non-assisted miles in on my road bikes and gravel bike, also very enjoyable, but since getting my eMTB I’ve discovered so many trails & bridleways on my doorstep (Dorset, UK) that I never even knew existed after nearly 50 years of living here. All traffic free and immense fun. The motor just makes it more fun. I’ve not looked back and if anyone called me a cheat I’d say “don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”

Yes. You don’t know, untill you go!!!

 

[Pukmeister]

We don't have a gay bar in the small town where I live so I'll have to bow to your expertise on the matter.

My wasted point was that a 14 year old keyboard warrior (even one who loves the YMCA), is unlikely to beat the shit out of you whereas insulting a hells angel member is a dead cert.

 

[Gary]

You should probably think about leaving the comfort of your small town from time to time to experience new things. Or do the nasty Hells Angels not allow any of you to leave?

Ps. YMCA is a disco classic

enjoy...


As the village people said
"'Cause you're in a new town..."
There's no need to be UNHAPPY!"

 

[skyfree]

Wow, this thread took a strange turn

 

[Ace Freely]

Wow, this thread took a strange turn

Right!?!?

Ace

 

[Simoto123]

I ride a popular cycle route in our town every day. I would stop short of saying I’ve encountered hate as such. However I am left in no doubt I’m not popular. Roadies are by far worse, almost hostile. Refusing to acknowledge a good morning or even a nod. Occasionally they will overtake, often I get a comment like “that’s clearly not restricted” as they go by above the road limit, on a cycle path. I never respond. They also tut, that bugs me a bit I must admit. They will do anything to beat you to a choke point, even a human one. Total disregard and dangerously inappropriate speed. .
I don’t care and simply feel grateful that these idiots don’t have ebikes. Imagine the harm wankers like that would do to our sport.
I do care very much about the fact a trackie wearing parasite has tried to steal my bike twice in the last week. I wasn’t sure on the first occasion but it was confirmed when he actually tried to grab me going past up a steep hill on the second occasion. Turbo JUST saved me. Now I’m a bit worried to go, I’m capable of taking care of myself, but a punch in the face while riding and you wouldn’t get up in a hurry. Vary you’re routes and times dudes.

 

[steve_sordy]

Carry a small aerosol of WD40 and give it to him in the face. It works on aggressive dogs a treat.

 

[Simoto123]

Carry a small aerosol of WD40 and give it to him in the face. It works on aggressive dogs a treat.

Thanks very much, that’s a better idea than mine.... I thought mace, but someone said I’d be in more trouble than the thief in that scenario!

 

[BigLee]

Or a small can of hairspray you were "getting for the wife" ??

 

[steve_sordy]

How about an anti-rape siren! They look like a small aerosol, but they have a small horn at the top. They come with a handy loop to hang around your wrist. 130dB close to the head will temporarily deafen anyone (hurts too!). Problem is you are close to it as well.

 

[Sapientiea]

Not encountered real haters yet on rides. Came across some really, really fit XC riders in het Alps that did not look very happy when me and my wife passed them on a 18% stone riddled path. They smiled though when my wife said: wow you guys are very strong and fast, once they caught up with us on top of the hill Due to my job and age it is just not possible to achieve that kind of fitness ever again. Seems that some young/ fit people think they should be the only ones enjoying mountainbiking.

on another note: Why are ski lifts OK and e-mtb are a no-no. Both use electricity.......

 

[OldBean]

Local bike club welcomed me with open arms ...we are now all good friends although at first I did hide my Focus Jam round the back of the Cafe.....BUT now I note that there are E road bikes creeping in and my EMTB is acceptable ...Times They are a Changing as the song goes .

 

[Gary]

Wow, this thread took a strange turn

Not as strange as it's become now we have our resident vigilante pensioner on the case

"Do you believe in Jesus?"

"Because you're going to meet him!"

 

[Swissrider]

We are lucky in Switzerland, walkers and horse riders hate anyone on any sort of bike so Emtbs don't get singled out!

I also live and ride in Switzerland and find if I slow right down and say “good morning - have a nice walk” people inevitably reply back “have a nice ride” and show a mild curiosity, especially if one is negotiating technical terrain and they’ve probably never seen anything like it before. Sadly, it takes only one idiot to be agressive or pass too fast and it ruins relationships. I’ve only had one negative experience when a man said “can I tell you why I hate mountain Bikers?” He then pointed to some very deep ruts around, created by walkers, cows and mainly rain erosion. I doubt a mountainbiker had ever been there before! I pointed to the grass behind my bike where you could hardly even see a tyre trace and said “none of this damage has been done by mountain bikers - look how little damage my bike has done - the mountains are for everyone”. I had passed at least a hundred walkers that day without any problem so one arsehole isn’t too bad. When I pass analogue bikes I usually say “Bravo” acknowledging that they are putting in a lot more effort than me. I usually get a cheery wave in response. I firmly believe that walkers, mountain bikers and e-bikers can co-exist if everybody is reasonable. It also depends on traffic. Walkers would not expect to trek in a bike part and mountain bikers shouldn’t use popular walking trails when they are busy - it’s no fun anyway as one has to keep stopping or slowing right down.

 

[Beekeeper]

I’ve never had anyone give me any hassle when I got for a ride.

 

[steve_sordy]

So I'll bet that you get a right buzz when you go for a ride.

 

[Frank_Denmark]