E-mtb vs normal mtb
Discussion
Depends on how and why your ride IMO. I'm fortunate in that I'm able to have both but if I were only able to have one bike it wouldn't be an E.
The E is fun in that it takes the pain out of the big climbs and allows you to do more miles but I find it's less fun when you're pointing it downhill and want to throw it about a bit. The weight of the thing means you can't pick it up, throw it about and pop over stuff as much as you can a normal bike and instead you just motor through everything.
In car terms the E is more a muscle car whilst a normal bike is more an Elise or a Caterham if that makes sense. Think Mustangs vs Mini's at Goodwood, that kinda thing....
That's just my opinion based on why I ride and what I enjoy about riding which is different for everybody. If you just want something to get you out and get the miles in then E-bike all the way.
The E is fun in that it takes the pain out of the big climbs and allows you to do more miles but I find it's less fun when you're pointing it downhill and want to throw it about a bit. The weight of the thing means you can't pick it up, throw it about and pop over stuff as much as you can a normal bike and instead you just motor through everything.
In car terms the E is more a muscle car whilst a normal bike is more an Elise or a Caterham if that makes sense. Think Mustangs vs Mini's at Goodwood, that kinda thing....
That's just my opinion based on why I ride and what I enjoy about riding which is different for everybody. If you just want something to get you out and get the miles in then E-bike all the way.
Moved to an E-MTB a few weeks ago.
I find it quite difficult to articulate precisely how different and yet how the same it is.
Definitely glad I made the move though. It is nice to be able to choose how hard I want to work, uphill parts are hilariously easy if you want them to be.
I am tending to ride about in the lowest setting for most of the time and only use more power when things get harder so it kind of irons out the extremes of the ride.
It makes it something to enjoy rather than endure and I am finding I go out more than I used to.
Actually making me think that it would be rather pleasant to take some holiday time and do a summer cycle through France, stopping at hotels to recharge.
...still no idea what 'Shuttle Mode' really is...
I find it quite difficult to articulate precisely how different and yet how the same it is.
Definitely glad I made the move though. It is nice to be able to choose how hard I want to work, uphill parts are hilariously easy if you want them to be.
I am tending to ride about in the lowest setting for most of the time and only use more power when things get harder so it kind of irons out the extremes of the ride.
It makes it something to enjoy rather than endure and I am finding I go out more than I used to.
Actually making me think that it would be rather pleasant to take some holiday time and do a summer cycle through France, stopping at hotels to recharge.
...still no idea what 'Shuttle Mode' really is...
I like mine. I think they work brilliantly for:
- group rides when you’re less fit than others. I just leave in eco and use more if I need it. Lets me ride with a good mix of people including some properly fast/fit ones.
- the smaller bikeparks (no uplift) like Rogate or Chicksands you can just do lap after lap. Great if you’re short on time, you can get a normal days riding into a couple of hours. Even places like FoD you can boost up the path way quicker than the uplift bus.
- the time-crunched local / lunchtime ride. Full power, blast up and down, cover more ground.
I have a slack 170mm travel, big tyres/brakes, etc ebike and LOVE being able to do the natural rides with big descents on it but without the compromises I’d normally have for a bike I’d need to pedal there.
Use it for uplift days and no probs with the extra weight apart from slightly sorer arms and shoulders.
If mountain biking is all about the climbs and exercise, or you ride alone and have all the time in the world I can see you might not be into e-bikes though.
- group rides when you’re less fit than others. I just leave in eco and use more if I need it. Lets me ride with a good mix of people including some properly fast/fit ones.
- the smaller bikeparks (no uplift) like Rogate or Chicksands you can just do lap after lap. Great if you’re short on time, you can get a normal days riding into a couple of hours. Even places like FoD you can boost up the path way quicker than the uplift bus.
- the time-crunched local / lunchtime ride. Full power, blast up and down, cover more ground.
I have a slack 170mm travel, big tyres/brakes, etc ebike and LOVE being able to do the natural rides with big descents on it but without the compromises I’d normally have for a bike I’d need to pedal there.
Use it for uplift days and no probs with the extra weight apart from slightly sorer arms and shoulders.
If mountain biking is all about the climbs and exercise, or you ride alone and have all the time in the world I can see you might not be into e-bikes though.
Gnits said:
Moved to an E-MTB a few weeks ago.
