Is ebiking “giving in/up”?

stu..no need to have a **** if you have a fit partner….and if you are ebiking together they are probably fat…so you might need one 

Dude.
Lay off the left over Christmas sherry.

lol….im at work on my break….dealing with an 11kv powerline….big ash dropped on all three phases…

beanieripper – you have an ebike, but seem to want to slate them/people that ride them? Strange stance 

Oh dear that’s worse I just had you down as pissed not a complete idiot…
I’ll leave you to it.

thanks…happy new year.

Thanks for the help..but i went to the gym today…all the big guys were doing analogue bench press….no eweights in sight

Life isn’t a competition… Nobody is standing there with a medal for you when you’ve finished.

look, im not offended its ok..im not up a tree, its my firm..i dont need a medal. thanks for the compliments…have a great new year folks x

Wow. Checked out of this thread after the third post. Came back just now to find it complete with the usual moronic, inane, ballsack flavoured toss. Well done you guys. Bikes are bikes, despite what the op Troll wants to drive at. 

where are you and what are the hills like? I manage 1x on a 38T with an 11-28.

You can see why it is so easy for the government to use culture wars to stir things up and move the focus away from the shit they are doing can’t you when people who all ride bikes don’t even like other people who ride bikes just because they are not the same bikes as they ride (be it ebikes, gravel bikes, road bikes etc,.)

Bikes are bikes, despite what the op Troll wants to drive at.

Woah there tiger. My OP was a fairly innocent post to gauge how people think about ebikes. It certainly wasn’t trolling in any way or designed to provoke the sort of reaction this has turned into.

Fwiw, it did help some of my thoughts about the ebike and funnily enough, after being out on my MTB yesterday, I’m out today on the ebike at Swinley.

You monster

I’m out today on the ebike at Swinley

I can’t believe you have gone on your motorbike after all the men telling you it’s for lazy people.

Hope you’re happy now (you probably are).

I was thinking about the electric motorbike thing…

What percentage of current ebike users would happily use a more powerful engine/battery? I know a fair few have already modified there’s to make them illegal, but I was thinking in more general terms. If the power limit was, say, doubled (and assuming battery technology kept up) then I reckon close to 100% of users would use it, even if only for certain occasions. Tripled? Quadrupled? Same response I think. All the arguments about having to still work hard would disappear and all the benefits of getting out into the countryside would still exist. There is definitely a group of riders who aren’t that interested in the fitness benefits.

It’s certainly an interesting topic for Scottish access rights where off-road motorcycling is basically prohibited.

As far as I can see ebike aren’t checked for compliance to the rules. Lots of the food delivery bikes are obviously dodgy and ridden by idiots.

Some ebike riders ride like dicks. (As do some normal  ice riders).

Who is going to enforce legal compliance off road?

As far as I can see ebike aren’t checked for compliance to the rules.

Sure, but most buyers are relying on shops not to sell them illegal bikes, if they’re even aware of the restrictions. It gets a bit more grey with direct sales, especially of bikes built for other markets. To an extent, I think the genie is already out of the bottle. It’ll be interesting to see where we are in 10 years time (by which time an electric motorbike might be ideal for me 😂 )

As far as I can see ebike aren’t checked for compliance to the rules. Lots of the food delivery bikes are obviously dodgy and ridden by idiots.

The amount of news articles about police crack downs and seizures of exactly this would contradict your statement.

In Manchester the bike lanes are full of food delivery bikes which congregate around the takeaways on Oxford Rd. Most are so shonky and so fast they make using the cycle facilities scary. These are easy to tackle. Because the news reports ebike crack downs doesn’t make it widespread or effective.

It’s great when you are in the cycle lane when some dick is approaching you at 20mph a on the wrong side of the road with pedestrians next to the bike lane.

If you think illegal ebike use in your area is an issue report incidents to the police, raise the issue with your parish council & local MP. The police are unlikely to do anything unless they feel it’s a public concern. Nothing will change otherwise.

What percentage of current ebike users would happily use a more powerful engine/battery

Despite having mine deristricted, I don’t need/want any more power. It generally gets ridden in eco and when I do need it, boost had more than enough power.

