What have you learned from your e-bike experiences?

[MrClortho]

I am knocking on the door to half a century old and with a used up body from many, many crashes and injuries from motorcycles and mountain bikes, I was struggling in fitness and pain on my mtb. I just could not get to the fitness level I wanted to really enjoy the sport like I did in my 30s, and it was becoming more of a chore than a love. I spent a year doing two training rides and one longer ride a week on my mtb and was barely making progress. I got to where I could ride about 8 miles of moderately difficult single track trails at a time but was seriously cooked to the point of struggling to drive home. My left knee could use a replacement and with some other minor health issues, I am not supposed to let my heart rate get into the 170s anymore. This is a restriction when I have to stop and rest due to the heart rate and fatigue.

My wife finally convinced me to look into a e-mtb and after some test rides, I was hooked. I picked up a Trek Rail 7 emtb and have been hitting the trails for over a month. Here is what I am learning.

• Perception: In the past, I would be lying if I saw an emtb on the trail that didn’t give me pause and a slight head shake, so I get the prejudice. Some purist and many riders are not fan of them and see them as cheating. Others are happy ebikes are growing the sport and folks that would not normally be out on the trails, are enjoying them. I have experienced the glances and head shakes but have also found that after I give respect to those on manual bikes, I have gotten a warm reception.
• Weight: My carbon frame mtb weighs 26lbs and my emtb weighs 53lbs. I thought this would be a problem but was very happy to find the Rail handles quite well on the tight trails and its weight has become a non-issue because the pedal assistance more than makes up for it most of the time. Overall, the trade off has been well worth it for me, and I ride some tight, rooted, forest trails. I have found I actually enjoy the more stable feeling of the emtb over the twitchiness of my carbon bike. I also wreck less on the emtb because the assistance has gotten me out of trouble a few times.
• Power vs Wight and Battery Life: When test riding emtbs, I had planned on going with a lighter, less powerful version so it was more like a traditional mtb but with a little assistance. I quickly embraced the more powerful motor and larger battery as the overall experience was significantly more enjoyable for me. According to the application, I am using in the range of 85-130wh of power on my trail rides. This should translate into about 4-5 hours of hard use on the trails or maybe about 40 miles. On easy bike paths in eco mode, I would expect to get a good 60 miles or more, but I want to test that theory.
• Fitness: My first argument against the emtb was that it would make it too easy, but again, I was struggling with my fitness. I have found I ride at least twice as far and and long on the emtb, my heart rate hovers around 140bpm, I have to pedal to get assistance (no throttle), and feel like I get a great workout. It isn’t as extreme and punishing, but is a good, solid full body workout I can feel and of a longer duration. Other than the extremist, I feel like on a emtb (maybe not a commuter type ebike) that the fitness loss has become a gain for me. Because I am not destroying my body so much, I seem to be making gains and loosing a little weight in the process. I ride in groups sometimes and there are a few that are using throttle type ebikes on the easy paths and not hardly pedaling…that is a different story all together.
• Fun: No question here…my emtb is much more fun. I rode my standard mtb yesterday and it confirmed how much more I enjoy the emtb.

 

[Tom@WashDC]

No question here…my emtb is much more fun...

I concur. My emtb, on trails, roads, and bike paths, is
"more fun than humans should be allowed"
~David Letterman

 

[harryS]

Ebiking has allowed my wife and I, both of us over 20 years older than the OP, to enjoy biking daily. We put on over 17K miles riding together in 10 years.

We don't need a lot of ebike to ride on our local path and on rail trails. Have learned that even with an average speed is 12 mph, long sustained hills and valleys can have you coasting at 26 mph. Good brake maintenance is necessary,

I'd rather carry a lighter battery for daily use than double or triple up on a big monster I'll only need every other year.

 

[Nvreloader]

Make SURE I have enough battery left, to get back to home base,
it ain't fun pushing a heavy weight fat bike UP hills, for this 80yo fat man. yrmv
ps, LOTS OF FUN and PLEASURE OTHERWISE...

 

[Chargeride]

I stopped dirt biking and restarted mountain biking, but I had got used to the distance and climb of the dirt bike and pedalling soon became dreadful, plus the light weight of the bike made them so twitchy on stuff I would usually plow through.
Built an ebike, throttle... full power, it was simply a glorious balance between the two.
Now Im riding legal and slowing down to admire the scenery rather than the vanishing point of the trail.
It has vastly increased where I can ride and expanded the map, rides on a dirt bike that were quick blasts are now adventures.
Biggest problem now is collecting them.

 

[Nvreloader]

Plus 2 CR

 

[Chazmo]

What have I learned? Hmm..

