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Mr Renton you do seem to pop up every so often looking for a new purchase to solve your riding woes! Bike change hasn't proved the solution in the past!
Maybe get out riding more on your Hightower more regular, ride more challenging places than FOD which is pretty tame & a Hightower is probably overkill anyway.
Maybe get fit off the bike also, get a PT for a couple of months! If you come back fitter & stronger it will feel like a new bike anyway.
Also if you're slow stay at the back & you won't feel such pressure.
A bicycle is a human-powered machine. Ebikes have an engine.
It’s fundamentally different. Nothing wrong with it but it’s not the same.
Should have a separate forum for it.
Should we have a seperate forum for those who use uplift buses and cable cars too.
I once had some fat **** shout out of an uplift bus that I was a lazy bastard because I was on a eeb going up the same climb as the bus.
Some people are just pricks.
Should we have a seperate forum for those who use uplift buses and cable cars too.
And singlespeeders. It's just not the same.
FTFY
like it or not, that’s the way it is, they provide assistance to those who want to put less into biking, i can’t get my head round those who complain about this,FTFY
Sorry, I don’t mean it. It’s just you set it up and it was so hard to resist.
Soz
Plenty of different reasons to want an ebike. For some, it's to overcome a disability. For others, a significant health issue. Loads who simply aren't fit enough to enjoy riding. And some for whom it expands their riding possibilities.
I simply can't fathom why you and many others want to belittle any of these people, rather than support their desire to get out and ride. I've been firmly in category 3, far to unfit to get out and enjoy biking after a miserable few years. E bike TOTALLY turned that around for me and now I can comfortably (to a degree!) enjoy my other bikes. There's an unpleasant undercurrent of disdain around this forum. When you should all be happy that more people are able to ride bikes. Very disappointing.
I’ve been firmly in category 3, far to unfit to get out and enjoy biking after a miserable few years. E bike TOTALLY turned that around for me and now I can comfortably (to a degree!) enjoy my other bikes
This is totally me, my last couple of years in the RAF they were investigating a suspected heart problem that I had and told me not to exercise at all until they got the results. Kind of shit me up to be honest.
Anyway it turns out I have a Bi-cuspid heart valve and a bit of Aortic root stretch so off the back of this they told me I couldn't lift heavy weights again and just told me to take it easy.
Now Im just so paranoid about pushing myself I get all worked up about going for a ride, blow hard for the first few miles and generally dont enjoy it. Its pissing me off as I love everything about cycling, its been my passion for years. Now I feel stupid asking about ebikes as I want to fall back in love with the sport.
Where are you renton? Forest of Dean bike shop has Whyte eMTBs for hire, they have both the 150 and 160. You'd have a day out plus get to try an eBike (after COVID lockdown I guess).
Im an hour away from FOD and am already planning a trip down to try one of those mentioned above!
👍🏻 Just don't bin it entering corners far too quickly like I did when I demoed one 🤦🏻♂️
If you want someone to show you the good stuff, give me a shout.
“Anyway it turns out I have a Bi-cuspid heart valve and a bit of Aortic root stretch so off the back of this they told me I couldn’t lift heavy weights again and just told me to take it easy.
Now Im just so paranoid about pushing myself”
Have you only just found out about this?! Get an ebike! My Dad had serious heart problems from his mid 20s onwards and we started MTBing together when I was 9 (they were new then!) partly to give him some safe exercise. But that was flat-ish XC bimbles back in the ‘80s. He died 20 years ago, aged only 50 but I can’t imagine him coping with the sort of riding that I do with my mates without assistance uphill.
“👍🏻 Just don’t bin it entering corners far too quickly like I did 🤦🏻♂️”
Turn the assistance off downhill!
“👍🏻 Just don’t bin it entering corners far too quickly like I did 🤦🏻♂️”
Turn the assistance off downhill!
...berm on the flat 🙄
Turn the assistance off downhill!
What on earth for?