Batteries, yeah I’m all for more powerful batteries

Life’s to short I just avoid the bike lanes. They will have a clamp down when they kill a pedestrian.

They will have a clamp down when they kill a pedestrian.

Will they?

Didn’t notice any fallout for fixies when that fella killed that lass.

And even if the police did I’m sure it would be met with a ‘they’re anti-bikes’ rally cry from many on here, or the eternal ‘haven’t you got real crime to investigate’.

If the power limit was, say, doubled (and assuming battery technology kept up) then I reckon close to 100% of users would use it, even if only for certain occasions. Tripled? Quadrupled? Same response I think.

I can’t see the power limits getting raised, so it’s a moot point.

I’ve gone from a full power Rail to a low power Kenevo SL. I have to work harder than before but the lighter bike is a joy to ride in comparison to the steamroller that was the Rail. As battery tech improves bikes will get lighter, which makes them better.

I’ve gone from a full power Rail to a low power Kenevo SL. I have to work harder than before but the lighter bike is a joy to ride in comparison to the steamroller that was the Rail. As battery tech improves bikes will get lighter, which makes them better.

Yeah, that’s when I might be more interested too. 

I was thinking about the electric motorbike thing…

Me too.
As I come from an MX/Enduro background the Stark Varg I linked to earlier holds real interest for me and also the EM trials bike.
2024 EM Epure Race
Oddly i have no interest in getting back into it with a petrol powered bike, but the electric bikes seem to have an attraction for me.

If I was to buy one though it’d be for a completely different use case than either my Ebike or any of my pedal bikes.
We have an MX track pretty close to where I live and there are also plenty of legal places I could ride a trials bike.

Everyone that I know that’s still racing MX/enduro and riding trials also own ebikes and pedal bikes.
They can differentiate between them all and have no problems with any of them.
Seems it’s just a few MTBers that get all hung up on what someone else is doing.
I find it all a little odd TBH.

What about at these E-enduro events? No one as far as I am aware does checks on these bikes for being chipped/de-restricted. How is that fair?

Plus- does de-restricting them make them illegal? 

I can see the benefits of ebikes from a fun and utility POV but its very much a first world discussion in the MTB context. I dont see many poverty spec e-mtbs at trail centres…thats a LOT of money on essentially a toy. Let the well off enjoy them…

What about at these E-enduro events? No one as far as I am aware does checks on these bikes for being chipped/de-restricted. How is that fair?

Checks are carried out at Western Bike events and Southern Enduro. Apparently the checks aren’t perfect but they are doing what they can.

What percentage of current ebike users would happily use a more powerful engine/battery?

Nope I’m happy riding in eco or tour+ depending on who I’m riding with.

If the power limit was, say, doubled (and assuming battery technology kept up) then I reckon close to 100% of users would use it, even if only for certain occasions. Tripled? Quadrupled? Same response I think.

I’m fine with the power, the arbitrary 25kmh limit is a little annoying on a fast trail, but I haven’t bothered enough to go and find a solution that works with the latest Bosch system to derestrict it, so I guess it can’t annoy me that much.

Having owned, or ridden most of the ‘SL’ bikes out there too, they are ultimately pointless to me. They didn’t offer enough over a normal bike for me, as a fitter person & by the time they are a comparable spec, I had ~2kg difference between it and a full power bike.

I was thinking about the electric motorbike thing

Having ridding trials bikes as a kid, it’s something I would do again, but don’t really have any interest in an ICE powered trials bike, but the Electric Motion/Mecatecno electric trials bikes look really good now & are tempting.

Checks are carried out at Western Bike events and Southern Enduro. Apparently the checks aren’t perfect but they are doing what they can.

Having raced e-bikes at both, I’ve never been, or seen anyone getting checked & there is some outright blatant cheating going on.

It’s almost impossible to police, as most of the decent chips can be deactivated by pressing a button & don’t need an on/off reset now.

