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So, did you keep or sell your non eMTB? Any regrets?

Al-ec

Member
Subscriber
Mar 4, 2024
60
135
West Wales
I'm sure this has been covered before, but I'm still in the honeymoon period and could do with some collective wisdom about whether people ever regularly rode the non eMTB they hung onto or whether they regretted selling.
I am totally loving having an eMTB, way more than I expected and when I've tried riding what up until a few months ago was a great MTB (Cotic Flaremax Gen4). It has felt hard work, less rewarding and not really that motivating. My rigid steel 29er bike packing bike still feels different enough and covers other sorts of riding so that is staying but I'm not sure I'm ever going to regularly ride the Cotic again.
It seems daft to hang onto something when someone else could be having a blast on it and I'm unlikely to. Does this change? My riding has been tailing off over the last few years as has my enjoyment of it but I'm totally loving riding the eMTB (Haibike Lyke) and riding more than I have in ages. It's like all the best bits of riding with the misery and suffering reduced to an option if you really want it. I'm guessing this is not an uncommon experience, so what is peoples experience about what happens next? Do you generally go back to much non eMTBing? Sorry if this has been asked a thousand times.
 

franciscoasismm

Active member
May 31, 2021
246
252
Badajoz
Orbea Karakorum steel 1990 with 100,000 km I use for city management and CANYON Neuron ON 2020 with 37,000 km for trail routes

IMG_20240117_095116.jpg IMG_20240117_095139.jpg
 

Rickster

Well-known member
Subscriber
Feb 19, 2022
364
497
Ok BC Canada
Desert_turtle said "if you need to maintain a high level of fitness you still gotta train acoustic"

Are you kidding me ?! Sorry but I can get a way better balanced workout with an ebike than a non. All the exercise bikes in the gym have varying levels and settings, so does my ebike. I can ride around with it totally shut off and or powered when ever I feel the need for variety and intensity of workouts. With the regular mt bike there's only one setting, die on the hills. It's nice to reach a summit and still have enough energy to rip down and or up again and again without ending up doing just one killer pedal job. I love the ability to ride how I want when I want, a reg bike is somewhat limited that way. Plus the fun factor is WAY better for me on the E.
 

RacerX

Member
Nov 19, 2023
30
30
Austin Texas
I'm sure this has been covered before, but I'm still in the honeymoon period and could do with some collective wisdom about whether people ever regularly rode the non eMTB they hung onto or whether they regretted selling.
I am totally loving having an eMTB, way more than I expected and when I've tried riding what up until a few months ago was a great MTB (Cotic Flaremax Gen4). It has felt hard work, less rewarding and not really that motivating. My rigid steel 29er bike packing bike still feels different enough and covers other sorts of riding so that is staying but I'm not sure I'm ever going to regularly ride the Cotic again.
It seems daft to hang onto something when someone else could be having a blast on it and I'm unlikely to. Does this change? My riding has been tailing off over the last few years as has my enjoyment of it but I'm totally loving riding the eMTB (Haibike Lyke) and riding more than I have in ages. It's like all the best bits of riding with the misery and suffering reduced to an option if you really want it. I'm guessing this is not an uncommon experience, so what is peoples experience about what happens next? Do you generally go back to much non eMTBing? Sorry if this has been asked a thousand times.
I had a Santa Cruz V10 and what I called my BroMad. Bronson and Nomad mullet combined which I loved. I purchased an Orbea Wild and the fun factor went through the rough. The Wild can do it all, it changed everything about riding. I had my BroMad for a few months and the fun factor was not there any more so I sold it. So noe I have my V10 for bike parks and the Wild for absolutely everything else. Perfect se up. Side note I spent months researching ebikes and one video from a well known downhill racer said "all a man needs in life is a good downhill bike and a good enduro e-bike". That is when I bit the bullet and pulled the trigger.
 

jeanmarc

Well-known member
Mar 2, 2021
446
432
Canada
My riding has been tailing off over the last few years as has my enjoyment of it but I'm totally loving riding the eMTB (Haibike Lyke) and riding more than I have in ages.
Exactly like I felt… Gave my mtb after a few months when it was obvious I was only going to ride the e-mtb going forward. 👍
 

Desert_Turtle

Active member
Mar 1, 2022
136
175
Palmdale, CA
Desert_turtle said "if you need to maintain a high level of fitness you still gotta train acoustic"

Are you kidding me ?! Sorry but I can get a way better balanced workout with an ebike than a non.

