Am I Missing Something?

Gaddmeister

Retrobike Rider
E-bike's? Is there a future in them? Struggling to understand their purpose and benefits in mountain biking? Surely with modern concerns of fitness and obescety issues, why push an easy way out of good old exercise? Interested in other opinions as all reviews seem to be centred around manufactures or suppliers.
Personally I will never have one as the whole point of a mountain bike to me is to use your legs and get fit and enjoy your achievements, rather than trundle up a hill doing nowt?
 
Re:

I think for some folk they're a good option. The ones I've seen you still need to pedal but the electric motor gives you a boost so not as if you just sit back with your feet up and do nothing.
If riding uphill has become difficult due to injury or just old age then that's where I see the real benefit, allowing people to get out riding where they may no longer be able to on a regular bike. Or if you want to focus on downhilling and don't want to waste your energy on the uphills I can see them being useful (there's already loads of uplift services at downhill tracks offering the same thing when you think about it).
Anything that gets more folk out riding can't be bad.
 
I feel its more dick swinging I'm afraid.

The whole point of exercise is that its exercise.

An e-bike is a motorised vehicle and sparks up questions about insurance and liabilities in case of accidents.

I can see the benefits for those that need it but I bet that would rarely happen out in the real world. Affordability and all that.
 
I have observed that many colleagues that have been driving by car every day now changed to e-bikes. Even the older guys. So thats a good thing.
I bought an ebike for my wife. She's really not into biking. Or any sports. She has a rather short way to the place where she works. Something about 3km. But a steep hill in between. She had a normal bike for years, always used the car. Now she hops onto the ebike, when the weather is fine. And she likes it. Its "some" amount of pedaling. And its saving us some mileage on the car.
As I had to repair that e-bike, I did a few test tours with it. And I must say, I was surprised that one actually has to put some pedalling in. For someone that is not used to biking it still is exercise. It was not much easier on the flats, it just makes you ride faster. But it helped a lot going uphill.

I think ebikes will take over for the average people. And they are a good thing, as long as the power they consume is produced in an efficient and somewhat eco friendly way.


For me personally, I don't see me using an ebike as long as I am able to ride a normal bike. That would feel like cheating. Thow it really isn't.

I always tell myself not to compare ebikes with mountainbikes. Although it seems natural. But Ebikes are a group of vehicles of their own. Its a bit like comparing apples to oranges. :roll:
 
For commuting I think they are great, I am yet to be convinced by E-MTBs. I had have the opportunity to spend a whole day riding one and I did 75 miles of the South Downs Way in about 10 hours and would have done the whole distance if it weren't for my left knee (hit by a van a few weeks before, I'm not usually that weak). Now 75 miles of the SDW is not an amazing accomplishment I must admit, however I have done the SDW before and it was two full days of riding (55 miles the first day) and I felt much worse at the end of day one on my 'normal bike' than I did at the end of the E-MTB ride (knee agony notwithstanding). I can see therefore that for someone who wants to get the absolute maximum out of precious amounts of time spent riding off road, or still feels like they want to get off road but are lacking fitness then they would be a good purchase. They have some foibles but as pointed out you still have to pedal and put some effort in, although if you can't handle a normal MTB off road then riding one with an additional @ 6kg isn't going to be easy!


"And they are a good thing, as long as the power they consume is produced in an efficient and somewhat eco friendly way."


This is a really important point too, and something oft overlooked.
 
legrandefromage":2j32bsft said:
I feel its more dick swinging I'm afraid.

LGF, you've not changed, people spend cash you call dick swinging. I remember the bru ha ha over expensive lights v cheap lights all those years ago.
 
Tad":3raxwypk said:
legrandefromage":3raxwypk said:
I feel its more dick swinging I'm afraid.

LGF, you've not changed, people spend cash you call dick swinging. I remember the bru ha ha over expensive lights v cheap lights all those years ago.

And? Your point is?
 
My main concern is that 'traditional' cyclists end up as third class citizens when out on the road, behind powered vehicles and electric bikes.
 
I have only recently found out about e-bikes :oops:

A friend works at a company that produce their own bikes and she mentioned that they are struggling to sell any of their 'old' style pedal only bikes as the demand now is for e-bikes.

It got me curious and i did look into it. It was a shock at how long they have been out :facepalm: there are some well developed versions now and for long distance adventure/touring riding i think they have a real advantage. I think they are deffinatly here to stay and from what i have seen i think they are mostly positive.

There is the concern raised earlier though, regarding the eco effects, the obvious issue of the battery and its disposal. Im sure there used to be concern regarding batteries, the solution it seems is to put them into everything, cars and even bicycles :?
 
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