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

[Clansey]

I regularly read Reddit.com/r/mtb for bits of news, cool progressions videos from people and a bit of discussion. Recently I hadn't seen anything emtb related so I decided to make I post.

I was expecting a bit of pushback from the purists and people who haven't tried ebikes but I tried to highlight the fact that I have brought lots of random friends out to ride with me on a second ebike we have and basically opened their eyes to mtb'ing whether on an ebike or normal bike.

However the post has been completely shot down and there is seemingly overwhelming doom and gloom in some people's mind when they hear ebike or emtb.

I also follow r/ebikes so I know that in America ebikes can be a very different beast to the UK. There seems to be a lot more homemade / electric motorbikes with throttles over there.

Anyway here is a Link to the thread if you would like to have a look or provide a little support.

 

[grim007]

Why do you care so much what others think about ebikes? Especially some people you don't even know on the internet.
I dont understand why ebikers have the need to tell everybody how much fun they are having. The whole thing starts sounding like an advertisement.

I don't know how it works in your country, but where I live eBikes just became a thing about 1-2 years ago and are growing alot. The shops/importers that sell the bikes try to push them very hard. So each person who does a demo ride is expected to post on social media how ebikes are the next best thing. It feels like an advertisement no matter where you go.

Personally, I ride both a regular bike and an ebike. And I'd rather have less ebikers riding around. I don't want ebikes to be in the spotlight which will result in legislation and have them banned on regular trails. All the buzz around them will ultimately lead to more legislation and banning.

 

[Clansey]

Why do you care so much what others think about ebikes? Especially some people you don't even know on the internet.
I dont understand why ebikers have the need to tell everybody how much fun they are having. The whole thing starts sounding like an advertisement.

I don't know how it works in your country, but where I live eBikes just became a thing about 1-2 years ago and are growing alot. The shops/importers that sell the bikes try to push them very hard. So each person who does a demo ride is expected to post on social media how ebikes are the next best thing. It feels like an advertisement no matter where you go.

Personally, I ride both a regular bike and an ebike. And I'd rather have less ebikers riding around. I don't want ebikes to be in the spotlight which will result in legislation and have them banned on regular trails. All the buzz around them will ultimately lead to more legislation and banning.

It's not so much that I care about what other people think of ebikes. It's that I would like to see more content on the platforms that I use. i.e Reddit, YouTube, Instagram etc. I'm not a fan of the big adverts / technical details of bikes I like to see where and what people are riding on ebikes around the country / world. Potentially adding them to my list of places to visit.

I like to see people around my skill level, as well as pros who are pushing the bikes to the limits. I like to see creative video angles, techniques that are created by your average Joe opposed to production companies

The main intention of my post on Reddit was see if I could encourage more emtb'ers to post and integrate with the r/mtb community although it's sort of had the opposite effect and turned into a comparison / competition. ?

 

[R120]

I think the fact that he thread is in Reditt answers most of your questions, and the point of a Forum like this one is to access and create the content you are talking about.

Aside from this Forum and a couple of others I use for other hobbies, I don’t use social media, for no other reason than I can’t be bothered, and would rather communicate with people on the same page as me rather than those who have nothing better to do.

 

[MitchF]

Wow there’s some aggression in that thread ?
“Buying their way in” ?

Just remembered why I don’t do social media, came off FB years ago for that reason.

I’d heard that there are haters who call out “cheat”, it’s early days for me on EMTB so not experienced that yet.

I like it on here though as everyone appears to be friendly and share a common interest ???
Too old to worry about what other people think ??‍??

 

[Avyoung]

Someone said “cheater” as I passed him up a hill towing my buddy on his pedal mtb and I asked if he had a charger I could use as I was running low. I would offer to tow him too but it would cheat him of something. I have less patience for the haters too these days.

 

[mark1a]

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.”

 

[Al Boneta]

“How do you know if someone is a vegan?
Just wait 5 minutes they’ll tell you.”

This is what it’s starting to feel like with Emtb riders.

But my livelihood is tied to Emtbs so I have to push them.

I went from a mindset to not wanting them in my shop, to being a convert. It was a pretty small group of riders, but before too long there were lots of Emtb riders out on the trails with derestricted bikes completely proving most of the arguments against them.
I then started riding my regular bikes for awhile to distance myself from most of the Emtb douche baggery that was going on around me. It’s starting to die down on my local trails after people started to realize that this was never going to get the trails opened to Emtbs.
One of the biggest things traditionalist mountain bikers hate about Emtb riders is when they blow past them on a climb and they are are so smug and arrogant about it.
What do you have to be arrogant about? Without the motor and battery you probably wouldn’t have passed him on the climb
“I would have beaten him up the hill even if I was on my regular bike”
Really? Why then do you need an Emtb in the first place?
“I like to “beat” people up the hills”
Well if you like to “beat” people don’t get pissed when they call you a cheater. Being a cheater implies that you are in a competition. But because you need to “beat” people you just made it a competition with that mindset.
I just try to be a better example of an Emtb rider, so the other trail users see that we are not riding motorcycles and we can be respectful of the rules,even if we don’t necessarily agree with them. I use proper trail etiquette even when the regular mountain bikers don’t.

 

[R120]

I really think that in the US it’s almost a totally different planet when it comes to EMTB’s, my experience in Europe is overwhelmingly positive, and I have certainly never seen, heard of or witnessed any EMTB douchebaggery.

