Is falling off a new emtb always going to happen?

[mikegarf]

First gig i ever went to! Smashing pumpkins with filter supporting them. Think that was around 96?

Watched them at a small club in Manchester UK 1991 first time they toured over here. I was playing drums in local bands at the time. Totally blown away first time I heard Gish. Jimmy Chamberlain is a top drummer

 

[Binhill1]

Even riding with other folks more experienced helps. I ride with some folk their seat is way too low , and they motor up the hills in too high a gear . A lot of folk though they have cycled for many years soon find they are doing a lot more miles and technical stuff with a Ebike. Just the bigger tyres and heavier bike gives folk a more secure feeling going down hill. I can manage a dozen steps going up the way never did that before.

 

[KnollyBro]

I usually fall off/crash for due to trail conditions. My bike is setup well and I am pretty competent on a bike but the main variable will aways be how the trail is riding that particular day. There is not much you can do about that other than practice and develop faster reflexes and muscle memory. I also always rider with knee and elbow pads to minimize the damage. My last crash ended with a fractured bone in my hand an some pretty bad bone bruises. There is not much you can do about that as the trail was slippery than expected and I went OTB down the side of the mountain. It could have been worse.

 

[Stihldog]

Ride bikes, fall off, that's the deal. I'm very accomplished at it. This one pinched a bit.

View attachment 147779

That looks like click-bait for Band-Aids Brand…there could be a new bike in your future

 

[Binhill1]

All in all I've had a good innings. Few ribs 3 years ago was my worst injury that's not bad for all the years I've been at it . If I haven't got the hang of it by now I never will. Ebike was another learning curve I must admit.

 

[Jeffsy29]

@Jeffsy29 Thanks, I'll have a look at those shirts! My wife (normal MTB and younger at 55)) does skills training, and she said the same to me last week - look further ahead.! On our single trails, many paths are typically hollowed out and narrow (the 1st fall), so I now tend to either ride on the sides when possible or keep my eyes down. Which validates the rule, since it makes you more unstable. It will require some practice (and guts though.

@Tomash. If you've not yet watched it, you might get something out of this
And another great channel overall (Roxy Rides):

 

[Mikerb]

Why on a new bike?
1. If the previous bike was a normal mtb and the new one an EMTB...............not realizing they are completely different beasts!
2. If both bikes ( old and new) were EMTBs .......not realizing there can be huge differences between bikes which means some adjustment is required............different front to back balance, different centre of balance, difference suspension response. Best to ride some XC or tame trails to get to know the new bike and set up cockpit and suspension before throwing it down the side of a mountain!
3. Sods law.............its new so all sorts of nefarious forces are out to inflict the first scratch...or worse.

 

[Streddaz]

I've never really crashed on my Ebike any more than I would on my normal MTB. It may be more to the difference in geometry of your old bike to the new one. I know coming from an XC bike to an Enduro bike (and vice versa) can take some getting used to. You get used to it though, just need to take it easy for the first few rides.

 

[KnollyBro]

I've never really crashed on my Ebike any more than I would on my normal MTB. It may be more to the difference in geometry of your old bike to the new one. I know coming from an XC bike to an Enduro bike (and vice versa) can take some getting used to. You get used to it though, just need to take it easy for the first few rides.

Maybe all my bikes are very similar but if it takes a few rides to get used to a bike, maybe you have too many bikes? Isn't riding a bike like having sex, once you learn how, it's difficult to fall off (slippery when wet, of course).

 

[Gyre]

Plenty of dabs, sometimes violently, more than my share of scars from pedal pins, but (knock on wood) never crashed on my eMTBs. I *really* hate crashing, so I ride quite conservatively.

 

[p3eps]

I was lying in a bush on Saturday after an off!
My problem wasn't going too fast - the exact opposite.

A new trail that someone pointed me to. Take it easy the first time so you know what to expect, then go back for a second shot, but at a better pace.
My first run was just a bit TOO slow, and on a steep bit with big ruts, my front wheel caught, and flipped me off. Not quite OTB, but not far from it. A nice soft landing in a bush ontop of my camelbak, with just a big bruise on the back of my calf. I lay there and chuckled to myself - glad that I hadn't landed on a large rock! When I got back on my bike, my Garmin had tried to report it as an emergency to my contacts... but couldn't as I got a new phone 3 weeks ago and still hadn't paired it!

I went back and had a second shot down the trail a good bit faster, and 'floated' over the bit that snagged my wheel.

Sometimes too slow is as dangerous as too fast! The extra danger from an EMTB is that you could potentially have 25kg's landing on you rather than a 13kg pedal bike!

 

[Binhill1]

I was lying in a bush on Saturday after an off!
My problem wasn't going too fast - the exact opposite.

