# Used an ebike over the weekend. My opinion



## digitalayon (Jul 31, 2007)

My friend hurt his knee last week so he said I could take his bike out. So on Saturday I used his new Fezzari Wire Peak. It was so cool....going up mountain trails was a blast. I took it to a trail outside of SLC called bobsled and had been down and up three times by the time the non-ebike reached to the top. I will be getting one of these for sure. Only issue I had was falling leafs. The trees were all losing their fur in one day and made it hard to see the trail and hidden rocks. But the colors were sure nice. as a clydsdale with bad knees, this is a game changer for me.


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## northie2x (Oct 8, 2019)

Ride on!


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## mountainbiker24 (Feb 5, 2007)

Congrats! This should be in the, just spit-balling here, but maybe the e-bike forum.


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## Klurejr (Oct 13, 2006)

mountainbiker24 said:


> Congrats! This should be in the, just spit-balling here, but maybe the e-bike forum.


indeed it should!


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## ziscwg (May 18, 2007)

I like the wire peak also. 

Being injured, it is nice to able to ride halfway normal again.


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## matt4x4 (Dec 21, 2013)

Proprietary systems are not alright, the value for the money is just not there. But obviously once a person rides an ebike, they are hooked. I always get the heads turning my way, and the eyes widening then the questions start coming from them.

How far does it go?
How long does it last?
How long for it to charge?
How much does it cost?
Then they say "Thats totally cool dude!"

It can be quite annoying because its the same questions every single day.


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## digitalayon (Jul 31, 2007)

matt4x4 said:


> Proprietary systems are not alright, the value for the money is just not there. But obviously once a person rides an ebike, they are hooked. I always get the heads turning my way, and the eyes widening then the questions start coming from them.
> 
> How far does it go?
> How long does it last?
> ...


Only a bike shop salesman\owner has issues with this bike if they are being beat on price by over a grand.


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## sfgiantsfan (Dec 20, 2010)

mountainbiker24 said:


> Congrats! This should be in the, just spit-balling here, but maybe the e-bike forum.


If it was a non ebiker, possibly me, would say that ebikes must be a lot faster and much easier to ride, in which case I would be banned for a week.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## rsilvers (Aug 23, 2015)

Never heard of that bike, but it looks good for $3600. Same price as Giant E-Stance but lighter and the battery looks sleeker. Also no sales tax for most people.


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## digitalayon (Jul 31, 2007)

they are local here and have been around more than a decade now....great people


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## mtbbiker (Apr 8, 2004)

digitalayon said:


> My friend hurt his knee last week so he said I could take his bike out. So on Saturday I used his new Fezzari Wire Peak. It was so cool....going up mountain trails was a blast. I took it to a trail outside of SLC called bobsled and had been down and up three times by the time the non-ebike reached to the top. I will be getting one of these for sure. Only issue I had was falling leafs. The trees were all losing their fur in one day and made it hard to see the trail and hidden rocks. But the colors were sure nice. as a clydsdale with bad knees, this is a game changer for me.


Welcome to the club! I've had my ebike for about 6months and I've ridden it almost everyday, just because they are so much fun! You are having so much fun, you forget that you're also getting pretty good workout at the same time

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## matt4x4 (Dec 21, 2013)

Dayummmmmmmmmm if thats $3600USD then even more Dayummmmmmmmm
I could build two sweet rides for that kinda doe, the two sharing a mega wh battery!



rsilvers said:


> Never heard of that bike, but it looks good for $3600. Same price as Giant E-Stance but lighter and the battery looks sleeker. Also no sales tax for most people.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

I'll turn 66 in less than 2 weeks. Been riding bicycles avidly since '70 and mountain bikes avidly since '85. I imagine I'll be joining you on an ebike one of these days within the next decade or so. 

Why not now? Well, I test rode a pedal-assist bicycle about a year and a half ago and it might have been the most fun I've ever had on a bicycle. Not kidding. And this test ride wasn't even off-road -- it was in riverside urban park on paved "trails." But ooooohhh was that thing fun! I mean it was F-U-N!