You're either travelling at over the cut off, so it doesn't matter, or you need a sudden spurt of speed to clear an obstacle so you need the assist.
Have you only just found out about this?!
Yep, over the past year.
The doctor said I should be fine but it still plays on the back of my mind.
What on earth for?
You’re either travelling at over the cut off, so it doesn’t matter, or you need a sudden spurt of speed to clear an obstacle so you need the assist.
I switched mine off yesterday just to see what it was like. Doable, bit like pedalling a DH bike.
But yes, mine stays on, I'm over the cutoff if covering a bit of ground on the flat, or DH. Maybe on a big day out I might switch modes, conserve battery a bit.
I think the forum has moved a long way to accepting them from a couple of years ago, even 12 months ago
Unbloodylikely@Tracey. The elitist claptrap is thick and fast on this. " You aint a real cyclist mentality is horrible, fk sake no wonder theres so much division in the world.
I think attitudes on here have changed since we bought one in 2017, in those days most of the threads on page 1 and onwards about Emtbs would have been derogatory to the rider and the bike.
We are now four pages in and most of it has been informative, which is what most on the site want, I think.
If a survey on here had been done 3 years ago about ownership and future ownership then I'm sure Emtbs would have been a minority.
If one was done now it would be different
In five years time most will have one or want one as an alternative or as a single bike, my predictions anyway.
Would be great if Singletrack could run some surveys.
Unbloodylikely@Tracey. The elitist claptrap is thick and fast on this. ” You aint a real cyclist mentality is horrible, fk sake no wonder theres so much division in the world.
I have no problem with people justifying their choices or having an opinion (helps if it's based on experience). But the whole 'you don't belong in the bike forum' stuff is OTT.
I got a YT Decoy Base 29er. Seems to fit rentons bill @ £4K with 150mm travel although I upped the fork to 170mm. It's a risk because of the warranty and possibly having to send it back although if I do have any problems hopefully it'll get dealt with at the UK shed.
Now instead of 20Km on a Sunday I'm doing 30ish and I was (until darkness descended 🙁 ) doing local mid-week evening rides too. Also enjoying hunting out improbable stuff to try and climb up and exploration is now a pleasure, it doesn't matter if that trail you follow for the 1st time goes nowhere because it wasn't a gut-busting killer finding out.
You can work as hard as YOU want to on an EBike, it's all about how hard you want to push.
Tracey is quite right, big change in attitudes on here (and generally).
Probably as we've all realised ebike riders are - in the large - typically just tubby middle aged blokes who behave like normal MTBers.
The elitist claptrap is thick and fast on this. ” You aint a real cyclist mentality is horrible, fk sake no wonder theres so much division in the world.
You're overthinking it a bit TBH.
Renton, as I understand there's an app called Blevo which works with the Spesh bikes. You can set an HR threshold and it will adjust the assistance to help keep you inside the safe zone. This was the case a while back, but hoping it's still valid and might be a consideration.
Probably as we’ve all realised ebike riders are – in the large – typically just tubby middle aged blokes who behave like normal MTBers.
Slow clap.
Slow clap.
Hey, I'm trying to help here.
I ride a lot and anecdotally, I see it as a venn diagram - with that demographic being the biggest point of overlap between ebikers and normal MTBers. Probably due to the cost of eebs.
Might be different down in the south east.
They really are rubbish. I had an hour and a half free at lunch between work commitments. Now i'm fortunate enough to live 5 minutes pedal from the good off piste in FOD, but 1h10m of riding, 19.8km & 700m of climbing later I managed to ride 7 decent trails & the associated climbs, albeit in EMTB & me going as hard as I could on the pedals to get round.
Back in time for a quick clean up, lunch and sat in front of my desk when needed. That simply doesn't happen with a normal bike, especially now with the inbound slop.