1. The prejudice against ebikes is just pure ignorance and stupidity (as most prejudices are, I guess).
2. I am as delighted as hell to be out there riding trails again on a much more comfortable bike than my 25-year-old MTB was.
3. Being in shape in my 60s is not the same thing as being in shape in my 30s.
4. I LOVE ebikes!!!!!

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I expressed my thoughts 3 years ago, and there is very little I could add to it I have been an e-biker for almost 6 year now.

Thoughts Of An Experienced E-Biker

A Noob When I entered the Brave New World of e-bikes in late August 2019, I understood how the e-bike instantly changed my life. An ailing person who could hardly walk, I could suddenly zoom greater and greater distances for exercise, adventures, grocery shopping, and -- the most important of...

forums.electricbikereview.com

 

[Chargeride]

And heres a pic of him in London.

 

[indianajo]

A bike that did not drag unpowered when I felt good, and did it all when I had twisted my knee again, was available in 2018. There are a lot of windy days where the motor had to provide significant power to keep my ride under 6 hours. 3.7 hours was my target. I had fun for 6 years. Those motors have now been outlawed by the 3 class laws, and cannot be bought in the USA. I have burnt up 3 of what motor is legal now. My route to the summer property has numerous hills, and I carry 60 lb of groceries or ag supplies outbound. I only weigh 160 lb. I only ride on road, but the roads that are safe for bicycles are very hilly. The flat smooth direct route is occupied by state highways where motor vehicles drive up to 70 mph right to the outer edge of the pavement. The B&O railroad that paralleled the route was pretty flat, but it was pulled up in 1983 and people built houses and businesses all over the right of way. I just bought a pickup truck to replace the bicycle. I needed to do some building repair and move some pianos & organs anyway.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

And heres a pic of him in London.

Lime/Uber e-bikes are very practical in London!

However, I didn't meet Boris on my London rides I wouldn't ride with anyone who doesn't wear a helmet

 

[PedalUma]

These cyclists do not have any helmets.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

These cyclists do not have any helmets.

They have nothing worth protecting under their skull. Same as Boris.

 

[Dave Rocks]

I can fill my back back and saddle bags FULL OF STUFF and not care about the weight.
If I need even MORE STUFF I can tow a bike trailer.

 

[stompandgo]

I came to an e-bike because I cannot comfortably ride a drop bar road bike anymore. I've ridden, trained, and raced around 200,000 miles in my life, and that has taken its toll on my body. I used to race criteriums for 45-90 minutes at 28-33mph average so I like to ride fast. I'll slow down and stop to appreciate scenery, but I'm not a coffee stop rider. When I'm on the bike, I'm riding. So being able to ride for several hours in an upright position fast requires either a ton of fitness or an e-bike. I chose the latter.

I could care less about stigmas. Some riders wave back, others don't. I don't care. I'm usually riding solo, so if I meet nice people, that's an added bonus. I don't need to.

I have an e-bike a lot like yours, but it's a road/commuter/fitness Class 3 bike. It's big, heavy, and hard to maneuver at slow speeds, but fast. Very fast. There are times that I miss the lightweight race bike, and would consider getting something that you rejected: a lighter bike with less assistance. Time will tell.

My MaxHR used to be 193bpm but now, on the e-bike, my average ranges from 140-160bpm for 3-4 hours. It's definitely a workout that's good enough for someone my age.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

First and foremost, that I'm not over the hill at 76. Or at least not that hill. I've actually been over zillions of hills since I started ebiking almost 3 yrs ago. (Hard to avoid here.) Quite a few would have gotten a "Nope, not climbing that" even in my younger cycling days, and I used to be a pretty avid rider.

Now I'm climbing our hills on a lightweight low-power ebike without thinking twice. Mental and physical well-being have improved drastically as a result.

Your sense of competence comes under increasing threat as you find more and more things you can no longer do with age. An ebike is a good antidote.

Second, and related to the first, is to look at an ebike as a both a barrier remover and an option creator. I ride pretty much where I want now. Climbing 2 big hills to get to the fun part is no longer a deal-killer. I get as much or as little exercise as I like on any ride, and tacking on another 5 miles to check out this or that is no big deal. That's cycling freedom.

I'll add more lessons as they come to mind.

 

[MrClortho]

I am finding that making gnarly, short climbs, like the 30'-50' ones strewn with roots and rocks has become much safer on my emtb. Those climbs are the most dangerous for me if I hit a root and my momentum is stopped, miss a gear or run out of steam. I began a practice of observing what trees and shrubs I could grab onto if I went down on climbs. With the emtb, the pedal assist evaluates how much power I need and returns in on climbs, making them simpler and safer. Climbs that I used to setup and attack from 50 yards back with teeth gritted in optimism, are now just fun obstacles.