Do eBikes belong on the mountain?

[Steady Spin]

2 hours ago, Mitch21 said:

Riders braking in corners is what wreaks total havoc on trails. Regardless of the weight of the bike or torque being applied to the rear wheel (which is irrelevant unless you're pedalling through a corner downhill).

Comparing the impact a bikes weight and rear wheel torque has on the condition of an incline/flat section of a trail is infinitesimal in comparison to the damage of braking in corners, or overusing the rear brake and not braking properly.

 

Roosting those berms and skidding the corners. 
Another thing is cutting corners and making your own line. Riding around puddles or plowing through muddy trails that shouldn't be ridden to begin with. 

eBikes don't damage trails, inconsiderate riders do. 

[vanniri]

23 minutes ago, Steady Spin said:

Roosting those berms and skidding the corners. 
Another thing is cutting corners and making your own line. Riding around puddles or plowing through muddy trails that shouldn't be ridden to begin with. 

eBikes don't damage trails, inconsiderate riders do. 

I do all of the above. Mostly since I am clueless and brake when I shouldn't, don't break when I need to and end up making my own (unintended) line, getting stuck in puddles, etc.  

At least I don't plow through muddy trails since I dislike any mud on my bike, instead I push my bike and swear at the rain gods.  

[Mamil]

24 minutes ago, vanniri said:

I do all of the above. Mostly since I am clueless and brake when I shouldn't, don't break when I need to and end up making my own (unintended) line, getting stuck in puddles, etc.  

At least I don't plow through muddy trails since I dislike any mud on my bike, instead I push my bike and swear at the rain gods.  

Ha ha .... Me too. I'm told I ride like a dentist and I'd register except my bike isnt expensive enough.

[LazyTrailRider]

I've given in and got a Levo SL.

Man, it's such an awesome machine. The biggest thing for me when we spent a few days riding in Karkloof was how 4 riders of very varying fitness levels could do lap after lap of the most amazing tech trails without anyone having to wait for anyone else on the climbs. Just pure bliss with energy left to spare for every berm, lip, boostable roller and drop. I'm sold.

Also, I tried riding with power off for about 8km across a combination of tech, climbing and DH, and really couldn't feel a huge difference between the feel of it and the 2019 Stumpy I had.

I'm still going to primarily smash the pedals on my gravel bike for mileage and strength, but what remains to be seen is whether I'm going to ride this or my Stumpy EVO more. It's going to be interesting...

[Mamil]

I was drooling over treks new ecalibre this morning. A smaller battery and battery and motor come out to turn it into a 14kg ordinary bike if you so desire. 

 I want one. And by the time I get to 60yrs old which is when I've told myself I can have one the tech will be even better.

Of course it is 120k and it comes with very entry level components but .... That's for another thread.

[LazyTrailRider]

On 4/8/2022 at 1:18 PM, Mamil said:

Of course it is 120k and it comes with very entry level components but .... That's for another thread.

Yeah, my Levo SL Comp Carbon comes with NX and a Fox 34 Rhythm (which in itself is actually pretty good but it's obviously not a Factory) for R145k. Not the greatest value...

[Headshot]

"Broped" is now a name for an eBike according to a Singletracks commentator. 🙂

How does it feel bros? 

[Headshot]

Can't vouch for the accuracy of this article but it makes sense - https://intermountainbikes.com/do-e-bikes-damage-trails/

Basically it says yes, but its pretty much identical to normal bikes. 

[thebob]

I'd love an Orbea Rise personally. Not a full power e-Bike, but with more than enough gas to smash laps out at Wolwekloof

[The Ouzo]

1 hour ago, Headshot said:

Can't vouch for the accuracy of this article but it makes sense - https://intermountainbikes.com/do-e-bikes-damage-trails/

Basically it says yes, but its pretty much identical to normal bikes. 

I didnt get very far into that article. It was painful to read, reads like someone that had a minimum word count quota to meet 

[Hairy]

E-bike riders take note, and do not charge your bike when you are not around or if you are asleep.

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/e-bike-battery-fire-destroys-florida-bike-shop.html

[aquaratza]

Any cheap lithium battery that lacks reasonable protective circuitry is a fire hazard. It doesn't matter what it powers. FUD

https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/mobile/officials-say-mobile-phones-to-blame-for-two-house-fires-in-one-week-1.2376982

Edited April 21, 2022 by aquaratza

[Headshot]

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/falling-batteries-and-risk-of-fire-leads-to-santa-cruz-recall-of-2022-heckler-emtbs.html

 

So you're not damaging trails more than a normal bike, except where your eBike catches fire and burns down the mountain 🙂 

[The Ouzo]

3 minutes ago, Headshot said:

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/falling-batteries-and-risk-of-fire-leads-to-santa-cruz-recall-of-2022-heckler-emtbs.html

 

So you're not damaging trails more than a normal bike, except where your eBike catches fire and burns down the mountain 🙂 

they need to make bigger CO2 bombs for e-bikes, with a fire extinguisher head.  

[Headshot]

1 minute ago, ouzo said:

they need to make bigger CO2 bombs for e-bikes, with a fire extinguisher head.  

Thats funny, but quite likely, given the cycle industries' obsession with gadgets and ripping consumers a new one.

[aquaratza]

Such jealousy