eMTBers: Do you still ride with non-eMTBers?

No, I'm my experience it just doesn't work.

My motor broke a few months ago and I just rode my hard tail locally on my own until it was fixed, then joined my usual group again.

https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/ebikes-mixed-riding-groups-and-the-hatred/

This thread will give you some insight.

Yes. It's fine. Unless your group is full of rule 1 breakers.

Why do you think an ebike is the answer to getting better on rocky climbs?

Have you tried really pushing yourself? Maybe riding more often? Or sessions tech climbs?

Yeah it's fine if you aren't a dick.

Sometimes I'm the only eeb, sometimes there are only one or two normal bikes.

Be considerate and everyone has a great time

I do. But I’m not sure it’s the answer unless you want to leave your other mate behind! 😉 I’m the lone weirdo on here who rides his ebike switched off quite often, especially when on group rides. But usually ride my singlespeed hardtail locally unless I’m lapping the steep stuff or commuting. And the ebike is my only full-sus so I used that on my last away trip to more gnarly trails.

Our regular (more social speed) Thursday evening rides have a long history of people riding together whatever the bike. The constants have been bigger forked hardtails and middling travel full-sus bikes, although the wheels have got bigger on average over the years. Fat bikes and 29+ bikes are a lot more rare now.

Singlespeeds were more popular, faded a bit and are back in now (it’s v rare to go more than a few weeks without someone being gearless). Gravel bikes have turned up at least once (and failed a bit!) Rigid bikes aren’t unusual, nor are bigger enduro bikes, or proper XC bikes. Ebikes are pretty common now and anyone on them manages to blend in pretty well.

I’m surprised how people will try to go mountain biking and expect to be ok on the climbs when they don’t ride a bike (or do other demanding exercise) very often. Not saying that that’s you - but if you can find a way to get more pedalling into your life, the climbs will get faster/easier.

Only if you're willing to give your mates the occasional tow 😉

As above. Never had a problem.

Nope, it feels like you're riding through wet sand.

Mind you I do have some health concerns so I'm nowhere as fit as I was, but I have conferred with others who tried to ride non Ebikes after riding Ebikes and they thought that description was a good example of how it feels.

Just don't take the piss smashing off the front all the time and it'll be fine (unless you ride with a load of dick heads).

Why don't you discuss it with your riding group if you are worried?

My group is me and 1 mate, he's new to Eeb and really struggled in last few years to hold the pace, he's 13 years older than me.

Now I'm the one who gets killed on hills, but I can recover reasonably quickly so it works well.

He's loving it, so am I

I rode with some friends recently on holiday and 2 of us were on e-bikes (I was on holiday after all) and 2 were on regular bikes. It was a regular bike ride with much chatting and laughing. No one took the piss and no one got killed on climbs and no one was made to feel bad.

I think it depends on the people you ride with.

Yep, leave it in eco and don’t ride at the front.

I ride at the pace of the group at the back.

Though I usually use my hardtail if with non ebikers.

I still like riding non ebikes.

I do get stick off my friends for going on big solo rides and not inviting them. I've got to get the kids from school and go to Aldi etc so I'll go alone. A 2 hour ebike ride can be 4 hours with non ebikers (fitness depending obviously).

The above is why I bought one in the first place. Busy family life/work etc. Get to smash out some trails rapidly.

Don't they wait for you at the top?

We ride in a mixed group,with a variety of skills and fitness levels, it all balances out.

One of my mates wants to ride with me so that I push him to keep up. He's on a 10yo. 26" Orange, I'm on a Rail.

With others I ride at their pace, usually at the back of the group and don't chat on the climbs.When the climbs steep up I'll go on ahead and wait at the top.

I try not to be a dick.

I'm the op of the linked post above.

In my experience it doesn't work well.  Your group may start to resent the fact that you were once last on the climbs and now fresh and first to the top or just not suffering the way you were (there are usually people in your group that seem to like the quiet competition of always being first to the top).  Also, the collective suffering seems to be part of the social aspect of group riding.   With an ebike you don't really become part of that as you need to push yourself hard on an ebike to get tired.

I take my normal bike on group rides or just stick to ebike groups if on my ebike.  You'll also find the pace of the ride will mean you don't get a decent workout if you're riding with non ebikers.

