[Closed] e bike cat for xc races?

How would they validate all the e-bikes were unmodified?

Why don't you just enter fun cats?

there aren' any kit restrictions on normal bikes (are there?), it' just about how deep your pockets are.

if there is nothing other than a medal, some bragging rights and alot of fun doesn' really matter?

I'm in 😁

It's possible that OP has invented the world's least engaging spectator sport. 🙂

It’s possible that OP has invented the world’s least engaging spectator sport.

No, XC racing has been around for years

TBH i think it's a cracking idea.

I'm not being dismissive (honest), but I think of myself as reasonably fit and have never really had "fun" in an XC race.

I just ride as hard as I can and it hurts a lot, the only real difference is my placing at the end. Often had more exciting battles for 17th or 38th or whatever at the lower end when I was less fit.

No, XC racing has been around for years

Actual LOL.

Yeah just enter the fun cat, or a non xc xc race, or start one

I’m not being dismissive (honest), but I think of myself as reasonably fit and have never really had “fun” in an XC race.

You don't find the courses themselves enjoyable ? Sure it's horrifically hard and you push yourself exceptionally hard, i get that.... but the terrain is still enjobable sweeping, swopping, jumping, rooting, etc ?

I suppose the course can be fun sometimes yeah, especially if it's possible to use it to your advantage.

But it's comparable to being punched in the face for an hour or two and given a tasty snack in the middle - on balance it's still not an enjoyable experience.

Pointy end of any race isn't fun. If it is, you should be in the next category up.

Even "fun" bits of the course aren't much fun when you are looking for the fastest/lowest risk route through when your pushing *almost* hard enough to vomit......

Wouldn't they all rip up the course? That happens already with regular human powered bikes, but if you got 50 ebikes tearing around at 15mph in the slithery slaggy sections, it would just turn into a horrible grim nightmare.

I realise that horrible grim nightmare is the essence of XC racing, but even so.

Actually racing someone, that's fun.  You're lucky if it happens though - sit just behind the actual good racers in you race and you might not see anyone - I never did, except once, which was fun.

E-bike category would be a good idea though. I'm all for it.  But you'd probably need scrutineers though.

I'd probably be tempted to do another 24 solo if there was an e-bike cat.

Actually racing someone, that’s fun.  You’re lucky if it happens though – sit just behind the actual good racers in you race and you might not see anyone – I never did, except once, which was fun

I think that can massively depend on the Cat entries and number of riders etc. With Southern XC i entered their lower class, which puts me about mid-bunch, maybe slightly lower, but it does mean i get a race every time, riders close, riders to pass, riders to stay ahead of. With Gorrick in 'fun' i get the same sort of ability group, but arguably i'm a little higher up.

This year i'm only doing 1-2 XC races due to dates/availability, but i'm very much hoping once again to have riders in sight both ahead and behind me.

I think the catagory would have to run at a separate time to other races.

When would the e-bikers race? Before, with, or after? I think it would be better to have an e-bike specific event rather than trying to shoehorn an e-bike category into an existing event.

All the usual racers would buy an ebike and win those races as well. It's just your wattage and propensity to suffer + 250, isn't it?

UCI are working on an e-bike category for some events i believe.

my understanding is that e-bike racing on the continent generally includes more techincal climbs and a length that means battery management is key - keep it on boost and you'l drain your battery straight away...

having ridden a fair number of them, you don't actually get 250W all the time, and you wouldn't want that anyway, as traction and torque control are all more important than just flinging an extra 250W at the back wheel.

as for 'tearing up' the courses, this, again is rubbish imo - it's perfectly possible to maintain traction with an e-bike and there's no incentive to loose traction - much like on a regular bike.

It would just be Enduro with competitive climbs. Then the manufacturers would realize it was a good marketing opportunity, someone would hire Adrian Newey as designer, and you'd end up needing a seven figure budget to be competitive in the electric moto-x championship.

Just allow them in the fun cat, fun cat should just be for fun anyway with no prizes etc so it shouldn't make any difference. All the people who find it objectionable they are no longer always podiuming in fun because of electrically assisted bikes might be incentivised to move up a cat to where they actually belong.

Well that's one view Ferrals.

Fun isn't entirely populated by sandbaggers though. We all have to start somewhere and having a level playing field from the outset is kind of important.

It was mostly in jest

I do have a bee in my bonnet about sandbaggers in fun though so anything that can be done to flush them out and make fun 'fun' would be a good thing imo.

Just allow them in the fun cat, fun cat should just be for fun anyway with no prizes etc so it shouldn’t make any difference.

😂😂😂😂  You've ever done a fun race have you !!

riveting stuff

@taxi25 haha, i did one when I was just starting racing again having been soundly thrashed trying sport, won that so decided to stick with sport where i continue to get soundy thrashed.

My beef with fun started decades ago though when i was racing in juvenile and persuaded my old man to try a fun race.. he was so demoralised at the speed of half the field he hated teh experiance.

My beef with fun started decades ago though when i was racing in juvenile and persuaded my old man to try a fun race.. he was so demoralised at the speed of half the field he hated teh experiance.

totally get that. My last Gorrick race i turned up at, about 12 months ago.. I found myself with something unique... people in BAGGIES ! there was even a fella in jeans ! It was great. But camelbaks were in full view, baggies and people who look out of place in anything other than fun... Sure, a few race whippets cleared off, but mostly it was just average blokes having fun, i was massively impressed i really was.

Must just be me but I'm struggling to see the point. Isn't xc racing primarily a test of fitness.so adding a motor kind of defeats the purpose. If you are unfit enough to be competitive in any category then you can still race, you just won't win

Nothing against ebikes but this just seems pointless.

