Having ridden an ebike a couple of times now I have come to conclusion they are here to stay and enhance even the flattest of trails to give more enjoyment.
Ps I am reasonably fit and happy to push myself on a conventional bike to get the most out of the trails
I can see them becoming more and more popular as the price comes down and they get lighter

Never

hopefully when I am old.

Never say never Simon
why do you need to be old to enjoy the benefits of an ebike trumpton ?

Almost certainly never.

If it does happen, it’ll be shortly before everyone in a rowing boat just uses outboard motors.

How long before everyone only rides a bike using virtual reality? Slippery slope these ebikes. Mark my words.

have any of the above naysayers ever tried one , if so what was so bad about it ?

Yes, a hybrid and a trail bike.

Not sure I noticed anything bad about either.

Never – i’ve ridden a few, I can sort of see the attraction as it’s like riding but with free super fitness.

Personally the physical challenge is a big part of why I ride so i can’t see me buying one – certainly I’d never buy a road e-bike that’s be totally pointless.

They’re still going to be more expensive/complicated than a non e-bike, it’s like saying that full sus would kill hardtails.

…enhance even the flattest of trails to give more enjoyment.

How so?

I didn’t say that there was anything bad about them, they’re good fun. There will never be a day when everybody is on one though.

kcr, because you can ride the same trails faster and for longer

I have no need for one. My version of riding bicycles involves doing it without a motor/pedal assist/call it whatever. As Hemingway said ‘It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and can coast down them…. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motorcar only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.’ That’s kind of why I ride bikes. Appreciate that others may have other reasons.

My opinion is that E-bikes are a solution to a problem that largely doesn’t exist. As an alternative for those who can’t ride a conventional bike – fine. I do like the application of them in urban areas as a practical delivery vehicle or commuter for longer journeys. As a recreational tool? Very concerned about the impact they might well have on our already limited access rights and perception with other trail user groups.

No doubt those that have used them have no problem justifying them. I do not consider them to be cycling as I know it though. Sometimes making things easier isn’t always the best idea.

I’ll have one in 20 years or so when I’m in my 60s and I can have a 30lb one for £2k.

Until then I don’t think I need one.

they are fun but you loose a lot of the physical challange, so I would have one if that was the only way I could compensate for an injury, but having one would make me less likely to try to fix that injury so I could ride, I would just take the easy option of the e-bike.

I will stick with cycling.

Hemmingway’s been deed 60 years.

and could be a pompous **** even then.

If I could see the future I wouldn’t be wasting my time on here, but my bet is that in less than five years they’ll return to being a small niche and the manufacturers will be trying to sell us something else.

Has it been a week already since the last one ?

Once they outlaw regular bikes it might happen.

I find it hilarious when naive folk impose an age limit on themselves in regards to using an ebike.

unless you genuinely think it’s going to take until you’re 60/70/80* (*delete as inappropriate) for you to gain the skill to ride one well…

https://www.instagram.com/p/BpKWIWXFR2q/

They’ll never take over completely for the same reasons that people still ride rigid single speeds:-

Weight
Simplicity
Challenge
Attention/showing off
Cost

Pick one or all those reasons.

death of the universe they’ll definitely not be around then.

and could be a pompous **** even then

And you can be a pompous **** now. At least he was a great writer and a genuine adventurer, you ?????
Personally I’ll never have a E-mtb, the physical challenge is why I ride. Maybe way in the future a E-hybrid to get me out on sustrains routes, just to get out in the fresh air before I finally shuffle off.

Never. As each of us gets older and succumbs to the temptation there will be a younger generation who still want to cycle without electronic assistance. I intend to carry on without for as long as possible as the fitness/challenge element is one of the main reasons I cycle.

(and yes, I’ve probably ridden as many electric bikes as anyone else on this thread)

This topic sounds like somebody trying to convince themself they need an e bike to me!

However long it takes before i either cannot buy a non ebike, or I have a physical reason to need one. I know folk in their 70s that still ride analog mtbs, so hopefully it’ll be a long time.

Nothing really against then, just actually enjoy the physical challenge of no power assist. Not the fittest at all, but having briefly had a go on one I don’t buy the ‘you still work as hard’ line.

And you can be a pompous **** now. At least he was a great writer and a genuine adventurer, you ?????

Careful with that keyboard now. it won’t last forever if you keep hitting it so hard 😉

Personally I’ll never have a E-mtb, the physical challenge is why I ride.

You saying getting a 50lb bike sideways stylishly over a 12ft step up isn’t physically challenging?

I was a massive naysayer, I’m strong, young and fit, got one this winter, best thing I’ve ever done to get the most out of flat, slow trails, bought the fun back 10 fold on that kind of stuff and fitter and stronger than ever, on rubbish local xc stuff because I’m going faster on a bike I actually like, I have more fun and go harder for longer. I used to use a rigid xc 29 over winter just to have something that felt like the effort I was putting in was doing something, never again.

I keep fit and strong just so I can ride more fun stuff, be it uplift days or pump track, I definitely don’t like the ebike as much as my proper bike for playing with the trail/jumps, but it’s still pretty good.

View this post on Instagram

Light evenings #eeebbbbzzzzz #turbolevo

A post shared by Dean Dobson (@dean_dobson_og) on Apr 6, 2019 at 12:01am PDT

Never, I enjoy actually cycling.

I’m more ruined on a 2 hour thrash on the ebike than a 4 hour mission on the trail bike.

They are nt going to get significantly lighter and cheaper without a paradigm shift in motor and battery tech. Myself I suspect they are a fad that will fade away. For utility cycling they are great. for MTBing – too limiting by far for me – and yes I have ridden them. weight is far too much, range is far too small for what I like doing.

You saying getting a 50lb bike sideways stylishly over a 12ft step up isn’t physically challenging?

supply some stylish footage and we will judge.

As long as I’m fit enough to ride a proper MTB…..that’s where you’ll find me..

However, one day I might not be but till then though the only assistance I’ll be getting will either be a tail wind & a few pies (*probably not an actual pie…)

TJ do wake up mate.
they’ve gradually been getting lighter and lighter every single product year.
This won’t stop happening for a good few years yet.
There is already a shift in motor and battery tech happening.
range is slowly extending. Plus there is also a very wide range of power assist outputs to choose from and motors to care for every end of that scale.
Variety in type of Emtb available is also increasing hugely.
Capability (ie. in what can be ridden on them) is already off the scale of regular mtb

I can confidently say I am better at every single facet of actually riding a mtb than you.
and I can still do absolutely everything on my 170mm 47lb E-mtb enduro bike that I do on my 170mm 30lb carbon enduro mtb.

Sorry dude but the limiting factor here is YOU!
not the bike

Early freeride bikes were 40+ lb and people were tail whipping them.

Your question would of been better if asked the majority of us rather than everyone .
It would be an impossibility for everyone.
I personally don,t have any issue with anyone wanting to use them but I personally would not ride one

I can confidently say I am better at every single fascette of actually riding a mtb than you.

“And you can be a pompous **** now.”
Honestly geex your a well that keeps giving and giving 🤣🤣

I can confidently say I am better at every single fascette of actually riding a mtb than you.

What a prize wassock.

I can confidently say I am better at every single fascette of actually riding a mtb than you.

fascette – clamp or tie

Yep, you are probably are better at being a clamp than most people.