eMTB Options For 2024

[PDoz]

https://washingtonleague.org/ Washington State has a league for youth. Mountain biking is very popular in our state. There is a team at our local schools. With the schools mostly closed, I still see the kids in groups riding the trails. Most are on full suspension bikes of name brands. I donated my last mtb to the school program.

That's great to see , and for a population of 7.5 m it looks like they had about 600 attend the state champs!

My bet is the US kids nationals attracts more than the 2500 riders Show Low claim to be the largest us mtb event?

Both our junior and senior schools have a VERY basic mtb program - old donated bikes, the kids who struggle in class have a program where they fix up old bikes so even the worst land fill candidate can be used as parts. No dual suspension bikes , in fact most of the bikes don't even have disc brakes. But when you have 25 kids out riding the trails they're all smiling.( and usually learning bush mechanic skills...)

My daughters group were the first to put together a team for the nationals - 5 boys and her. One was riding a 10 year old x country bike. It's a small country town (4500 population) , but they lined up against schools with dedicated coaches and team bikes! I particularly love this photo - all the other kids are wearing dedicated mtb gear, Lenny is in a flannel shirt, a borrowed helmet and borrowed knee guards - great kid. https://outerimage.com.au/events/th...63a822#photo=d82244a2e1ae20f332d82e1b22875563

I worry about what emtb will do to school programs in 3/4 years. All 3 of my kids worked their way up through my old mtb's , but I can't see my full e providing that role - it'll likely retire with a terminal electromechanical failure but the parts aren't likely to transplant well into a regular bike.

 

[bob armani]

Why not go with something like a garmin edge 25. No calibration required and works for anything (hiking, cycling, running or just a walk around the block).

You now have a log of all your activities you can view at anytime and with alot of detail

Add a heart rate monitor and you can track calories burned as well.

I loved my cateyes way back, moving to the garmin edge 25 was a significant jump (I have 5 bikes at the moment and 1 edge 25)

Yes, I concur. Bought the Edge 800 at the beginning of riding season and will never look back. Very user friendly and it always delivers on the fly. Cateyes served their purpose, however, it was time to move on to bigger tech in this space.

 

[FlatSix911]

So, you failed to pursue culturally diverse educational opportunities due to sexual preferences towards your deity . As a result, you can only sleep with people with dark skin?

In oztrayliar we just shrug and grunt to say that.

Black tires matter! BTM

 

[Akrotiri]

Nobody knows. Its equivalent to trying to time the stockmarket...

Buy on rumour, sell on fact.

 

[FlatSix911]

Here is a fascinating video on just how far we have come in 10 years of EMTBs.

How far have E-bikes evolved in the last 10 years? Steve has borrowed a bike with the first-ever Bosch E-mountain bike motor (circa 2009) bolted to it to use as a yardstick to see just how the cutting edge Bosch technology goes. We'll see how this pony from the past can compare to the modern-day rocket ship of the Haibike xDuro AllMtn 3.5

 

[PDoz]

For perspective, this is how far regular bikes have advanced - the white bike is my old 2009 trance x2 , the carbon beast is a mates 2021 trance x2

Subtle changes....like 32 mm diam / 120 mm travel becomes 36 mm / 150 mm travel, the frame and wheels are now carbon, and the magic of a dropper post. 26 inch has become 29 , bars gave stretched from 740 mm wide to 800 mm

But that 2009 bike is still VERY capable

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Mention the 1x12 drivetrain in the new bike, too.

 

[PDoz]

Mention the 1x12 drivetrain in the new bike, too.

I'm not convinced 1x12 is an advance over 3x 10

That 2009 bike is on it's second chain and cassette, original 3x chainwheel.

Our 2017 norco optic with 1x11 is about to get it's third chain , second chainwheel and I suspect third cassette!!!

Our 2019 scott genius with 1x12 is already getting the second complete drive train!

These are non ebikes, I've lost count of how many chains and cassettes my full e gas been through (1x11) . Pre covid, I just ordered new parts and didn't pay a great deal of attention to consumables. But with current supply issues I'm scared our bikes will be difficult to maintain by mid next year.

 

[PDoz]

Ps Gary gospel from emtb forum , ? Most durable drive train.

Zee FR mech and (11-36)10 speed deore cassette with low end sram 10 speed chain.
Easily the most durable and cost effective clutched mech setup available.
You still have the choice of zee, Saint, deore or slx for your 10 speed shifter. All work well but are slightly different in feel and actuation

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I'm not convinced 1x12 is an advance over 3x 10

That 2009 bike is on it's second chain and cassette, original 3x chainwheel.

Our 2017 norco optic with 1x11 is about to get it's third chain , second chainwheel and I suspect third cassette!!!

Our 2019 scott genius with 1x12 is already getting the second complete drive train!

These are non ebikes, I've lost count of how many chains and cassettes my full e gas been through (1x11) . Pre covid, I just ordered new parts and didn't pay a great deal of attention to consumables. But with current supply issues I'm scared our bikes will be difficult to maintain by mid next year.

PDoz: that might be true for non-e MTBs. With e-bike, the Q-factor becomes dangerously wide even with the 1x drive-train. The cranks of my e-bikes have the paint worn with my shoes as I cannot spread my feet as far apart as the motor width dictates...

 

[Browneye]

Northern AZ trails are the best mountain biking I've experienced thus far - just fantastic. Weather has been perfect, but now cooling, we came down off the high-plateau yesterday, now at McDowell Mountain preserve, a county park, with some 200 miles of mtb trails, just north of Scottsdale - a high-end area adjacent to Phoenix. There are 75 camping sites, full up, every site has mountain bikes!