That's when I realized that the moment I bought an ebike, I'd never ride my analog mountain bike again. Why would I ride my human-powered bike when the ebike is 10x more fun? Yes it is. It just is! Not kidding. To anyone who has not yet been assimilated -- you will be. Resistance is futile. I challenge anyone who hasn't yet ridden a quality pedal-assist bike to test ride one and then try to deny that it is an absolute blast.

Can't be done.

Back to my experience. Upon returning the pedal-assist bike to the dealer I decided to wait to buy one until I "needed" an ebike. Whenever that day comes, by golly I'm gonna get one. With a smile on my face. Yes I will.

Meanwhile my analog bike is just as fun as it ever was. Modern analog mountain bikes are nothing short of amazing. I find myself constantly looking for booters to hit, jumps to leap and drops to drop. At Duthie Hill in WA state two years ago I did a 6' drop -- not kidding. Even at my advanced age I hit everything in sight. I've been riding mountain bikes since '85 and find today's bikes nothing short of amazing. There are so many great (really, great) mountain bikes on the market today, one almost cannot go wrong.

But yeah, I can't deny I'll be shopping for an ebike at some point within the next 10-12 years. Thank God ebikes are available. I don't ever want to stop riding mountain bikes. Whenever I need pedal-assist, I won't hesitate. Until then, I'll supply my own horsepower.
=sParty


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## bachman1961 (Oct 9, 2013)

Good information All. 
I'm kind of excited myself. At nearly 58 years, I'm hanging on to riding my regular bikes for a while yet but see this as fun way to get my wife 'out there'. She has a Schwinn Voyager 700c 7-speed grip shift bike but rides infrequently and probably feels underwhelmed for being "in shape" in a hilly and mountainous region.

My wife isn't a bike enthusiast but I'm pretty certain we can get out together and ride if or when we get her an e-bike. She's always loved scooters or the moped-looking things and I'm sure, envisions herself riding a few blocks ( 1 mile to work) on one but we both know the traffic issue is "thing". I think we'd start out on the greenways , paths etc and maybe in time, build her comfort zone of confidence to taking it to work on nice days even but it's primary use would be recreation and our doing something new together. Since she isn't a 'biker' , I'm not certain the look or style of the bike as a step-through or the more standard look is going to be important to her but it seems there are many boxes to check aside from looks, style or color and I'd really like to narrow the field to some extent before we get serious. As with other things, I do like the idea of support via an LBS so I'm hopeful we get a shot at some top rated choices going that route. Not sure when we will get serious about it and dropping $2500 to $4000 is part of that 'timing' factor.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

Sparticus said:


> Resistance is futile. I challenge anyone who hasn't yet ridden a quality pedal-assist bike to test ride one and then try to deny that it is an absolute blast.
> 
> Can't be done.
> 
> =sParty


Can be done. No way is an electric bike more fun than a bicycle for me, if it were I'd buy one. If it were 10x more fun I would have bought one yesterday.


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## rod9301 (Oct 30, 2004)

J.B. Weld said:


> Can be done. No way is an electric bike more fun than a bicycle for me, if it were I'd buy one. If it were 10x more fun I would have bought one yesterday.


Spoken by someone who's never tried one.

Sent from my Armor_3 using Tapatalk


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## sirsam84 (Sep 20, 2006)

Sparticus said:


> I'll turn 66 in less than 2 weeks. Been riding bicycles avidly since '70 and mountain bikes avidly since '85. I imagine I'll be joining you on an ebike one of these days within the next decade or so.
> 
> Why not now? Well, I test rode a pedal-assist bicycle about a year and a half ago and it might have been the most fun I've ever had on a bicycle. Not kidding. And this test ride wasn't even off-road -- it was in riverside urban park on paved "trails." But ooooohhh was that thing fun! I mean it was F-U-N!
> 
> ...


