Still ride your normal mtb?

Does it feel like hard work?

What makes you choose one or the other for a ride?

50/50.
Not really.
No reason really. How I feel and how much time I have available

Turbo Levo/Stumpjumper/Enduro

Still ride your normal mtb?

Hardly ever

Does it feel like hard work?

Oh hell yeah!

What makes you choose one or the other for a ride?

See above. Road bike is only used for work ride-outs, which obviously aren’t happening at the moment. Mandraulic MTB only comes out if the eeb has a flat battery, and then only for dog running duties.

Trek Rail/Spesh Camber/Carrerra Virtuoso

Yes

Not to start with but once I get tired yes

I’m using my eBike much more but on a good day I can do 40 miles on less than 20% of the battery, Minuses – pita to lift over stiles, Pluses – longer routes, not so much hill avoidance esp towards end of route, Feels like having a get out of jail card if I blow when I’m a long way from home

My MTB got stolen, replaced it with the emtb

Nope nothing else to ride.

Loving the battery power and ride it far far more than I did my other MTB.

I’ve only just got my ebike but the plan is to ride it when I ride solo so I can get more out of me while out and about and ride my other bikes when with others until they get an ebike. Road bike I always ride on my own so no change there.

Trek Rail/ Stumpjumper St and a carbon fuse.

I ride my Pace hardtail most of the time,ebike comes out for big days out in the Lakes,Peak etc,yes the ebike is fun but for me it doesn’t give me the same experience as a unassisted bike,if I use the ebike a lot the drop in my fitness is very noticeable

Hardly rode at all last year, had Levo Sl 2 weeks, clocked up 300km already.
Cant say if I’ll still ride the acoustics but more than likely I will as fitness gets better.
Levo SL, On-one Codeine, Genesis Tarn and Raleigh CX bike.

Sorry missed some bits out, Yes it can be hard work, I quite often ride with it switched off.
Ride it because it has all the advantages of ‘EPOWER’ with less of the downsides.

Still ride your normal mtb?

yep

Does it feel like hard work?

No, the regular bikes are the default, so the ebike is easier. It hasn’t made the regular ones harder.

What makes you choose one or the other for a ride?

Same things that makes me choose any of the other ones. Where/how I’m riding, who I’m riding with and how I’m feeling.

I used the insurance money from my stolen acoustic to get a long travel FS ebike (Trek Rail) but saved up to get a middling spec acoustic short travel FS because I missed the nimble light feel of my acoustic bike. Tend to use the ebike for longer natural rides in hilly places Peak/Lakes/Scotland, but prefer acoustic for less hilly trail centres – and occasional 2 hour loops in the Peak.

In non-lockdown conditions, I guess usage is about a 70:30 percent split in favour of the ebike. On milder terrain, I’ve found the ebike is good if I’m riding for 3 or more days on the trot, as it’s less hard on my body (I’m in my late 50’s, so take a bit longer to recover from a decent ride).  The other reason I try and split the usage is because my ebike gets through chains at least twice as quickly as my acoustic bike. As far as loss of fitness goes, I haven’t really noticed a dramatic drop off or weight gain with the ebike – but then I am a nutter, and deliberately run it in eco mode, or even off to give my legs and lungs a workout! Obvious beauty is the option to bump the assistance up when knackered.

I think if I could only have one mountain bike, the I would get an ebike. However, that might be different if I was in my 20’s and fit, when I’d probably try and get a really light and capable acoustic FS. I think the ebikes are still a work in progress, and get the feeling that it’ll take another 4 or 5 years before they get really refined. I like the concept of the Lapierre Zesty, which can be run without motor and battery, but I wasn’t that keen on that bike – as an idea, I thought it had potential tho.

I have a levo and a 5010 haven’t ridden the 5010 since I’ve had the levo and I don’t really miss it. I look forward to every ride on the levo.

Got an ebike when I was ill and fatigued all the time. Since I recovered I haven’t riden the ebike at all.
Much prefer the feel of a lightweight bike and enjoy technical climbs.

It used to be 50/50 but since the big lock down I haven’t ridden my ebike at all .
If I am only out for a short time I might as well get maximum work out so usually take the road bike but occasionally the hardtail, never the ebike.

you will end up less fit……..question is do you care? most folk dont and are just happy to be out riding faster and further that they used to be able to.
my Mrs has one and she prefers to ride it more than her other bikes unless we are at the bike park then she prefers a normal bike, mainly due to the lighter weight.

you will end up less fit

Bollocks.

