Do eBikes belong on the mountain?

[Duane_Bosch]

It is when these start appearing on our trails that I will be very concerned.

 

http://www.greyp.com/

 

No need to pedal

 

You can pedal if you want, assist the motor or ride the G12S like a motorcycle. It will reach 70 km/h without any assistance from the rider. You can forget about sweating ever again while riding up a hill!

Yeah that's just a battery powered motorbike. and an ugly one at that.

 

Personally I think they should be banned. Not because of the e bikes as such but soon enough you'll find some oke on his KTM 125 riding MTB trails and using E bikes as his justification as to why he can ride them.

Edited March 6, 2017 by Duane_Bosch

[Hairy]

Yeah that's just a battery powered motorbike. and an ugly one at that.

 

Personally I think they should be banned. Not because of the e bikes as such but soon enough you'll find some oke on his KTM 125 riding MTB trails and using E bikes as his justification as to why he can ride them.

these were the bikes that blitzed past us on the cycle lane......it just flipping took off at a rate of knots, uber power!

[Rocket-Boy]

Firm grasp for the obvious there!

So what exactly is your point, because I cringed way too much at that little jibe of yours to notice?

Just pointing out that you are wrong about e-bikes. 

Patch's post directly above yours, last line sums it up perfectly.

 

Interesting little point is that in the last 6 months e-bikes have outsold regular bikes in the Netherlands. The future is coming, doesnt mean you have to embrace it and use one, but being annoyed by it will get you nowhere.

[Mongoose!]

Would really like to try / test ride one of these e bikes some day

[Hairy]

Just pointing out that you are wrong about e-bikes. 

Patch's post directly above yours, last line sums it up perfectly.

 

Interesting little point is that in the last 6 months e-bikes have outsold regular bikes in the Netherlands. The future is coming, doesnt mean you have to embrace it and use one, but being annoyed by it will get you nowhere.

If I understand correctly / remember correctly, the stats you are pointing out was 52% e-bike sales and 48% conventional bike sales ......... but this was specifically for "general riding" bikes, or city bikes, and not MTB / trail riding bikes.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Would really like to try / test ride one of these e bikes some day

according to one of the okes I ride with sometimes (Wayne Schell of Ride Rate Review on youtube) it's an absolute hoot. Instead of doing one or 2 contermanskloof mast laps in a typical ride, he'd be doing min 3. And getting better DH times 'cos he's fresher. Not much fresher, 'cos you still have to pedal, but fresh enough to make it a little better 

 

And no, the motor won't really kick in on the downhills unless you're coming out of a corner and even then it's not really that much assistance over the one or 2 pedal strokes you'd make normally to get you up to 25kph. 

 

Agreed that the throttle controlled ones shoudln't be allowed. They're E-Moto's. Not emtb's. 

[Headshot]

Just pointing out that you are wrong about e-bikes. 

Patch's post directly above yours, last line sums it up perfectly.

 

Interesting little point is that in the last 6 months e-bikes have outsold regular bikes in the Netherlands. The future is coming, doesnt mean you have to embrace it and use one, but being annoyed by it will get you nowhere.

No doubt those were not MTB's but commuter bikes which are  probably in huge demand in Holland.

 

I have had misgivings about eMTB's but have got past most of them. As a pedal assist bike I have very little problem with them. Hopped up and with a throttle I do. The question is at what point do they become a motor bike and therefore banned from MTB trails and wilderness areas? There has to be a point at which this occurs. 

 

I am sure they are fun in their own way and will get better and better over time, but for me they are anti the whole point of cycling - its self powered. Most of these new bikes are trail bikes - it makes sense because they are heavier and that kind of falls into the trail bike arena with bigger forks and so on. Problem for me is that while you may be able to earn your ascents easier, descending is never going to be as good as on a sorted trail bike that weighs nearly 10kg less. 

[BuffsVintageBikes]

E-Bikes aren't coming, they are here already and they're pretty impressive machines. Whether you like them or not is irrelevant, they appeal to a certain demographic and they’re selling well so clearly the demand is there.

 

For now you might be able to distinguish them from other bikes due to battery pack size but very soon battery technology will be so good that they'll look like a normal bike and short of having the trail police inspecting bikes out on the trails, you'll have no idea they're even out there riding with you.

 

Your Strava stats are doomed, enjoy it while you still can.

Edited March 6, 2017 by Buff_SA

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

No doubt those were not MTB's but commuter bikes which are  probably in huge demand in Holland.

 

I have had misgivings about eMTB's but have got past most of them. As a pedal assist bike I have very little problem with them. Hopped up and with a throttle I do. The question is at what point do they become a motor bike and therefore banned from MTB trails and wilderness areas? There has to be a point at which this occurs. 

 

I am sure they are fun in their own way and will get better and better over time, but for me they are anti the whole point of cycling - its self powered. Most of these new bikes are trail bikes - it makes sense because they are heavier and that kind of falls into the trail bike arena with bigger forks and so on. Problem for me is that while you may be able to earn your ascents easier, descending is never going to be as good as on a sorted trail bike that weighs nearly 10kg less. 

I believe that that point is when you no longer have to pedal in order to sustain the drive from the motor. As long as you have to pedal in order for the motor to assist, then it's an assistive device. If you just have to pedal once and then it continues until you cancel it, then it's not. If you have a throttle to control motor drive, it's not. 

[Duane_Bosch]

I make Braaaap noises when I hit jumps. I'm powered by pies. Is that allowed?

[Eddy Gordo]

An older article-

http://reviews.mtbr.com/the-angry-singlespeeder-electric-mountain-bikes-friend-or-foe

[Hairy]

I know it is off topic, but I would not mind a e-bike as a commuter

[Hairy]

I make Braaaap noises when I hit jumps. I'm powered by pies. Is that allowed?

LOL .... I was doing this on the trails at Welwenpas this past weekend

[Headshot]

LOL .... I was doing this on the trails at Welwenpas this past weekend

Hairy you jest - there aren't any jumps there...

[Headshot]

I believe that that point is when you no longer have to pedal in order to sustain the drive from the motor. As long as you have to pedal in order for the motor to assist, then it's an assistive device. If you just have to pedal once and then it continues until you cancel it, then it's not. If you have a throttle to control motor drive, it's not. 

I agree, but when that assistance gets beyond a certain point ie over 25kph?

[Hairy]

Hairy you jest - there aren't any jumps there...

I noted "on the trails" ... I should have been more specific.