What are the bad points

[outerlimits]

What are the bad points or pitfalls of owning and riding a EMtb ?
Other than some of the usual negative comments from others.

I find, I am always pushed into the fast group on rides, but sometimes I just want to cruise. Also, I get to be the gofer, relaying messsages between riders in the group, or staying to help fix a bike, as i’ll just catch up.

 

[Johniboy73]

The cost. After only 250 miles my chain was stretched so much it needed replacing. They suggest the cassette and front gear all need doing at the same time. £150 every 250m!!!?? I sold mine

 

[Jeff McD]

Yeah it requires better chain maintenance for sure. Went through my first chain fast then learned from reading in this forum. Now I use the method suggested I think by Karsten: after every ride turn the bike upside down on the front lawn spin the pedals and wipe the chain off (then I wipe the stanchions and shock), And twice a week put a single drop of chain lube on each link , wipe the excess off. Chain is not showing any appreciable wear after five months of doing this and I check it once a week. I also started being very careful to back off pressure on pedals when shifting. This is necessary with all ebikes. It's a pain at first but not after you get used to it.
Also disagree with having to change the cassette and chainring with every new chain. Buy a chain checking tool and put a new chain at the appropriate time (.5-.75) and they will last a lot longer. Those are solid steel components for heaven sake's not aluminum. I expect mine to last a long time.
For myself, the biggest negative is the weight of the bike. Have pretty serious shoulder injuries with no rotator cuff tendons at all in the right shoulder and that makes it hard to lift the bike up into the truck bed and over fences. Fast down hills in tight technical trails are just not as much fun as my '16 custom stumpy with 160 mm pike 24.5 pounds. That bike was a screamer- this thing is so much heavier it's not as flickable at high-speed dodging trees logs and rocks aplenty on our tight technical trails. Fear not though lighter E bikes are coming! Woo hoo!
Hope this helps, Jeff.

 

[craig landau]

the only bad point is getting to the top of the mountain and having to wait for ages for the rest to catch up

 

[Gary]

What are the bad points or pitfalls of owning and riding a EMtb ?

Massive loss in fitness and weight gain.

 

[highpeakrider]

Massive loss in fitness and weight gain.

Unless you have an injury then its an increase in fitness and weight loss.

 

[Gary]

Riding an Emtb for exactly the same time per week you used to share riding regular mtbs, roadbikes and BMX and you'll most certainly lose fitness and burn less calories. Eat the same and you'll put ON weight. Upper body might get stronger (dependent on how you ride)

#Science

 

[Gary]

I'm honestly sick of reading completely deluded folk stating an Ebike gets you fitter.

Riding more gets you fitter. an Ebike doesn't magically free up more riding time.

 

[Janluke]

You're right but for me an Ebike has enabled me to ride more. I'm able to ride for twice as long at about 75% of my previous HR. I'm also now able to ride everyday without needing to rest the legs which has doubled my weekly mileage. I've lost just over 3 stone this year. I think an ebike allows you to choose the rate you work rather than the terrain.
Bad Points
I guess purchase and running costs are up a level
When I ride my "normal" bike I enjoy the lightness and simplicity of it.
The tech is still fairly new and I wonder how long our current motors/batteries will be supported

 

[mark.ai]

Riding an Emtb for exactly the same time per week you used to share riding regular mtbs, roadbikes and BMX and you'll most certainly lose fitness and burn less calories. Eat the same and you'll put ON weight. Upper body might get stronger (dependent on how you ride)

#Science

It's just to do with how hard you are pushing yourself physically and the type of riding you are doing, and not dependent on what you are actually riding. If you push yourself just as hard on an e-mtb as on a regular mtb then your fitness will stay the same.

However I suspect most people don't push themselves physically as hard when riding an e-mtb But like @Janluke says that can actually allow you to ride longer than you otherwise would.

 

[Dax]

Riding more gets you fitter. an Ebike doesn't magically free up more riding time.

It kinda has. It's meant that I can go riding on days when I'm knackered, have a cold or generally cba, whereas before I wouldn't ride. It also means that it's worth going out if I have a couple of hours before work or at lunch.