I have never been built for cycling, but I love it. When I rode an analogue bike I was redlining at the back of the pack while most were just cruising. Buying ebikes isn't cheating it has ben an equaliser, in fact I put some power pedals on my gravel ebike and went for a hilly ride with a regular riding buddy, I was still putting about 30% more power into the pedals than he was over the ride.

I tend to just keep it in mainly in eco mode, and it works out quite well in group rides.

If you are a racing snake who wants to push, but a just having issues on a few technical climbs, then an ebike probably isn't the right solution for group rides.

No problems here either. I ride in eco and keep my pace with the group.

My mates have been great about it (I originally got the ebike due to knee problems).

As the knee has been healing I've switched back to my 'normal bike ' for 90% of our rides.

I've also joined a local ebike group and been out with them a few times.

As long as you don't ride like a dick with all the extra power racing to the top of every hill then you should be ok.

I'm sort of the opposite, in that I only ride an e-mtb occasionally and with the same people I ride with normally, usually because I'm on an easy day, but still want to get out somewhere hilly and have some fun. I ride at the pace of the group, chill out, chat and remind myself that while I'm not working very hard, the people around me are.

I think it's always going to depend on the dynamics of a particular group.. If you ride with a bunch who have an old-fashioned, sufferfest, smashing it up climbs sort of vibe, then I guess there's potential for resentment and grumpiness just because you're not part of the shared suffering. If the group is more laid-back and just enjoys riding for what it is, then I doubt it matters. It probably helps if you have a good relationship with the others to start with.

Anyway, it doesn't have to be a binary thing. You are just a mountain biker riding with or without power assist, not an 'eMTBer'. And actually, I think there's a difference between folk who swapped from a normal mtb to an e-mtb and those who've just gone straight into e-bikes and have no appreciation of how hard mountain biking actually is.

So basically, yes, and it depends...

Oh, in addition there will be people out there who will hate you simply because you ride an e-mtb and they have conceptions of who or what e-mtbers are. Mine, gleaned from my local riding in the Peak, is that a lot of them simply have no idea where they're going, probably because they're not local / don't have a more varied outdoor background and can't use a GPS let alone a map.

But I know that's prejudice fuelled only by meeting a succession of stray e-mtbers last summer, maybe leftovers from lockdown, so I don't let it colour my perception of individuals (much) 🙂

Sounds to me as though the OP is about to give up on life.

Ive only had my emtb a couple months, but when riding in large (non-emtb) groups a couple of times I've used the fat bike so far instead.

I find it strange that some people would ride for years with some 'friends' then buy an e-bike and just ditch them. Can't have been very good friends in the first place.

I'd be gutted if my riding mates (who are just mates anyway) just ditched me because they bought e-bikes, they already have to wait for me at the top of the hill anyway!! One of them sometimes comes back down and rides up again, just so he can beast himself again.

Maybe I should get an e-bike so I can keep up with them on the normal bikes.....

Done it for a while, it's all fine, you'll get the usual banter, you give some, you take some, just keep it fun, in this day and age we have so many types of ebikes, you can choose one of the lighter ones and keep up, but still have a lightish bike to get over stuff.

When you're in a group you're only as fast as your slowest rider, so all that means is if you're on an ebike, you move up the order a bit on mixed rides, you can also do ebike rides as well, where you'll push the bike to its paces against others, so no real negative.

Our defacto now is mixed bikes in our little group - works fine as nobody acts like a plonker

Sounds to me as though the OP is about to give up on life.

Some of us have to mate. Give us sympathy not abuse 😀

Slightly concerned throwing an eMTB into the mix could change the dynamic of the group and the type of ride we can do

Totally depends on the group and you.. and even the situation.

I got invited to a first ride back last week (mate broke both wrists 12wks ago) and I was very strictly told "leave the ebike at home" so I did... then Sunday an invite from the person saying "leave the eBike2 to ride with him and his daughter and "bring the ebike if you like" and towed his daughter up loads of hills. Funny enough we bumped into a couple of riders one of whom had snapped a valve in a carbon rim and being on the eBike I offered to go grab a hacksaw and pliers then meet him at the top.

HOWEVER ... that's perhaps just a manifestation of how the group dynamics changed, not down to me but 1-2 individuals with eBikes giving a negative perception of the eBikes when it's really the people.