Still knackered from riding it as I pushed. I probably could have cruised for no effort and done maybe 5 trails and a bit less distance, but that is the beauty of them 🙂
I was a sceptic but covid has left my lungs compromised so bought a second hand levo to help me back to fitness- apart from mild paranoia every time I switch it on as to whether it will be broken I can say they are great fun- uphills are enjoyable especially if techy,
Yesterday did just under 30k at cannock in less than 2 hours and could go again today quite happily whereas even pre-covid I would need a few days rest
Other thing I would say is you will probably only get fitter riding with non ebikers if you use only eco mode instead of going turbo
Renton, haven’t posted on here for a while. In similar situation as you, in that I have been diagnosed with degenerative disc disease and facet joint syndrome. Basically means that climbing is intolerable due to riding position and putting power down. Flat riding and DH cause no issue for me. I’m a bit further down the line at mo as I have purchased an Eeb. Did my research and Demo’d 4 bikes. Whyte E150, Spec TL, YT Decoy and Trek Rail. Ended up with a Rail 9. Funny cos I have not been a massive Trek fan in the past. Best advice I can give is to try as many as you can and go in with an open mind. Def buy from a bricks and mortar shop (local if possible). Don’t listen to the haters. It’s tough enough admitting to yourself that perhaps you’re better off with assisted pedalling to continue the enjoyment of riding a bike without also listening to the tripe coming from others who don’t know your situation.
Probably as we’ve all realised ebike riders are – in the large – typically just tubby middle aged blokes who behave like normal MTBers.
Hey, I’m trying to help here.
Lost you there. Not sure what folks sex, body shape or age has to do with anything? Justification for not being accepted into STW?
Not sure what folks sex, body shape or age has to do with anything?
Think of it as me painting a picture with words.
What's the problem with me describing the typical ebikers I cross paths with anyway?
The underlying point is that a lot of the initial fears about ebikes were based around the machinery: will they churn up the trails? will the easy climbing cause people to get stranded up mountains? etc
But IME they - largely - tend to be operated by people who know what they're doing anyway.
But IME they – largely – tend to be operated by people who know what they’re doing anyway.
<sarcasm> Lol -take a look at some of the stuff on https://www.emtbforums.com/ and you'll change your tune. </sarcasm>
but I agree - on actual proper hills and out in the wilds ,in the main they do seems to be being ridden by experienced people who have come from normal bikes, rather than being entirely noob.
anyway - this thread is now primed to descend into a typical STW argument from here on, so FIGHT!
You're welcome to try my Giant Reign (medium) out. I'm close to the FOD but in Wales, so it would need to be after lock down. PM if you are interested.
“Other thing I would say is you will probably only get fitter riding with non ebikers if you use only eco mode instead of going turbo”
When our Thursday group rides were happening (they’ve been paused by Covid for the first time in about 20 years) I was riding my Levo switched off for most of them.
I’d use turbo to get to and from the ride on my own (via the trails) and although unassisted it’s a bit harder than pedalling a normal bike it’s really not that bad pulling an extra ~20lbs of ballast with you - I’m not the skinniest but there’s still plenty of MTBers who weigh 1.5 stone more than me and they cope.
If the folly of riding without power wrecks my legs I can always fall back on the assistance. But I’ve tended to be towards the stronger pedalling end of my riding circle, although few of us are XC whippets.
I was riding my Levo switched off for them.
Yeah I do the same when with normal bikes, but only for part of the ride. I do the first big hill with the motor off, then the rest of the ride in eco.
It's not as bad as you might think riding uphill with the motor off, it feel a bit painful accelerating the bike up to speed, but once you're at the speed you want to climb at its not too hard to hold it there. It's when you slow down and then need to accelerate again that you really feel it.
I’ve tended to be towards the stronger pedalling end of my riding circle, although few of us are XC whippets.
Some rose tinted glasses there CGG 😀
“Some rose tinted glasses there CGG 😀”
It’s a big circle, conveniently including some people who’ve forgotten what their bike looks like... 😉
Think of it as me painting a picture with words.
What’s the problem with me describing the typical ebikers I cross paths with anyway?