 

[Doomanic]

I think for me the eBike, rather than freeing up more riding time, has changed Can'tBA days into CanBA days. I've definitely been out in conditions that would have seen me curled up on the sofa watching TV. I have no decent riding on my doorstep (and no option to move, before anyone suggests it) so any riding is a minimum 40 mile drive. Each way. The eBike makes it far more likely that I'll do that drive, even if the weather is looking shitty or I'm not really feeling it because I know I'll have a blast when I get there.

 

[OldBean]

Increased use of washing machine ...! Grief it was muddy this morning on 25 miles of bridle ways
Fitness..... I have not been as fit since my 20s I'm now 78 and regret not finding EMTBs years ago. Loving every moment (Well not the " crashing into the hedgerows " bit)
Have Fun

 

[R120]

I have definitely got fitter since getting the EMTB, purely because I am riding more - I used to pretty much only get out once a week on my old bike, whereas now I get out 3 times a week on average.

If you are already pretty fit, and are purely replicating how you rode before but on an e-bike, then I can see a drop off in fitness, but for a lot of people it means putting more miles on the trails and getting out more, and hence being more active.

 

[Welshman]

Massive loss in fitness and weight gain.

Massive gain in fitness as I now ride pain free, so get out and enjoy it more...helps with weight loss as I’m out riding and not slob bing on the sofa...I’m sick of reading deluded comments from folk who think only they are right and no else has an opinion that differs from theirs...

 

[Doomanic]

Massive loss in fitness and weight gain.

Massive gain in fitness as I now ride pain free, so get out and enjoy it more...helps with weight loss as I’m out riding and not slob bing on the sofa...I’m sick of reading deluded comments from folk who think only they are right and no else has an opinion that differs from theirs...

You forgot to drop the mic!

 

[outerlimits]

I'm honestly sick of reading completely deluded folk stating an Ebike gets you fitter.

Riding more gets you fitter. an Ebike doesn't magically free up more riding time.

Oh but it does Gary, it does free up more riding time. I spend less time recovering and more time riding when I go to my local.
I guess it comes down to me being less gassed during my actual time spinning the pedals. My heart rate is in the fat burning zone for longer if you like.
But let’s look at the real world for a second.
Last year I done 6600km on my Norco Sight conventional pedal power bike. This year due to work commitments I have only managed 4500km on the Levo. I have lost more weight and gained more muscle than last year.
There are a lot of variables to consider, but to conclude they don’t get you fitter or do get you fitter, no one case is the same. I know my Cardiologist likes my progress and I’ve ridden less this year. I can see my results. It may be different for others.

 

[flash]

N+1 is a lot more expensive with e-bikes and there's a lot of cool toys to try.

Gordon

 

[Welshman]

Oh but it does Gary, it does free up more riding time. I spend less time recovering and more time riding when I go to my local.
I guess it comes down to me being less gassed during my actual time spinning the pedals. My heart rate is in the fat burning zone for longer if you like.
But let’s look at the real world for a second.
Last year I done 6600km on my Norco Sight conventional pedal power bike. This year due to work commitments I have only managed 4500km on the Levo. I have lost more weight and gained more muscle than last year.
There are a lot of variables to consider, but to conclude they don’t get you fitter or do get you fitter, no one case is the same. I know my Cardiologist likes my progress and I’ve ridden less this year. I can see my results. It may be different for others.

Gary only cares for his own opinion...he cares not for anyone else’s

 

[R120]

Actually Gary does care for other peoples opinions, he just likes them explained rather than a blanket statement - don't take his responses as combative, he's just blunt. More often than not he is a font of useful information.

A lot of us on here have found that EMTB's get us out more, and the fitness benefits from doing so are clear to those of us in that situation, however if you are riding your Emtb as much as you where riding your old bike, over the same distances and times, you are probably not getting as good a work out, and that's where Gary is coming from.

Mind you I ride bikes for fun, if I get fit as a side effect of that then its a bonus, but as long as I am fit enough to ride the rides I like to do then I am happy. I measure my weight by the riding shorts I can fit into rather than any set of scales!

