Electric Bike Thread

[wooley12]

I had a chance to go 100 yards on an electric mountain bike and found my gateway to nirvana. I'm seeing more electric traffic on the rails to trails path behind my house. All around me are 100's of miles of logging and forest service roads. I know nothing. So what's up with electric? Peddle assist or throttle? Ni Cad or Lithium-ion or ?

[nest]

Harbinger of the apocalypse


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[Sirshredalot]

Harbinger of the apocalypse


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There's a time and a place for ebikes. Rail trails and random forest service double track sound like a good place. The crowded singletrack in town with limited sidelines is not.

I have no useful advice about what to buy.

[grinch]

Ever since I watched the devinci vid with Kenny smith ripping on his ebike I’ve been getting different youtube ebike vid suggestions. A lot of hate in North America for them at this point. I was on the fence but started researching them. Totally want one know. Getting more people out on bikes. People already on bikes are doing more and more often. Europe they use them in bike parks, big backcountry adventures , road approaches to distant trails, etc etc etc. It looks like pedal assist is the way to go. 25km max(seems to be the global standard) then the assist cuts out so they don’t roost the trails and it lessens trail conflict. I still think they might not be good for some two way trails because they may go up too fast when someone is flying down. I’ll post a couple British youtube forums I’ve been getting info from and a couple fave vids from them but you’ll be able to find more info from there other vids too

^^he has a bunch of tests

^^he has a bunch too but this motor will be new for next year and sounds very promising

^^this is just cool. More fun, more fit, more climbs, more ripping

[klauss]

I did the Pivot ebike demo today. Had a great time. It throws assist up to 20 mph so it flies. Hard not to notice the stink eye when you can go uphill that well with a large grin. I thought it jumped pretty well for the weight too.

[nest]

I don’t get it. Why not just buy a dirt bike? You can go twice as fast on the up with even less effort. Yuppies won’t think you’re cool? I sincerely hope these get classified, as they should be, on motorized trails only.


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[mtngirl79]

Yeah... not the same thing as pedal bikes, should not be allowed on non motorized trails.

Plus, I hear they are pretty easy to modify...

If I can haul myself up a mountain everyone else can, too.

[grinch]

To each there own. Mtb and moto bikes and there trails are completely different. Motocross bike would suck compared to a mtb on bike trails. Shuttling with my truck is a pain unless you have 5 or 6 people and you alternate drivers. Truck retrieval sucks and your truck gees beat. I still do it but most of the time I pedal one 4000ft lap. With an ebike I figure I’d pedal 3 laps. Shouldn’t be any conflict. You’re not driving a truck up(again to each there own) and it’s still just gravity on the down. A couple mountains in the area are 5000 to 7000ft hike up to bike down or you pay $350 for the choppa. I’d prefer to pedal up. I think more alpine loops would get connected as well. Ez to haul tools up to the top of the ski hill to link to surrounding mountains. Like skiing , I have a ski hill pass but I tour exactly half the time. I’d still pedal my non e bike a fair bit. I’m still on the fence and researching but definitely leaning to the serious want side at this point. Seems like there’s a lot of Misconceptions with them in North America . I’m mainly looking at uses where they’re not prohibited and how I could utilize them. I think they could open up some cool terrain. It’d be nice to do more than one lap on our shuttle trails. Like the ski hill , it takes a lap or two to get warmed up to really play. Also nice to get laps and dialed so when you hit the hit the self propelled backcountry(skis or bikes) you can have your shit in a pile and rip it up . I don’t want conflict or a throttle and roosting up the trail like a motorbike, but that’s me. We have lots of enduro motorbike trails and moto riders and I say that’s great but it’s different

[klauss]

I have a dirt bike. This was not even close to that experience.

At least with factory settings, the pivot didn’t have enough power to roost up hill or tear up the trail on steep climbs. But it does allow you to move fast and efficiently uphill. I.e. you can get a lot of riding in.

[grinch]

I have a dirt bike. This was not even close to that experience.

At least with factory settings, the pivot didn’t have enough power to roost up hill or tear up the trail on steep climbs. But it does allow you to move fast and efficiently uphill. I.e. you can get a lot of riding in.

That pivot looks sweet. One of those youtube channels reviewed it. Put that German motor/battery(that’s in the one vid I posted with the lapierre) in the pivot bike but make the pivot 160-180 mm travel and it’d be game on. That German motor/battery can be removed in place of a cover for huge storage compartment to be used as a normal non “e” pedal bike

[wooley12]

If I can haul myself up a mountain everyone else can, too.

Think outside your bubble. Everyone else can't. The middle aged, middle America folks I have seen on electrics would never be seen on the single track bicycle trails. Or hiking on any trail for that matter. As mentioned above, e bikes are coming and have a place. Beach. Fire road. Desert. Etc.