It was mostly in jest

I do have a bee in my bonnet about sandbaggers in fun though so anything that can be done to flush them out and make fun ‘fun’ would be a good thing imo.

I did suspect you might be and I agree to a point.

Maybe anyone with team lycra and a visible ribcage should only be allowed in sport or above?

Or if your bike weighs less than 25lbs?

I like them criteria 🙂

I'm assuming the OP was referring to PlayStation or Wii or something, but it appears not.

How completely pointless. What next, a category for different sized motors.... you know 125, 250 cc etc etc

If you want do do a sport, ditch the engine, if not, stick to computer games. 😃

Wouldn't this be motor racing?

I don't understand how it would work either.  Everyone using the same bike that is locked up in between races to prevent performance enhancement, or free to do what you want, at which point they become motor bikes with pedals.

Nothing against the idea but I'm not sure how it would add to the racing side in honesty, as above, it would either end up populated by all the usual suspects anyhow or just be a fun category.

If you could make them look like non ebikes and run it at the same time mind it would be fun to watch (obviously separate category but, you know, not obvious during the race) of only for the apoplectic rage that would be evident in some of the crowd. (The ones who run [s]fully rigid, 35lb pig iron fixed gear bikes with solid tyres as tech is cheating[/s] 18lb carbon wonder bikes with 12 speeds suspension and carbon wheels, because wallet powered assistance is ok)

My beef with fun started decades ago though when i was racing in juvenile and persuaded my old man to try a fun race.. he was so demoralised at the speed of half the field he hated teh experiance.

You'd get exactly the same in sport, even if you thought you were fit.

My first few XC seasons in the UK i moved myself up, BC weren't interested. "Not enough points" "Not high enough up in the rankings". "Not interested in your foreign licence category, You need a BC licence."

I'd have had to get an overall top 15 in sport and top 5 in expert to get moved up officially. On a diet of half a dozen UK regional wins/podiums a year. And maybe one or two nationals. Not a chance.

A 10 second google shows that BC still have very similar promotion criteria. So not only do you have to be fast and win stuff, you have to be rich (time and cash) to go to lots of races.  Anyone who races now has a similar problem, need to do all your regional series, and all the national series and do well. And a couple of other races, just to get from sport to expert........

So as sport is (still) full of really fast riders who don't do *enough* events, lots of really quite fit riders stay in fun. So they don't get their heads kicked in.

E-Bike category is a bit daft though, especially in XC, marathon racing might be more suited.

You’d get exactly the same in sport, even if you thought you were fit.

No shit. I've spent much of the last few years coming almost last in sport despite actively training as much as i can around work and family life. Thankfully I'm pigheaded enough to still enjoy it.

So as sport is (still) full of really fast riders who don’t do *enough* events, lots of really quite fit riders stay in fun. So they don’t get their heads kicked in.

But that's a problem if we want to encourage more people to race.. which personally I think we do as from what i can see XC is loosing popularity.. despite the media saying otherwise. Its interesting to see the open cat has been ditched as a cat in the nationals this year so either your racing in fun or you're buying a licence and racing in the appropriate age or ability category. Wheter htis means the guys who raced open drop down to fun or buy a licence remains to be seen. I'd then like to see a rule whereby if you've 'won' the overall series in fun cat for a specific series, the next year you are mandated to move up to the next level for that series.

Anyway way off topic for an ebike thread!

riveting stuff

There aren't many forms of bike racing that are interesting to watch.

I could definitely see it being a good race for the racers on eBikes. Trouble is, all the bikes would have to be the same, otherwise it'd be pointless calling it a race.

Also, just thought - there would be fit bastards with eBikes, so not being able to train and having a 40odd-lb bike under you isn't going to make for a fun race when they all leave you for dead.

I could definitely see it being a good race for the racers on eBikes. Trouble is, all the bikes would have to be the same, otherwise it’d be pointless calling it a race.

This seems the insurmountable obstacle to me, though it would provide plenty of ammo for excuses if you didn't do so well.

why would the bikes have to be the same?  they aren't the same in normal racing.  Far from it.  I'm not talking about it being a cat for bc points or anything

racing in fun has no appeal, I'm over the ride till I puke (and be a lot slower than I used to be).  But I still really like the sort of loops gorrick put together and the idea of actually competing against others.  and I don't just want to do descents like the current enduro scene

[i] I still really like the sort of loops gorrick put together and the idea of actually competing against others[/i]

But if it's a [i]race[/i] you wouldn't be able to cruise up the climbs like a normal eBike ride! You'd be [i]racing[/i] - ie' trying to sprint the beast up the climbs. Knackering yourself til you puke.

And the bikes wouldn't have to be the same - they would have to have the same power engine - exactly like normal XC racing bikes all have the same power engine (ie. none). I really can't explain something so obvious!

If you don't want to race up climbs - there are some Enduro races with an eBike category.

The Mountain Bike Orienteering/Trailquest type events I enter now have an E-bile category if you wanted to do something with a competitive purpose. I only know of 1 lad riding them regularly on an E-bike so you would stand a good chance of getting a class win :-). Obviously the class is separate from all the others so it is not possible to be the overall winner on an E-bike, but it is a great way to get out, ride some off-road stuff, push as hard as you can, and maybe get some bragging rights with a class win.

Check out here for details if any races in your area

http://www.bmbo.org.uk/calendar/

I've resisted commenting on this as I wanted to think it over, but sorry, I just get why you'd want an e-bike category for XC races. E-enduro I get, the emphasis is on the downs and the ups are just to get to the downs, but XC is about going up and down. An e-bike XC race just removes a fundamental part of XC racing doesn't it?

Build it and they'll want to race it. Even lawn mowers.