# eBike turning more people onto riding?



## AC/BC (Jun 22, 2006)

Have you guys found it easier to turn people onto MTB by lending out your ebike on rides with friends and family? I found the enthusiasm for the sport much higher now that i have an ebike to lend out on rides.


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## Gutch (Dec 17, 2010)

AC/BC said:


> Have you guys found it easier to turn people onto MTB by lending out your ebike on rides with friends and family? I found the enthusiasm for the sport much higher now that i have an ebike to lend out on rides.


 Most of the guys I ride with, when I do, are on mtbs and have no desire to rip an ebike. I can see however the lure if you weren't die hard mtb rider!


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## hikerdave (Mar 8, 2006)

AC/BC said:


> Have you guys found it easier to turn people onto MTB by lending out your ebike on rides with friends and family? I found the enthusiasm for the sport much higher now that i have an ebike to lend out on rides.


I've ridden my mountain bike with quite a few first time riders and that first ride always seems too short; first-time riders tire quickly so an eBike would help with that.

Once they learn how much an eBike costs, it would be game over for most people - I refreshed a tapped-out Fisher Tassajara for a friend; he had purchased the bike for under a hundred dollars. The next year he bought a Tesla. Bicycles are toys but luxury cars aren't, I guess.

I have a hard enough time convincing people to go to an actual bike shop and purchase a decent hardtail instead of a full-suspension Walgoose that's been stickered with a warning against off-trail use.

I've let a couple of older guys on the trail who were curious ride my eBike; they get it right away. So probably a couple of easy sales of eBikes at the local shop but not to beginners. Most sales of eBikes are going to go to people who are already in to bicycling; the four eBike riders at my office also own human-powered bicycles.


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## AC/BC (Jun 22, 2006)

Yeah, i mean first time riders. Not experienced people, or even trying to turn a roadie into an mountain biker. People that are totally "green" to mountain biking


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## fleboz (Apr 22, 2015)

i have a buddy that in no way shape or form (pun intended) would ride, until he got his ebike. not my bag, but i'm glad he got one. its fun to ride with him and never would have happened without assist. uphill he just stays with us, downhill we wait for him. all smiles at the trail head. it was a turning point for him to improve his life style, I'm happy for that.


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## Hambone70 (May 8, 2019)

Saw two bikes similar to these this morning on the Arizona Trail. Judging by the beer-guts, probably new e-bikers!


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## KingOfOrd (Feb 19, 2005)

Ebikes are great!

They allow people who lack fitness to ride faster and farther. The problem is that a lot of the people that fall into this category are lacking the skills to be able to manage these increased speeds. I haven't seen it much when it comes to off-road riding because all my local trails are off limits to ebikes. But I do see this when walking my dog on the rec trail(also off limits to ebikes) and the majority of these riders are riding without a helmet. I'm sure ebikes open the door for a lot of people to start riding, but from what I've seen they've been riding irresponsibly. I'm in favor of increased helmet laws for all ebikers.


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## AC/BC (Jun 22, 2006)

Hambone70 said:


> Saw two bikes similar to these this morning on the Arizona Trail. Judging by the beer-guts, probably new e-bikers!


Those guys sound pretty cool and not like a dude in Lyra on a $5000 bike


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## AC/BC (Jun 22, 2006)

Train Wreck said:


> Ebikes are great!
> 
> They allow people who lack fitness to ride faster and farther. The problem is that a lot of the people that fall into this category are lacking the skills to be able to manage these increased speeds. I haven't seen it much when it comes to off-road riding because all my local trails are off limits to ebikes. But I do see this when walking my dog on the rec trail(also off limits to ebikes) and the majority of these riders are riding without a helmet. I'm sure ebikes open the door for a lot of people to start riding, but from what I've seen they've been riding irresponsibly. I'm in favor of increased helmet laws for all ebikers.


It's quite easy to ride a bike at 20mph. You should try it some time


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## KingOfOrd (Feb 19, 2005)

AC/BC said:


> It's quite easy to ride a bike at 20mph. You should try it some time


Are you crazy?? I'd have to put a motor on my bike to reach that kind of speed! That would be a.... train wreck


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## Hambone70 (May 8, 2019)

AC/BC said:


> Those guys sound pretty cool and not like a dude in Lyra on a $5000 bike


Well, I wasn't about to tell them that their ebikes aren't allowed on the AZT. They looked like the kind of guys most likely to be armed and stupid!

