The Case(y) for e-MTBs
By Casey (get it?) Zilinek, SB Bike apparel buyer
Are e-mountain bikes worth it? Are they cheating? Are they "too much"? At Sports Basement we're pretty happy to embrace new technology (comes with the territory here in the Bay Area), so when one of our staffers recently started debating whether to buy one for himself, a whole lotta people immediately swiveled their chairs around to debate the merits of the e-MTB. I've got an embarrassing number of bikes in my garage at home, so , well, I have stronger opinions than most. One of the other people in the office told me to start writing all this stuff down, so here we are, and I'm sharing my rather strong opinions with the world.
Are e-mountain bikes "too much"?
No way! Having ridden other e mountain bikes, the Transition Repeater instantly feels more like my regular bike than an e-bike. The Shimano motor is very smooth and pedaling feels completely natural. You wouldn't really know this was electric.
Are they cheating?
Okay, real talk. As a lifelong mountain biker I love going downhill. The Repeater helps me get more downhill laps at my local riding spots in half the time as a regular bike. Not only that, the repetition has made me a better mountain biker all around! It doesn't hurt that its just so much fun, too.
Are e-MTBs worth it?
As a father of young children, having the repeater allows me to get out on a ride and do more with the time I have. I can go out for an hour and ride twice as far and still be back in time for Ruby's dance class. And while I'm on the trail, the repeater makes exploring new riding areas much easier. Going down an unknown trail isn't quite so consequential, because climbing back up to the top doesn't take as long. I've been able to explore and familiarize myself with nearly every trial (and nontrial) at my local riding spot and beyond.
So yeah, it's worth it, it's not cheating at all, it's just making you better at something that's awesome. Who could turn that down? Just buy the bike, Adrian. Jeez.
11 comments
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Brian says...
I think e bikes are very fun. But also agree w/ other comments… inexperienced people should get better skills prior to going so fast. They should know rules of the road, how to control their bike and just courtesy. I really dislike when people riding fast don’t slow for children or people walking, etc. Too often the ebiker seems entitled… hopefully, this will change w/ better awareness! It’s great to see more people biking!
On September 05, 2023 -
Karen says...
I have several friends that are now getting further out and about in the mountains with their e-bikes. They are really enjoying them…difficulty is that they are on multi use trails….. I also have heard from several good friends that ride horses on these same trails…. two have landed in the hospital after e-bike vs horse encounters. These bikes are so quick and quiet that they easily spook horses- please be cautious out on multi use trails.
On September 01, 2023 -
Martin says...
If it gets you out on a trail, exploring, riding, breathing that fresh air, it doesn’t matter what you ride. E-bikes allow riders to go farther, higher, and places they might not otherwise try or think about doing. I like Casey’s point of time savings as well. An E-bike could knock out a 30 mile trail in an hour and a half, this will be especially useful during the winter and fall months as the sun will set earlier—-for afterwork rides. If its fun for you, you enjoy it, and it gets you outside, E-bike, acoustic bike, unicycle, tandembike, don’t matter. I got no problems with seeing E-bikes out on the trail, it’s personal preference. I do not own an E-bike myself, and I love riding my mountain bike and gravel bike, but one day, I know it will happen. And that’s ok.
On August 25, 2023 -
Jiro says...
I very much appreciate Matt’s perspective here. While I love technology more than most people, the introduction of 2-6 times as much power to bicycles without the concomitant increase in skill has been a detriment to the sport. As an aging cyclist I know that an electric bike is in my future, but more, better, faster is not the holy grail of cycling. Fast riders on E-bikes can be not even understand how unskilled they are. Speed differentials in bike riding areas always cause conflict. E bikes exacerbate the conflict. Then, there are the illegal E-bikes, which can be very fast.
On May 18, 2022 -
Human_Powered says...
I appreciate Matt’s question. I see eBikes riding illegally all over the place. What is really annoying is when I am climbing single track on my human powered bike and someone rips up behind me on an eBike and asks to pass. Now I ask “are you on a human powered bike or an eBike?”. If the answer is eBike I tell them to wait until there is an easy place to pass where I don’t have to stop and get off my bike. If Human powered, well then I pull over because they deserve the respect.
On April 11, 2022