MTB 'Type' Riders (But Not Really Into Hard Riding) Poll

[TNC]

I did build up one of my old 26" MTB's with a BBSHD to primarily ride it on aggressive off road...an 08 Santa Cruz Nomad. However, the beauty of the motor is that it easily powers this 50 pound beast on pavement and dirt roads. It doesn't matter that I have an 8" dual crown DH fork on front or that the 6.5" travel rear has a piggyback, coil, DH shock. It doesn't matter that the front tire is a 2.8 and the back is a 2.4. The bike will achieve 40.8 mph max on pavement. In fact the very competent suspension and tires allow the bike to go fast on pavement without much in the way of jittery handling or scariness. I know of no road bike or hybrid that allows me to plow through a rock garden and then pull out on pavement and haul ass.

So yes...the MTB platform with a motor conversion or factory built emtb is much more multi-purpose and comfortable than just about anything else that's classified as a bicycle.

 

[Dallant]

I was REALLY interested in the Rail5, having owned a couple of sets of Trek bikes - they make a very nice product. I could not get my local dealers to bring one in to see and test ride, which I thought was rather unfortunate. Trek dealers seem to still be catching on to the whole ebike thing. Plus, a few years ago ebikes weren't nearly as popular, and they're a big inventory investment, and they got stuck with some that had to be discounted to blow out. I don't think that's the case anymore - the popularity of ebikes is soaring today. Plus the motors and battery packs are much better than the early stuff.

I don't think you can miss with the 'big-3' - Spec, Trek, or Giant. There are plenty of other good brands, but these by far have the most market share, and an excellent dealer network (for the most part), good warranties, and the latest technology and designs. They're not the cheapest though, and every time we say this on this forum someone comes along and poo-poos it cuz, well, there are lots of chinese knockoffs for a LOT less. And there are lots of direct-to-consumer brands that cut out the dealer. So yeah, they're cheaper, but unless you're really good with bikes in general, technically savvy, and can fix them yourself, the difference between DIY and having a dealer to backup the warranty, can be joy or sorrow in the overall ebike-ownership experience.

I ALWAYS tell newcomers to start with their local bike dealers first, and go from there.

I consider myself very lucky to have found my Rail 5 online about 4 hours away and have had a blast riding it on a variety of surfaces. It’s THE ebike I can ride anywhere I might dare to go. That’s my main reason for wanting an EMTB!
Totally agree about going to local bike dealers first!

 

[JakEmAll]

Mountain bikes remind me more of my youth and BMX style bikes. I was never much interested in road bikes. I'd sacrifice speed for flexibility any day on a bicycle...even if I'm not as flexible as I once was.

 

[Holland-Tim-Allant+8S]

Trek Powerfly 9 Equipped - Just got this. Amazing amount of fun. 1,100 miles on my Allant this year but this Powerfly is Special.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Trek Powerfly 9 Equipped - Just got this. Amazing amount of fun. 1,100 miles on my Allant this year but this Powerfly is Special.

Congrats and nice ride! It's always a special moment when you take delivery of a new bike.

 

[Holland-Tim-Allant+8S]

Congrats and nice ride! It's always a special moment when you take delivery of a new bike.

Yes and I like it more every ride!

 

[Merle Nelson]

I gave up road bikes in my early thirties. Mostly due to a car door opening into me ( headlong over the door into parallel parked other car after finishing a century ride ) and it took two years before I could stand bending over the bars and looking up. So I got my first MTB. Even then it was a couple more years before I could ride without excessive pain. Still can't ride very long these 35 years later.

I mostly got into MTB type bikes for the more upright riding position but soon decided that this configuration for a bike was really the most versatile set up. I used to ride my Diamondback around town with slick tires. Now it's Ebike time as soon as mine arrives. I bet there are lots of people in the same boat. Why do you ride MTBs if you are not a dedicated trail rider?

Reed I see I posted in this thread before but don't recall focusing on your original post. It is a great basis for a thread and worth being aware of.

EMTBs and riding trails and fire roads puts us out in nature where we love to be. It also has us covering far, far more ground than we do hiking. Also.....no cars are there. (Huge bonus!)

And after having gone up, up, up, the down hills are fun and exhilarating.

We would not bike or ebike the narrow coastal roads (with distracted drivers) near us.

 

[Holland-Tim-Allant+8S]

It seems E-bikes improve every kind of biking from road to paved trails to off road trails. the extra weight is off set by an order of magnitude by the power assist and then the weight adds ballast/stability. Other than picking it up, in actual performance i don't see a down side for the recreational rider. Tim

 

[Stefan Mikes]

and then the weight adds ballast/stability.

Cannot agree to it. My riding experience on a rather heavy full power e-bike compared to a lightweight low power one (both unsuspended) -- riding rough terrain on both e-bikes -- tells me the lightweight e-bike is far less shaky. It is your full suspension Tim that makes you believe heavier e-bike is more stable.