Did a 9 mile loop on my Occam last night, way fun, but I was sweating. Will do an extended ride today on the Trance-E. Ebikes are cool around AZ.

Some pics from Paysonn - rode the Highline Trail out of Pine, an hour and a half up the mountain, about 6 miles in, a half hour to ride back down. It got so rough and steep, too many steps, I turned around. I gather I was riding it backwards. No other bikes up there, trailhead parking lot full but only saw two pairs of hikers the whole day.

 

[Browneye]

McDowell Mountain state preserve...



We tow the Colorado 4x4 with the bikes in it...this trip will end up at about a thousand miles. We get about 8mpg. LOL

 

[PDoz]

PDoz: that might be true for non-e MTBs. With e-bike, the Q-factor becomes dangerously wide even with the 1x drive-train. The cranks of my e-bikes have the paint worn with my shoes as I cannot spread my feet as far apart as the motor width dictates...

Your giant q factor is the same as most normal bikes and that motor can accomodate a 2x front ( mine came 2x 11 but I changed to 1x)

 

[FlatSix911]

For perspective, this is how far regular bikes have advanced - the white bike is my old 2009 trance x2 , the carbon beast is a mates 2021 trance x2

Subtle changes....like 32 mm diam / 120 mm travel becomes 36 mm / 150 mm travel, the frame and wheels are now carbon, and the magic of a dropper post. 26 inch has become 29 , bars gave stretched from 740 mm wide to 800 mm

But that 2009 bike is still VERY capable
View attachment 72260

Funny thing, I still like the shorter bars from the last decade and cut mine down to 700mm on my newer bikes.

 

[FlatSix911]

Northern AZ trails are the best mountain biking I've experienced thus far - just fantastic. Weather has been perfect, but now cooling, we came down off the high-plateau yesterday, now at McDowell Mountain preserve, a county park, with some 200 miles of mtb trails, just north of Scottsdale - a high-end area adjacent to Phoenix. There are 75 camping sites, full up, every site has mountain bikes!

Did a 9 mile loop on my Occam last night, way fun, but I was sweating. Will do an extended ride today on the Trance-E. Ebikes are cool around AZ.

Some pics from Paysonn - rode the Highline Trail out of Pine, an hour and a half up the mountain, about 6 miles in, a half hour to ride back down. It got so rough and steep, too many steps, I turned around. I gather I was riding it backwards. No other bikes up there, trailhead parking lot full but only saw two pairs of hikers the whole day.

Sounds like you had the perfect conditions for riding!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Funny thing, I still like the shorter bars from the last decade and cut mine down to 700mm on my newer bikes.

I reckon the handlebar width is designed for the intended purpose of given e-bike type. I feel the same comfort when I ride my 680 mm handlebar Vado or 780 mm handlebar Trance.

 

[FlatSix911]

I reckon the handlebar width is designed for the intended purpose of given e-bike type. I feel the same comfort when I ride my 680 mm handlebar Vado or 780 mm handlebar Trance.

Take a look at the research done by SQ Labs on this subject. They found that the narrow inner bar position was more ergonomic and more efficient in watts used.

I may test these Innerbarends on my EMTB.

Innerbarends® study | SQlab Online Shop (sq-lab.com)

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Ergonomics has not very much to do about mountain single-trail biking I guess... When you ascend, you need to lay low on the bars, and the wide bars are for perfect steering control downhill.

 

[FlatSix911]

Ergonomics has not very much to do about mountain single-trail biking I guess... When you ascend, you need to lay low on the bars, and the wide bars are for perfect steering control downhill.

I find that the wide bars lead to increased arm and shoulder pain... the narrow bars seem to help and I can forego a bit of steering leverage.

How To: How Wide Should Your MTB Handlebars Be? (How Wide is too Wide? | Worldwide Cyclery

Different Body Types - Different Handlebar Widths
We are all made in different shapes and sizes. We all prefer different suspension set ups and cockpit set ups.
That is why it is very important to find the right handlebar width perfect for your body type and riding style.

• For shorter riders, it is only natural to use a narrower handlebars. Think about doing a push up. If your hands are much wider than your natural position, you end up working much harder to do one push up. Now if your hands are very close together, again it's unnatural and very unstable. Find a comfortable middle ground for your body type and consider what type of riding you will be doing.
• For taller or lankier riders, using a wider bar might be just the trick. The same theory applies here. If you are very tall with long arms, using a wider bar will get you in a more natural riding position and give you more control on the bike.

 

[reed scott]

I find that the wide bars lead to increased arm and shoulder pain... the narrow bars seem to help and I can forego a bit of steering leverage.

How To: How Wide Should Your MTB Handlebars Be? (How Wide is too Wide? | Worldwide Cyclery

Different Body Types - Different Handlebar Widths
We are all made in different shapes and sizes. We all prefer different suspension set ups and cockpit set ups.
That is why it is very important to find the right handlebar width perfect for your body type and riding style.

• For shorter riders, it is only natural to use a narrower handlebars. Think about doing a push up. If your hands are much wider than your natural position, you end up working much harder to do one push up. Now if your hands are very close together, again it's unnatural and very unstable. Find a comfortable middle ground for your body type and consider what type of riding you will be doing.
• For taller or lankier riders, using a wider bar might be just the trick. The same theory applies here. If you are very tall with long arms, using a wider bar will get you in a more natural riding position and give you more control on the bike.

I do not like real wide bars. I can understand their necessity for technical single track riding but I'm too old for that nonsense.