New riders-how do you convince yourself to buy an e bike?

[Chaser]

I started looking at e-mtbs 6 months ago, as a stablemate to my road bikes. Fairly regular roadie, can knock 100k out easily enough, ride some gravel stuff also. Only done the odd bit of MTBing in the last 20 years.

Ive tried a few ebikes over the last 3 or 4 years and I've generally found them entertaining although they've been generally short stints.

I've seen a few choices of full sus bikes come and go from the LBS - Cannondales, Treks and Whytes and each time I've had the opportunity to go for it, the concerns about reliability, cost, ongoing maintenance to keep it going, and distance to trails (30 mins minimum) have always won over. I think the financial commitment to dip my toe into it has been too great. It's a fair bit more faff too, I've got a road bike which I can ride from the door..

My first choice of a Whyte has presented in my lap and again I'm going around the houses trying to convince myself not to buy it.

Anyone else have similar thoughts before getting into it? Anything which convinced them just to jump in? I know you're a long time dead......

 

[Hobo Mikey]

If you buy that Whyte you will not regret it.

 

[Mteam]

It s a big expense if you're not sure you're going to actually like mountain biking for whatever reason, whether it be too long to drive to get to decent trails, or you'd just always prefer to ride your road bike.

I'm the other way round, keep looking at expensive road bikes, but just know I'd rather ride my mountain bike, so can't justify the cost.

Having said that you probably wouldn't lose too much money right now if you bought one, tried it for a few months then sold it.

 

[Chaser]

Ive ordered a non eMTB but given that ive tried the e bike, aside from the fact that they go down the same trails, they're pretty much a different experience. I'm not sure I'm still interested in the non motor option. There's definitely more 'flow' with an e bike.

 

[Healy]

I started looking at e-mtbs 6 months ago, as a stablemate to my road bikes. Fairly regular roadie, can knock 100k out easily enough, ride some gravel stuff also. Only done the odd bit of MTBing in the last 20 years.

Ive tried a few ebikes over the last 3 or 4 years and I've generally found them entertaining although they've been generally short stints.

I've seen a few choices of full sus bikes come and go from the LBS - Cannondales, Treks and Whytes and each time I've had the opportunity to go for it, the concerns about reliability, cost, ongoing maintenance to keep it going, and distance to trails (30 mins minimum) have always won over. I think the financial commitment to dip my toe into it has been too great. It's a fair bit more faff too, I've got a road bike which I can ride from the door..

My first choice of a Whyte has presented in my lap and again I'm going around the houses trying to convince myself not to buy it.

Anyone else have similar thoughts before getting into it? Anything which convinced them just to jump in? I know you're a long time dead......

Buy the Whyte. I have one and it’s faultless, so far haha

 

[jimbob]

I decided that I had the money, life is too short and you can't take your bank account with you.

Haven't looked back!

I agree it is a big expenditure though. I have had far more use out of it than I expected though, and am glad I took the plunge.

 

[chrismechmaster]

There expensive and fun if you ride one your want one

a lot of ebike (nearly all of them have problems so be aware of that)

Your biggest problem will be stock at the moment so maybe tempting to buy second hand

Whyte are probably the most reliable BUT bear in mind that Whyte are one of the only companies not to allow transfer of warranty !!!

I have had this confirmed by Whyte as I was looking to purchase one second hand

I would say whatever you buy warranty is a MUST HAVE and I certainly wouldn't buy a second hand buy with someone saying I will HELP you out if you need warranty in the future !!!

these bikes generally get brought and sold on sometimes fairly quickly (myself included I owned a sl for 7 weeks before I sold it )

So I would buy new , then your have a decent warranty and if you go with Whyte make sure your going to keep its as not many will take the risk with the non transferable warranty if you decide to sell it on

 

[JoeBlow]

I had done some mountain biking a few years ago, mostly X country style stuff with a few visits to a trail centres and really enjoyed it. As I got older however I was finding that the downhill reward was out weighed by the uphill effort and I simply stopped enjoying it and packed in. I then tried an e bike, just in the car park, and saw the potential. I'm almost 73 it was a no brainer. I bought an e bike, upgraded to a higher specced e bike 10 months later and have never looked back. I'm enjoying riding more now than I ever did in the past.

