Browneye
Well-Known Member
Getting a eMTB was kind of an experiment for me, wasn't sure how much I would really like it. The reason I sold the dirtbikes was fear of injury. Offroad it's not a matter of 'if', it's a matter of 'when', and while usually it's a low-side or a dump-over, some horrific over-the bars-land-on-your-head is not uncommon. I can't think of a single fellow rider in our cadre that escaped injury - and a few were made paralyzed and wheelchair bound. Some recovered to continue riding - makes them look like masocists. Very sad indeed when a guy breaks his neck or his back.
So my greatest fear of the mountain bike was crashing on my head again. I was considered an expert rider offroad, there was no triple-black-diamond trail we couldn't get through, sometimes so steep there was no way to stop, sometimes treacherous side-hill trails so narrow you couldn't stand, and one mistake and you would plunge to your death down a cliff. Exciting for sure, but the stuff for younger mortals. Now having put a few hundred miles on my Trance the danger is not nearly as high as a motorcycle, for many reasons. Primarily speed, but the bike is so light you can pick it up and walk it through if necessary. And the assist takes away the biggest drawback of bicycling offroad - it makes the hills easy! Pick a low gear, put full assist on, and it walk right up the steepest hills possible, as long as you can get traction. It really is quite amazing.
The latest and greatest of the new technology have suspension that rivaled our early dirtbikes from the 70's, handling is just outstanding, they're very planted, tires stick like velcro and are nearly the size of those old motorcycles. Hydraulic disc brakes round out the control assets making descents safe and WAY too much fun.
The first few times out on the trail it was a little hard to get used to - you're much more top-heavy on a bike, but you soon learn to throw your weight to get the bike to respond, it becomes easy to keep them on the trail. Even more revealing was just how much FUN! It made me feel like a teenager again, my very early days of trail riding. I cannot explain truly how much fun it has been to get back out on the trail. Even more exciting is the network of trails that are open to bicycles that have been closed for decades to motorbikes. It's like a whole new world.
But all this technology comes at a cost. One soon realizes that to gain the best benefit of the sport it does take a substantial investment. I was pretty happy to get a very competent bike for about four thousand, out the door. I could have spent more, could have spent less, but feel like I got a level of technology that would satisfy my riding style, with room to grow in competency without running out of bike. Surely one can spend many thousands on the latest and greatest. Finding something affordable that will meet your projected needs is a very real challenge for sure.
Good luck and let us know what you find out there. Buying choices may well be severely limited 'till the new 2021 models arrive. The pandemic has caused a huge surge in demand, and all dealers I talked to have sold out their inventory for the year with no option to get more - the factories are sold out too.
So my greatest fear of the mountain bike was crashing on my head again. I was considered an expert rider offroad, there was no triple-black-diamond trail we couldn't get through, sometimes so steep there was no way to stop, sometimes treacherous side-hill trails so narrow you couldn't stand, and one mistake and you would plunge to your death down a cliff. Exciting for sure, but the stuff for younger mortals. Now having put a few hundred miles on my Trance the danger is not nearly as high as a motorcycle, for many reasons. Primarily speed, but the bike is so light you can pick it up and walk it through if necessary. And the assist takes away the biggest drawback of bicycling offroad - it makes the hills easy! Pick a low gear, put full assist on, and it walk right up the steepest hills possible, as long as you can get traction. It really is quite amazing.
The latest and greatest of the new technology have suspension that rivaled our early dirtbikes from the 70's, handling is just outstanding, they're very planted, tires stick like velcro and are nearly the size of those old motorcycles. Hydraulic disc brakes round out the control assets making descents safe and WAY too much fun.
The first few times out on the trail it was a little hard to get used to - you're much more top-heavy on a bike, but you soon learn to throw your weight to get the bike to respond, it becomes easy to keep them on the trail. Even more revealing was just how much FUN! It made me feel like a teenager again, my very early days of trail riding. I cannot explain truly how much fun it has been to get back out on the trail. Even more exciting is the network of trails that are open to bicycles that have been closed for decades to motorbikes. It's like a whole new world.
But all this technology comes at a cost. One soon realizes that to gain the best benefit of the sport it does take a substantial investment. I was pretty happy to get a very competent bike for about four thousand, out the door. I could have spent more, could have spent less, but feel like I got a level of technology that would satisfy my riding style, with room to grow in competency without running out of bike. Surely one can spend many thousands on the latest and greatest. Finding something affordable that will meet your projected needs is a very real challenge for sure.
Good luck and let us know what you find out there. Buying choices may well be severely limited 'till the new 2021 models arrive. The pandemic has caused a huge surge in demand, and all dealers I talked to have sold out their inventory for the year with no option to get more - the factories are sold out too.