Still ride my normal mtb

The e-mtb is used for quick blasts (Turbo all the time) of 10-20 miles of trail/downhill type riding, less time climbing, more time descending type riding

The analogue bike is used for bigger rides (30+ miles) its more for XC/light trail use, best when i have no time restrictions so can spend as long as i like riding and not have to keep an eye on battery range

The analogue bike is much harder on the body but the upside is i get a good workout, its much lighter so can be thrown around easier and its easier to lift over stuff when needed

you will end up less fit

Do you have any evidence for this?

No. Sold the unassisted bike soon after getting an eeb. I can’t see I will ever want another.
Still got a DH bike for uplift days which I love. I used to push this up at some sites, but I won’t do this again.

Re fitness I don’t care, I’ve never ridden a bike for fitness, just fun. The ebike allows for more fun.

Yes, still ride normal bike. I have a vitus hardtail and a yt decoy.

I ride the hardtail about 40% of the time, usually if it’s really muddy/foul or if I want to push myself a bit more than usual.

you will end up less fit

There’s no doubt Ebikes have the potential to make you lazy on the steeper climbs, but you can still push yourself hard on them – and go twice as fast! IMO it’s a different type of fitness on an e-bike – it’s a more sustained, steady work rate and HR. On a normal bike, it feels more like interval training on the climbs i.e. much higher heart rate and recovery. You can be fit on both but with the shortish climbs you have on an ebike around here, you don’t tend to collapse in a puddle of dribble at the top of horrible climbs!

For that reason, I’ll use my normal bike (or turbo) for a harder workout and to get HR right up, and ebike for more fun!

the whole purpose of strapping a motor to a bike is to make pedaling it easier. pound for pound pedaling an ebike up a hill will be easier than a regular bike unless you switch it off which nobody is going to do.
its not a criticism so dont get all upset people, but please dont pretend its just like riding a normal bike, if it was nobody would be buying them.
we have one, i like it but for different reasons. it allows my mrs to ride further which means we both benefit.
if you enjoy the training/fitness stick with the regular bike, if you are just after the fun part you probably cant go too wrong with the ebike

my personal experience riding an ebike was that it was much quicker uphill (obviously) but i was faster on my normal bike once the trail started to go down hill. that may be remedied by de-restricting the motor but i havent got to try that yet

What about the people (myself included) that have got fitter since buying an ebike, on account of getting out more than they did on a regular one?

Sweeping statement in ‘doesn’t apply to everyone’ shocker.

Here’s another sweeping statement. If you break the law and derestrict your ebike, you are a bellend. Doesn’t apply to everyone, but I imagine there are fewer exceptions than in yours.

Have been split about 50/50 on my ebike all my other bikes until lockdown.
Not touched the ebike since as I’ve been trying not to ride anything techy and a 180 coil sprung Ebike is dull as **** on tame trails.
No my normal bikes don’t feel slow when I ride them. In fact my hardtail feels pretty quick now the trails are dry.

It all depends on the bike, I got a PR this week on one long segment where you have to pedal and are over the cutoff speed. The bike is not de-restricted but the SL is definitely lighter and you don’t get the sensation of chucking out the anchor when you hit the limit like on these bigger bikes.

If you break the law and derestrict your ebike, you are a bellend. Doesn’t apply to everyone

Go on then, I’ll bite.

I’ve got a Kenevo and to be honest, I wouldn’t have it if I couldn’t deristrict it. It’s a 25kg bike with massive sticky tyres, pedalling it much over 16mph on the flat ain’t happening much.

Hitting the limiter constantly just spoils the experience. On the flat, I might want to sit just above 16mph and definitely on a group ride, this would be exceeded.

Mines set at 25mph, but I don’t use it to travel at that speed. Downhill, I want to rely on gravity and certainly don’t want any assistance.

I’m not sure if I’ve explained that very well, but I certainly don’t go flying round at speeds that are significantly different to a normal bike. Yeah, I get up hills quicker than in personally would normally, but we aren’t talking any more than a fit XC guy – Strava corroborates this.

To answer the original question though….

I don’t drive any bike as much as I should, but since getting the ebike, I’ve hardly ridden anything else. In fact I sold my Capra. Have a Kenevo, PP Shan and a ’90’s Kona

When I’ve been riding the ebike fairly regularly, even a steel HT feels like hard work. However, I’ve not been out on any bikes for a while, but fine a bit of leg work at the gym leading up to lock down. I went for a flat cycle track ride with the daughter (her first time on a bike for years) she doesn’t want to ride the ebike, so I rode it turned off.

Been out on the Shan today and was ok, even though one got no bike fitness.