Al

 

[RustyMTB]

I had done some mountain biking a few years ago, mostly X country style stuff with a few visits to a trail centres and really enjoyed it. As I got older however I was finding that the downhill reward was out weighed by the uphill effort and I simply stopped enjoying it and packed in. I then tried an e bike, just in the car park, and saw the potential. I'm almost 73 it was a no brainer. I bought an e bike, upgraded to a higher specced e bike 10 months later and have never looked back. I'm enjoying riding more now than I ever did in the past.

Al

This sort of thing mostly I think. As the years pass, the climbs intrude in ways they didn't before. Although I would argue the reward of mountain biking is found in the climbs as much as the descents but let's leave that there for now. An Eeb kills the effort of climbing & that leaves you with the choice of a bigger day before you. I've found the two big benefits are you become more explorey (!) and ride much more frequently. Those are good things, right?

Personally, I go further more often & find (being honest) that I don't truncate rides or choose easier routes as I might on my trail bike if I think my knee will act up if I do choose the big techy climb, so it boils down for me at least to a degree of freedom that the years otherwise chip away from you.

 

[Rusty]

Hopped on eMTB - rode - hopped off eMTB - purchased eMTB.

 

[Chaser]

Yeah I think all valid arguments from my experience. The Whyte is available but there is a chance that I'll not get enough use of it and then struggle to punt it on, guess that's why the Specializeds keep their value.

 

[Sidepod]

Man Maths.

Q. Do you want it?
A. Yes.

Q. Have you got the money?
A. Yes

Buy it.

Q. Have you got the money?
A. No

Q. Can you get the money?
A. Yes.

Buy it.

 

[jeanmarc]

I agree it is more fun to just go from home, but that 30 min ride might get boring after a while. I would invest in a good e-mtb car rack to carry the bike to trail head which is just the next best thing... and enjoy hours of pure fun riding the trails!

 

[Pyr0]

I had been looking at ebikes for ages, but I was in two minds while I still had an ordinary Scott bike..
I even contemplated modding it and adding a motor.
After it was stolen, it made my decision easier

 

[JoeBlow]

This sort of thing mostly I think. As the years pass, the climbs intrude in ways they didn't before. Although I would argue the reward of mountain biking is found in the climbs as much as the descents but let's leave that there for now. An Eeb kills the effort of climbing & that leaves you with the choice of a bigger day before you. I've found the two big benefits are you become more explorey (!) and ride much more frequently. Those are good things, right?

Personally, I go further more often & find (being honest) that I don't truncate rides or choose easier routes as I might on my trail bike if I think my knee will act up if I do choose the big techy climb, so it boils down for me at least to a degree of freedom that the years otherwise chip away from you.

I find the climbs to be more rewarding on an e bike as I can now ride all of them.

 

[Asemnos]

I rode one
Next day I sold my enduro hardtail
Got to my LBS and bought a hardtail e-MTB

 

[Winger]

Here’s my two peneeth and my normal poison are motorcycles...

Start of Covid me being the born pessimist and thought long haul....started to use our Lappiere mountain bikes we had hanging on the garage wall, the problem being we’d cycle for half an hour and i’d Be waiting 10 minutes till my other half arrived...

I said we’d look at an electric mountain bike for her...started doing some home work and then thought blimey... better start paying attention cuz there was more too it than i thought....

Forget the make of bike...it’s secondary it’s all about the motor, 17/18/19 it was all about Shimano motors, Brose and Bosch have taken over since 19, the problem being you can only get a Brose motor in a Speaclised bike where as Bosch is more available in different makes.

We go to Leisure Lakes who were very helpful, we end up buying a Whyte 150s, as we walk out of th shop the guy behind the counter says to my wife ‘Don’t let you husband ride it he’ll be back within a week’....it was 3 days actually and I purchased a new Turbo Levo which has been an absolute marvel currently 2300 miles on it in the last year.

My wife swapped her Whyte for a Cube 160 after 6 months both bikes have the same Bosch motor and run very well.