At least they were out semi-exercising!


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## Gutch (Dec 17, 2010)

Hambone70 said:


> Saw two bikes similar to these this morning on the Arizona Trail. Judging by the beer-guts, probably new e-bikers!


I want one so I can see how far I can ride a wheelie, before I loop out...


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## KenPsz (Jan 21, 2007)

Hambone70 said:


> Well, I wasn't about to tell them that their ebikes aren't allowed on the AZT. They looked like the kind of guys most likely to be armed and stupid!
> 
> At least they were out semi-exercising!


insult following insult - classy


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## mountainbiker24 (Feb 5, 2007)

KenPsz said:


> insult following insult - classy


Almost as classy as riding bicycles illegally.


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## dpdsurf (Jan 19, 2004)

It's an expensive investment for most. It seems more to me that it's experienced riders who appreciate e-mtb's the most. I had one friend try my bike and liked it well enough to buy an urban ebike. He knew he'd never ride the trails these emtbs are made for. 

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using Tapatalk


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## MattMay (Dec 24, 2013)

As to the OP's original question, the father of mountain biking himself -- yes, Gary Fisher, THE Gary Fisher -- would say yes. I got to ride with him last week. Guess what he rode? Trek Powerfly. Purpose of the ride? Local Trek store wanting to get newbies interested in mountain biking (and buying ebikes). Kinda funny, it was all us diehard mtbers riding motorless that rode with him. Needless to say, we were all honored to be in his presence, regardless of the bike he was on. And yes, ebikes were permitted on the trails we rode.


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## fleboz (Apr 22, 2015)

Did you tell him he needs to more of an advocate, show up to meetings and do something for the sport of mtbing if he is going to ride an ebike? yes i realize i only make myself laugh.
That is great, hopefully he told some good stories. i had a hi-fi at one point, really enjoyed the bike before it cracked in 1/2.


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## MattMay (Dec 24, 2013)

He did tell a trailsode story...what he’s doing in that one pic! There were like 20 of us and a bunch of hikers got all huffy and bitched us out for throwing up dust and ruining their Sunday morning jaunt, getting their shiny ski poles all dirty and such. So he told us about efforts in Marin county to preserve trails etc, concluding with “we have yet to kill, maim or injure a single hiker!”


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## S​​usspect (May 12, 2017)

Most beginners, as others have said, are going to enter the sport with something cheaper than an e-bike. I would guess most e-bike sales go to riders who are slowing down but have been riding for a while. Or commuters who don't want to show up to work all sweaty. I don't know the stats, so I could be wrong.

For the record, I don't have an e-bike... but I could imagine riding one when I'm in my 60s or 70s. Or sooner, if I don't age as well as I hope to.


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## rockcrusher (Aug 28, 2003)

AC/BC said:


> Those guys sound pretty cool and not like a dude in Lyra on a $5000 bike


I saw a group of these on my local MUP the other day, it was windy so I figured I grab a draft. No such drafting occurred since as soon the lights went green at the crossing they took off like the motorcycles they are and were easily at 30mph as they sped away. I was sad as I needed the draft but I also realize that this will in no way ever become less of a problem as these things get more accessible and more people find them interesting. For the first time ever I saw the city on the same MUP with radar, tracking cyclist and other users speeds. Preamble to speed limits? Or preamble to banning some, all?

What didn't surprise me was the lack of helmets, skill, or sense of safety shown by the 2 men and 1 women riding these. Hold my beer....


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## hikerdave (Mar 8, 2006)

MattMay said:


> As to the OP's original question, the father of mountain biking himself -- yes, Gary Fisher, THE Gary Fisher -- would say yes. I got to ride with him last week. Guess what he rode? Trek Powerfly. Purpose of the ride? Local Trek store wanting to get newbies interested in mountain biking (and buying ebikes). Kinda funny, it was all us diehard mtbers riding motorless that rode with him. Needless to say, we were all honored to be in his presence, regardless of the bike he was on. And yes, ebikes were permitted on the trails we rode.
> 
> View attachment 1260667
> 
> ...


I think of Jobst Brandt as the father of mountain biking with his trail rides, even though he probably never actually rode a mountain bike; he was a mentor to Tom Ritchey.

