E-Bikes, what do we think?

Relaxitscool

Not sure I get how ebikes can ruin trails. I weigh 78kg, my bike is 22kg. If a 88kg rider is on a 12kg xc bike the impact is surely the same?

The Rookie

Because they run much more torque at the back wheel, bleedin' obvious really, it's not weight that damages a trail but wheel slip. Plus that and more people doing more runs a day as you allude to.

Relaxitscool

Yeah they do, but that doesn't mean they loose traction or rip it up like a motorcycle. If a surface is loose, I can break traction on a conventional bike. I haven't yet broke traction on e bike fitted with plus tyres. If anything, get your cadence right and the controlled way in which the power is delivered would cause less chance of trail erosion.

If we are talking about reducing use on a trail, should we ban uplifts? Stop people sessioning a particular section....
An ebike causes no more damage than a conventional bike, I'd be willing to bet my bike on it

legopro87

I haven't ridden one but will probably convert an existing bike soon. My daily commute to work is long, 30+ miles one way, so if I can make it there fast and in a fun way by cutting through a few trails and not be completely sweaty then that would be perfect... For now, I do things the hard way. I ride a rigid steel single speed mtb and will continue to do so for as long as I can. Hopefully, by the time I'm old and have destroyed knees there will be a solution to all this so I can keep riding my favorite trails on an e-bike.

lvquestpaddler

I hired a Focus Jafira 27.5+ for a few days in Tenerife in October to see what the hype was all about....aside from rubbish fork travel, poor ground clearance and pedal strike it was good in softish sand, and made life easier cycling into the relentless wind in the south around El Medano. Having lost 10kg before going the bike weight didn't bother me and I'd turn off assist when it wasn't needed, eco mode really just compensates for the excess weight of the thing, but the crank sensors make technical, tight turns etc a nightmare at slow speed- it wants to take off when you don't want it to... But they will get better, lighter, more reliable etc and I can see their advantages purely in terms of distances covered for a given output, and for getting up relentless hills that not all of us enjoy..... I was walking up Carn Ban Mor in the Cairngorms 6 months ago(back of the house!) and thought there was a folk on bikes ahead getting away from me, confirmed by a walker coming down I passed- e bikes it turned out.....now, where |live I could see the logic in a decent one with spare battery if it can get you up on the Cairngorm plateau/Monadliaths- without just pushing a "real" bike up to do some downhill....
My view/prediction is this though- there will be some high profile case of a tuned/chipped bike being involved in a death or two being brought to court, they will turn e bikes into moped status and allow the doubling to 32mph the chips allow, and do away with petrol mopeds altogether- the ebike will replace the moped and be treated as a motor vehicle regardless of the output....

Anyway, here's me in a barranco trying not to go over the bars with their stupid Euro brake routing (switched the brake levers, what the F is that about??!) before the paper thin Plus front tyre took on some thorns....don't rate plus bikes that's for sure...

rockmonkeysc

It looks like two of the UK's top freeriders have moved on to e bikes. Chris Smith is riding for Cannondale, promoting their e bike and Sam Pilgrim is riding for Haibike.
I'm guessing the manufacturers want riders with a younger following but I'm not sure how their riding will translate as both spend a lot of time on dirt jumps and in skate parks doing stuff which needs a jump bike rather than an E bike.
Both are getting old and have a lot of old injuries so maybe they need the battery assistance.

Angus Young

RockmonkeySC wrote:

It looks like two of the UK's top freeriders have moved on to e bikes. Chris Smith is riding for Cannondale, promoting their e bike and Sam Pilgrim is riding for Haibike.
I'm guessing the manufacturers want riders with a younger following but I'm not sure how their riding will translate as both spend a lot of time on dirt jumps and in skate parks doing stuff which needs a jump bike rather than an E bike.
Both are getting old and have a lot of old injuries so maybe they need the battery assistance.

It's probably the money more than the injuries.

rockmonkeysc

Pro riders get paid very little no matter what they're riding unless they're winning international races so I don't think it's about money.

Long_Time_Lurker

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Pro riders get paid very little no matter what they're riding unless they're winning international races so I don't think it's about money.

It's always about the money. Whether it is paid in cash, or free bikes and kit, it's the money.

rockmonkeysc

Long Time Lurker wrote:

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Pro riders get paid very little no matter what they're riding unless they're winning international races so I don't think it's about money.

It's always about the money. Whether it is paid in cash, or free bikes and kit, it's the money.

Riders like Sam Pilgrim and Chris Smith have lots of sponsors for things like suspension, components, clothing, shoes, helmets and sometimes vans.
Bike sponsors usually just pay for media exposure, get it in a magazine photo and get a fee etc.
I would have thought the change to e bikes will lose them some of their older fans. It'll also exclude them from a lot of competitions they're well known for riding like Taxco urban downhill.

Frobisher

Just my tuppence worth. I'm an aging (50+) rider who lives in a flat area with no hills and just busy roads nearby. My job and family commitments don't allow me much time to get out on my bike but what I love when I do get out is mainly the downhill bits. My three cycling mates all live in an area with immediate natural trails on their doorstep, they are roadies too and they get out cycling a lot and are between 10 and 5 years younger than me to boot. I have dodgy knees from years of sport, I have a long-standing ankle injury and I know I will not be able to devote the time to getting any fitter.

Before my e-mtb I would join them on trips to trail centres about 1 in 5 times they asked because:
a) I knew I held them up whilst they waited for me to get up hills
b) It really hurt and made me sick with effort trying to get to them in a reasonable time after they'd made it up and
c) I was getting so exhausted I was ducking out of parts of the trail and missing out

Either I stopped going with them or I changed something. I got an e-bike. A decent one (Cube Stereo Hybrid 160) and I've been out on it twice now. It is simply incredible. I can keep up with them. I haven't had to get out of eco mode so I'm still getting exercise but I'm able to stay with the group now. We did the whole trail centre in the time it normally takes to do about half last week. I've never had the energy to get all the way around before. I have a smile on my face, I'm loving every minute of it and I'm truly enjoying being able to go out with my mates and not feel I'm ruining their day.

I'm also respectful on the trail to others (none of the "you ought to get one of these mate!" type comments as I pass people), I get out of the way on downhills if I sense people catching me up as I don't want to spoil their fun and I have politely answered several enquiries people have made about the bike when I've been stopped at the top of a slope (waiting for my mates to catch up ;-))

I'm now the one bugging them about where we're going next week. This has totally changed my outlook on something that used to be a chore. It's absolutely brilliant and has transformed the way I view this activity.

jsisidore

Commuter ebike great idea if travelling long distances and/or hilly area.
Mountain non-downhil ebike is an expensive gimmick for most riders.

sgt.pepper

'The path of least resistance always wins.'