FWIW, I've found the opposite for me...I still really enjoy riding my MTBs, maybe even more so after getting the EMTB. Different animals for sure, but complementary...at least for me. I'm pretty sure it's making my MTB climbing better since I'm trying to keep a higher pace to get some of that EMTB flow. As always, YMMV!


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## portnuefpeddler (Jun 14, 2016)

My age, 70, has nothing do with me having 3 ebikes, I have them because they are FUN. Actually let me back that up a bit, I COULD use my age as an excuse I suppose, but don't because I know other riders without ebikes older then me, so age isn't really the reason to ride one, it's FUN. 

Then again, I never had a "real" MTB, my last 20+ years of riding was only on my Montague, which is because I can carry it in the airplane, and flying is my main thing. Since I've electrified it, I've built up another I carry in my crane, as a dingy, and a third used exclusively for trail riding. Besides being FUN, they have greatly expanded the utility of what I can do, simply going further, faster, when in town running errands, is all the excuse I need. Did I say they were FUN also?


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

rod9301 said:


> Spoken by someone who's never tried one.


^spoken by someone who is wrong.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

While I expect FUN will be the primary motivation for my eventual transition from analog bike to ebike, there will be a secondary reason. Trailwork access.

This video featuring Derrick Bell of Oakridge, OR (a good friend of mine for decades) explains the trailwork opportunities well:






Derrick has contributed to or been outright responsible for the construction of many miles of new singletrack here in Oregon as well as other places. Although I'm not nearly as prolific as D-rock in this endeavor, I've done my share over the years. IMO the ebike is a welcome new tool in this regard and I expect at some point I'll use one to haul tools in support of trail crews. Many sections of our remote & rugged trails are challenging to reach with chainsaws and other trailwork tools. Each winter, huge trees fall. I believe volunteer mountain bikers are the primary trail stewards here in the PNW.
=sParty


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## Delta_kilo (Oct 30, 2006)

Sparticus said:


> I'll turn 66 in less than 2 weeks. Been riding bicycles avidly since '70 and mountain bikes avidly since '85. I imagine I'll be joining you on an ebike one of these days within the next decade or so.
> 
> Why not now? Well, I test rode a pedal-assist bicycle about a year and a half ago and it might have been the most fun I've ever had on a bicycle. Not kidding. And this test ride wasn't even off-road -- it was in riverside urban park on paved "trails." But ooooohhh was that thing fun! I mean it was F-U-N!
> 
> ...


Why wait so long unless money is an issue I'm 61 and just purchased an ebike I feel 18 again having a blast. I too have a Ibis Ripley love the bike and still ride it with my non ebike friends will probably never give up the analog mtb for as long as my knees can handle it. I say buy now you won't regret it.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

Delta_kilo said:


> Why wait so long unless money is an issue I'm 61 and just purchased an ebike I feel 18 again having a blast. I too have a Ibis Ripley love the bike and still ride it with my non ebike friends will probably never give up the analog mtb for as long as my knees can handle it. I say buy now you won't regret it.


Thankfully my analog bikes still make me feel 18. Whenever this changes, I'll consider an ebike.

Meanwhile a riding acquaintance in southern WA just bought his first ebike - he's 81. For me, this is the age at which the bar is set.

Only 15 years to go... 
=sParty


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## matt4x4 (Dec 21, 2013)

The absolute best, is when you are sitting in a store, sipping a coffee with full view of your ebike charging up and locked to the bike rack and half the people walking by either stop to look at your ebike, or pause to look at your ebike. Even better is when they take pictures! That is a totally awesome feeling! Even with the battery wires zip tied to the frame, and 
using black duct tape instead of grey  

What gets boring every now and then is when you get people wanting to ask you questions as you are deep into a groovy tune and chilling. Or when you get the drunks wanting to chat you up. Its the same 3 or 4 questions each and every time.


