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Do eBikes belong on the mountain?


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This planet already has enough problems with pollution, and unclean energy.... now one day soon every second tom, dick and Harry will own a power consuming (needs to be recharged) bicycle or car. All these ebikes, cars etc have batteries that are made from rare metals.... bah humbug... around and round we go jorking the planet still...

 

Rant over

 

Looking at the Spaz Levo type bike, its not exactly a bike that will be used by some person who genuinely cannot pedal a normal bike i.e. a physically not capable or elderly person who uses a bike for personal transport.

 

If you cannot pedal it up there then you don't deserve to ride it back down.

 

Sigh....

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I got my wife a Levo a couple of months ago as she loves mountainbiking and always rides with us where ever we go for a ride but at every outing we had to wait for her to catch up. She rides on normal rides with 15% assistance and on harder rides at 25% assistance, now instead of being the anchor on a ride she helps with getting us faster and fitter. The past weekend she rode the argus mtb on her old mtb and managed to improve her time of last year by almost 30 minutes because she is riding more and not scared to join on rides anymore.

If you use the tool for what it is intended it is a great tool, you will always have some plonker using a tool for the wrong applications.That goes for all sport dissiplines not just mtb. Me for one think it's a great tool.

Edited by dust monkey
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Dust Monkey's experience is exactly what I refer to as one of the ebike-benefits in article. Great to hear of a real life example validating a point in article.

 

If battery life cycle and disposal are the issues of criticism against ebike, all composites are to be vilified too.

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I cant get my head around the whole e bike thing.  I cant relate to it as a bicycle, only as rubbish, poorly performing motorbike.  I dont want to offend anybody ......genuine, I just think it is a marketing gimmick.

 

In Howick we have many retirement villages and there are many pensioners that mountainbike and ride road.  I see them daily making the effort, some very slowly but they are a determined bunch.  If they can make a 100% effort I'm sure Fatso Frank who is 40 can make the full effort too.  We even have an awesome local para cyclist.  After riding with him, and witnessing his determination and courage I think it would be sad to compromise and use an e bike when you have two working legs.

 

I may be a weaker rider than my husband, that is why when we ride together he rides the ss to keep him busy. 

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my eyes started glazing over at page two.... my poor strava bla, my poor trail bla, some fat guy passed me bla.....

 

1: if your life is dictated by your great strava kom's... I suggest you start considering getting a life

2: if a fat / old/ poorly dressed / non fancy brand guy or girl cruises by you on their ebike; change gears and keep pedalling;  a pro would have glided past you anyway; make piece with the fact you are still never going to finish first (more importantly there is no disgrace in that)

3: as for those condescending "only fat & or lazy folks ride e-bikes"; ja well.... I'm sure you have mates, hold on to them; being a judgement prick is endearing to very few other people. 

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I do need to add, that a proper, non modified e-MTB would and could most certainly be an advantage to an experience rider who has moved on in the years, and can no longer make all those climbs, yet has the years of experience to handle the bike when it points down again.

 

Don't let my dad hear you say that "a ride who has moved on in years can no longer make it up the climbs".  He kicks a lot of youngsters butts and he only started cycling at 60!

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"Kids. Partners. It’s a similar logic. If your partner or offspring wish to join on a weekend ride, yet are petrified of the discrepancy in endurance between yourselves, why isn’t the e-MTB a great solution? It enables a thoroughly testing training ride for you, without risking the frustration of waiting at the top of each gradient for ten minutes."

 

The counter to this point is, why not just ride at the pace of the slower rider you are taking into the sport vs wanting to race ahead?

 

My son wants to know why there isn't a kiddy version of the Levo !!! 

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long-boards vs Short boards vs bodyboarding vs subs

Skateboarding vs Rollerblading

West side vs east side

 

Fatbikes retired in Swakopmund....but E-bikes are here to stay

 

Who gives a crap, the world is big enough...You do you!

post-15475-0-22411100-1488843965_thumb.jpg

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Who gives a crap

 

Nobody really. Okes are just bored at work, and are killing some time here.

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Talking E bikes - is Stefan Sahm providing TV footage on his Bulls E bike again this year at the Epic?

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Nobody really. Okes are just bored at work, and are killing some time here.

I think maybe somebody got confused and thought it was Friday  :ph34r:

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my eyes started glazing over at page two.... my poor strava bla, my poor trail bla, some fat guy passed me bla.....

 

1: if your life is dictated by your great strava kom's... I suggest you start considering getting a life

2: if a fat / old/ poorly dressed / non fancy brand guy or girl cruises by you on their ebike; change gears and keep pedalling; a pro would have glided past you anyway; make piece with the fact you are still never going to finish first (more importantly there is no disgrace in that)

3: as for those condescending "only fat & or lazy folks ride e-bikes"; ja well.... I'm sure you have mates, hold on to them; being a judgement prick is endearing to very few other people.

You sound fun!
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I got my wife a Levo a couple of months ago as she loves mountainbiking and always rides with us where ever we go for a ride but at every outing we had to wait for her to catch up. She rides on normal rides with 15% assistance and on harder rides at 25% assistance, now instead of being the anchor on a ride she helps with getting us faster and fitter. The past weekend she rode the argus mtb on her old mtb and managed to improve her time of last year by almost 30 minutes because she is riding more and not scared to join on rides anymore.

If you use the tool for what it is intended it is a great tool, you will always have some plonker using a tool for the wrong applications.That goes for all sport dissiplines not just mtb. Me for one think it's a great tool.

Good point... I've even thought about doing this for my other half....

like most arguments there are at least 2 sides to a story....

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I could be wrong, but from the bulk of these comments, I gather that a good few of us assume that everyone rides to get 'fit and strong'. I have my reservations about that...

I, for one, do not ride to get 'fit and strong'. I ride primarily because I enjoy getting being 'out there', and more so on my bike(or one of them, at any rate). I enjoy being 'out there', pushing my lawn mower as well - gives ME a similar sense of solitude/peace.

Perhaps there's others that can identify, but if not, that's of no consequence to me.

 

Not long ago, I read an interesting article on SS bikes and how they were the real deal - I don't own one, or have any desire to! EBike, I don't own one, or have any desire to, but that said, if that's how my neighbor would like to enjoy our back yard, I'm happy for him.

Whether you'd like to hop on your 29er, 26er, hardtail, softail, steel, carbon, alloy, titanium, 9/10/11sp, mech/electronic, EBike, get out there and enjoy life.

 

Fat free/low fat/ full cream/ sugar free........ you decide for you and let the EBikers be.

 

As an after thought, if I were too tackle the Cols of leTour, I'd probably enjoy it more on an Ebike. Not interested in the purity of the climb, but the amazing vistas......

Happy to leave my Garmin/s at home for that outing

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This planet already has enough problems with pollution, and unclean energy.... now one day soon every second tom, **** and Harry will own a power consuming (needs to be recharged) bicycle or car. All these ebikes, cars etc have batteries that are made from rare metals.... bah humbug... around and round we go jorking the planet still...

 

Rant over

 

Looking at the Spaz Levo type bike, its not exactly a bike that will be used by some person who genuinely cannot pedal a normal bike i.e. a physically not capable or elderly person who uses a bike for personal transport.

 

If you cannot pedal it up there then you don't deserve to ride it back down.

 

Sigh....

Says they developed it for those unfit or unable to get to the top.  Creates mini-DH sled.

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