Video: Pure UK Speed on an eMTB
The tension is electric as the landscape of two wheels continues to be pulled in every direction. To escape the debate, DEITY's Joel Anderson gets loose as he hauls ass on board his DEITY equipped Specialized in the latest production by Caldwell Visuals! Enjoy some pure UK speed!
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MENTIONS: @deityusa
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I did 54km on a turbo levo in the summer. That thing was heavy AF. Very hard work on the upper body. I would consider an ebike again if they dropped the weight to mybe 17 or 18kg. My Nomad is 14kg. The levo was 23. Too heavy to be fun except for the novelty of powering up hills.
Good vid.
Plus we don't have to try and pedal a 25kg bike about if the battery runs out mid ride or the electrics go. Normal bikes also don't have a battery that wears out every few years and costs several hundred pounds to replace (same tech as phone batteries, and everyone knows what their lifespan is like).
Yes, you make a valid point in that there is a point of diminishing returns with regards to components, but a £2-3k emtb is generally fit with poor equipment such as shimano deore or tektro brakes, basic suspension from rockshox or suntour, and sometimes don't even have a dropper. A mtb in the same price bracket will have decent mid range suspension from fox/rockshox, decent brakes such as xt or guides and 11 or 12 speed gearing which gives solid performance at the price point.
My point was that an mtb is lighter simply because it doesn't have a battery or a motor that adds 7-10kg to the bike.
As for the battery, it is a fair point you raise, but it is dependent on how often you ride. If you ride 3-4 times a week, you'll probably ruin the battery in 3 years, and they're not cheap (£700 for a turbo levo battery as an example).
Your comment about taco-ing a wheel or ripping a tire off is a moot point, since if that was the case, much easier to carry a 14kg bike back to the trailhead than a 25kg e-mtb.
On the weight comments, you just get used to it fast and fitter to counter for it. Bigger core and upper body work out. The only trails I’ve found it to be a penalty are on sections that are steep and tight that require you to carve to control speed as brakes are ineffective on any type of bike.
The weight incidently is the same as what most of us used to ride DH on a bit of 10 years ago. Except the weight is lumped between the cranks rather than spread over the entire bike resulting in mostly pluses than negatives for handling at speed on a descent. Also makes it super stable in the air, great beginner DJer!
I’m fitter and a better rider since owning one. Simple reason, riding more often, at least double the km per ride, 5 times the descents per ride as link trails up differently that would be too brutal otherwise and a whole body work out (more like DH but with added cardio).
Yes - good catch, no US commentators ... ... shame we have to still put up with genuine ignorance though, US or not .... sigh
@EnduroriderPL: I write this from a sofa in Gliwice
Mountain biking is dead. This is the future. I hate it, but this is what mountain biking will look like in two years. Pour out a lil liquor. All the people on here talking about how great ebikes are, most of whom are waiting for a used one to cost 1200$ so their broke asses can buy one... you win. When the Sierra Club type eco-Nazis get ebikes and all bikes banned everywhere don’t ask for my support.