While we are going through this, I’m going to try taking both out. But as to choice at the moment – go out with mates who are fitter then me (obvs after lockdown), or longer rides then ebike. Up to 15 miles in my own then possibly the Shan

Not hijacking the thread but one really quick question while you’re all on here.
Do you get the same sense of achievement when you get to the top of a hill, and if you do, is it because you’ve made it on a technical climb rather than out of fitness?
Just interested really. I don’t have an ebike. Yet.

I rode and enjoyed both during my brief EMTB ownership.

The EMTB made me ride like a lunatic. I’d ride much further and faster than on my push iron due to the distances I could cover and the feeling of extra speed. I would come back from EMTB rides aching in different places and exhausted, it almost tricks you into thinking it’s easier to ride, sort of stealth exercise. So yes it can be harder. I didn’t lose any fitness, it made me ride more.

I rode the EMTB as a first choice and the push iron in sensitive places or restricted events.

Time/business/family commitments forced me to sell in the end when the EMTB started sitting idle for longer periods. Too much investment to have sat around☹️

Personally I don’t get any sense of achievement out of getting to the top of a hill on either.
I do however like a techy section be it up, down or flat.
To me the Ebike is used mainly as an uplift service where there’s no uplift.

 pedaling an ebike up a hill will be easier than a regular bike unless you switch it off which nobody is going to do.

Err, well, I do! Granted, I don’t switch it off on every hill I get to, but on long less steep climbs it ‘only’ feels about as sluggish as my 14.7kg Cotic with soft tyres when the motor is off (saves a bit of battery life and gets the leg stronger).

Then there’s the workout you get if you hustle the bike along flowy undulating trails above the motors cut off threshold – it’s bloo** hard work!

I think the assertion that you’ll always lose fitness by going from an acoustic to ebike is wrong. Some people might loose fitness, but as people have mentioned above, it depends what you’re riding for. Getting the ebike has certainly noticeably improved my bike fitness – maybe because I’m riding further and more frequently….and (whisper) I am having fun😉

“the whole purpose of strapping a motor to a bike is to make pedaling it easier. pound for pound pedaling an ebike up a hill will be easier than a regular bike unless you switch it off which nobody is going to do”

I do. On group rides I’ll try to do the whole ride with it switched off, so it’s more challenging for me. Why bother with the ebike then? Because I do a solo ride to and back from the group ride and I do that on full turbo – saves time!

I’m enjoying my hardtail right now – it’s more relaxing than the Levo because the uphills are so much slower (with the Levo on turbo there are corners everywhere!) and the downhills are a bit slower too (but feel faster in some ways).

But the Levo is far better when I want to do max MTBing intensity in minimum time. Or when I’m commuting on or off-road.

You can absolutely thrash yourself on an e-mtb if you want. Riding hard and fast on a heavy bike can be a tough workout, particularly if you stay on a lower/medium mode which means you have to keep a sustained pedalling power to maintain the speed. I can also fit a lot more miles and considerably more downhill into a two hour ride than on my standard mtb.

However, it is definitely a different type of fitness, much less interval type training, and more lower intensity but sustained effort. You don’t get the heart rate spikes you don on a standard MTB, which is why I bought an e-MTB and this works well for me personally. You do get more of a full body workout if you’re going for it, riding techy trails at the speed you can sustain on a relatively heavy e-MTB gives your upper body a real thrashing as well as your legs.

I’ve no doubt I used to be fitter before I had an e-MTB, but circumstances dictated that I can’t achieve/sustain that level of fitness now, and the e-bike has been great for that.

And it’s so so much fun 😁

I’ve only just got an emtb and it’s been an eye-opening fun experience.

Had it about a week and haven’t ridden a normal bike since but curious to see what it’ll be like getting back on a normal bike. I come from an era where it was all about cleaning the climbs, fully rigid bikes, poor gearing, canti-brakes and 2in tyres and I’m still in that mindset but the body disagrees – lower back problems, weak core, glutes, tight hamstrings, age, weight, etc.