Why do you need to? You could just have written that people on emtb's are just normal mtbers, without throwing anything negative in at all. Dunno why you had to do that, does it make you feel superior or something?
When I raised the question of e-bikes here, there was a lot of support and no criticism.
I had the same condition as you @Renton, and in the 18 months post-surgery my riding has only got better since getting my YTDecoy in August. I can ride once more at the pace of some of my fitter riding buddies and that makes all the difference.
The riding experience is different,I haven’t got the same sense of satisfaction from covering the distance, but I get great pleasure from getting out more. I also don’t have to worry about running out of energy on the ride. I haven’t got fully used to the extra weight of the bike on descents but I am getting more confident with it. It’s definitely not as nimble and I find I am using my upper body strength more.
Best of luck Renton.
Bizarrely one of the things I have found is that when I was doing my research, I joined an eMTB group on Facebook. There are some strange people on there with a huge amount of bike-snobbery. Just as there was a lot of anti-ebike feeling here, there is some seriously bad attitude towards normal bikes. People terming them “peasant bikes” and thinking that is not only normal, but the pinnacle of wit... Very sad...
“Bizarrely one of the things I have found is that when I was doing my research, I joined an eMTB group on Facebook. There are some strange people on there with a huge amount of bike-snobbery.“
I joined at least one of those groups or forums. Left fairly soon after for the same reason! I like riding all sorts of MTBs - actually I like riding all bikes but I don’t trust motorists enough to enjoy sharing space with them, so that sucks the fun out of anything on tarmac.
I really like how my normal hardtail handles. I really like how my electric full-sus handles. I’m not convinced normal full-sus bikes actually work as well downhill but maybe that’s just me...
I’m not convinced normal full-sus bikes actually work as well downhill but maybe that’s just me…
I used my old Trek Powerfly all summer 2019 in Leogang after my lad pinched the shock off my Tues for his bike.
I can honestly say the Powerfly worked better for me on pretty much everything there, maybe it was the 2.8 tyres.
Maybe I will get more used to it - although I have had bikes more at the enduro or trail bike end of the spectrum and perhaps if you are used to the mass of DH bike you don’t need to adjust so much...
Or a purist forum, keep all the bawbags in one place.
I would be fine with that.
Not for purists but for people who ride bicycles on mountains.
I've nothing against ebikes and understand the benefits they bring but when you add a motor, it becomes something fundamentally different.
How you ride, where you ride, what you ride. It's all different.
The similarities between them are superficial.
“but when you add a motor, it becomes something fundamentally different.”
Maybe if the motor was always on and worked like a motorbike’s. But the motor responds to how you pedal and the assistance can be further varied by changing mode. When I’m riding my Levo with the assistance off it rides exactly like a heavier MTB would.
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renton
Free MemberIanc it’s from a Garmin instinct watch.
Seriously confusing as I can be blowing and not able to talk but my heart rate reads below 125.
I bought a Garmin watch with built in HR monitor for the same reason, doctors orders that I need to minimise heart rate spikes. I now just rely on how I feel, the wrist HR monitor is fine when you’re at home/work etc, but isn’t accurate when you’re riding I’ve found. I don’t like wearing a chest strap HR monitor, but will do if it becomes necessary.
18 months now on my e-mtb, a Levo Carbon Comp, upgraded the forks to 160mm Lyriks, and a few other changes. It’s a brilliant bike, highly tuneable so I can get as much or as little workout as I want. It’s great for the 1-2hr time windows I typically get these days. I’ve done over 5000km on it this year alone, it really encourages you to get out more.
How you ride, where you ride, what you ride. It’s all different.
The similarities between them are superficial.
That’s weird, so far all my old routes and tracks have been the same, just more fun.
Not for purists but for people who ride bicycles on mountains
It'll be a quiet forum then.
Renton - Could the answer not be as simple as riding with nicer mates? My buddies and I all ride at the pace of the slowest rider with plenty of chatting and waiting as required. I'd never want to be mates with the kind of alpha wannabe who moaned if someone was going a bit too slow.