UncleWheelie

@Skootur: Isn't that the key to all success in life: "Use a bigger rock!"???

W.W.E.A.D? (What would Ed Abbey do?)

@davemud: "The only way any e assist bike will reach 100 MPH if its attached to a car driving on a highway at that speed. RC is too knowledgeable to make such a stupid comparison acceptable." I have a friend, whose home made e-bkie already does 85 MPH, (as of a year and a half ago), and can cruise at highway speeds for over an hour on a single charge. He could easily make one that exceeds 100 MPH, but after a few high speed crashes, has self limited his machines for the purpose of self preservation.

@supermike306: "It couldn't be more different to a motorbike" What part of electric MOTOR couldn't be more different to a MOTORbike??? Do you not realize that within a few short years, these things will morph into "lightweight electric motorcycles" (whether they retain pedals or not) that will have more power and range than currently available 250 cc motocross machines, and likely even at a significantly lower weight. Connect the dots, and realize that technology will continue to march forward toward its logical (or illigical) conclusion...

@ctd07: You forgot one of the real advances, my Honey Badger Pedals...at a mere 3.2mm thin, *and concave on each side, to make them even thinner!), these are not only the World's thinnest pedals, but also the World's STRONGEST pedals; AND the World's most stable platform pedals, giving almost all of the pedalling benefit of being clipped in, WITHOUT being clipped in!

This is EXACTLY WHY I am now sponsoring Wil White. He's not afraid to go against the crowd; he's not afraid to do his own thing; and he's not afraid to tell it like it is. As a sponsor, I prefer someone who gives honest feedback, and won't just blow smoke up my ass. As for Yannick Granieri stealing his line, it wasn't just that he wanted to ride Wil's line; the problem was that he chiseled three feet off of the lip of the biggest drop on Wil's line, to make it into a roll-in, instead of a huck. And despite his claiming that he didn't know that it was anyone's line, I saw what it looked like, and it was quite obvious that someone was already building there, not to mention the fact that he had been nearby and watching Wil build all morning. He knew EXACTLY what he was doing. If Bender had been a judge this year, he would likely have talked the other judges into knocking several points off of Yannick's line score, and then scored him extra low on amplitude as well, for such chickenshit line vandalism. So, while you may or may not agree with Wil's assessment that he got scored too low on his run; there is absolutely NO question that he has every right to lodge a complaint about Yannick's actions. And then, when Wil was so disenheartened with his line having been destroyed, and he started working on a different line, Yannick then not only decided to follow him over there, but also started changing THAT line to suit himself, just like he had done to Wil's first line. And then, when Wil brought these transgressions to the attention of the organizers, they basically told him that they didn't have enough spine to get involved. So, I find this part of his interview here to be a very legitimate complaint, that nobody should likely disagree with. I've stepped up to the plate and started sponsoring Wil White. Hopefully some other companies with deeper pockets can now start doing the same! Sponsor Wil White!!!

Secondly, Bjorn's point about "As mountain bikers we need to stick together and embrace change in a positive way." makes little sense to me, as some people absolutely despise some changes, and it's not like they can just change the way that they feel about something, especially if they are very passionate about their feelings. That makes as much sense as saying that, "As vegetarians we need to stick together and embrace broccoli in a positive way." What if you really just don't like broccoli? That said, I don't hate e-bikes, Bjorn's or any others. I don't hate gas powered motorcycles either. In fact, I used to race motocross back in the late 1970's and have owned several motorcycles since then, and will most likely own more of them in the future. And I ran into Bjorn again, at Interbike a couple of years ago, and I tried his brand of e-bike for a few minutes, (until the security at the Sands Convention Center threatened to kick me out and confiscate the bike, if I didn't stop riding it inside the place!) and I had a blast! These things are really fun! But I think that they have their place. And I think their place is any place that motorcycles are allowed. My final conclusion on e-bikes? While I enjoy riding both mountain bikes and off-road motorcycles, and would certainly enjoy riding one of Bjorn's e-bikes, I am quite unlikely to purchase an e-bike...at least until it has the power, range and reliability, (or better) than a 250 cc dirt bike currently has...and then I won't be needing it to have pedals.