Video: Neko Mulally Builds an eMTB for the Bike Park

Jul 8, 2020 at 13:22
by Daniel Sapp  

Over the last few months, Neko and a dedicated crew of local riders have been working to build a full-on bike park at Camp Kanuga, just a few minutes from his house in Western NC. Without shuttles or chairlifts at Kanuga, an eMTB makes fast work of the climb, and it only made sense to make it capable as possible for descending with a coil shock and a 180mm air-sprung Fox 49.

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bigquotesI saw the concept for the Tazer MX a few months ago and thought it was an awesome idea. I was able to get my hands on an Tazer of my own and wanted to see how the MX would ride. Thanks to our amazing sponsors I was able to get the bike up and running with all of our team parts!—Neko Mulally

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Video and Photos by @loganmulally // @ride_kanuga

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91 Comments
  • 74 15
 That my friends, is an ugly bike. A brighter color used to create a "line" down the downtube, coupled with black to hide the "belly" would go a long way in making it less ugly.
  • 16 11
 Totally agree, not pretty at all... BUT a self shuttle DH-ish Ebike was something I used to dream about while slowly grinding my way back up the mountain on days there was nobody around to shuttle with. (course now I wouldn't be caught dead on an Ebike cause it's just not fashionable...) Smile
  • 1 5
flag TW80 (Jul 8, 2020 at 20:32) (Below Threshold)
 THIS ^ and the "Tazer"... Seriously?
  • 3 5
 ...and don’t get me wrong I’m a total Niko fanboy for what’s he done for east coast DH, but it’s an ugly bike.
  • 6 0
 Hm, dunno, I like them curvy Smile
  • 3 0
 I think it looks good except for that bulbous down tube and BB, but there's no getting around that with most e-bikes. Nice to see the Tazer name back. Really wanted an original Intense Tazer back in the day.
  • 1 1
 The only curve i see is the belly.
  • 2 0
 @carlitouk:
Agreed that gurl is thic!
  • 9 0
 I hate to be critical when I can't suggest anything better, so I quickly threw together this paint scheme to better hide the Tazer's "belly". www.pinkbike.com/photo/19011211
  • 1 0
 @PHeller:
6/10 would bang again
  • 46 14
 I love to pedal and only have acoustic bikes, but riding big e-bikes is super fun. I'm gonna wager that most of the haters have never tried one: demo a Kenovo out on the Sea Otter xc track to save your legs for your own race and tell me its not the most fun you've had in years. Or save some money at Mammoth and buy a trail access pass instead of a lift pass and ride all the same trails but enjoy some tech climbing. And if you say that e-bikers don't deserve the descent, then you haven't looked at the heart rate data from the EWS e-bike thing. It does baffle me that so many e-bikes are under shocked, why the S-Works levo comes with a Factory DPS and not an X2 I will never understand.
  • 47 26
 No offence with the downvote...its just what I do...https://www.dictionary.com/browse/acoustic
  • 10 0
 Pedal bike advocate always but pretty sure you couldn't have a bad time on that rig.
  • 1 0
 To save weight...
  • 18 25
flag L0rdTom (Jul 9, 2020 at 0:12) (Below Threshold)
 @idownvotepplwhosayacousticbike:
No offence on the downvote I just think your crusade is pretty lame on multiple levels.
  • 6 0
 @jorgeposada: we gotta stop calling them "pedal bikes" you still pedal a class 1 (every eMTB from every major manufactuer is class 1), and calling them a pedal bike reinforces people's uneducated fear of it having a throttle.
  • 1 1
 What's wrong with "regular bike"?
  • 7 4
 @L0rdTom: No offence taken. My crusade is to enlighten and so I would be remiss to not take an opportunity to learn myself. Please explain the multiple levels of lameness?
  • 24 3
 Funny that e-bike haters, do not understand that a fun bike is more important that hate?
  • 9 2
 That's the thing. For them, there is joy in hate. Joy in the outrage du jour. I wonder if there will be joy in the severely shorted lifespan and degraded quality of life it will bring?
  • 1 7
flag IntoTheEverflow (Jul 9, 2020 at 11:03) (Below Threshold)
 Twilight zone type experience here. Could have sworn I typed pinkbike.com.
  • 3 0
 Where did all the ebike haters go?
  • 3 0
 @IntoTheEverflow: You just made me think there needs to be a South Park episode about them. Such perfect fodder.
  • 6 0
 I had a friend with a t-shirt that said "Hatred Breeds Unity"... and sadly I think banding together over a mutual dislike for something is just as strong if not stronger than banding together over a like for something. As humans I think our original group forming was over hate (hate of getting eaten by wild animals or hate of having others steal our resources or hate of starving and dying etc.) so I think that negativity bias plays in when there is some fear (Fear over land use, devaluating of our bike/not ebike identity etc.). It would be great if people could peel back the in-group binary thinking and replace it with thought that can open up the dialogue beyond is this thing good or bad- vs. what parts of it are good and bad and how do we maximize the good.
  • 20 1
 The future of ebikes. No uplift or chairlift required.
  • 3 0
 That's now. Heck, two years ago I rode a Gen 1 Kenevo at Skypark Bike Park outside LA. Doesn't have a lift, just a meandering access climb. Sessioned the frack out of that place. Was glorious, but bike was a bit of a runaway schoolbus.
  • 13 1
 An ebike really makes sense at a place like this. I can’t wait for the opening in a few weeks.
  • 8 0
 agreed, the perfect habitat for a thriving ebike
  • 7 0
 Interesting in the beginning of the video he mention that the eMTB would be good for recovery day rides and his Mom to ride, but in the end he made the comment that it was really fun and he would be riding the eMTB more oftenSmile
  • 8 1
 Clearly realised how much fun they are to ride.
  • 8 0
 I love his “finessing” of the suspension!! Basically whack some oil in, bolt er up and let’s see how she goes. Absolute gold.
  • 9 0
 I wish I could say I am like him and ride my ebike on my rest days. Unfortunately, I am probably more like his mom...
  • 9 1
 Just build an E M29 already....
  • 8 0
 Intense need a new Uzzi.
  • 2 0
 New SS
  • 2 0
 @alexisfire: yes. A new ss would be insane. I've literally 2 weeks ago sold my ss2 to my mate cos I got an ebike and hadn't touched it in months. I've told him if he ever comes to sell it on I'll buy it back, have the frame powder blasted and polished and hang it on the wall as art.
  • 5 0
 This makes me laugh. "I dunno, tight" "I dunno, Enough" "I dunno, About that much" "I dunno, Close" HAHAHA Hilarious. This bike rips. Love it.
  • 5 1
 Look, I like ebikes, would even get one if I had the funds... But for shits sake, can the design team stop shitting on them??
  • 7 5
 At the end of the day, battery or not - It's an Intense, which means it's built by a company known for terrible customer service, support and not standing behind their overpriced product. Hard pass.
  • 5 0
 I have only had to deal with them once, but it was a positive experience. They sent me out parts when they arguably didn't have to. They were very helpful and got my going again quickly. I would not hesitate to buy an intense again.
  • 4 0
 @bhuff: Guessing he hasn't dealt with them lately. Pretty much all those that have in the forums I am in have had good experiences.
  • 2 0
 Only ever had positive experiences both from US and UK teams. All bending over backwards to assist me.
  • 1 0
 Intense needs to re-design this bike and make it look like a real bike and not a pregnant cow. Also needs new updated shimano motor and bigger battery. Lets not forget competitive price to compete with Norco and Commencal. So just a few minor things.
  • 7 3
 "Felt just like a motocross bike"