I find it quite difficult to articulate precisely how different and yet how the same it is.
Definitely glad I made the move though. It is nice to be able to choose how hard I want to work, uphill parts are hilariously easy if you want them to be.
I am tending to ride about in the lowest setting for most of the time and only use more power when things get harder so it kind of irons out the extremes of the ride.
It makes it something to enjoy rather than endure and I am finding I go out more than I used to.
Actually making me think that it would be rather pleasant to take some holiday time and do a summer cycle through France, stopping at hotels to recharge.
...still no idea what 'Shuttle Mode' really is...
Shuttle is how much it matches your input power. So 100 percent shuttle, you're spinning the cranks and the bike is giving you whatever power you have set and you're putting in very little effort.I find it quite difficult to articulate precisely how different and yet how the same it is.
Definitely glad I made the move though. It is nice to be able to choose how hard I want to work, uphill parts are hilariously easy if you want them to be.
I am tending to ride about in the lowest setting for most of the time and only use more power when things get harder so it kind of irons out the extremes of the ride.
It makes it something to enjoy rather than endure and I am finding I go out more than I used to.
Actually making me think that it would be rather pleasant to take some holiday time and do a summer cycle through France, stopping at hotels to recharge.
...still no idea what 'Shuttle Mode' really is...
50 percent would mean that to get 100 watts of power out the bike, youd have to put 100 watts. (it's not as linear as that but it's easier to explain that way.
Put simply, the lower the shuttle number, the greater the effort you have to out in fir the bike to help.
I'd echo the above and also ask what sort of riding you do and what your budget is? An entry level eMTB would buy a rather epic spec analogue bike. But for you need an epic spec bike? Are you an epic spec rider?
I'm not. I'm 42 with kids, a job, endless "to do" lists and having ridden sort of XC for years, been fairly fit (but hated climbing) and ok skill wise... it tailed off rapidly when the kids arrived and so when I tried to get out for a quick hour loop or even get a bit longer, I was knackered, frustrated and my skills had flat lined.
I bought an eMTB last summer having antagonised over it for months. Absolute game changer. I don't care how heavy it is or that it's not as flickable or that red faced borderline cardiac arrest types shout "cheat" as I go past them on climbs. I was that bloke and I hated it, I'd avoid riding to avoid climbs. It was a downward spiral.
I'm really not interested in MTB in its purest form or analysing my watts per kg or Strava times, I just want to go out for an hour or two or six and have fun without needing a paramedic to resuscitate me. The other huge benefit is not only am I enjoying riding again and also getting better, but I've a 6yr old who I now tow up to the top of trail centres several times a session and send him down again and his ability has come on massively as a result.
I'd also echo the that it can be as hard or easy (ish) as you want. I can stick it in Turbo for a fast lap round the local forest or can dial it back and work harder and you damn well know you've put effort in... hustling a 28kg bike about single track is not easy nor cheating. I rode my analogue full suspension bike whilst away on holiday last week, first time since buying the eMTB and despite viewing I'd use both... I haven't, the eMTB is just far more rewarding and enjoyable.
You need to ride one, do a demo day / borrow a mates and try it out and you'll either hate it, love it or be sat on the fence. If it's the latter, then ask whether you'd rather an eMTB or a huff spec analogue. Or an decent spec analogue and a fair old chunk of money left to do other things in life.
It'll be an easy decision once you've had a go.
I'm not. I'm 42 with kids, a job, endless "to do" lists and having ridden sort of XC for years, been fairly fit (but hated climbing) and ok skill wise... it tailed off rapidly when the kids arrived and so when I tried to get out for a quick hour loop or even get a bit longer, I was knackered, frustrated and my skills had flat lined.
I bought an eMTB last summer having antagonised over it for months. Absolute game changer. I don't care how heavy it is or that it's not as flickable or that red faced borderline cardiac arrest types shout "cheat" as I go past them on climbs. I was that bloke and I hated it, I'd avoid riding to avoid climbs. It was a downward spiral.
I'm really not interested in MTB in its purest form or analysing my watts per kg or Strava times, I just want to go out for an hour or two or six and have fun without needing a paramedic to resuscitate me. The other huge benefit is not only am I enjoying riding again and also getting better, but I've a 6yr old who I now tow up to the top of trail centres several times a session and send him down again and his ability has come on massively as a result.
