Is ebiking “giving in/up”?

Regarding trail erosion, it’s an extremely location specific problem or not. On our local trails, occasionally one gets taken out of use for good by something like a large tree fall, and within less than a year you’d struggle to find where it was. And these are trails that often get very muddy in the winter.

It is giving up. I feel very strongly about it. E-bikes are for lazy people. Spout off all you want about more climbs, more miles or whatever, but at the end of the day you can’t be arsed putting the effort in and you want to make it easier for yourself. It’s fine. Just be honest about it.

I will ride my analogue, old fashioned acoustic bikes until I’m physically incapable, and then I will buy an e-bike, and hate myself until I die.

I am aware that plenty of people find e-bikes the only way they can ride  and it’s great that there’s a way for people like my 70 year old dad with his gammy knee to keep riding. 

georgesgranddad?

FTFY:

“It is giving up. I feel very strongly about it. Geared bikes are for lazy people. Spout off all you want about more climbs, more miles or whatever, but at the end of the day you can’t be arsed putting the effort in and you want to make it easier for yourself. It’s fine. Just be honest about it.

I will ride my analogue, old fashioned singlespeed bikes until I’m physically incapable, and then I will buy a geared bike, and hate myself until I die.”

I will ride my analogue, old fashioned acoustic bikes until I’m physically incapable, and then I will buy an e-bike, and hate myself until I die.

I am aware that plenty of people find e-bikes the only way they can ride  and it’s great that there’s a way for people like my 70 year old dad with his gammy knee to keep riding. 

So at 76 and still able to ride and get up climbs I’m a lazy person?   The fact that making these climbs is becoming more and more hard (but yes, I’m still making them at the moment) and at the top I have to judge whether if I make another fun descent I may be too worn out to climb up again.   So yes, I must be a lazy person.

Btw, I haven’t bought one yet but I’m very likely to.

georgesdad spotted out earlier

georgesgranddad?

georgesvictoriandad

It is giving up. I feel very strongly about it. E-bikes are for lazy people. Spout off all you want about more climbs, more miles or whatever, but at the end of the day you can’t be arsed putting the effort in and you want to make it easier for yourself. It’s fine. Just be honest about it.

Ok, I’m going to bite, even though it’s been done to death

How about they are also for time short people, or people who ride with a much fitter group, or just people who haven’t got their heads up their arses and realise how much fun they are?

Not having the chance to ride all the time with a group who are younger, get out more often and are ergo fitter and faster can be a miserable experience. Deciding not to go out with them because it’s not enjoyable would be ‘giving up’.

That’s pretty much the driving reason why I bought one 5 years ago. But it gets used for group rides, solo fun rides and times when it just suits. The rest of the time, I’ll ride one of my other bikes

I will ride my analogue, old fashioned acoustic bikes until I’m physically incapable, and then I will buy an e-bike, and hate myself until I die.

So, I’m reading this right? When you can’t ride a normal bike, you’ll buy an ebike and hate yourself for buying a tool that lets you carry on enjoying yourself? You do actually enjoy yourself, don’t you? I think that statement say quite a lot about you to be fair

What are people ‘giving up’ though?

Chap I went school with has recently got more in to e-bikes, one assumes because he isn’t as fit/fast as he was. Though, at his peak he was world and Olympic champion.

Are the anti ebikers this macho IRL?

@TheArtistFormerlyKnownAsSTR

Don’t let yourself be dragged in by this mate. No need

Walk away (maybe on an airport travelator to make it easier 🤣) and enjoy riding your bike buddy.

This debate is stupid and should be closed!

Don’t close it for heavens sake,  it’s hilarious!

It also reminds me why I don’t like people, they take themselves far too seriously…

@fettlin good point lol

@tomhoward – your school friend isn’t Peter Sagan by any chance?

No, Ed Clancy.

What are people ‘giving up’ though?

Cycling.

My interpretation of Cycling.

FTFY.

OK, why’s that an issue? Do you have the same issue with uplifts/chainless riding?

OK, why’s that an issue?

It’s not necessarily an issue. They’re just two different things.

Cycling

I have never been a cyclist. I’m a mountain biker.

Lazy is a relative term tho isn’t it.  Today I went for a ride on a non-e-rigid29er, then I  went for a walk around the cliffs with kids and grandkids and then I had to go and check some cattle that are 8 miles away via several short sharp hills.  It was pissin down and windy.  I guess I was too lazy to cycle there but not lazy enough to drive there so I used my Tern ebike.   How lazy am I? 
Importantly (to me), I enjoyed the wet and wild ride on the ebike.  I wouldn’t have enjoyed the same ride in the same conditions as much on my touring bike.  I definitely wouldn’t have enjoyed driving there.  So my laziness paid off.  I think, therefore, that being lazy can sometimes be great.

It’s not necessarily an issue.

16 pages of this thread says otherwise.

What about giving in? Giving in to what?

To me, the issue seems to be that the self appointed gatekeepers of the sport pastime have got their knickers in a twist because someone has brought a ladder to deal with any gates that may be otherwise locked, so they’ve resorted to passive aggressive comments. *slow hand clap*

16 pages of this thread says otherwise.

Aye, it’s been well covered. Why don’t you read some of it.

Aside from ‘it’s not what I like doing so it’s wrong/pathetic/cheating’, there’s very little of any substance.

Ride what and where you like, makes no difference to me, but e-bikers that log Strava as normal bike rides are dicks.

