Do eBikes belong on the mountain?

[dirtypot]

I love riding 160mm suspension bikes down trails - it's loads of fun!  You can just monster over everything in a way that an XC bike can't even dream about.  On the flats, they're not too bad but obviously require a bit more effort.  On the uphills they just suck.  Stick it in granny and just grind away - there's no getting away from the fact that it's going to take you a while to get to the top and it'll take a lot of energy to do it.

 

But if a pedal assist motor was added to this then it would be unstoppable!  It could feel more like an XC bike going up hill and not be as tiring, and then going down I guess would be an advantage too with a bit more weight lower down.  

I could go for something like that.

[(Deon)]

So why are we still debating it? Pedal assist DH bike for the WIN!

 

Imagine 25km/hr uphill?!?! Hmm, must plan for this..

 

Would need a bell..

[ChrisF]

R35k for a Giant eBike ....

 

 

prices are coming down .....

[gummibear]

I did a 63km mtb race yesterday  and had a very interesting experience.

 

It was 6deg at the start and i didn't have anything warm for my ears so i decided to ride with my earphones in my ears.They weren't plugged into my phone but just tucked into my jacket.At the 20km feeding station one of the race organisers told me to remove them as I'm not allowed to use them on the route.

 

Then we started hitting the big hills with 750m of climbing in 26km.On the first big climb i was passed by 4-6 Ebikes and on the second i lost count of how many.

 

Surely Ebikes on a race are more an issue than earphones?

 

 

 

Most of the riders were actually fairly young guys that shouldn't have a problem on pedal bikes.Could understand if they were older overweight guys.Just wonder what type of person they are to cheat and take their medal at the finish   

[SwissVan]

I did a 63km mtb race yesterday and had a very interesting experience.

 

It was 6deg at the start and i didn't have anything warm for my ears so i decided to ride with my earphones in my ears.They weren't plugged into my phone but just tucked into my jacket.At the 20km feeding station one of the race organisers told me to remove them as I'm not allowed to use them on the route.

 

Then we started hitting the big hills with 750m of climbing in 26km.On the first big climb i was passed by 4-6 Ebikes and on the second i lost count of how many.

 

Surely Ebikes on a race are more an issue than earphones?

 

 

 

Most of the riders were actually fairly young guys that shouldn't have a problem on pedal bikes.Could understand if they were older overweight guys.Just wonder what type of person they are to cheat and take their medal at the finish

It's like disc brakes on road bikes ????.... they are coming

 

But you are right they should not qualify for the same medal / finish

 

Eventually race organisers will have to cater for them

allthough personally I don't think they should be allowed to race.

[BigDL]

How would you have an ebike category when there appears to be such a wide range of performance options and fixes?

[Bateleur1]

I did a 63km mtb race yesterday  and had a very interesting experience.

 

It was 6deg at the start and i didn't have anything warm for my ears so i decided to ride with my earphones in my ears.They weren't plugged into my phone but just tucked into my jacket.At the 20km feeding station one of the race organisers told me to remove them as I'm not allowed to use them on the route.

 

Then we started hitting the big hills with 750m of climbing in 26km.On the first big climb i was passed by 4-6 Ebikes and on the second i lost count of how many.

 

Surely Ebikes on a race are more an issue than earphones?

 

 

 

Most of the riders were actually fairly young guys that shouldn't have a problem on pedal bikes.Could understand if they were older overweight guys.Just wonder what type of person they are to cheat and take their medal at the finish   

 

Was it UCI sanctioned event? Surely that should be treated as mecahnical doping.

[gummibear]

Was it UCI sanctioned event? Surely that should be treated as mecahnical doping.

Not UCI sanctioned and I agree that it's cheating.

[BaGearA]

As for enduro bikes , the weight is very significant and I think it could ruin the bike

 

Could work to get DH bikes to the top easier 

 

As for XC bikes the only people who should use them are people with disablities or wives who want to ride with their strong husbands.

 

 

 

Kids using it in races is bullsh#t and when they are allowed in races those cats should start last and not get timed results 

[Trance Dance]

It's not the cheating that bothers me. But the fact that a rider on an ebike can influence a race overall. Non-ebike riders can definitely be advantaged by being 'pulled' by a rider on an ebike.

[Kalahari Vegmot]

IMO, ebikes only, ONLY belong with people that have some sort of disability.

 

Being healthy and being able to exercise and ride your bike without assists is a PRIVILEGE and should never be discouraged or thought of as a curse.

 

If you want the 'thrill' of cycling but you're not willing to work for it, get a motorbike.

[Eldron]

ebikes in races?

 

Hell no.

 

You can pansy your way to a semi legitimate "I'm like totally enduro brah and like hate climbing" but racing an ebike is like stealing bottles from prams.

[Lizzard30]

IMO, ebikes only, ONLY belong with people that have some sort of disability.

 

Being healthy and being able to exercise and ride your bike without assists is a PRIVILEGE and should never be discouraged or thought of as a curse.

 

If you want the 'thrill' of cycling but you're not willing to work for it, get a motorbike.

There were one flying past me in the k2c yesterday... seems like i was looking for parking

[dirtchick]

The definition of a bicycle is two wheels and human powered therefore bikes are not welcome at a bicycle race.

[Duane_Bosch]

It's not the cheating that bothers me. But the fact that a rider on an ebike can influence a race overall. Non-ebike riders can definitely be advantaged by being 'pulled' by a rider on an ebike.

Saw a guy who's obviously a pro or very fast amateur being paced up chappies on Sunday by a guy on an ebike. Seemed like a good use of it to me. 

[Pure Savage]

Saw a guy who's obviously a pro or very fast amateur being paced up chappies on Sunday by a guy on an ebike. Seemed like a good use of it to me.

An E-bike does not go fast enough to get the KOM up Chappies [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

 

 

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