A few folks in my neighborhood are running around on something like this on the street and the rail to trail

[jackstraw]

Think outside your bubble. Everyone else can't. The middle aged, middle America folks I have seen on electrics would never be seen on the single track bicycle trails. Or hiking on any trail for that matter.

Word. More folks on bikes the better off we'll all be and many need assistance. The bro brahs that get their panties in a bunch because they get passed by an e-bike is just laughable.

[JerseyDave]

Nerfed up Mountain Biking to fit into the nerfed up world. Humans are getting softer and softer.

[mtngirl79]

Think outside your bubble. Everyone else can't. The middle aged, middle America folks I have seen on electrics would never be seen on the single track bicycle trails. Or hiking on any trail for that matter. As mentioned above, e bikes are coming and have a place. Beach. Fire road. Desert. Etc.

A few folks in my neighborhood are running around on something like this on the street and the rail to trail

Then they can ride on trails motors are allowed on, roads or advacate for their own trails.

I'm fat and middle aged and I haul myself to the top to ride down. If I can, everyone can.

Our trails cant handle more laps. The secret, not legal trails are still pretty nice. The ones on the map are all blown out. More laps with heavier bikes is going to blow them out faster, make more and bigger brake bumps...

[plugboots]

Fucking brake bumps!!!!!! Arggggghhhhh. Oops, wrong thread, triggered.

[mtngirl79]

Ohh and I saw someone riding one at Fromme. On singletrack. Dude wasn't much older than me. He was riding around all the features, but he was on single track.

[wooley12]

I'm ancient and skinny and the legs are heading south fast. I need an e bike. You have a good point about electrics on designated MB trails but they are .001% of the available bike terrain.

[XXX-er]

great for commuting and anywhere that motorized vehicles are allowed

[mtngirl79]

Our trails are mostly designated non motorized multi-use.

No ebikes.

Ebikes on roads and moto/orv trails, fine.

No motors on non motorized. No pedal assist.

[ill-advised strategy]

I don’t get it. Why not just buy a dirt bike? You can go twice as fast on the up with even less effort. Yuppies won’t think you’re cool? I sincerely hope these get classified, as they should be, on motorized trails only.


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I know a guy who got squeezed out of every good place to ride a dirtbike where we live, so he has recently bought a really powerful dual suspension fat ebike and he rips the city beaches and all the trails he used to be able to ride dirtbikes on when things weren't as crunchy-granola here.

He's like 65, he's not into grinding around at granny speed on a non-assist bike, and he's been outlawed from riding mx on places he rode for 40-50 years before the yuppie/granola mtb-ification of our town.

I have mixed feelings but understand where he's coming from....and he's having a lot of fun and not harming anyone or anything so fuck it.

[gravitylover]

I can confirm that at least one major North American bike company is coming out with a 150/160mm travel e-mtb at two price levels.

Someone above said something to the effect of 'they're fine if relegated to motorized only trails...' In some places, like NY State, that would mean they could only be used on private land because there isn't an official trail (paved or dirt) anywhere in the state where motorized trail bike use is legal. While rules are being put in place to limit their use the rules aren't being strictly enforced which IMO is a good thing.

I won't ever advocate for the use or allowance of throttle enabled bikes (mopeds) on MUT's or currently open to mtb areas but limited power pedal assist is a different animal and I'll continue to support their use.

[ACH]

Our trails are mostly designated non motorized multi-use.

No ebikes.

Ebikes on roads and moto/orv trails, fine.

No motors on non motorized. No pedal assist.

Hey!
We get your position on e-bikes on mountain bike trails, give it a rest.
And stop generalizing, there are trails and places where land managers are saying it's OK (small list but growing).
Trail as a term applies to more than off road single track.

Wooley started a thread on e-bikes (period).

[muted]

He's not talking about singletrack, everyone calm down. Forest roads, rail-trails and bike paths is the goal. I saw a huge amount of 'average' toursits on the Park City bike paths, hauling ass on these electric bikes. It's opening things up to non-bikers, and I don't think we will see these people on our trails in a few years. I think it's cool. I'd consider a utility bike with electric assist. Something I can put a kid on the back and some groceries would be fun.

[ill-advised strategy]

Something I can put a kid on the back and some groceries would be fun.

My year-long pain-odyssey started with throwing a disc pedaling up a really steep hill with a full load of groceries and a dog on board. A little electricity would have been nice.

[Name Redacted]

I'd love to have one for commuting/bar biking. Trails? Meh, not my thing, but possibly for trails that are normally shuttled anyway. Like em or not, they are coming.