There is a race series (pedalhounds I think) that has a unrestricted class for eebs, funny how the same riders compete in that, and normal restricted bike events on alternate weekends 🙄

What I’ve learned is that the ebike can simply mean you get out when you may not on a MTB. Today’s conditions I’d have bailed after a mile as I’d have never been able to pedal, it was ridiculous.
Even the ebike struggled more than once meaning a walking section or 3. Couldn’t get traction at all.

However, if you’ve ever ridden with me you’ll know that I sweat a lot! Like tonnes.

Today though, not so much. I’m sure you can ride an ebike and not lean on the power, but why would you, I don’t know. I find myself more in a Z2 than anything, and it’s a low Z2 at that.
But slipping, sliding about today was nothing but fun fun fun. Trying not to crash and hanging on is just great.

I guess to answer my own question, it can be giving up/in, but it depends a lot on what ‘it’ is. You’re deffo not giving up on riding bikes, having fun, hitting trails. But you could be giving up on a certain level of riding fitness

As for the SL, which is what my Rise is, my mate used the app and whacked up the performance, it’s still only 60nm, but it flies along on boost.
My mate on the Rail9 uses almost exactly the same amount of battery as I do. I never feel I need ‘more’

What I’ve learned is that the ebike can simply mean you get out when you may not on a MTB.

Definitely this. I went to FoD yesterday for 2hrs of riding, I wouldn’t have bothered if I’d been on the regular bike. Will be back for the day next weekend for a social rise on the regular bike.

Today’s conditions I’d have bailed after a mile as I’d have never been able to pedal, it was ridiculous.

So if you’ve got an eBike, you can totally disregard the concept that not contributing to worsening trail conditions, is maybe a wise option?

So if you’ve got an eBike, you can totally disregard the concept that not contributing to worsening trail conditions, is maybe a wise option?

It’s NYE, lay off the boring pills

We all degrade trails whatever we ride, stop being so sanctimonious ffs

It’s NYE, lay off the boring pills

We all degrade trails whatever we ride, stop being so sanctimonious ffs

So giving consideration to impact on trails is boring?

But I guess being called sanctimonious by somebody who further up the thread admitted to riding an illegal motorbike, sums up your selfish attitude towards your impact on trails and other users.

I bet you’re fun at parties. I hope you’re not at one tonight spoiing everyone’s night.

Just for the record, a load of us were out Friday, some on ebikes, some on normal bikes. We rode through exactly the same mud at exactly the same speed. Killing the trails with our winter riding….

It certainly wasn’t…  …designed to provoke the sort of reaction this has turned into.

I missed this earlier, but hi, you must be new here, welcome to STW…

EEBs are great, brilliant fun and if I had the spare cash to spend on one I’d have one.

Completely understand the animosity though, I’ve never been block passed by a normal mtb at the start of a fire road climb, causing me to lose all speed.

Never had a normal bike hit me when passing on a singletrack climb.

Never met a normal bike riding up a steep one way descent.

I bet you’re fun at parties. I hope you’re not at one tonight spoiing everyone’s night.

Don’t worry, I’m not.

Currently making dessert for tomorrow’s family gathering, as it’s the first Christmas and New Year since my mum died.

Mine too, whatever relevance that has got to this thread 🤷

But sorry for your loss nonetheless

My point being. If some super fit XC rider who puts out twice the power output of your legs comes flying past, do you judge?

You have a perceived level of what ‘damage’ is allowed to the trails and you set that at leg power. Ergo leg powered damage is fine, but an ebike that may be putting out only as much output as a very fit rider isn’t?

Meh, trail erosion has been talked about as being a huge issue by ebikes, but in many years of riding i’ve never really seen a huge increase in trail damage in years where ebikes weren’t around to now, the same areas get mashed up by bikers with or without motors, ebikes aren’t a magic carpet ride, they need traction, so spin out stops you dead, hence why low power gets you traction, full power gets you spinning and off the bike, you learn that fast on ebikes, and you probably learnt it on the normal bike as well!

Personally i just think folk who aren’t fans of ebikes just dismiss them as everything wrong with biking, reality is they’re just another tool for folk to go riding, it’s like the old adage about money, having more doesn’t change you, it just makes you more of what you already are, same with an ebike or a normal bike.