On another note, I have never been out riding in the Peaks / Lakes / Alps etc. and thought “I wish there were more bikes on the trails”

Of all the arguments, this one is unquestionably the weakest. The trails are not exclusively yours and while you might not like having to share them, getting more people out cycling is an almost universally good thing.

Like many others here, I coach kids in my spare time and one of the reasons I do this is because I want to pass to them the skills and enthusiasm for the sport I love, which I hope will stay with them life-long. If this means the trails have a few extra riders on them then I would consider this a measure of our success and certainly not something to be complained about.

LAT – Member
there is the possibility that the person riding the wrong way would not have been on the trail if e-bikes didn’t exist. E-bikes, especially de restricted ones, will appeal to more groups than those too old or injured to ride a bike. I’m talking about yobs, in case that isn’t clear.

Man, meet straw. Oh, you already have? Marvelous, carry on then!

if they had hired ordinary bikes and still rode up Whinlatter, would they be any less terrified? they might have been even more at risk, riding down the technical trails knackered ?

My point was that ebikes make trails more accessible. That has both good and bad sides.

In that particular example I’m not sure a complete novice would get up the climb, or at least they would certainly question if they were experienced enough.

i think an ebike would get you up somewhere steep where your legs may not on an ordinary bike but if you havent got technical skills the ebike wont help you much on technical trails.
i think ebikes can make trails more accessible but not technical trails for novices, and i have first hand experience of this hehe

This was a good honest piece on eBikes on PB…
https://www.pinkbike.com/news/living-with-an-emtb-after-the-honeymoon.html

Before we all blame the fat, lazy and disabled yobs for getting into situations that we pure bread athletes would avoid by just being alive, may I remind you that Lady Cannings broke the record for the number of times Edale mountain rescue had to use their stretcher.

Perhaps we need to look at ourselves a bit closer.

we pure bread athletes

Hey, don’t tell everyone about my secret high-gluten nutrition plan.

I’m 100% Hovis

I’m 100% Hovis

You in training for the cobbled classics already?

No I’m doing it on an electric bike so I can piss everyone off.

I draw a distinction between e-bikes for use as a means of transport, and e-bikes for off-road ‘fun’.

The 1st I am mostly in agreement with, with the light-hearted exception that from what I have seen in mainland europe, on cycle paths, there seems to be a proliferation of older people ‘tearing’ about on a bike when they don’t actually seem able to control a bike very well….

The 2nd, I’m personally against. Spent several weeks in Switzerland, Austria and northern Italy this summer. There seems to be lots of the things around, usually belonging to large camper-van owners, and often the owners, and their children (who also have e-mtb bikes) are overweight. Mrs Mugsy who does quite a few remote multi day mtb rides in the alps staying at refuges reports seeing more and more, and now getting comments like ‘What, you’re not on a e-bike?’

Whats the acceptable maximum BMI to be on a bike?

How fat can I be before I’m not permitted to be outside?

If I’m fat and want to get fitter, how long must I hide before I can join the selfish skinny cyclists?

I’m quite happy to ride with eBikers. They don’t get fist bumps though.

You’ve got to draw the line somewhere.

My wife works longer hours than me and is way more sociable so has less free time, she is however slower on a bike than me.

Does she:
A, invent a time machine and magic fitness into being
B, give up something she loves
C, get an ebike and spend more time hanging out with me

Before we all blame the fat, lazy and disabled yobs for getting into situations that we pure bread athletes would avoid by just being alive, may I remind you that Lady Cannings broke the record for the number of times Edale mountain rescue had to use their stretcher.

Perhaps we need to look at ourselves a bit closer.

Maybe that proves a point? Cannings being about the closest and most accessible trail to Sheffield?

If I’m fat and want to get fitter, how long must I hide before I can join the selfish skinny cyclists?

Long enough that you become skinny (like everyone else).

My local clubs/groups all have multiple rides ranging from ‘fast as the slowest’, to ‘fast as the pack’ to ‘this is going to make you bleed’.

Does she:
A, invent a time machine and magic fitness into being
B, give up something she loves
C, get an ebike and spend more time hanging out with me

D) you ride slower?

chakaping – Member
I’m quite happy to ride with eBikers. They don’t get fist bumps though.