 

[Doomanic]

A lot of us on here have found that EMTB's get us out more

On that note, I've done a couple of hundred more miles this year than last but over 70,000 feet more climbing! 54 rides logged compared to 40, and I know there's a few missing.

 

[outerlimits]

Yeah, Gary ain’t bad,.. he can be opinionated and blunt at times, but he’s full of useful info, and experience. That’s what I have found.

Opinions are like armpits anyway. Everyone has 2 and sometimes they stink,
but merh?‍♂.

 

[Rawry]

Have my first e bike and never had so much fun, i come home from a ride and feel as though i have had a good work out but i haven't killed myself so i can go again the next day. if you want fitness use a lower mode or try steeper more technical hills no need to use turbo for every thing. You can get a lot done on an ebike in an hour if your pushed for time.

 

[Osprey]

I think for me the eBike, rather than freeing up more riding time, has changed Can'tBA days into CanBA days. I've definitely been out in conditions that would have seen me curled up on the sofa watching TV. I have no decent riding on my doorstep (and no option to move, before anyone suggests it) so any riding is a minimum 40 mile drive. Each way. The eBike makes it far more likely that I'll do that drive, even if the weather is looking shitty or I'm not really feeling it because I know I'll have a blast when I get there.

Exactly... I am VERY unfit and will.now go out twice a week rather than every other week because I can keep up with my son and don't feel I'm holding him back having to wait at the top.of climbs and stuff.

 

[Tim29]

I'm honestly sick of reading completely deluded folk stating an Ebike gets you fitter.

Riding more gets you fitter. an Ebike doesn't magically free up more riding time.

If you fall into the high power lazy no pedal or ride with all acoustic bikes in upper power levels you will Def loose fitness.
But if you train the same time intervals you do on acoustic bike and use power levels to control max heart rate you will have a higher average heart rate and lower peak guaranteed. Higher sustained heart rate average equals improved fitness.

 

[steve_sordy]

I used to ride 3-4 times per week, all over the UK. As my knee problems got worse, I started to ride up less steep stuff, and stopped going out with my mates because I hated holding them up. Then I started needing two days rest between rides. Then my max miles per ride started to decline!

Then I started testing emtbs! I discovered that I could ride on consecutive days and ride for twice as long and still not get knee pain! Now I have to wait until my emtb arrives, so I'm back to two days rest between rides and short rides at that!

Every ride on an emtb got me sweaty, whereas currently getting sweaty requires more pain! I have no actual evidence yet, but I am convinced that I MUST get fitter with an emtb. Looking forward to finding out anyway!

 

[Tim29]

Being a motocross rider who rides 50+ in the A class and still being able to ride with the open pro class at local events and finish in top 5 i contribute to Ebike.
My average heart rate for 30 min + 1 lap is 180+.
My average heart rate on my ebike on a 1:23 min loop i do 4 days a week is 153.
My average heart rate on the same loop on my acoustic bike is 141.
That’s 7 months of data combined now.
The only variable is the ebike is two laps and acoustic is 1 lap.
Ave speed on acoustic is 5.7 mph.
Ebike is 11.7 mph.
My personal view is i ride my ebike in turbo on recovery days at 90+ rpm so cardio is high and leg strain low as not putting out heavy pushing on pedals just spinning.
One thing i have noticed is my legs are not as bulky. There down a 1/2 in diameter. My speculation is more rpm and less heavy pushing has built leaner muscle mass.
But in gym my inverted leg press max weight is less by few less pounds but my 50% of max weight high reps is up. Maybe that’s just age creeping in?

But I’m not sore in the knees on my recovery days like i was before.

 

[100 Cols]

You consider that as a bad point?

 

[Tim29]

N

You consider that as a bad point?

no that was a reply to the ebikes make you weaker comment

 

[Macone]

Speaking as one of the older at 57years (and fatter at 116kg) guys. I find the ebike so much more fun that I have basically trebled my riding over the last three months since I bought it. I quite simply feel more motivated to ride more often and further as its so much more fun. So yes I am getting fitter. That's just me though. 76kms with 1400m of climbing this morning. What a blast.