So now I have a Trek Powerfly hardtail that I got discounted and through a cycle-to-work scheme. It’s amazing how well this thing works but also annoying at times….
Full power seems crazy, the speed I can go up a hill is mental. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be peddaling with the power off or above the assist level, but sometimes it’s also a pain above the assist level – who decided 15.5mph for the power to stop? It would be much better for the assistance to reduce as you go above 15.5mph as I can ride my normal bikes over that speed easily on flat-ish undulating trails. When on Turbo mode the stop in power is really noticable but seems to be a lot smoother in Eco and Tour – had a strong headwind yesterday so had it in Turbo but really noticed it when the power went and the wind becomes more relevant so I just put it into Tour. It’s bloody heavy, most noticable when I try to pop it around to close a bridle gate, but on the move it feels like a normal bike. I’m definately riding more and longer, looking for extra loops now, on my normal bikes I’d have to have a day or more off to recover as I’d be running at max hr a lot. Fitness wise my Polar HRM is still showing a good workout, but it’s over a longer duration, eg. 15 miles on an ordinary bike is about the same as 20 miles on the ebike (I’m running whatever assist helps, mostly Eco and Tour as I still want a decent workout) the difference being I can ride day after day now and up the power if I need it. hopefully my fitness will improve due to longer frequent rides to build up my base fitness rather than half kill myself and needing to recover, time will tell.

Another thing is it’s less important to worry about fancy components, wheels and tyres. I’m sure I’ll get through chains and casettes quicker so cheap one’s will do unlike my normal bikes where I’d be checking the weight of tyres, casettes etc. Anyone know of some cheap decent 2.3in or 2.4in 29er tyres (wanted to get some Bonty XR3 Comps but all sold out and new design looks like the old XR2), I’ve got a 2in tyre on the back and it’s a hardtail which I haven’t ridden off road for about 20 years so need a bit more cushioning – conversely it’s now the hardtail that’s irritating my back abit rather than the effort I put in on my normal bikes, relearning how to ride a hardtail!

I don’t think it will replace my nomal bikes, for now, it’s great fun but it’s still great fun to ride a light trail bike. Maybe in another 5 to 10 years when I might really need the assistance and hopefully be then they’ll be much lighter and efficient … and hopefully not have that rediculous 15.5mph limit. I don’t want to do 40mph but it could easily be mapped to run on Eco up to 25mph so it would feel like peddaling a normal bike?

Hey Kojaklollipop, If it’s 29er tyres you’re after, I’ve got loads of part used 2.3/2.4 ones kicking around in my garage loft. Been having a sort out of my garage & workshop and found them – some have only done about 25 miles! I’ve got some Mavic Quest ones that are 2.35” They weigh about 950g as they’ve got thick sidewalls, and they are very supple. I found them a bit too heavy feeling on my acoustic full sus, but reckon they be perfect on the back of a hardtail ebike. I’d only be looking for a tenner for a pair of them if you are OK paying the postage.

Just drop me a PM if you’re interested.

bowglie – I’ve messaged you, thanks.

I have a few of both. The ebikes are great for shorter blasts. Ie telling my wife I’m going out for and hour and a half and actually sticking to it. They are great for exploring and trail building. They are also great for really big epics, coming back with blisters on your hands type rides. The non-motorized bikes are great for everything in between and I still enjoy descending on the lighter bikes more. I use the normal bikes much, much more than the ebikes. I like both and I’m lucky enough to have quite a lot of different bikes. The ebikes definitely make me less fit, last winter I rode them a lot as I was working on local trail building and I noticed the difference in fitness come spring.

I’m using the ebike exclusively now. We are locked down here in Spain and with the ebike it’s easier to drink beer on the turbo trainer.

Bowglie – I can’t access my messages, I just get that old bloke drinking a beer saying oops nothing found, been going on for 2 days now! So if you have got back to me I’m not ignoring you, hopefully this will be sorted soon … is it just me as I don’t see any threads about this?

Interestingly I’d say I’m using my ebike a lot less than my normal bike these days, partly coz most of my rides are with my eldest. He’s not as keen as he was though so when I’m back to solo rides I may well be lured back by the ebike!

I had a 29er trail hardtail before, then got an Enduro style eBike.

Haven’t ridden the hardtail much at all, just alternate between eBike and my CX.

Going to use the hardtail for camping and longer XC rides the CX couldn’t handle.

But for big mountains or trail centres I go for eBike. Much more enjoyable.

I’ve been on the ebikes for the last 3.5yrs… Levo then kenevo and now levo SL. The levo was a revelation and the appeal was doing long rides up the peaks (I’m back down south now so not as close). The kenevo was a bad influence and I may just buy another as it is so much fun for dh. But one of the main drawbacks I have found despite my love of the ebike, is that it tends to make you want to plough straight through stuff rather than flick around, and the extra weight can kill the fun on a less gnarly trail. Also as others have mentioned, they are frustrating if not de-restricted.
The levo SL has less power but is lighter and easier to flick about on the trail. The temptation to de-restrict is not so great as you can pedal it OK with the motor off anyway, so this bike is a great halfway point. For all mountain/enduro it feels like the perfect weapon, however if riding less exciting and technical trails then I’d say a lightweight normal mtb could be a better experience