I'd also echo the that it can be as hard or easy (ish) as you want. I can stick it in Turbo for a fast lap round the local forest or can dial it back and work harder and you damn well know you've put effort in... hustling a 28kg bike about single track is not easy nor cheating. I rode my analogue full suspension bike whilst away on holiday last week, first time since buying the eMTB and despite viewing I'd use both... I haven't, the eMTB is just far more rewarding and enjoyable.
You need to ride one, do a demo day / borrow a mates and try it out and you'll either hate it, love it or be sat on the fence. If it's the latter, then ask whether you'd rather an eMTB or a huff spec analogue. Or an decent spec analogue and a fair old chunk of money left to do other things in life.
It'll be an easy decision once you've had a go.
My downhill days are over and these days the bike is more of a cardio fitness aid.
With an ebike you can control your heart rate independent of the terrain. Keep your HR steady through undulating hills. Or do intervals on the flat. It's all possible.
This means I can pick and choose trails on any basis I choose. Wheres with a manual, your training goals dictate the route.
With an ebike you can control your heart rate independent of the terrain. Keep your HR steady through undulating hills. Or do intervals on the flat. It's all possible.
This means I can pick and choose trails on any basis I choose. Wheres with a manual, your training goals dictate the route.
Edited by lizardbrain on Sunday 12th May 23:58
smifffymoto said:
In my younger days it was typically natural trails and hills,cross country I suppose it would be called today.
Now I’m on my own I don’t have to consider anybody else so can go on all day epics and just ride.
If it's all day epic rides you're after then maybe consider range on the sort of routes. Mine is all out at 25 miles at trail centres, so 50/50 climbs and decents. A friend just squeezed 50 miles out his similar full power eMTB on a fairly flat road / gravel route whilst running mostly in eco mode. Now I’m on my own I don’t have to consider anybody else so can go on all day epics and just ride.
I don't really buy that it is cheating. If you put 100% in you'll get 100% out. difference is you go further faster.
I do winch and plummet style riding. no trail centres though. I imagine if you just do the same loop you usually do then go home then perhaps it's cheating. Or perhaps you can do two lap or not take so long so you can do other stuff with your day.
If you have time pressures then it allows you to get a decent ride in so you're more likely to go rather than not bother. I can go and get the same amount of riding i would as a day out in 2 hours and be home for lunch.
I do winch and plummet style riding. no trail centres though. I imagine if you just do the same loop you usually do then go home then perhaps it's cheating. Or perhaps you can do two lap or not take so long so you can do other stuff with your day.
If you have time pressures then it allows you to get a decent ride in so you're more likely to go rather than not bother. I can go and get the same amount of riding i would as a day out in 2 hours and be home for lunch.
I have one and it's great but I also have a selection of other none e bikes and I do prefer them. If I was going to choose one bike from what I have it definitely wouldn't be the e bike but for context I really do enjoy hills and fitness. I guess you need to work out what you prioritise in your rides. If you're limited on time and fitness or don't have the desire for hills then it might be the ideal choice to get you out and riding.
My big issue with my e bike is that it's far far easier, no matter what people tell you, and I've had to accept that I really do love the graft and the feeling of being unassisted when conquering a climb. You may be able to ride equally hard on an e but there's no getting away from the fact that even if you put in the same power as you would on a none e bike then the assistance will add to that and get you up the hill faster. If you get up the hill faster you're grafting for less time and then on the downhill you'll be the same speed anyway on an assisted or non assisted bike. Overall you'll go further but your actual percentage of work will be reduced on the e even though you'll be riding much further on it. That's absolutely a great thing if all you want to do is ride the good stuff but it's also something to consider when thinking of the sort of riding you do.
My big issue with my e bike is that it's far far easier, no matter what people tell you, and I've had to accept that I really do love the graft and the feeling of being unassisted when conquering a climb. You may be able to ride equally hard on an e but there's no getting away from the fact that even if you put in the same power as you would on a none e bike then the assistance will add to that and get you up the hill faster. If you get up the hill faster you're grafting for less time and then on the downhill you'll be the same speed anyway on an assisted or non assisted bike. Overall you'll go further but your actual percentage of work will be reduced on the e even though you'll be riding much further on it. That's absolutely a great thing if all you want to do is ride the good stuff but it's also something to consider when thinking of the sort of riding you do.
