E-bikes are a thing

Ebikes??

  • I have never ridden one

    Votes: 98 38.7%

  • I have ridden one for over an hour on a trail and I’ll never buy one

    Votes: 10 4.0%

  • I have ridden one in a trail for over an hr and I am considering one

    Votes: 20 7.9%

  • I’ll never give up my analog bike but I’ll still get an ebike

    Votes: 37 14.6%

  • Did he just say analog bike?

    Votes: 38 15.0%

  • My knees are failing and an ebike in inevitable

    Votes: 18 7.1%

  • My next bike will certainly be an ebike.

    Votes: 21 8.3%

  • I’ll never own an ebike, even when I’m 90

    Votes: 25 9.9%

  • Ebikes cause more trail damage than analog bikes

    Votes: 9 3.6%

  • Ebikes have no more trail impact than a traditional bike.

    Votes: 68 26.9%

  • I hate anyone on an ebike

    Votes: 7 2.8%

  • Anyone on a bike is a friend of mine, ebike or not

    Votes: 97 38.3%

  • I’ve been seeing ebikes in the woods regularly

    Votes: 58 22.9%

  • I’ve never seen an ebike on the trail

    Votes: 15 5.9%

  • It's called an Acoustic bike

    Votes: 16 6.3%

  • “I may consider one after my body is all used up and broken"

    Votes: 67 26.5%

  • I already own an off-road Ebike

    Votes: 41 16.2%

  • I have no interest in an e-bike

    Votes: 14 5.5%

  • Arguing against ebikes is kerfuffle

    Votes: 18 7.1%

  • I like Matty no matter what he rides

    Votes: 24 9.5%
  • Total voters
    253
mattybfat said:
I've had this happen a few times and handle it just like I would any other time I was on a pedal bike. Just let the rider know there is no pressure and just keep it rolling. I get the idea that most think emtbers are dicks, speaking for myself I am not and would imagine the same for most.

I give credit to @Captain Brainstorm and @Monkey Soup for participating from the beginning of this thread with an opposing view.
Keeping it cordial and debating. The theme is you need to be broken to apply is one of the main factors for me as much as I hate to admit it. 30+ years in this sport and 2 bad knees from working construction has brought me here. Thank God for a little assistance because last time I rode my pedal bike my left knee blew up like a pumpkin.
I'm too old yet too young to retire with 2 kids in school to have my knees opened up and miss time from working. As hard as I pushed my ebike I haven't had an issue with either of my knees. Pretty sure between construction and SSing only for past 12 years pushed them to a limit of no return. Again as I said before I'm riding stuff I never would have before and having more fun doing it, and that's really what it's all about.
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Thanks for your input. It's definitely not folks like you giving ebikes a bad name. The experienced crowd who are shifting onto ebikes (I would guess) are not the folks who do things that cause everyone frustration. And with that said, my question probably makes no sense to this audience. Its unfortunate for ebikers that ebikes took off around the same time we saw a bunch of muggles getting into the sport. In the area where I used to live, we saw a ton of new riders, many on ebikes who would fly up behind you on a climb and want to pass as I am in the rhythm of a climb. If your skill and fitness are at a point where you are faster and need to pass me, then I can respect that. If you want to pass because you are on an ebike, then you have to admit this is a little frustrating. I've only encountered experienced ebike riders since moving to NJ. But my experience elsewhere is what is generating the question.
 
frug said:
Thanks for your input. It's definitely not folks like you giving ebikes a bad name. The experienced crowd who are shifting onto ebikes (I would guess) are not the folks who do things that cause everyone frustration. And with that said, my question probably makes no sense to this audience. Its unfortunate for ebikers that ebikes took off around the same time we saw a bunch of muggles getting into the sport. In the area where I used to live, we saw a ton of new riders, many on ebikes who would fly up behind you on a climb and want to pass as I am in the rhythm of a climb. If your skill and fitness are at a point where you are faster and need to pass me, then I can respect that. If you want to pass because you are on an ebike, then you have to admit this is a little frustrating. I've only encountered experienced ebike riders since moving to NJ. But my experience elsewhere is what is generating the question.
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I guess this is also dependent on when and where you ride. I avoid popular trails here on the weekends (too crowded) - almost all my mountain bike rides are during the weekdays. So I rarely see any bikers - ebike or otherwise.
 
iLuveketchup said:
LOL at not following motorsports. I don't know need your history lesson. Just look at when Senna and Prost were racing turbo manual F1 cars. But this is besides the point.