You’ve got to draw the line somewhere.

Seems reasonable. Can we agree on this convention? Do eBikers get to fist bump each other? Definitely no Rock-Locking. Maybe high-5’s?

thepodge – Member
Whats the acceptable maximum BMI to be on a bike?

How fat can I be before I’m not permitted to be outside?

If I’m fat and want to get fitter, how long must I hide before I can join the selfish skinny cyclists?

I’d seek professional medical advice if it’s a concern. If you’re fat and want to be fitter, riding a bike could help. 8)

thepodge – Member
My wife works longer hours than me and is way more sociable so has less free time, she is however slower on a bike than me.

Does she:
A, invent a time machine and magic fitness into being
B, give up something she loves
C, get an ebike and spend more time hanging out with me

As above, she gets a ‘proper’ 😆 bike and you ride at a pace that suits you both if you want to spend some quality time together. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it…

I’ve never seen an ebike at Cannings, seems to be full of tooled up Enduro wannabes, Parkwood is much closer to *sweeping generalisation* fat, lazy, uneducated yobs but it doesn’t get half as many call outs.

If I ride slower I’ll become fatter then I’ll need an ebike.

Pretty sure I’d have more fun with a load of ebikers than with the miserable too cool for school elitists that seem so opposed to them based on this thread.

Being disabled and lazy I can justify an ebike and annoy people in equal measures.

Seems reasonable. Can we agree on this convention? Do eBikers get to fist bump each other? Definitely no Rock-Locking. Maybe high-5’s?

They could bump tummies, obvs.

I frickin’ love my DB Ranger (Shimano 8000). Paid full price for it, ride the hell out of it. Did 20 miles in swamp-like conditions on singletrack, North York Moors, yesterday. Took me 2 hours with full boost! Came back shattered, and I’m pretty fit.

Plus, 3 mid-aged guys I know in Pickering go riding in a group, hard off-road, with Ebikes, they are all out of shape. All ex-moto enduro riders. They all work 50-60 hrs a week, and would not ride a normal bike, it’s just too hard if you can’t put the hours in.

Everyone is different. For me, I’m riding like I’ve just discovered MTB again. Uphill singletrack at 15mph is just so much fun.

MisterCrud – Member
I frickin’ love my DB Ranger (Shimano 8000). Paid full price for it, ride the hell out of it. Did 20 miles in swamp-like conditions on singletrack, North York Moors, yesterday. Took me 2 hours with full boost! Came back shattered, and I’m pretty fit.

Plus, 3 mid-aged guys I know in Pickering go riding in a group, hard off-road, with Ebikes, they are all out of shape. All ex-moto enduro riders. They all work 50-60 hrs a week, and would not ride a normal bike, it’s just too hard if you can’t put the hours in.

Everyone is different. For me, I’m riding like I’ve just discovered MTB again. Uphill singletrack at 15mph is just so much fun.

And that is why e-mtbs are going to cause access problems for the rest of us actual mountain bikers.

I really like them.
I’ve not got one, mostly cos I can’t afford one.

Pretty sure I’d have more fun with a load of ebikers than with the miserable too cool for school elitists that seem so opposed to them based on this thread.

Well said, ~thepodge!

All ex-moto enduro riders.

You know that a much greater share of moto riders are massive flaming bellends, in comparison to mtbers right?

They’ve gotten so bad around Sheffield, they’ve set up a bloody task force to crack down on them. Coppers on MX bikes and **** helicopters! These are the same prats that ride up downhill trails at 20 mph for the lolz, wrecking it for mountain bikers. It’s getting so bad, the mxers are eventually going to get ambushed by baseball bat wielding downhillers.

Now the same lot want E-Bikes? Great. Really good for MTB and I’m so, so glad to see an opinion piece in STW supporting them.

Now the same lot want E-Bikes? Great. Really good for MTB and I’m so, so glad to see an opinion piece in STW supporting them.

They ride legally on Sundays, and I only ride during the week, never see a soul. WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM!

Plus, Adrian from Pace rides mx enduros, as does Ian from Hope, plus Woody Hole, plus , well, half of the MTB’ers you have ever heard of.

