Do eBikes belong on the mountain?

[KingTJ]

the simple answer is  : NO !! I can explain more, but i think enough people on this forum have said why.

[LazyTrailRider]

I was prejudiced against E-bikes on the trails, till I met a gentleman, who has serious health issues on the Berg'nBush. He was riding an E-bike. He started in my batch (by no friggen means in contention for a podium, robbing no-one-that-cares of a GC position.)

 

So, for a person, with limited lifespan, facing serious health issues to be able to share in the joy that this sport is supposed to be, to get out on the trails hand have some fun, share in the banter and enjoy the great vista's we experience...I have no issue with that.

 

My wife has Type 1 Diabetes. On an average day, her blood glucose levels fluctuate between 2.0 and 20.0. For context, most charts rate below 4.0 and above 14.0 in the "seek immediate medical attention" category. She's in those zones several times a week. She can't excercise without taking emergency glucose supplies with, so we travel with Glucose gel sachets and sweets of all types at all times. She also happens to really enjoy cycling, but riding for longer than 30 minutes without stopping to check and top up sugar levels is not easy. As a result, getting fit to a level which most of us around here see as "in shape" is damn near impossible. But, we still try. We ride together as often as we can, we try to find singletrack with as little climbing as possible, and we generally really enjoy ourselves out on the trail, savouring berms and bumps and other fun trail obstacles. She loves it!

 

At the moment, she rides a pretty nice machine (Specialized Rumor Expert with X01, Pike, dropper etc), but guess what? I'd get her a Levo in a heartbeat if my budget allowed it. Enabling her to gain enough vertical to enjoy more challenging singletrack would put massive smiles on both our faces. Do I care whether luddites wouldn't want us on the trails? Not even close.

[FCH]

Fake news.

Each to his own, more people outside the better for us all.

 

the simple answer is  : NO !! I can explain more, but i think enough people on this forum have said why.

[carbon29er]

I encourage all the e-MTB naysayer to put their prejudices aside and make an effort to find and test ride an e-MTB. Please. Once you've done that, come back to this thread and provide feedback.

It is irrelevant whether or not I ride one. That is not the debate. The debate is around access to the same areas motorbikes are banned but bicycles are allowed.

 

Oh, and the stealing of strava KOMs.

[Paul Ruinaard]

Hmm - this is becoming very judgmental.

 

I pedal, so i am better than you because my activity is more pure than yours. You use a throttle so you are lesser than me. 

 

WTF

 

Your activity threatens me as it changes the paradigm I originally engaged on when i started cycling. Pay your dues. Dont come here with innovation and change. . You larger less fit or different people arent allowed in to my places - they are mine and i worked hard to get here so you need to pay your dues and suffer to be able to access them. Go away lesser beings. I am not happy with you being equal to me - i need to introduce a hierarchy.

 

What is all this crap?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LazyTrailRider]

Hmm - this is becoming very judgmental.

 

I pedal, so i am better than you because my activity is more pure than yours. You use a throttle so you are lesser than me.

 

WTF

 

Your activity threatens me as it changes the paradigm I originally engaged on when i started cycling. Pay your dues. Dont come here with innovation and change. . You larger less fit or different people arent allowed in to my places - they are mine and i worked hard to get here so you need to pay your dues and suffer to be able to access them. Go away lesser beings. I am not happy with you being equal to me - i need to introduce a hierarchy.

 

What is all this crap?

Yup. Exactly.

[Iwan Kemp]

It is irrelevant whether or not I ride one. That is not the debate. The debate is around access to the same areas motorbikes are banned but bicycles are allowed.

 

Oh, and the stealing of strava KOMs.

 

There is a big difference between e-bikes on trails and motorbikes. As a motorbiker I would love access to more dirt and single track, but

 

- noisy as hell. There's NO way motorbikes will be able to ride some of the trails cyclists do just based on that

- they actually, genuinely do rip up trails

- it will cost a fortune in maintenance

- fire risk 

- will not be able to share trails with cyclists, runners, horses, hikers, etc

 

Not the same as an e-bike. 

[NicoBoshoff]

Gonna be pretty funny when one of those pull a Samsung on us and set Jonkershoek on fire (yeah yeah, I know, but still).

 

Anyways, do what you want.  I reserve the right to judge.  Part of being free.  Also wouldn't judge someone who genuinely has a medical reason for going this route.  Part of not being a dick.

[Iwan Kemp]

Gonna be pretty funny when one of those pull a Samsung on us and set Jonkershoek on fire (yeah yeah, I know, but still).

 

Anyways, do what you want.  I reserve the right to judge.  Part of being free.  Also wouldn't judge someone who genuinely has a medical reason for going this route.  Part of not being a ****.

 

They have been running around Jonkers long enough for that to have happened by now. I reckon the day it does happen it will be down to the chop riding it and not the bike. Chops be chops; can't blame gear for that. 

[NicoBoshoff]

They have been running around Jonkers long enough for that to have happened by now. I reckon the day it does happen it will be down to the chop riding it and not the bike. Chops be chops; can't blame gear for that. 

Yeah...https://dirtmountainbike.com/news/exploding-e-bike-battery-causes-half-million-euros-worth-damage.html

[Mongoose!]

Gonna be pretty funny when one of those pull a Samsung on us and set Jonkershoek on fire

 

 

 

Imagine a guy arriving at the trail with his Kuga and his Samsung battery powered e bike on the bike rack at rear

[Iwan Kemp]

Yeah...https://dirtmountainbike.com/news/exploding-e-bike-battery-causes-half-million-euros-worth-damage.html

 

Hehe, get the reference now. True, that can happen. Can also happen with a GPS, cellphone (did someone say Samsung?!) or light. Anything with a battery I suppose. 

 

Motorbike is a bit different though. No need for it to explode for it to set a forest on fire. And trust me, they RIP up trails. 

[Paul Ruinaard]

Imagine a guy arriving at the trail with his Kuga and his Samsung battery powered e bike on the bike rack at rear

Thing is all batteries are bombs. You take an 10 to 15 000 M/AH battery pack we use to run all the electrics on your MTB. 

 

Or a bike light battery - it will also easily start a nice forest fire and also be very difficult to put out.

 

So this isn't unique to ebikes.

 

FWIW: Do they pat you down at the entrance to the trail to check you arent riding with a Note 7.

 

Also the guys who are riding with cell phones running strava as their dashboard. Get that wet and short circuited. See the smoke and flames from that battery....

Edited March 8, 2017 by Paul Ruinaard

[Mamil]

Jislaaik - just taken a Scott E-bike for a spin at my LBS - oh my goodness.

 

If I took one of these on the trails I would be dead in a week. A good thing the barrier to entry is so high because if these were on the trails in any numbers I wonder how much damage the trail would take.

 

I want one. No I don't. But I do.

['Dale]

With this...

Yes, they do belong on them mountains

 

http://14761-presscdn-0-15.pagely.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/06/Cannondale-Moterra-First-Look-1-1140x760.jpg

[Mambat]

Personally I would love one in my quiver...

 

I am reasonably fit and enjoy both the climbs and the downs.

 

I am fortunate to have bicycles catering for both.

 

But I see the Levo as my chair-lift... What is the difference between pedal assist

and what they have in Europe where you get wafted to the top seated in comfort to just bomb back down?

We dont have that luxury here so in my opinion this is the next best thing.

 

I watched some guys in Jonkers several weeks ago on Levo's and was very very envious

of the fun they were having................ these guys are A LOT fitter than myself but there was no ways they could have done the multiple runs they were able to fit in!

 

I'm all for them personally!