My wife does have a nice Fisher Aquila bike though; we bought that and her engagement ring on the same day.


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## GRPABT1 (Oct 22, 2015)

Every E-bike rider I've come across wouldn't be riding without assistance. Some of them have graduated to pedal only bikes. To answer the actual question without needless insults then yes, I believe E-bikes are getting more people into MTB.


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## Sidewalk (May 18, 2015)

I only know ONE person who started on a nice bike, and that is a guy who rides a KTM 625 (still doesn't have an eBike). Everyone else starts off riding sub $1000 bikes. I can't imagine someone getting enthusiastic about buying a $5000 bike as a first. Hell, most don't spend that much after years of riding.

So from my situation, I don't know anyone who has started on an eBike. As of right now, I only know of two people who do ride them; one is an older lady, the other doesn't own a car and rides his eBike 20 miles on the road to get to the trails. Even he doesn't ride his eBike much, mostly his custom steel FS bike.


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## ziscwg (May 18, 2007)

AC/BC said:


> Have you guys found it easier to turn people onto MTB by lending out your ebike on rides with friends and family? I found the enthusiasm for the sport much higher now that i have an ebike to lend out on rides.


Then you tell them how much it costs and they curl up onto the LazyBoy chair and open a good Zinfandel...................Or IPA


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## ziscwg (May 18, 2007)

rockcrusher said:


> I saw a group of these on my local MUP the other day, it was windy so I figured I grab a draft. No such drafting occurred since as soon the lights went green at the crossing they took off like the motorcycles they are and were easily at 30mph as they sped away. I was sad as I needed the draft but I also realize that this will in no way ever become less of a problem as these things get more accessible and more people find them interesting. For the first time ever I saw the city on the same MUP with radar, tracking cyclist and other users speeds. Preamble to speed limits? Or preamble to banning some, all?
> 
> What didn't surprise me was the lack of helmets, skill, or sense of safety shown by the 2 men and 1 women riding these. Hold my beer....


30mph?
I guess they had a plethora of class 3 bikes


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## Harryman (Jun 14, 2011)

I'd venture 90% of the people on ebikes that I see weren't enthusiast riders since they don't pedal and just use them like mopeds on streets and bike paths. On the trails, which is the other 10%, it's existing mtb riders on them.


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## portnuefpeddler (Jun 14, 2016)

Twice this week I was on a crane job, and when the roofing crew I was working with split for lunch, or got their bag lunches out, having my ebike on board made it feasible for me to run a quick errand a mile away, and then hit a restaurant I like, all without sweating but while still pedaling which feels good after sitting on my ass in the crane all morning. Up until ebikes came along, my only biking experience was airplane related, I've been carrying Montagues for over 20 years now, and they transformed going somewhere with a small plane. Now my latest Montague, with it's 750 watt conversion and a Rohloff hub, has transformed it again, opening up incredible opportunities after I land. Single track is way down on my list of why I have 3 ebikes, though I do enjoy it, and can do so legally here. The bottom line is I ride one of my bikes every single day.


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## rider95 (Mar 30, 2016)

Harryman said:


> I'd venture 90% of the people on ebikes that I see weren't enthusiast riders since they don't pedal and just use them like mopeds on streets and bike paths. On the trails, which is the other 10%, it's existing mtb riders on them.


90% of all E bikes are Pass only no throttle but please go on with your story


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## tfinator (Apr 30, 2009)

rider95 said:


> 90% of all E bikes are Pass only no throttle but please go on with your story


Interesting fact, where is it from?

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## Harryman (Jun 14, 2011)

rider95 said:


> 90% of all E bikes are Pass only no throttle but please go on with your story


In case you're interested in the reality of who is buying ebikes and what kind they are, read this:

https://www.bicycleretailer.com/opi...ty-part-two-inside-invisible-ebd#.XRpDfOtKhaR

The Pedegos of the world are eating the big bike brands lunch in the US, and they're not selling PAS only.

I've seen one PAS only ebike on my local bike paths in the last several years, all the rest are hub bikes with throttles. Outside of getting started from a dead stop, I rarely see anyone on them pedal. Not that it matters, or that I care, but IME, people with a riding background will pedal an ebike with a throttle and ride it more like a PAS bike. I don't see anyone riding them like that when I'm riding around.


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