 

[Kaelidoz]

“How do you know if someone is a vegan?
Just wait 5 minutes they’ll tell you.”

This is what it’s starting to feel like with Emtb riders.

That made me laugh.
I'm both, there's no escape from me!

 

[steve_sordy]

Has anyone ever heard of a vegan Eskimo?

 

[Kaelidoz]

Has anyone ever heard of a vegan Eskimo?

What would they eat ? It's a bad place for both mountain biking and plants based meals .

 

[steve_sordy]

What would they eat ? It's a bad place for both mountain biking and plants based meals .

I'd have to ask the Masai and the Kalahari Bushmen what their vegans eat (and where they go to plug in their emtbs).

 

[Kaelidoz]

I'd have to ask the Masai and the Kalahari Bushmen what their vegans eat (and where they go to plug in their emtbs).

Looks like you have one foot in the past with the hunter-gatherer groups and one foot in the future with the ebikes. Interesting

Now let's go back to the topic of this thread !

 

[Al Boneta]

I really think that in the US it’s almost a totally different planet when it comes to EMTB’s, my experience in Europe is overwhelmingly positive, and I have certainly never seen, heard of or witnessed any EMTB douchebaggery.

If it’s not the douchebaggery, it’s the fucktardedness.

 

[iXi]

What is the correct etiquette to riding an emtb when passing a regular rider on a climb?

I ask because I'm generally interested. Do they laugh and carry on when passing?

When I go past I don't say anything, if the trail is wide enough eg. A fire road I just ride past at the same speed I would if no one is there. Is this being a dick? Or should I announce my presence or is that bringing attention to myself by saying look at me on my shiny emtb therefore being a dick also?

 

[The Flying Dutchman]

The EMTB scene is still in its infancy so I would expect some kickback but that will taper off no doubt.

Humans are so odd! The more 2 things are the same the more people are divided into evangelical tribes on both sides. Ford:Chevy, Iphone:Samsumg, MMA:Boxing, etc etc

 

[Gary]

You can't teach social skills.

oh.. .hold on


Personally I find it kinda odd not to acknowledge another human being out in the middle of nowhere on a trail. I talk to and acknowledge strangers everywhere though. Even in cities.

if approaching from behind it's only polite to let them know you're there
a quick "hi" "hello" awright" etc. will help pass on your new found social skill to others
it will warn the other person of your presence
you might eventually even manage a whole sentence/conversation

 

[R120]

I always say, “excuse me coming though” and then “have a good one” or similar when passing

 

[Gary]

I'm not sharing my actual chat up lines here.. no way... get your own

 

[routrax]

Some people are always going to hate other people who do things differently to them. Take skiers and snowboarders for instance, their hate is based on a disagreement about the number of pieces of wood you should use when sliding down a hill.

 

[ChrisB NZ]

Maybe we could start a cold war between Specialized riders and everyone else?

 

[davarello]

No doubt a lot of people I pass on the longer climbs round here think pretty dark thoughts at the time, but I rarely actually hear a comment. Opinions will change as ebikes get more popular, but some people just have to feel superior

 

[steve_sordy]

Well at least its a more interesting topic then flats or spds!

 

[Swissrob]

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

 

[R120]

I have just been in Sweeden for a couple of weeks, and it seems like everyone was riding e-bikes, round town, on the trails, to work, etc etc.

 

[HikerDave]

You can't teach social skills.

oh.. .hold on


Personally I find it kinda odd not to acknowledge another human being out in the middle of nowhere on a trail. I talk to and acknowledge strangers everywhere though. Even in cities.

if approaching from behind it's only polite to let them know you're there
a quick "hi" "hello" awright" etc. will help pass on your new found social skill to others
it will warn the other person of your presence
you might eventually even manage a whole sentence/conversation

I was pretty mad once when I was backpacking to a mountain lake and had to step off the trail a dozen times for a group of motorcyles strung out along the trail to avoid eating each other’s dust. But then one of them stopped and told me about the area and how to get to the wreckage of WWII-era bomber that had landed on the frozen lake and skidded off through the trees, shearing off the wings on the way.

Better yet, I actually knew the guy. My whole attitude towards those dirt bikers changed; suddenly stepping of the trail and eating a little dust once in a while didn’t seem like such a big problem. When they left I had the whole lake all to myself; if it wasn’t for them I would have been in a tent city full of other backpackers.

 

[Gary]

Strangers are generally awright people.
not talking to stangers is missing out on life.

 

[TommyBall]

Strangers are generally awright people.
not talking to stangers is missing out on life.

A stranger is just someone you haven't met. Then you can call them a bawbag! ?

 

[Churchill]

I was pretty mad once when I was backpacking to a mountain lake and had to step off the trail a dozen times for a group of motorcyles strung out along the trail to avoid eating each other’s dust. But then one of them stopped and told me about the area and how to get to the wreckage of WWII-era bomber that had landed on the frozen lake and skidded off through the trees, shearing off the wings on the way.

Better yet, I actually knew the guy. My whole attitude towards those dirt bikers changed; suddenly stepping of the trail and eating a little dust once in a while didn’t seem like such a big problem. When they left I had the whole lake all to myself; if it wasn’t for them I would have been in a tent city full of other backpackers.

Sounds like a lake in Idaho I once mountain biked to.