Ebike or not?

E bikes are fun. Can you get a work out? Yes. Do you need one ?
I own both a Specialized Turbo Levo and a Stumpjumper Comp the Stumpy is by far my most preferred bike.
I ride a lot of DEC Wild Forest trails so the E bike is out but on trails like Brant Lake Bike
Park with a 500 ft climb to get to the flow, game on! Uphill berms are sweet you an keep momentum almost like going down.
BUT if has a button to move ?


b
 
BRLKED said:
Uphill berms are sweet you an keep momentum almost like going down.
Click to expand...
Funny, I am seeing the trailbuilders putting berms and rollers on some of the climbing trails around here
 
I rode one for the first time about 1 month ago. It was not an MTB so my one complaint may not matter here, but myself and the owner both wished that the lowest level of pedal-assist was about 50% less assist. The owner and his wife whose bike I borrowed have both been to the hospital multiple times from e-bike accidents. When you start to go, you better make sure you are ready. That seems like the easiest time to crash.

It would seem that your likelihood of crashing goes up when you get an e-bike because you have all of the same usual challanges + the throttle to cope with. They are heavier as well so maybe tough to catch yourself if you need to do a wild recovery.

Overall I was pretty impressed with the way it all worked and would recommend buying one in general. I think the ownership experience makes it a cool thing aside from the obvious benefits of making your ride easier. You may not buy a second one after this one croaks but you'll be glad you got the first one and tried it.

Don't mix and match batteries, that helps avoid fires. Use whatever the manufacturer provides.
 
Woodski12 said:
I rode one for the first time about 1 month ago. It was not an MTB so my one complaint may not matter here, but myself and the owner both wished that the lowest level of pedal-assist was about 50% less assist. The owner and his wife whose bike I borrowed have both been to the hospital multiple times from e-bike accidents. When you start to go, you better make sure you are ready. That seems like the easiest time to crash.

It would seem that your likelihood of crashing goes up when you get an e-bike because you have all of the same usual challanges + the throttle to cope with. They are heavier as well so maybe tough to catch yourself if you need to do a wild recovery.

Overall I was pretty impressed with the way it all worked and would recommend buying one in general. I think the ownership experience makes it a cool thing aside from the obvious benefits of making your ride easier. You may not buy a second one after this one croaks but you'll be glad you got the first one and tried it.

Don't mix and match batteries, that helps avoid fires. Use whatever the manufacturer provides.
Click to expand...
Throttled Ebikes fall into a bit of a different category and work a bit differently in term of assist when compared pedal assist. Most major motor manufacturers whether Shimano/Bosch/Bafang and others offer some level of "tune-ability" within their systems. The Shimano EP801 system that I am on has nearly infinite combinations of Max Torque, Assist Start, and Assist character within each given assist mode. So you could theoretically have an Eco-Mode where power delivery comes on very subtly while still getting the max torque out of the system.
 
I would stay away from cheap internet bikes. Lots of good deals out there but bike shops don’t want to work on them since most are crappy and could potentially be hazardous. I started out with a Juiced CrossCurrent S and it got me around fine but really made me realize that I needed a better bike. Ended up with a class 3 Bulls Grinder Evo with a Bosch Performance Speed Line motor. It takes something like 1,000 measurements a second from the speed, torque and cadence sensors. The result is a quiet, smooth and seamless experience. Some other value bikes are herky jerky and loud. Bosch also makes all of their batteries which are UL tested which is somewhat comforting.

Some places are speed restricted and only allow class 1 and 2. For most people 20 mph is plenty on trails and heavily travelled bike lanes. I’m not familiar with mountain e-bikes but if you are going to play in traffic then speed is your friend.

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Tell me about the down side of an ebike. They weigh more and that matters... how if at all?

I'm not talking about cost, or maintenance or exercise stuff. Just as a mountain bike.

What are you giving up?
 
Harvey said:
Tell me about the down side of an ebike. They weigh more and that matters... how if at all?

I'm not talking about cost, or maintenance or exercise stuff. Just as a mountain bike.

What are you giving up?
Click to expand...
Lactic acid concentrations, but that may be “exercise stuff”.
 
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