Gravel bikes (non e-bikes) are extremely lighweight and the only form of the suspension is 1.5" tyres there. Still, people zoom off-road easily on gravel bikes. I have been on several gravel cycling group rides, of which great part was just off-road. While I was terribly shaken out on my heavy Vado 5.0, it was a pleasure on my Vado SL 4.0, which is significantly more lightweight, and close to gravel bikes by its specifics.

If an e-bike has no suspension (such as your Allant+ 8S), every bump makes your heavy e-bike jump up and down. A lightweight e-bike does not jump that much.

 

[john peck]

I gave up road bikes in my early thirties. Mostly due to a car door opening into me ( headlong over the door into parallel parked other car after finishing a century ride ) and it took two years before I could stand bending over the bars and looking up. So I got my first MTB. Even then it was a couple more years before I could ride without excessive pain. Still can't ride very long these 35 years later.

I mostly got into MTB type bikes for the more upright riding position but soon decided that this configuration for a bike was really the most versatile set up. I used to ride my Diamondback around town with slick tires. Now it's Ebike time as soon as mine arrives. I bet there are lots of people in the same boat. Why do you ride MTBs if you are not a dedicated trail rider?

I began mtn biking in 1959 on a fenderless dbl-springer, late ´40s Monarck with 3¨ balloon tires. Today
my riding is markedly tamer, but still on mbs with a decade or two on roadies in between. E-mtbs are
general purpose & serve on road as well as trails,( which for me are considerably tamer than in my
youth). My back does not fare well with drop bars anymore. An mb is more utilitarian & can haul more,
& thus has become my daily driver. 26¨ semi-slicks are cheap but still serve well on the beach or
modest trails.

 

[Holland-Tim-Allant+8S]

I began mtn biking in 1959 on a fenderless dbl-springer, late ´40s Monarck with 3¨ balloon tires. Today
my riding is markedly tamer, but still on mbs with a decade or two on roadies in between. E-mtbs are
general purpose & serve on road as well as trails,( which for me are considerably tamer than in my
youth). My back does not fare well with drop bars anymore. An mb is more utilitarian & can haul more,
& thus has become my daily driver. 26¨ semi-slicks are cheap but still serve well on the beach or
modest trails.

I wrote this description of my new Powerfly 9 on another thread but think it's appropriate, here. Note the Powerfly is a 100mm (3.94") rear travel and 120mm (4.72") front travel Cross Country style chassis.

"The SUV analogy is good, but I am thinking a motorcycle analogy to the BMW GS (Gelande/Strasse - off road/on road) is better. Even Harley Davidson introduced a GS type motorcycle this year - the Pan America.

This overgrown dirt bike is popular because of its versatility. The GS is called the Swiss Army knife of motorcycles. Comfortable upright seating position, long travel suspension, highly maneuverable, and relatively light weight. Go anywhere adventure to follow any road that intrigues you even if it’s dirt or gravel.

So far that’s what this Powerfly is allowing me to do. Tim"

 

[Latitude]

They really are the most versatile platform for many types of riding. I still have my 20 year old FS Downhill Bike (Norco VPS Drop) from my years working at a ski hill. It was fully upgraded over the first couple of years, and has hydraulic everything, Hayes 9s, Marzocchi Dirt Jumper 1, etc. It's old tech, stupid heavy, highly worn, and ready for permanent retirement, but my god it's still like a silk glove when I hop on it. It just fits, and makes even the largest curb, root, or log feel like a sidewalk crack. I have exceed 100km/h on the mountain with that bike many times, and I always felt safe and in control with two fingers and a smile (not so much today ;-) ). I had planned to add a BBSHD kit to it, but have to accept there are much better ways to get a much better ride today. I'm just held back by the fact that a true modern equivalent is going to set me back 8-10K, and I really don't need that quality for city living.

But once you are spoiled by a really good FS MTB, just like a great woman you have to give up, it's hard to fall in love again... ;-)

That was a pretty legendary bike I think for downhill on the Canadian west coast. The FS bike I have is a Norco XCS 1 from about the same era, and it’s still in beautiful shape. I used to ride it in a nearby Ontario Provincial Park with a bunch of mates when it was new. I have now changed the stem to allow a more upright seating position, put the Bontrager saddle from my ebike on it, and changed the original Velociraptor tires to Schwalbe Marathon 365 tires for longer season use and smoother road rolling.
I don’t ride that bike that much now, as I have set my Verve +3 up for the kind of trails we have around here… gravel or grassy, not too hilly. Designed as more of a commuter bike, it doesn’t have any suspension other than the Redshift suspension seat post and stem I have added. The seat is now a very comfortable Brooks B17, and I have changed the stock pedals to grippier alloy ones. Tires on it are also the Marathon 365s/Schwalbe Winter Plus spiked tires. The original cassette has been changed to an 11-46 wider-ratio SunRace. It handles the trails very nicely now. I ride the ebike more off-road than on, with a total of over 10,000 km since I got it in July 2020. At age 67, I wouldn’t be riding nearly that much on any non-ebike. It has rekindled my interest in cycling, big-time!

 

[john peck]

I wrote this description of my new Powerfly 9 on another thread but think it's appropriate, here. Note the Powerfly is a 100mm (3.94") rear travel and 120mm (4.72") front travel Cross Country style chassis.