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## digitalayon (Jul 31, 2007)

J.B. Weld said:


> Can be done. No way is an electric bike more fun than a bicycle for me, if it were I'd buy one. If it were 10x more fun I would have bought one yesterday.


not true.....I went up 3 times compared to the ONE the other guys did....I could have gone 5 more times and not been tired like they all were after their ONE. Sorry....math works in favor of the "more fun" factor.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

digitalayon said:


> not true.....I went up 3 times compared to the ONE the other guys did....I could have gone 5 more times and not been tired like they all were after their ONE. Sorry....math works in favor of the "more fun" factor.


Pretty impressive that you know what's more fun for me than I do. What should I have for dinner tonight?


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## mtbbiker (Apr 8, 2004)

J.B. Weld said:


> Pretty impressive that you know what's more fun for me than I do. What should I have for dinner tonight?


I bet you'd love some cheese with that wine!!! JK
I've always said everyone has different reasons for why they ride. I love the DH, some love the climbs, some love just being outdoors, some love doing MTB/EMTB with others, some do it for exercise, etc... Thank goodness we have a lot choices out there to get our emtb or mtb fixes!

Before emtb, I personally thought the climbing to DH ratio was so unfair. For where I ride, the climbing is around 1hr and the downhill about 10mins to 15mins long. Some people are fine with that, I've always thought that sucked big time. With the emtb, the ratios are still not even, but at least a lot closer and way less wear and tear on the body. I honestly find emtb so much fun, that every ride I look forward to no matter how big the climb is.


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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

digitalayon said:


> not true.....I went up 3 times compared to the ONE the other guys did....I could have gone 5 more times and not been tired like they all were after their ONE. Sorry....math works in favor of the "more fun" factor.





J.B. Weld said:


> Pretty impressive that you know what's more fun for me than I do. What should I have for dinner tonight?


:lol::lol::lol::nonod:


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## digitalayon (Jul 31, 2007)

J.B. Weld said:


> Pretty impressive that you know what's more fun for me than I do. What should I have for dinner tonight?


message me and I will send you your assigned menu


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## shreddr (Oct 10, 2009)

I'm with you brother. I've been MTBing since '84 and saw all the technological advances but never saw this coming. IT is a total game changer and my analog bikes are collecting dust. I am only keeping them in fear of ruling that prevents me from riding the ebike or apocalypse that wipes out electricity as we know it. ( I am really hoping neither happen!)


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## matt4x4 (Dec 21, 2013)

We are all pretty cacooned here in North America, as electrics have been popular in Asia for a long time.

I should have really gotten into ebiking in 2001 rather then later. Not much choice back then especially when it comes to lithium ion batteries, and the handful of companies for motor selection.


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## GoGoGordo (Jul 16, 2006)




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## stiksandstones (Oct 7, 2004)

J.B. Weld said:


> Can be done. No way is an electric bike more fun than a bicycle for me, if it were I'd buy one. If it were 10x more fun I would have bought one yesterday.


MTB rider for 30 plus years and yeah, an eMTB reminds me of the early days of overjoy. 10x more fun than my acoustic bikes? maybe not that, but on the right trails-yeah, it is more fun.
I did not take my Levo to BC this summer though, I had no interest in riding it there-as long as the dirt is good and I have tree cover, acoustic bike still awesome-but on so cal trails that are awful, eMTB rules-for me.


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## matt4x4 (Dec 21, 2013)

TBH
Actually no words were spoken.
The only thing exchanged were words and sentences.
Technically, yer both wrong 

Besides that point, you've both ridden ebikes and you both have your *PERSONAL PREFERENCES!*



J.B. Weld said:


> ^spoken by someone who is wrong.





rod9301 said:


> Spoken by someone who's never tried one.
> 
> Sent from my Armor_3 using Tapatalk


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

matt4x4 said:


> Besides that point, you've both ridden ebikes and you both have your *PERSONAL PREFERENCES!*


- which is EXACTLY WHAT I SAID! (um, I mean wrote)


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## frantik! (Sep 10, 2012)

[mod pls delete]


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## matt4x4 (Dec 21, 2013)

Ya but you have to repeat the statement several times for people to comprehend it.



J.B. Weld said:


> - which is EXACTLY WHAT I SAID! (um, I mean wrote)


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