I agree with everything else you said but it’s hard to take you seriously when you say something like the above.

I totally get how its hard to ride Amish bike after you’ve been on an ebike but there’s no way, no how, you’re training in the gym or on an e-bike and getting the same workout you get on an acoustic bike. I hate suffering on a regular bike but it’s the only way to get into that top tier of fitness.
 

jeanmarc

Well-known member
Mar 2, 2021
446
432
Canada
I agree with everything else you said but it’s hard to take you seriously when you say something like the above.

I totally get how its hard to ride Amish bike after you’ve been on an ebike but there’s no way, no how, you’re training in the gym or on an e-bike and getting the same workout you get on an acoustic bike. I hate suffering on a regular bike but it’s the only way to get into that top tier of fitness.
I can’t comment if you’re training at an olympic level but for the rest of us (regular Joe’s) I respectfully do not agree with this. Riding more often with variable/adjustable resistance keeping the HR in the “right” zone for the specific training target (peak, interval, cardio, off days, …) You can’t beat the eeb.

I do agree though that the acoustic mtb will let you find your Max Heart Rate in no time going up a hill 👍
 

Rickster

Well-known member
Subscriber
Feb 19, 2022
364
497
Ok BC Canada
I agree with everything else you said but it’s hard to take you seriously when you say something like the above.

I totally get how its hard to ride Amish bike after you’ve been on an ebike but there’s no way, no how, you’re training in the gym or on an e-bike and getting the same workout you get on an acoustic bike. I hate suffering on a regular bike but it’s the only way to get into that top tier of fitness.
Haha obviously you haven't pedaled your 50+ lb ebike turned off much. It's harder than a regular bike and you will find your target heart rate in a few minutes even on level ground , esp with knobby tires @20 psi. and a 25 lb backpack on 😜
 

steve_sordy

Wedding Crasher
Nov 5, 2018
9,033
9,481
Lincolnshire, UK
Orbea Karakorum steel 1990 with 100,000 km I use for city management and CANYON Neuron ON 2020 with 37,000 km for trail routes
My God @franciscoasismm! I have seen the distances you clock up on your other bikes, and was amazed! AND NOW THIS!

You must be commuting on all your bikes, and a very long way, to rack up such distances.
 

Plummet

Flash Git
Mar 16, 2023
1,152
1,634
New Zealand
One of my biggest regrets is spending a boat load of money on a dream build muscle bike 6 months before I bought an ebike. Still a great bike but I literally rode it once last summer... It serves as a lender bike now because I didn't have the heart to sell it.

Regular bikes are just boring now unless you're at a bike park imop. Even then they feel all weird and twitchy because of the weight difference.

D
The reason the mtb feels twitchy and weird is because if you riding one bike exclusively. That happens no matter what biked you have. The bigger the gap between the biked the more pronounced the feel. To stop that feeling you need to ride the other bikes often. Then you will be able to switch between bikes with minimal recalibration.

Then the twitchy and weird becomes the playful, light and fun.
 

Natch

New Member
Feb 10, 2024
52
27
Oregon
I agree with everything else you said but it’s hard to take you seriously when you say something like the above.

I totally get how its hard to ride Amish bike after you’ve been on an ebike but there’s no way, no how, you’re training in the gym or on an e-bike and getting the same workout you get on an acoustic bike. I hate suffering on a regular bike but it’s the only way to get into that top tier of fitness.
The most fit I've ever been was when I exclusively rode singlespeeds. They get you into that HIIT workout by default.
 

Natch

New Member
Feb 10, 2024
52
27
Oregon
Then you have a heavy slow piece of shit.

I'm not interested in turned off e bikes or an ebike on eco for that matter. If im going the same or similar speeds to mtb I'd rather ride my mtb which is fun, playful and a gas to ride.

Going fast on a e..... oh yeah bring it on!
That's precisely what I experienced. I turned off the motor on a ride just to see how it felt and the bike was cumbersome.
 

RacerX

Member
Nov 19, 2023
30
30
Austin Texas
I agree with everything else you said but it’s hard to take you seriously when you say something like the above.