A new trail that someone pointed me to. Take it easy the first time so you know what to expect, then go back for a second shot, but at a better pace.
My first run was just a bit TOO slow, and on a steep bit with big ruts, my front wheel caught, and flipped me off. Not quite OTB, but not far from it. A nice soft landing in a bush ontop of my camelbak, with just a big bruise on the back of my calf. I lay there and chuckled to myself - glad that I hadn't landed on a large rock! When I got back on my bike, my Garmin had tried to report it as an emergency to my contacts... but couldn't as I got a new phone 3 weeks ago and still hadn't paired it!

I went back and had a second shot down the trail a good bit faster, and 'floated' over the bit that snagged my wheel.

Sometimes too slow is as dangerous as too fast! The extra danger from an EMTB is that you could potentially have 25kg's landing on you rather than a 13kg pedal bike!

I find as I get older you think it won't hurt as bad if you fall off going slow. It doesn't work as you say you need the speed for something technical stuff. I had loads of silly fall offs on Ebike compared to normal bike ,next person has none we will never know. I won't take too long analysing it though.

 

[Suns_PSD]

I was a bit awkward on the e-bike at first, it was mostly techy climbs that were sketchy.

I decided to remove my clipless pedals from my e-bike (still use them on my normal bike), take my time, and just figure the bike out. There is definitely a learning curve with the extra weight, power & just the set up on a new bike.

I feel great on it now but am happy my Relay only weighs 44#s actual ready to ride, as I find extra weight a real struggle.

 

[Streddaz]

Maybe all my bikes are very similar but if it takes a few rides to get used to a bike, maybe you have too many bikes? Isn't riding a bike like having sex, once you learn how, it's difficult to fall off (slippery when wet, of course).

That is if you have ridden only one type of bike for a long time (like for years) and then ride something totally different. If you regularly ride both there's no real getting used time needed. I had an XC bike for many years and then bought an Enduro bike and it took a few rides to get the feel of it. Now swapping between the two is no problem.

 

[KnollyBro]

That is if you have ridden only one type of bike for a long time (like for years) and then ride something totally different. If you regularly ride both there's no real getting used time needed. I had an XC bike for many years and then bought an Enduro bike and it took a few rides to get the feel of it. Now swapping between the two is no problem.

Lots of riders have full DH bikes and and enduro emtbs and switch without any issue. Around here, riders who regularly ride XC bikes would not likely change to a full fat, heavy, enduro emtb. The XC riders are the ones who are the most vocally opposed to emtbs.

 

[Rosemount]

Having ridden bikes and mtbs in particular for the last 30+ years, now approaching 51 with more damaged body parts from the early years of riding than I care to mention, I have returned to my youth and crashed again!

This time it was a slow speed comedy of errors on my new ebike but, it has left me wondering just how many ebikers, in particular emtbs, fall off or crash early on as they are simply not used to the bikes.

Mine was daft - I wanted to go for a long ish ride on Sunday but didn't want to take a full camelbak as it was only local and so warm that something on my back would be annoying. So, I used a long neglected 1.5ltr hip camelbak thing instead.

Filled it up and went on my way. Got to a short steep uphill that has a tricky entrance through trees into a well rutted hard clay type surface. It's only 50 mtrs or so long but impossible on a normal bike as it is so steep. Put the bike into 3/5 on the assistance setting, came out of the trees and stomped on the pedals as I would on my non electric bike to clear a steep hill.

Just at the same time I stood off the saddle to bring my weight forwards. Unknown to me, my baggy outer shorts had slipped down slightly (didn't notice as the waist belt on the bladder was tighter so just felt that). As I stood up, the nose of my saddle snagged the crotch of my shorts and slammed my backside back down into the saddle. Not sure exactly what happened next but the bike was shooting off thanks to my exaggerated pedal input. It was also now heading straight into a rut and became unbalanced as I was pulled into the saddle.

Whatever happened, I fell to the left side and upwards. Felt like I'd looped out, fell off the back and landed on my back in the prickliest bush known to man. Slammed down quite hard, square onto the Camelbak - which smashed my phone screen that was stored inside it, settled to a rest and then the bike fell on my leg whilst I was still holding the bars and clipped into the pedals.

All very weird and quick and it appears the Camelbak that was used to help me get round the ride hydrated had in effect caused the crash through me not noticing the shorts displacement, then effectively saved my already rubbish back from nasty injury by being a landing pad.

After all that, I got up, scratched to high heaven. Pushed the undamaged bike down the slope and just rode straight up the hill with no drama, seated all the way and no huge pedal surges to get started.

Got another half a mile and realised my Garmin had been ejected. Went back and back again later after the ride and never found it, so that cost me £160 (cheaper thanks to Amazon sale).