The debate has been done to death. Top & bottom of it is no two riders are the same, cycling is not one homogenous thing, ebike users ride much more than non ebike riders, offsetting a great deal of the loss through motor assistance & in the end, they may or may not be for everyone. Best idea is to try a couple, see if it suits.
thisnameistaken said:
I have one and it's great but I also have a selection of other none e bikes and I do prefer them. If I was going to choose one bike from what I have it definitely wouldn't be the e bike but for context I really do enjoy hills and fitness. I guess you need to work out what you prioritise in your rides. If you're limited on time and fitness or don't have the desire for hills then it might be the ideal choice to get you out and riding.
My big issue with my e bike is that it's far far easier, no matter what people tell you, and I've had to accept that I really do love the graft and the feeling of being unassisted when conquering a climb. You may be able to ride equally hard on an e but there's no getting away from the fact that even if you put in the same power as you would on a none e bike then the assistance will add to that and get you up the hill faster. If you get up the hill faster you're grafting for less time and then on the downhill you'll be the same speed anyway on an assisted or non assisted bike. Overall you'll go further but your actual percentage of work will be reduced on the e even though you'll be riding much further on it. That's absolutely a great thing if all you want to do is ride the good stuff but it's also something to consider when thinking of the sort of riding you do.
This is almost correct in my humble opinion, but not quite ;-)My big issue with my e bike is that it's far far easier, no matter what people tell you, and I've had to accept that I really do love the graft and the feeling of being unassisted when conquering a climb. You may be able to ride equally hard on an e but there's no getting away from the fact that even if you put in the same power as you would on a none e bike then the assistance will add to that and get you up the hill faster. If you get up the hill faster you're grafting for less time and then on the downhill you'll be the same speed anyway on an assisted or non assisted bike. Overall you'll go further but your actual percentage of work will be reduced on the e even though you'll be riding much further on it. That's absolutely a great thing if all you want to do is ride the good stuff but it's also something to consider when thinking of the sort of riding you do.
I agree that pedal assist will get you that hill quicker, and will get you up that hill, however depending on your level of fitness, there may be no benefit to "non pedal assist" if you decide that you're too tired or it "looks to difficult" to climb and get off and push instead!
On my conventional MTB I would normally manage a couple of laps of Hamsterley forest and would probably push up 25% of the trials to save my legs for the downhill stuff.
On my Ebike, I'm pedalling up ALL of the techy trails, regardless of how steep they are or how hard they look. I also manage double the number of laps so I'm having twice as much fun on the Ebike if you look at it from this perspective. From my group of bikey friends, probably 90% of us have now moved to Ebikes because of this. There's still that 1 lad who calls this cheating. He's normally not invited out now because its a pain waiting for him to catch up..... read into that what you will
Yeah they're definitely something you need to try before you buy.
I love mine but for different reasons to why I love my other non-E bikes. Being able to own both is definitely the way for someone like me who is semi-purist when it comes to bikes.
I kinda of view them the same way I view electric cars in that the tech is in its infancy and so they're a bit compromised. Could be brilliant but because the batteries need to be so big and heavy they're not quite there yet.
I love mine but for different reasons to why I love my other non-E bikes. Being able to own both is definitely the way for someone like me who is semi-purist when it comes to bikes.
I kinda of view them the same way I view electric cars in that the tech is in its infancy and so they're a bit compromised. Could be brilliant but because the batteries need to be so big and heavy they're not quite there yet.
The bicycle is one of the most beautiful, elegant machines mankind has yet created, nothing about it is improved by strapping 15+kgs of battery and motor gubbins to them.
They are amusing for a while monster trucking up and over things but I have yet to ride one that isn't a total pudding over 25kmh.
They are amusing for a while monster trucking up and over things but I have yet to ride one that isn't a total pudding over 25kmh.
Edited by pobs on Monday 13th May 21:24
lizardbrain said:
25 jeez, i think i average about 15. Tonight closer to 10. Decided to go completely off trail on a climb and had loads of fun rolling over roots, going up hill!
Had the usual light hearted jokes from real cyclists i passed but it's all good natured as far as i can tell
Sounds like you'd have had more fun on a real motorcycle than a pretend mountain bike. Had the usual light hearted jokes from real cyclists i passed but it's all good natured as far as i can tell
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