The punch line...as good as both bikes with Bosch motors have been neither have been as quick as my Turbo Levo, but the Turbo Levo Brose motor doesn’t have the greatest of reputations as some folks have had problems but have to say touch wood....mine has been fantastic

 

[chrismechmaster]

Here’s my two peneeth and my normal poison are motorcycles...

Start of Covid me being the born pessimist and thought long haul....started to use our Lappiere mountain bikes we had hanging on the garage wall, the problem being we’d cycle for half an hour and i’d Be waiting 10 minutes till my other half arrived...

I said we’d look at an electric mountain bike for her...started doing some home work and then thought blimey... better start paying attention cuz there was more too it than i thought....

Forget the make of bike...it’s secondary it’s all about the motor, 17/18/19 it was all about Shimano motors, Brose and Bosch have taken over since 19, the problem being you can only get a Brose motor in a Speaclised bike where as Bosch is more available in different makes.

We go to Leisure Lakes who were very helpful, we end up buying a Whyte 150s, as we walk out of th shop the guy behind the counter says to my wife ‘Don’t let you husband ride it he’ll be back within a week’....it was 3 days actually and I purchased a new Turbo Levo which has been an absolute marvel currently 2300 miles on it in the last year.

My wife swapped her Whyte for a Cube 160 after 6 months both bikes have the same Bosch motor and run very well.

The punch line...as good as both bikes with Bosch motors have been neither have been as quick as my Turbo Levo, but the Turbo Levo Brose motor doesn’t have the greatest of reputations as some folks have had problems but have to say touch wood....mine has been fantastic

 

[chrismechmaster]

Great insight thanks
I also have the Levo and it’s been faultless and yes I know it could fail but it got a 4 year warranty and a lovely powerful quiet motor

If I get bored of it (which I won’t ) I can sell it with the warranty going straight to the new owner no problem at all

You won’t go far wrong with a Levo the warranty system is very good including rider care often answering and helping people directly on this forum

Levo get a hard time on this forum but 4 years transferable warranty gives you option to safely buy second hand OR if you buy one and then decide you want to sell on then no problem , just like I did with a my sl I transferred ownership and warranty within minutes of selling the bike

There Good bikes and have great warranty / support

 

[steve_sordy]

@Chaser You don't seem even convinced about the pleasures of an MTB, let alone an EMTB. If you are not sold on MTB, then consider not buying an electric one. The timing is all wrong! Even if you took all the advice and did all your homework, you can't go out and test ride 1 or 2 EMTBs to decide which one suits you, let alone the eight that I test rode. Once you have made your mind up which one to buy, you will either have to buy used or wait ages and ages for the bike of your choice. And no discounts!!

EMTBs are great fun and I bless the day I got mine, but I bought mine because I developed arthritis in my knees. If I hadn't, I'd still be on an unassisted MTB, because they are the most enormous fun as well. If you are not blown away by the pleasure of MTB, save your money.

 

[Acousticmood]

I was using a pedaler for a couple years and was frustrated with how far or how steep I could go. And my thighs blew up so my jeans wouldn’t fit LOL. Now I can go farther and use a faster cadence without having to muscle up the hill

 

[Mikerb]

I agree with the above. If you are a committed roadie the chances are you are into Strava/distance/time/ watts etc. For me at least none of that relates to mtb let alone EMTB.....about the only thing the 2 disciplines have in common is that both use a version of the bicycle!
EMTB can be considered an assisted form of MTB useful for those with limited fitness/strength and/or injuries. Well at 70 years old I knew 2 years ago that my time riding mtb was limited mainly because it started to become more pain than fun. Buying an EMTB sorted that but I have since learnt that EMTB opens up whole new categories of off road riding, and for me at least, that is the passion. Nothing to do with age or fitness. Knowing what I know now I would still have bought an EMTB if I was fit and 20 something!

It is not just easier to ride uphill, I can ride up climbs no standard mtb would contemplate and the challenge of those climbs is nearly as addictive as tech gravity runs. Riding rough and rugged terrain on long adventure rides is something else I would not entertain on a standard mtb.
If you are dubious a bout making the investment in an EMTB you need to go on some hire days.