Now I have the itch to go riding again, the weather to do it, a great bike to ride for a few hours and a dodgy body, aching and bruised - that says I'm going nowhere for another week or so.

Oh, and a Camelbak thing that will stay firmly in the cupboard for a while

No real point to this ramble, but wondered if falling off new ebikes is a regular occurrence due to simply not being used to how they work and just how much ridiculous grip and power they offer.

Your shorts were the problem , not the bike .I have had similar incidents with shorts myself .Making sure the belt of my shorts is tight helps avoid such .

Further I would recommend ditch the clip less pedals . E bikes have more than enough power. So no need for the upstroke thing . If you are getting back into riding, being able to dab or step off quickly is a good thing.
Lastly drop your seat before steep ascents to help keep the front wheel on the ground . Happy trails .

 

[Rosemount]

I use my eMTB for commuting and the major problem I have is stopping at the traffic lights. Because once you are coming to a stop you prepare yourself to be ready for starting again, you put one pedal up and put a bit of pressure on it, but you are supposed to stop and then the bike wants to continue moving which you were not expecting. Doing all that is ingrained in my brain from decades of riding non-electric bikes and it is very difficult for me to stop putting pressure on the pedal. Two years and I still have that issue at least a couple of times per day.

Index fingers on the brake levers at all times.
Becomes second nature over time .

 

[Tomash]

Have you considered some coaching? Bikes geometry has changed a lot over the last 10 years and riding stance and style needs to change a little to suit. Weight further forwards, elbows bent, looking further ahead on the trail are key, but some 1:1 or small group with similar riders coaching might help you get confident on the new bike.

Thank you for the advice. My wife, who is 55, attends some advanced MTB training with a former pro. I can see her confidence. She suggested I also join. I have done MTB for some years and grew up riding a bicycle (good old days), but this e-bike weight is something else at this age. I'm not sure I want to speed down mountains, but yes, I need to get the bike correctly set up for me (as I did with my normal MTB). The Power Levo has a lot of configurable frame settings, unlike me, who relies on the drop seat to "feel" comfortable.

 

[Tomash]

Your shorts were the problem , not the bike .I have had similar incidents with shorts myself .Making sure the belt of my shorts is tight helps avoid such .

Further I would recommend ditch the clip less pedals . E bikes have more than enough power. So no need for the upstroke thing . If you are getting back into riding, being able to dab or step off quickly is a good thing.
Lastly drop your seat before steep ascents to help keep the front wheel on the ground . Happy trails .

First thing I got rid of! I hardly feel a difference using flat pedals and shoes. My feet are still "stuck".

 

[Tgianco]

Ride bikes, fall off. I've always accepted the deal. TBH I'd sooner be a MTB dude with a small chance of binning it into a bush* than a roadie, grating their faces off on tarmac.

* Binned it into a patch of stinging nettles two weeks ago.

The more I ride, the more I've come to really want to stay away from pavement. It just gets monotonous. With mtb, there's just a fun and (managed) risk factor. It's a more active activity with variation (not boring). Yesterday, I had sooo much fun on the granite rollers in Granite Bay, CA, but the ride home on pavement was the sucky part. Next time, might just load up my bike onto the rack so I can have a good time the entire time.

 

[Dax]

Thank you for the advice. My wife, who is 55, attends some advanced MTB training with a former pro. I can see her confidence. She suggested I also join. I have done MTB for some years and grew up riding a bicycle (good old days), but this e-bike weight is something else at this age. I'm not sure I want to speed down mountains, but yes, I need to get the bike correctly set up for me (as I did with my normal MTB). The Power Levo has a lot of configurable frame settings, unlike me, who relies on the drop seat to "feel" comfortable.

For me it’s not just the weight of the e-bike, it’s the more modern geometry that makes it feel very different to ride compared to older bikes. Even the difference between my 2018 e-bike and 2023 ebike is massive.

Speaking of setup, it’s also worth spending some time getting the suspension set up right

 

[John_A]

If you are not crashing, you are not learning, or trying hard enough!

Exactly. when I have a crash it’s like a badge of honour! Seriously though, bad crashes can have awful consequences

 

[steve_sordy]

Exactly. when I have a crash it’s like a badge of honour! Seriously though, bad crashes can have awful consequences

I am not talking of serious consequences types of events. Not traversing narrow tracks with large drops either side, not 15' gap jumps when you have never done better than 2', that sort of thing. More trying to go that extra bit faster down a trail, or leaping off a 3' drop when your previous best was 2'. I accept that you can get a serious injury just bimbling along, but what I'm on about is a steady progression in the difficulty or the speed of what you have been doing so far.
For some, like me, the progression is slow and steady, for others (the hero types) they seem to get all their learning done in the first couple of years. Maybe it's an age thing?