I totally get how its hard to ride Amish bike after you’ve been on an ebike but there’s no way, no how, you’re training in the gym or on an e-bike and getting the same workout you get on an acoustic bike. I hate suffering on a regular bike but it’s the only way to get into that top tier of fitness.
Got to love the Amish bike comment. I just shared it with all my friends that still ride Amish bikes and they loved it. I will try it in my local bike shop next time I go in. Love it and it so fitting
 

Natch

New Member
Feb 10, 2024
52
27
Oregon
I agree with everything else you said but it’s hard to take you seriously when you say something like the above.

I totally get how its hard to ride Amish bike after you’ve been on an ebike but there’s no way, no how, you’re training in the gym or on an e-bike and getting the same workout you get on an acoustic bike. I hate suffering on a regular bike but it’s the only way to get into that top tier of fitness.
I enjoy the suffering. The e-bike is still a blast. I also like lift served DH-ing for its own type of fun.
 

JkdJEdi

Member
Subscriber
Feb 18, 2024
30
42
Palm Desert, California
Still have my Specialized Stumpjumper (2016) and will probably never go back to rear air shocks now that I've gotten a good taste of coil shocks that's on my eMTB. I have a mix of riding buds and feel awkward riding my electric with the analogs. I'm sure that will pass quick, :)
 

Montana St Alum

Active member
Feb 13, 2023
257
204
Park City Utah
I'm only 71, so I still have my mountain bike. I'm in Utah and I love my ebike, but I consider the two bikes as 2 circles on a vin diagram - some overlap and some not. I head to Moab regularly - there's nothing like puking up blood climbing to Burro at 11,000' on TWE and ebikes aren't allowed on most of the trails there. Maybe when I'm 80.....
 

Kevjob51

Member
May 22, 2022
114
81
Colorado
I have 2 mtb one a 100/100 fs xc I ride from house to xc trails about 5 miles away and have to do some bike path to get there. It is 27 lbs and loads of fun as it is half the weight of my emtb.

I also have a ripmo af for bike park that I will be riding this summer as most bike parks here in Colorado do not allow emtb yet.

I use my reign e+2 for bigger climbs and lots of miles rides or if I feel like riding a motorcycle! lol ;)
 

TG1971

Member
Nov 14, 2020
51
20
Yorkshire
Me and the wife still love riding normal bikes we ride hardtails in winter on local rides, ride enduro bikes when uplifts or when abroad with ski lifts, we ride our emtbs when we go away for weekends to Scotland or lakes or if we go away a week and want to ride all week as not as bad on the legs, in winter we now ride them once a week as they just a pain to clean and we have gone through a few bikes and motors with the British weather. Think we prefer normal bikes down hill probably not faster but feel more lively and fun although me Kenevo sl is very close in fun downhill
 

JP-NZ

E*POWAH Elite
Feb 17, 2022
1,202
920
Christchurch - New Zealand
I totally get how its hard to ride Amish bike after you’ve been on an ebike but there’s no way, no how, you’re training in the gym or on an e-bike and getting the same workout you get on an acoustic bike.
I ride both and this is correct. Same loop with my EMTB in eco vs my XTC hardtail 14km loop with 350m of climbing my HR is around 22 bpm lower on average on the Ebb. Don't ask me to ride it with the motor off, I'm not an idiot.
 

Streddaz

Active member
Jul 7, 2022
305
435
Tasmania
I still have both, in fact I have just bought a new Stumpjumper.
I still find the challenge of a normal bike and do the odd XC race so the short travel Stumpy is a good all round bike and my Levo SL I use for bigger rides, where I want a bit more travel and I commute to work on it.
 

Mr-EPIC-3

Active member
Feb 25, 2020
194
125
USA, So Cal
I ride both and this is correct. Same loop with my EMTB in eco vs my XTC hardtail 14km loop with 350m of climbing my HR is around 22 bpm lower on average on the Ebb. Don't ask me to ride it with the motor off, I'm not an idiot.
How long (Time) is the ride on your XTC hardtail vs the eMTB for the loop you mention?
I bet that if you did the loop in half the time on your eMTB in ECO, your HR would have been about the same as on you XTC hardtail.
 

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