Motorsports racing is about traveling a given distance in the shortest amount of time. Modern transmissions makes it easier to do that. Again, does racing with a modern transmission have a place?
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You just answered your own question.

mattybfat said:
I've had this happen a few times and handle it just like I would any other time I was on a pedal bike. Just let the rider know there is no pressure and just keep it rolling. I get the idea that most think emtbers are dicks, speaking for myself I am not and would imagine the same for most.

I give credit to @Captain Brainstorm and @Monkey Soup for participating from the beginning of this thread with an opposing view.
Keeping it cordial and debating. The theme is you need to be broken to apply is one of the main factors for me as much as I hate to admit it. 30+ years in this sport and 2 bad knees from working construction has brought me here. Thank God for a little assistance because last time I rode my pedal bike my left knee blew up like a pumpkin.
I'm too old yet too young to retire with 2 kids in school to have my knees opened up and miss time from working. As hard as I pushed my ebike I haven't had an issue with either of my knees. Pretty sure between construction and SSing only for past 12 years pushed them to a limit of no return. Again as I said before I'm riding stuff I never would have before and having more fun doing it, and that's really what it's all about.
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There is totally a place for ebikes, but you're not the one bike companies are focusing on. Marketing towards a niche group within a niche sport is not good for revenue. They want the newer riders.
 
Ebikers ride on sidewalks, MUPs and the wrong way down city streets or whatever their radbike moped can handle. E mountain bikers still need skills to not bust their ass. You won't see problems with ebike crowding on real trails. An ebike doesn't change your comfort zone.

I took my ebike to mahlon and after riding black magic you'll never see my ebike their again. Dismounting on an ebike is especially not fun. I could see lewis morris becoming home of the ebike with fast easy trails and rich people.
 
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Ironjunk said:
I took my ebike to mahlon and after riding black magic you'll never see my ebike their again. Dismounting on an ebike is especially not fun. I could see lewis morris becoming home of the ebike with fast easy trails and rich people.
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I'm curious about this comment. Why is dismounting any different?
 
rick81721 said:
I guess this is also dependent on when and where you ride. I avoid popular trails here on the weekends (too crowded) - almost all my mountain bike rides are during the weekdays. So I rarely see any bikers - ebike or otherwise.
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Sure, but that is true in the pre- and the post-ebike worlds. And really for anything . . . restaurants, the movies, etc. Work limits my riding hours to evenings and weekends. The experiences I described happened between 4-6pm. Folks I'd never seen before suddenly showing up at my local lapping the park on ebikes and ringing a bell to pass me.
 
Captain Brainstorm said:
There is totally a place for ebikes, but you're not the one bike companies are focusing on. Marketing towards a niche group within a niche sport is not good for revenue. They want the newer riders.
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I don’t know, the price of these bikes tells me mattybfat is exactly who they are targeting, 7k+ bike already puts them in a niche market. It’s priced for older people with disposable income and time. I think most people enter mtbing the same way I did, on a cheap bike barely appropriate for trails and work their way up to a decent bike. The new riders are buying some piece of crap from Costco.
 
1TrackMind said:
I don’t know, the price of these bikes tells me mattybfat is exactly who they are targeting, 7k+ bike already puts them in a niche market. It’s priced for older people with disposable income and time. I think most people enter mtbing the same way I did, on a cheap bike barely appropriate for trails and work their way up to a decent bike. The new riders are buying some piece of crap from Costco.
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I have not sold a single E-bike to a "new rider." All have been experienced riders who can not keep up anymore due to health, age or just lack of time to train anymore.
 
...and that's the problem. That 35mph fat bike is probably a ton of fun and far cheaper than the mountain bikes most of us on here own or the proper ebikes. 99% of the public would think you're nuts for buying a class 1 ebike when you can have that for much less.
 
It's also illegal and a huge liability. Hub motors are bad in the woods too they don't have grunt like mid drives do.
 
I have no dislike for ebikes, I'm a live and let live guy these days. I do dislike almost getting murdered by 2 guys on ebikes at 6mr coming up on me like they're on motos on a blind corner. Or I guess I just need to get faster at getting out of the way.
 
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