The bug will either bite and leave you no choice.........or not!

 

[Chaser]

I'm getting some anti roadie sentiment here folks!

I was MTBing 20+ years ago, had a gap, went roadie about 14 years ago because it was more accessible. I enjoy the fitness aspect of road work yes but it's good for the soul too.


I like riding bikes. I like exploring. I like being outdoors.

I've been trying to take on more challenging stuff with a gravel bike but there is a limit to their abilities.

The frustrations with MTB comes from not maximising the enjoyment given the time. I've got young kids so those hours available to me need to be worthwhile. From what I've experienced, the eMTB solves that as you're not pushing the bike those sections which might be steep and technical and you get to enjoy the ups more, and the downs more often! My intention isn't to be doing trail centres all of the time, there's a lot of natural trails which are there to be explored which the eMTB will allow me to do, with more fun that it would be on a normal MTB.

I disagree with the idea that eMTB is only for those with limited fitness, strength or injury. eMTB enables the time crunched among us to get more from a ride, and everyone goes faster. There will be very few people who could set the same times that an eMTB rider could up a steep technical section.

I agree there is a good argument for doing more hire/demo days, but there's limitations to that at the moment too due to lack of stock. It's not a great time to be buying a bike but it might be like this for another 18 months. How long do you wait?

I appreciate all the feedback provided, I need to go and see now whether or not Assos or Rapha have a rad range of eMTB clothing that I can squeeze into. ?

 

[The Hodge]

Naaah ..stick to riding on the road mate ..last thing we need is a roadie getting into emtb..then telling all his roadie mates ..who then get into emtb and start clogging up all of the trails ..??
..anyway I do believe you can buy electric road bikes these days .?
With regard to your comment that road riding is good for the soul..couldnt disagree more ..any time I've spent on any road has been totally soul destroying ?

 

[DrStupid]

No trouble convincing me. My trouble is how to STOP convincing me.

 

[RustyMTB]

Flipping it around, I don't get the fun in spending hours in fetish gear inhaling diesel fumes, being called a **** by every third knucklehead in a van & playing Russian roulette with lorries & buses but I suppose we're all different.

How much is a bunch of Rapha kit?

 

[jeanmarc]

Flipping it around, I don't get the fun in spending hours in fetish gear inhaling diesel fumes, being called a **** by every third knucklehead in a van & playing Russian roulette with lorries & buses but I suppose we're all different.

How much is a bunch of Rapha kit?

Add texting & driving to that mix...

 

[2cool2fool]

I started looking at e-mtbs 6 months ago, as a stablemate to my road bikes. Fairly regular roadie, can knock 100k out easily enough, ride some gravel stuff also. Only done the odd bit of MTBing in the last 20 years.

Ive tried a few ebikes over the last 3 or 4 years and I've generally found them entertaining although they've been generally short stints.

I've seen a few choices of full sus bikes come and go from the LBS - Cannondales, Treks and Whytes and each time I've had the opportunity to go for it, the concerns about reliability, cost, ongoing maintenance to keep it going, and distance to trails (30 mins minimum) have always won over. I think the financial commitment to dip my toe into it has been too great. It's a fair bit more faff too, I've got a road bike which I can ride from the door..

My first choice of a Whyte has presented in my lap and again I'm going around the houses trying to convince myself not to buy it.

Anyone else have similar thoughts before getting into it? Anything which convinced them just to jump in? I know you're a long time dead......

After decades of riding analog road and MTB bikes, I rode an EMTB - and the next day bought a Turbo Levo and never looked back. At 70, the Levo has eliminated the frequent Go / No Go decision - and I’m riding more now than ever. And by the way, one huge benefit many roadies forget about MTB riding: there are no assholes on the trails texting while piloting a 5,000 pound vehicle. Good luck!

 

[B1rdie]

As above, while mtbiking may be a dangerous sport you only can be victim of your own mistakes.

 

[Mikerb]

No anti roadie sentiment intended by me. I was just pointing out that the goals and aspirations tend to be very different. That said, I do not understand indecision!! At least not from a bloke! .........and that could be a very dangerous thing on an EMTB .
JFDI mate!