I think that just means you ned to be aware and if necessary go the extra to make it as positive as possible.

dyna-ti

Mind you I do have some health concerns so I’m nowhere as fit as I was, but I have conferred with others who tried to ride non Ebikes after riding Ebikes and they thought that description was a good example of how it feels.

It's 99% psychological (obviously they are heavier and perhaps a bit of drag) but if I only ride the eMTB for a couple of weeks it really does feel like wet sand but if I ride my real bike often it's pretty normal and if I switch then for 5 mins perhaps it feels like that but you soon forget.

I often do an eBike and a real bike ride the same day... especially how it has split the group and will do 1/2 day and one and then swap for the other part of the group.

I couldn't say for sure as none of my friends ride an ebike yet, however I have one friend who is very slow that could possibly benefit from having one and I like the idea of them not slowing me down on the uphills so much.

I really don't mind ebikes except when some smug person cruises past you and suggests you get an ebike.

If I was physically capable I would push them in a ditch. Ride what ever you want don't be a duck.

dc1988

I couldn’t say for sure as none of my friends ride an ebike yet, however I have one friend who is very slow that could possibly benefit from having one and I like the idea of them not slowing me down on the uphills so much.

Worth noting here but both the people in my riding group that have caused the most negative e-MTB sentiment both fit that description.

You'd think perhaps they would be the most sensitive to when someone is struggling but they both seem not only oblivious to working it out but listening when they get told ???

Slightly concerned throwing an eMTB into the mix could change the dynamic of the group

If you trained and got really fit would you look for a different group of mates to ride with who could keep up with you? There's always a mix of fitness and abilities, whatever bikes are in the mix. I've rarely ever ridden in a group who all get to the top or bottom of every section together, and even if we do we'll stop and chat because it's not a race.

I prefer to ride my normal hardtail in non-emtb groups.

My EMTB has gradually increased in weight due to burlier tyres and other parts, so it just feels a bit slow, boring and uninvolving on flatter terrain or social MTB rides. I mostly juse use it for self-shuttling type rides now.

Possibly the lightweight ones are better for group rides, they seem like MTB's with assistance.

If I was physically capable I would push them in a ditch

You need to get yourself an eDitchPusher

10 in my group of riding buddies with 3 on e-bikes never had an issues, everyone just rides at group pace and keeps together and if someone does get ahead they wait for a regroup at top of hills or at gates - cannot see why you would have any issues with your group

OP here again!

Some interesting points made and thanks @mrchrist for sharing the similar thread (only a few pages in and already plenty of strong opinions on show!)

I'm not planning on giving up on life *just* yet, but it's difficult for me to get out more than once a week due to work and having 3 kids and I just can't see me being able to put enough training in the bridge the gap to the stronger riders in our group. In contract our 'fast lad' is older than me, but has no kids and works from home and is therefore able to put a good hilly 20 miles in pretty much every other day.

I guess my concern is if the next trip is to somewhere with a lot more climbing, say somewhere in Wales for example, then I'll have to think twice about going and that's a shame seeing as these are my mates and I enjoy the craic!

Mention to your mates that you're thinking of getting an ebike for the reasons you've listed and gauge their reaction.

“ I’m not planning on giving up on life *just* yet, but it’s difficult for me to get out more than once a week due to work and having 3 kids”

Same here! Thankfully I can commute by bike and when I’m not too busy I can link in some proper trails too.

“My EMTB has gradually increased in weight due to burlier tyres and other parts”

Most of my mates are running almost-downhill tyres on their ebikes, most of which are mullet or full 27.5, and they’re much slower* on flatter trails than my full 29 with lighter tyres (despite the inserts).

* the bikes’ rolling speed, not the riders!

You can still go on the trip. What is wrong with being at the back?

Waiting for folk isn't an issue. Is it?

Another alternative is an indoor trainer, which you can fit in for short, efficient blasts at home to bump up/maintain your fitness.

Would an ebike give any actual benefit if you used it on an indoor trainer? Seems a bit self defeating tbh...

Would an ebike give any actual benefit if you used it on an indoor trainer? Seems a bit self defeating tbh…

It would be ideal for Zwift racing 🙂