Do eBikes belong on the mountain?

[GP-EB]

Saw the Scott ebikes at the lab yesterday, those things looked huge, would be a bit *** if you get a flat battery on the trails with these, looks proper heavy to ride with pap battery.

Perhaps thats why all those bullets were keeling over in the Netherlands.

They didn't keel over they are being run over by cars, normally at that age they would not be be on bikes, they would have been sitting in front of the telly waiting to die I'm not sure which is better. If you have grade 6 math's, you can work your ride out, so that your battery don't run out, it's simple watts in watts out with these bike's. 

[GP-EB]

If you are going to use your motorbike on the trail please don't use Strava (or at least hide your ride from the segment leaderboard).

There is a Strava category for e-bikes, why are there none for road bikes opposed to mountain bikes or for that matter bikes that cost over R 100 000.00 and under R 100 000.00 after all we know how much difference weight makes.

[GP-EB]

Still the biggest problem with this is ego. The ebiker who cannot resist the competition but who can't ccept that he is not a pure cyclist, and the pure cyclist who doesn't like the feeling of being passed by Uncle Bob if Uncle Bob is acting decently on the trails.

 

If both groups accepted that both have different uses and stuck within some logical behaviour all would be well.

 

But that's just happy thinking... Meanwhile I have strapped an outboard to a dugout and entered a local surfski race. Let's see what happens

I also dint like the rider on his full carbon 29er passing me on my 90tees chrome moly 26er but he chose to spend his money and I didn't. We all have choices in life.

Edited April 26, 2018 by GP-EB

[Shebeen]

eveytime i see this thread come up, i just want to come here and say

 

 

YES

[Bateleur1]

eveytime i see this thread come up, i just want to come here and say

 

 

YES

 

Everytime I see this thread I realise how easy people can complicate their lives with cr@p

[Hairy]

I also dint like the rider on his full carbon 29er passing me on my 90tees chrome moly 26er but he chose to spend his money and I didn't. We all have choices in life.

I have news for you .... you were on the nicer bike!

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Edit: Hold on - how is an ebike safer because it is heavier?

Not "safer" but more stable at speed and over the chunder.

[Eddy Gordo]

I wonder how easy it is to pick up and ebike after a fall!!

[Hairy]

I wonder how easy it is to pick up and ebike after a fall!!

[NotSoBigBen]

Not "safer" but more stable at speed and over the chunder.

'the chunder'? Man I'm getting old .....

 

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[Mawbs]

i only have one problem with ebikes....if he passes me on the way up the hill and then holds me up on the way down the single track trail ...then im pissed 

[T-Bob]

i only have one problem with ebikes....if he passes me on the way up the hill and then holds me up on the way down the single track trail ...then im pissed 

 

The couple I've seen / followed have been piloted by good riders and there was nothing slowing them down at all on the single track. Good riders ride good, bad riders ride bad what ever bike they are on. 

[Robbie Stewart]

watched a man kitted to the nines in his all-mountain gear descend the mineshaft at Meerendal on his e-bike (think it was Giant, but don't quote me on that).

So, he reaches that minute double before the new bit veering off to the left, where that minute gap is flowing into the berm/non-drop off/switchback bit.

Guy stops, rolls over the mini-double at crawling speed, chicken-run's the mini-gap, and walks the non-drop off, before crawling the rest of the bit to where I was waiting for my boet to finish fixing his tyre.

Finally, the dude reaches us, and nearly moers off as he navigates his way between us as we were standing either side of the ST. We were probably 2m apart at that stage...he then blasts of into the proverbial sunset on his steed, feeling all gung-ho on his mountain bike...

E-bikes. Gotta love the poser's...

[SwissVan]

'the chunder'? Man I'm getting old .....

 

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Despite my age, If I see some chunder (vomit) on the trail I will bunny hop (pronk) over it

[ChrisF]

.....

 

E-bikes. Gotta love the poser's...

 

Interesting post .....

 

Some may recall my posts about taking our little for skills training.  We have joined his couch on a number of rides since then.  On one particular ride there were a couple of families. 

 

One lady had not ridden a bike in about 20 years and were trying to get into it .... She happens to be a runner and had some seriously powerful legs and powered up the hills !!  Downhil she was super slow .... then the mini-burms from the pumptrack down to start.  She was going at less than walking pace !!!  To the point where she literally fell over in one of the turns.  I helped her up, gave some pointers and then followed her down, and kept on giving her pointers ... half way down she started relaxing a bit and managed to get from a crawling to a slow but steady pace.  A few more slow laps and she will be able to ride with her kids, and enjoy the trails as a family

 

There are MANY new riders at Meerendal !

 

Surely ill advised for a new rider to head on down to the mine-shaft though !  

 

But calling such new riders "posers" ..... maybe rather take a moment and assist them ?

 

 

 

reminds me of Sunday's ride with Maritz .... few months back I had to put my hand on his shoulder and help him up the steep hills.  Now he WANTS to ride up the steep hills, and he wants to do so without me helping him.  He may take a water-break halfway up, but no way may I assist !  And so we go from the pump track towards Dorstberg, up that first steep section, to join the contour line towards Burry Stander.  Obviously the last 40m is too steep for a 6 year old !  He gets off and pushes his bike up .... two riders encourage him ..... another takes a moment to tell me just how heavy a kids bike is and that I really should not let a kid struggle like that ...... meanwhile, Maritz is super stoked about having cycled the "old route" on his own and just how far he got on the new section under his own steam, wanting to go back to cycle even further ...... 

 

interesting how external perceptions often completely miss the reality of the situation.

[Tony datoy]

I was an ebike sceptic until Greg Minnar Cycles lent me a Levo for a weekend. Bike charged, I headed for the trails at first light on Saturday morning with a friend who already owned a Levo. What a blast, we rode every trail the bike park had to offer.

 

Two weeks later, I bought two Levo's; now my wife and I get to ride together at the same pace.

 

We're not in it to win it, we're not competing against fellow cyclists, we're just enjoying the great outdoors together.

 

If we're courteous to one another and we allow fellow cyclists who are trying to get KOM to pass, there is no reason that we can't enjoy the trails together. Ironically I have a few KOM's in the ebike category on Strava already.

 

In all honesty I haven't ridden my Pyga since getting a Levo, overall a Levo is a blast, it's just so much fun getting to the to of a mountain now.

 

If you can't afford a Levo, don't take one for a ride.