"The SUV analogy is good, but I am thinking a motorcycle analogy to the BMW GS (Gelande/Strasse - off road/on road) is better. Even Harley Davidson introduced a GS type motorcycle this year - the Pan America.

This overgrown dirt bike is popular because of its versatility. The GS is called the Swiss Army knife of motorcycles. Comfortable upright seating position, long travel suspension, highly maneuverable, and relatively light weight. Go anywhere adventure to follow any road that intrigues you even if it’s dirt or gravel.

So far that’s what this Powerfly is allowing me to do. Tim"

I may yet surrender & get a Honda Super Cub, but for now the exercise is keeping me healthy &
I don´t need a license or insurance,( i.e. legislated extortion ).

 

[Holland-Tim-Allant+8S]

That was a pretty legendary bike I think for downhill on the Canadian west coast. The FS bike I have is a Norco XCS 1 from about the same era, and it’s still in beautiful shape. I used to ride it in a nearby Ontario Provincial Park when it was new. I have now changed the stem to allow a more upright seating position, put the Bontrager saddle from my ebike on it, and changed the original Velociraptor tires to Schwalbe Marathon 365 tires for longer season use and smoother road rolling.
I don’t ride that bike that much now, as I have set my Verve +3 up for the kind of trails we have around here… gravel or grassy, not too hilly. Designed as more of a commuter bike, it doesn’t have any suspension other than the Redshift suspension seat post and stem I have added. The seat is now a very comfortable Brooks B17, and I have changed the stock pedals to grippier alloy ones. Tires on it are also the Marathon 365s/Schwalbe Winter Plus spiked tires. The original cassette has been changed to an 11-46 wider-ratio SunRace. It handles the trails very nicely now. I ride the ebike more off-road than on now, with a total of over 10,000 km since I got it in July 2020. At age 67, I wouldn’t be riding nearly that much on any non-ebike. It has rekindled my interest in cycling, big-time!

 

[Latitude]

Trek Powerfly 9 Equipped - Just got this. Amazing amount of fun. 1,100 miles on my Allant this year but this Powerfly is Special.

Great bike, I am sure you are enjoying it!. I’m on the “west coast” of Lake Huron, east of you at Grand Bend, ON.

 

[Holland-Tim-Allant+8S]

Great bike, I am sure you are enjoying it!. I’m on the “west coast” of Lake Huron, east of you at Grand Bend, ON.

253 miles east, to be exact (Google Maps.). I am still learning my way around Michigan since we moved here from Maryland fifteen months ago.

I don’t miss the congestion and over development of the DC area. We are surrounded by wooded trails ideal for e biking.

 

[Catalyzt]

I did build up one of my old 26" MTB's with a BBSHD to primarily ride it on aggressive off road...an 08 Santa Cruz Nomad. However, the beauty of the motor is that it easily powers this 50 pound beast on pavement and dirt roads. It doesn't matter that I have an 8" dual crown DH fork on front or that the 6.5" travel rear has a piggyback, coil, DH shock. It doesn't matter that the front tire is a 2.8 and the back is a 2.4. The bike will achieve 40.8 mph max on pavement. In fact the very competent suspension and tires allow the bike to go fast on pavement without much in the way of jittery handling or scariness. I know of no road bike or hybrid that allows me to plow through a rock garden and then pull out on pavement and haul ass.

So yes...the MTB platform with a motor conversion or factory built emtb is much more multi-purpose and comfortable than just about anything else that's classified as a bicycle.

Just curious, do you mean 40.8 MPH on flat pavement?

I just recently started increasing my downhill speed on my 46-pound eMTB past 40 MPH on pavement, and I am really stunned at how stable it feels. It's kind of addictive-- I love the sound the wheels make as the pitch increases. It was always quick going downhill, but after swapping out to Maxxis Ikons, the acceleration seems... maniacal almost immediately after I crest a hill. It's like letting a dog off a leash, or coming to an open field on horseback (hopefully, on a smooth-gaited horse you know well!) Of course, I've exceeded the max assist speed almost immediately, but it FEELS like I've got the throttle open on a motorcycle.

Descending a hill in Griffith Park a few weeks ago, I hit 43+ MPH and had to feather the brakes to avoid rear-ending a car. Like you say, little imperfections in the road that would be brutal on a road bike feel like nothing, and I feel totally in contact with the pavement, great feedback through the bars.

Whenever my old road bike was going over 30, my heart was always in my throat. I seemed like I wasn't even touching the road at all, and the slightest movement of the bars would send me crashing into a curb, a cab, or whatever luckless fool happened to be driving or riding beside me. With the tires at 120 PSI or whatever, I was certain I would be toast if I hit a bottle cap. Once riding my Raleigh Competition in New York, I got hit by a wicked crosswind coming from the inside of a curve, and felt like the gust lifted me an inch or two in the air, and I moved about a foot or two sideways.

I'm not sure that actually happened. That was probably in '74 to '76, so if I was awake, I was probably high, I could have imagined it. But not the kind of air anyone wants to get!