They ride legally on Sundays, and I only ride during the week, never see a soul. WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM!

Hah.

You lot (if you mean you ride motos?), are honestly going to get a big **** beating one of these days by the local mtbers.

There’s a reason that a lot of them ride in groups of 20+.

I think we have our lines crossed Tom. My mates ride e-mtb’s legally over the NYM. That’s all I’m saying. If you want to come riding with us, pm me. I’ll take my MTB or my Ebike. It’s up to you.

Once you have a go you’ll never go back :p be warned .

I don’t mean e-bikers, I mean moto riders – and if e-bikes are going to encourage more of them over, then I can’t support them. As much as I love MX and Enduro, really they’re up there with Rugby players in terms of outright bellendery. As others have said, we’ll have more trail conflicts.

Your mates might be fine, I’ve just seen way to much idiocy and selfishness from the enduro riders around Sheffield.

I think we have a whole load of bellendery issues already by the looks of it.

Also.

https://www.thelocal.ch/20151106/serious-cycling-mishaps-rise-as-road-accidents-fall

Given how much attention given to the kid who got done for manslaughter, I reckon the bicycle world is in for a good old fashioned kicking over the next few years as injuries and deaths inevitably rise – due to the use of e-bikes.

E-bikes are everywhere on the continent, filling trade show footages, magazine column inches and all grades of trail. Yet here in the UK many view them with the same suspicion we reserve for David Hasselhoff’s music and the two-hour lunch break – a foreign mix of craziness and laziness. Now we’re probably right on the Hoff, but I’m intrigued as to the longevity of our parochial viewpoint on future developments of mountain biking within our shores.

Genius!

The Europeans have a better attitude towards bicycles full stop.

My view on E-bikes is predicated on the fact that we have to deal with the Daily Fail.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4726930/Battery-powered-bikes-need-insuring-EU-rules.html#comments

You think motors are going to make people less likely to call for insurance and numberplates for cyclists?

Tom_W1987 – Member
Also.

https://www.thelocal.ch/20151106/serious-cycling-mishaps-rise-as-road-accidents-fall

Given how much attention given to the kid who got done for manslaughter, I reckon the bicycle world is in for a good old fashioned kicking over the next few years as injuries and deaths inevitably rise – due to the use of e-bikes.

PM me Tom, come over and blast mine up a deserted, tricky single track for 20 minutes. Then tell me they are sh1t. I’m not suggesting you jump red lights in Sheff hughstreet on it.

Once you have a go you’ll never go back :p be warned .

Nah, mine meant I built up enough base fitness back to do more none assisted riding, now I ride more without assistance than with tbh I only really ride it to work when I cba to get togged up in riding kit/have to get away from work quick in normal clothes

Most of its use now is mrstomhowardtobe keeping up with me now.

PM me Tom, come over and blast mine up a deserted, tricky single track for 20 minutes. Then tell me they are sh1t.

They aren’t shit – I would love to have the full susser Commencal Meta Power, I’m not so sure they are a good thing for the image of the cycling world in the UK’s current political and cultural climate.

They aren’t shit – I would love to have the full susser Commencal Meta Power, I’m not so sure they are a good thing for the image of the cycling world in the UK’s current political and cultural climate.

Actually, the cool thing about buying an E-bike is that the most important thing by far, is the motor. Mine’s a bog-standard DiamondBack, the groupset is irrelevant. I can’t imagine a better setup than mine bog-standard. The forks need to be good, plus you need a D/H front brake for the weight, but components and even frame design are nowhere near as important as on an MTB.
Having said that, mine was £4k. Not cheap.

I’m not so sure they are a good thing for the image of the cycling world in the UK’s current political and cultural climate.

I can’t believe people are getting so wound up about push bikes given all of the other shit going on in the world.

Nor can I.

But that is the Brexit voting public for you, they are lunatics to be feared.

There’s a chap on my regular commute on an unrestricted ebike. He easily outpaces me when I’m hitting 25mph on the flat. At this speed, I’m incredibly conscious of the speed I’m doing due to the effort it takes, but this chap seems completely oblivious to the fact that he’s doing 25+ on a shared use path. Blind corners and junctions at full speed, crossing points without slowing/Middling/bell. It’s terrifying to watch.