When were Emtb's first introduced ?- Debate

[ishaw]

Re:

It the law that dictates what is what, not me.
If you believe a "bike" traveling at 40mph with an engine running is a push bike, then so be it

No mention of engine running. The guy was pedalling with assisted electric motor, not zooming along with his feet up under the power of the electric motor, i could hear it assisting with each stroke too (as I tried to keep up, I like a challenge).

Law or not, people break them to suit their needs, e-scooters are not supposed to go over a certain speed, yet I've seen some overtaking cars travelling at 30+ mph, despite being on a high street pavement. Pretty sure they are supposed to be limited to 15mph and also not legal to ride them on roads or paths. Yet they are everywhere despite the law.

Just realised I don't actually know why I'm replying, I know what I witnessed just trying to contribute to the discussion around e-bikes but I guess this thread is about e-mtbs so not quite relevant.

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

That's the point, they may be breaking the law, uninsured, not taxed and would have a harsh penalty from the police, like someone round here recently did.

It is causing problems with people seeing e-bike/pedalecs being a good for people, when you see comments of people wizzing around at 30mph, no helmets on etc just because it has a diamond frame or MTB look about it.
Plenty of complains on our local Facebook groups from the city. Constant people having to explain these are classed as motorbikes and they are braking the law.

it doesn't help if cyclists don't see these as motorbikes.
I know why people think they are just push bikes with a motor, but they are not.
And I believe you did see it pedal past you up to 40mph.

What I don't know is the rules regarding L plates on them and when they go past that starter 17yr old moped/(scooter) motorbikes
to mangle the modern use of moped since they rarely have pedals.

 

[greencat]

I think we have to bear in mind that the UK/US experience is not necessarily the same as other parts of the world.

I think of e-bikes as gaining mainstream appeal more quickly in Asia (esp China) and mainland Europe (Germany & Netherlands in particular) - perhaps because of wider adoption and acceptance of cycling as a transport tool in general? If you are regularly lugging loads around or simply see the cycle as a way of getting from A-B for all ages and abilities, then it's hardly surprising that cultural acceptance of e-assist is easier. Even now there's a certain snobbishness in the UK about electric assist (something I was guilty of up until a few years ago).

Lastly on absence from MTB mags. In my experience, most mags are little more than advertorial and heavily dictated by what manufacturers offer them to review (and traditionally dominated by UK/US brands). I daresay budget plays a big part of that decision. I doubt it would have occurred to contact an unknown german manufacturer in the early 2010s to try out their eMTB - even if they'd heard of it.

We're talking eMTB, the e-assist have been around for sometime before that, many as shopper bikes for commuting

Agreed, but given said widespread and earlier acceptance of ebikes in general outside of US/UK, I'm not surprised the first "true" eMTB was German and that it wasn't covered by the US/UK mountain biking press. The end result is that many of us think of eMTB as something that has happened in the last couple of years, but in reality they've been around for about a decade according to Haibike.

The mags dropped the ball on this - for the understandable reasons, neither they or their readers were thought to be particularly interested in eMTB.

 

[FluffyChicken]

oh absolutely, though I think there was a bike shop down Norfolk way that brought them into the country. I don't think any local to me did, but then they've mostly been closing down one after the other.

Around here, as I think around most places, it'll have been around 2008 when it all kicked off ?


As for mags, I don't know many people who read them. Websites mainly, but again you'd need to be in to MTB to bother.
Though they've been dragging as much out of wheel size changes, 'BOOST' and fat bikes as they can. Shimano hitting the e-bikes would coincide with greater marketing and uptake compared to a washing machine company strapped to your cranks ;-)


dyna-ti found out any more ?

 

[FluffyChicken]

I guess not Norfolk, but Surrey. It's all the same down south anyway ;-)
How far is it from ishaw?
could be one of these derestricted e-bike(motorbikes).
Probably worth a scan through their blog and history as they'll know more than any of us.
https://www.e-bikeshop.co.uk/