Is this the future of mountain biking?
With their flashy graphics, angular silhouettes, aggressive component choices, and 120-180mm of travel, Haibike had some of the most eye-catching bikes at last month’s Winter Bike PressCamp. But it wasn’t the colours that had attendees talking; it was the motors. Built around 250W Bosch electric drive systems (350W in the US), the bikes’ drivetrains amplify the rider’s pedaling input by 50-275%, making short work of uphills.
Erm, yes.
With their jackshaft-enhanced four-bar suspension design and travel-appropriate component spec, the Pro-level Haibike models on show certainly looked the part. The NDURO Pro shown here has a lustworthy SRAM XX1 drivetrain, Fox 36 Talas fork and Float X shock, and Mavic Crossmax Enduro wheelset. Given that a motor and battery are thrown in, the £6,000/$8,600 price almost seems reasonable.
But who are they for?
The president of US distributor Currie Technologies, Larry Pizzi, was adamant that adding a motor to a bike does not a motorbike make. The company sees e-bikes as a way for mountain bikers to share the sport they love with those who, for reasons of age, illness, or lack of time, cannot currently participate in the sport. From his perspective, e-bikes give those riders the boost they need to join us on the trails.
But are 5-8in motorised full-sussers really being targeted at the aged and infirm?
While e-bikes up to a certain output are in many places lumped in with bicycles in terms of (lack of) licensing, on the trail things are a bit fuzzier. Though e-bike output and speeds are capped in both Europe and the US, given the electronics and mountain bike communities’ propensity for tinkering there’s little reason to think that factory limits will stand. After all, here in the States it’s difficult to find a motorbike with its factory emissions or noise controls in place. Given the challenges in gaining and maintaining trail access, an informal poll of attendees found many conflicted about (or outright hostile to) the idea of e-bikes on non-motorised trails.
IMBA, for its part, has issued a position paper drawing a firm line between muscle-powered and motorised vehicles, with e-bikes on the motorised side. The organisation only supports “the use of e-Bikes anywhere that [it] could also support other motorised uses.” In the UK, e-bikes limited to 250W and 15mph (such as those shown by Haibike) are currently legal on those public rights of way open to bicycles.
The people bringing e-bikes to market seem truly to believe that their efforts will introduce more riders to the sport while extending existing riders’ careers. During our discussion with Pizzi, we found our impulse to limit e-bikes to motorised trails in the uncomfortable position of being portrayed as exclusionary and elitist. His position was that that mountain biking would only benefit from broadening its self-image and broadening its user base.
While there may well be a ‘we were here first’ aspect to many mountain bikers’ negative reactions and a desire to defend the physical aspects of the sport, the discomfort among PressCamp attendees to calling anything with a motor of any type or output a “bicycle” suggests that off-road e-bikes will likely not be met with open arms.
While the debate is likely to continue for some time, from a technical perspective the Haibike range is impressive. Some narrow bars aside, the e-models ride well and seem well suited to their intended use. After all, it’s hard not to enjoy the feeling of having one’s effort multiplied by nearly a factor of four and the low positioning of the weighty Bosch battery and motor assemblies does wonders for the e-bikes’ handling.
But we found ourselves asking: are e-bikes a gateway drug for mountain biking or for motorbiking?
Haibike is distributed in the US by Currie Technologies and in the UK by Raleigh.
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Excuse my non sceptic view point (nor informed) but:
You mention trail damage as a result, do the Motors directly amplify the output of your pedal stroke or rather produce a constant output? If it’s the former I can imagine you’ll see damage from irresponsible use, if it’s the later its likely to cause less damage than the hugely inconsistent and jerky pedal motion most of us have, I can speak with enough experience to attest that most of the tearing up of a trail I’ve ever done is done not by putting down a lovely smooth high wattage but my desperate attempts to put down more power than I can apply evenly around the stroke when I get bogged down.
Secondly, the day that a 250W Bike does more harm than a horse when each is equally-responsibly used we can worry about damage to bridal ways and other off road routes accessible to bikes, until then expect non-bikers to think of a pedal Bike as just as troublesome as a pedelec.
Sure you’ll have your detractors and people who wish to use them as a lever to cut access for cyclists but you already do and they hardly need help getting wound up about it.
Imho we should welcome anything that brings more people and therefore a stronger voice, into our sport rather than fracturing into lots of pro and anti groups which does no favors for anyone. It might not be your thing and if only because of the price tag I doubt I’ll be riding one any time soon, but accept it, embrace the people who do choose it or don’t be surprised if after you waved your hands in the air decrying pedelecs as evil and damaging they point out that your pedal powered mountain bike does enough trail damage too and is capable of being used irresponsibly, scaring walkers, pet dogs, and livestock, and has once in the history of mankind been named in a coroner’s report and suddenly your access goes the same way.
As for cheating, do I expect to see the UCI allowing pedelecs in a race, no, no I don’t, but personally I don’t see its any different than the benefits of suspension over rigid, geared over ss, or 29vs 26.
Also in regard to it being natural selection about people being able to climb what they can ride down feel free to watch all those folks at up lift events and venues on huge travel rigs who wouldn’t think about riding up the hill they’re happy to plummet down (a lot faster than me who will happily climb, or least ways try to, most things), nor would they dream -our in many cases be capable – of riding the same thing on a fully rigid. But I guess they must be cheating and suspension is evil for letting them ride things they couldn’t/wouldn’t faster than they otherwise would and producing wear on trails that would otherwise only be used by by hill sheep?
1. Horses aren’t allowed at any of the trail centres in the UK as far as I’m aware. Pedelcs on bridleways, hadn’t really thought about it although it is a motor, so I guess it’s not allowed.
2. You say “As for cheating, do I expect to see the UCI allowing pedelecs in a race, no, no I don’t, but personally I don’t see its any different than the benefits of suspension over rigid, geared over ss, or 29vs 26.” – It makes it easier so you spend less energy (dont get fit/fitter) or you go faster becase of the motor.
3. If it has a motor, IT HAS A MOTOR! (and isnt a mountain bike/cycle etc).
I use the uplift in Wales when I’m feeling lazy and want to spend my day working on technique, although I sweat alot (possibly because I’m not very good).
But what happens in Wales, is they have dedicated trails for down hillers and the Motor vehicle has it’s own track to get up.
If they are allowed on some trails then it’ll have to be regulated and the police are busy enough chasing motocross riders around Afan from what I’ve seen. Which brings me to the point, what happens when we get electric motocross bikes with a pedal modification that allows them to use the cycle paths?
But hey, like I said before, if they get popular, I’m getting one.
Very interesting thread if only because at 66 years of age and having ridden MTB’s since ‘hacking’ a rigid Raleigh in 1960 and after a break from cycles for a multitude of reasons before starting what is now a continuous love affair with “MTB’s” for more than 25 years I am days away from taking ownership of a Haibike AMT PRO 650b.
The reason for the purchase is exactly the reasons stated by Hopester, the US importer and the manufacturer, at 66 my legs and to a degree, my lungs can’t do it anymore.
Having demo’d a Scott Aspect hardtail with the type 1 Bosch pack I was convinced it will allow me to ride with friends into my 70’s, given my health and mobility remains as it is.