Vital must of been reading this thread…

”E-bike hate: both on the interwebs and on the trail. At this point, if you’re still upset that there are bikes with motors and batteries, then you just don’t get it. The good news is you can still ride your sweet mountain bike, and your life will be no different than it was 15 years ago. Save your hate; ride your bike”

https://www.vitalmtb.com/features/whats-whats-out-mountain-biking-2024

Ps before I get bashed ;-) I don’t own an ebike.

Blaming Ebikes for trail erosions again shows the many misconceptions and bias of those on here who are sceptical.

Are you trying to claim that riding in the mud doesnt cause erosion above that in dry conditions?
Therefore that for those who wouldnt have ridden a particular trail on a normal bike but have “fun” on their ebike riding it wont be causing additional issues regardless of who else uses those trails?
Or are you just showing the bias and ultra defensiveness of the ebiker and so extrapolating wildly?

To me, the issue seems to be that the self appointed gatekeepers of the sport pastime have got their knickers in a twist because someone has brought a ladder to deal with any gates that may be otherwise locked, so they’ve resorted to passive aggressive comments

**** me. If you are going to whine about “passive aggressive” perhaps you shouldnt go in for it so much yourself.
The abuse being hurled by the ebikers on this thread is curious

I’m not really anti e-bike, it’s just they don’t particularly interest me.

However they do seem to be a rule no.1 amplifier. Pricks on bikes have always existed to some extent, but eMTBs  do appear to be the replacement for the previous all the gear types, but now instead of wheezing their way to the top of the hill once and bumbling down once, they can do it multiple times while hardly breaking a sweat on the climb. I’m sure some sweat more at the prospect of technical features on the descent.

Verging off topic slightly, I’m always intrigued by riders who go somewhere like the Golfie, then walk anything technical. My goal as a biker has always been to improve, and work towards riding features I can’t ride, but I’ve seen the same riders months apart, spend more time walking descents than riding. I just wouldn’t bother going near a trail I knew I couldn’t ride, yet some people will quite happily walk the same trail sections multiple times on the same day.

It’s definitely not eBike specific, but it’s just a mindset I really can’t comprehend, other than they only do it so that they can claim that they ‘rode’ a certain trail.

Apparently back in the early twentieth century they had an aid to help people adopt the motorcar.

Some saw it as a way ahead, others just didnt get it, so for those others they developed something that meant they could use this new mode but retain their mental stability.

They aren’t for me. I enjoy having to work for the enjoyment of cycling. 

I do like seeing older people who wouldn’t otherwise get the enjoyment out of cycling using them however. 

People who buy e-bikes are giving up on things other people want to do.

People who buy ebikes are people who have open minds.

People who buy ebikes are people who have open minds. deep pockets

FTFY

(I’m probably just cheap, but I can’t face up to paying current prices for non-ebikes, never mind even more money for ebikes! Price raises over the last four to five years are insane, and my salary has definitely not kept pace, even allowing for some of the current sale prices)

People who buy e-bikes are giving up on things other people want to do.

Well put. I don’t use gears but I can see why a lot of people do, they are a good idea in a lot of cases so it would be silly of me to moan about people with gears. eBikes are also a good idea in many cases for many people.

Giving up would be not riding anything and again not so bad if the person doesn’t want to cycle any more, up to them.

Ebikes aren’t giving up, it’s not even trying in the first place.

People who buy e-bikes are giving up on things other people want to do.

And gaining things other people can’t do.

It’s great passing normal mtb’ers on climbs when they ‘give up’, get off and push.
Pushing doesn’t sound much like cycling either. But I’m sure none of the heroes on here ever get beaten by a climb….

If the only reason you cycle is for cardio-vascular fitness then in some scenarios an eBike is giving up (although it’s also an enabler in other scenarios). If fun/enjoyment are also part of the reason you cycle then as long as the eBike maintains or adds to that that’s the only thing that matters.

On the plus side…..my local woods have some trails ridden in by a couple of early retired blokes who now use emtbs. Without motor assist I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t do so many laps and I’m not sure the trails would be as well ridden in. On the downside, it’s pretty clear their route choice is motor assist orientated and probably flow a bit better with a whack of extra power here and there. It’s also clear some of the boggy bits have been ridden by an emtb- a conventional bike rider just doesn’t have that much power to hand to flay the land that much and would get bogged down and be walking.

Culturally I think there is just a whiff of jetski about them. Not As strong, but it’s there. As in watersports where a typical jetskier cant smell it, it’s probably the same with eMTBs.

The stava dicks comment 🤣

You are getting stressed about losing in a virtual race with people who don’t even know you are in a race with them 🤣🤣 and not being in a position you think you “deserve” 🤣

This thread is actually funny now, well hilarious.

I will ride my analogue, old fashioned acoustic bikes until I’m physically incapable, and then I will buy an e-bike, and hate myself until I die.

Is this the UK version of “take my rifle from my cold dead hands?”

Georgesvictoriandad, if you’re going to hate yourself that much then just keep going on the bio bike, you might die without the self flagellation and constant self loathing about something that once gave you a lot of pleasure.

I wonder what it would be like to ride with a pack of e-moaners… constant chuntering and gnashing of teeth, if they actually turned up. I bet it would be like a gaggle of petulant spoilt kids. I do admit it’s possibly a worse crime to turn up for a road ride with flat pedals and ankle socks though…

It’s like cyclists campaigning against cycling…. JRYFB…..

This thread needs closing before it eats itself and too many people from both sides “out” themselves… but I will admit I’m not seeing much benefit from using the Turbo Levo on the Zwift….and wasn’t that an expensive buy to just avoid having to actually use a real bike …