Lol.
  • 1 0
 Yes, I thought he may have just threw gasoline on the comment section. I can't blame him. I went from a Levo to a Levo SL because of the weight.
  • 4 0
 It's Neko Fucking Mulally !!!
  • 1 1
 I've heard this "the weight makes it feel so stuck to the ground" or "there's more traction because of the weight" and I wonder why then aren't downhill riders trying to get a bit more muscle mass and therefore add a little extra weight to gain a little more traction or something like that, I mean it seems to me this is in the same line of thinking: extra weight = better traction. If that's not the case then the "the extra weight makes it have a little more traction" argument is just marketing..
  • 3 0
 The weight is lower being in the bike rather than the body. So traction and still agile.
An example on the WC dh bikes- santa cruz/syndicate race bikes were down around 32lbs just a couple years ago(peaty's xl). They're now around 35lbs. It is more of a balancing act for them because they have no assist and theyre on the clock pushing for tenths of a second though.
If youre not on the clock and you have an assist its better to have more weight for added stability and traction almost everywhere, especially if the weight is placed low and centered. What the magic weight number is i cant say for sure. I'd guess around 40lbs give or take.
  • 3 0
 hhhahahaha thats what I want , e-mini DH. love his wrenching. 100% there. thats about it.
  • 3 0
 Seeing him working on the Fox Jordi is getting a stroke
  • 1 1
 Don't really get, why you'd need an e-bike for trails with lift access. I kinda get it, for if you want to get more time on downhills, when you have to pedal up first, but for bike parks? Really?
  • 1 0
 It says in the article that there is not any lift access at this park he is building. So it's for parks without lift access.
  • 1 0
 @harrisonschreiner: k then it makes sense
  • 4 2
 I was shocked by this bike.
  • 4 1
 hopefully it'll spark some debate about ebikes though
  • 3 1
 Watt are you guys talking about
  • 2 1
 Current-ly energized.
  • 2 1
 I find it re-volting.
  • 2 1
 Love that 3 pedal PSD dually - thinking it's a 7.3 which would explain all the "browsin'"
  • 2 1
 even bikes are getting their own #DadBod ahahha made my day> Ugglier than SCruz e bike
  • 1 0
 With the comment from behind the camera it totally resembles a porn vid.
Sorry Neko :-P
  • 1 3
 I’d love to see a non e-bike version of this frame. All the tubes look really sexy except for the pregnant down tube, and the colour way is cool. Bring back the non electric Tazer!
  • 2 0
 Now that, makes sense!
  • 2 0
 Neko cracks me up....
  • 4 3
 its has a beer gut Smile
  • 4 4
 Looks like a pregnant...oh never mind.
  • 3 3
 Yuck on how this bike looks
  • 4 4
 What do you get when you cross a whale with a boat with a bike?
Fugly
  • 2 3
 So... why would you need a e-bike at the bike park? Don't those places have chair lifts?
  • 4 0
 Some don't, like Skypark outside LA. And maybe more can open without the capital investment of a lift.
  • 3 6
 Sweet motor bike!
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