# Moots motor vs electric motor.



## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

I had great fun yesterday with my 5 years younger sibling on his e-bike unable to keep up with my pedaling and bike handling with his turning around at 12 miles. It was really more of a gravel and pathways ride but he's also a motorcycle rider and I expected he could better handle unpaved turns and little bits of single track. On one hill he got ahead but that was lost fast. I was surprised that I could pull ahead when in the drops on pavement.

I'm sure my day for an e-assist will come - I'm already in my 60s. Still, it was fun. I can't criticize the e bike too much because I'm sure all he'd be doing otherwise would be sitting on a motorcycle or washing a car. The e bikes get a lot of people active.

He's got SLX brakes and decent Conti wider tires so as much as it was sort of a mismatch, I expected he'd be more on my tail more often. I do know I can't touch those high end e bikes that go near 30 MPH when I am commuting.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

Perhaps he was being gracious?
Personally I try to be whenever I'm aboard my ebike.
=sParty


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## bitflogger (Jan 12, 2004)

Sparticus said:


> Perhaps he was being gracious?
> Personally I try to be whenever I'm aboard my ebike.
> =sParty


Not. He got ahead the one time he could. Part of the humor is he's dismissed how MTB riders could possibly have the skills a motorcycle rider like him has. More humor in his refusal to go tubeless and run tire pressure less than max on sidewalls. Mostly some fun sibling rivalry but also learning. I'm sure being a MTB and winter fattie rider more used to two wheels moving around under me and braking helped.


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

Good for you, then!
=sParty


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## bikesdirect (Nov 7, 2006)

“ The e bikes get a lot of people active.”

This is true and good news. Part of the reason that e-bikes are the fastest growing category in the bicycle industry .


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## Rev Bubba (Jan 16, 2004)

bitflogger said:


> I had great fun yesterday with my 5 years younger sibling on his e-bike unable to keep up with my pedaling and bike handling with his turning around at 12 miles. It was really more of a gravel and pathways ride but he's also a motorcycle rider and I expected he could better handle unpaved turns and little bits of single track. On one hill he got ahead but that was lost fast. I was surprised that I could pull ahead when in the drops on pavement.
> 
> I'm sure my day for an e-assist will come - I'm already in my 60s. Still, it was fun. I can't criticize the e bike too much because I'm sure all he'd be doing otherwise would be sitting on a motorcycle or washing a car. The e bikes get a lot of people active.
> 
> He's got SLX brakes and decent Conti wider tires so as much as it was sort of a mismatch, I expected he'd be more on my tail more often. I do know I can't touch those high end e bikes that go near 30 MPH when I am commuting.


I'm in my early 70's and I, too, say that someday I will be ready for an eBike. I've ridden a couple higher end ones on dirt and can't say anything bad about them but if my current motor needs replacement, a chain tool or a Clif Shot will usually do the trick...


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## TNC (Jan 21, 2004)

The concept that being competent on a dirt motor immediately and fully transfers to being competent on an MTB is false IMO. It helps, but I think what one finds coming from a dirt motor where you had decent skills is that the MTB is skittish, unforgiving, and much less stable than the dirt motor. Even coming from dirt motor and jumping on a 6+ inch travel AM type bike, I think one finds the MTB just isn't as planted and confidence inspiring as one would think. This was my experience, and I found it to be the experience of several other moto riding companions who made or tried the move to riding MTB's.

But here's the funny thing. I think going back and forth from the MTB to the dirt motor enhanced the dirt motor skill. And no, I don't mean the fitness which did help obviously, but I'm talking about a feel of appreciating and taking better advantage of the dirt motor's handling advantage. You learn more finesse and precision on an MTB, and that does transfer to the dirt motor. I love both activities immensely, but I think the MTB makes you a better dirt motor rider more so than the other way around.

And no, my take isn't suggesting that an MTB-only rider can just jump right on a dirt motor and kill it. Both activities have their learning curves.


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## dundundata (May 15, 2009)

U don't need a high end bike to hit 30mph+ on an ebike 😉


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## TNC (Jan 21, 2004)

dundundata said:


> U don't need a high end bike to hit 30mph+ on an ebike 😉


LOL!...so true. There is a thread on one of the big ebike sites going on right now concerning a lot of these new comers to the conversion of sticking some of these high powered mid-drive units in cheap ass Walmart level bikes. While most of the factory, higher end ebikes from Trek, Spec, etc. are limited to 20 mph and 30 mph for some pure road bikes, these aftermarket motors usually have no limit.

Then apply an off road situation where the speed and lousy engineering of a cheap bike push the envelope of capability, experience, and logic, and you have a recipe for disaster...or at least a very disappointing outcome. OP didn't mention the precise ebike his brother was on, but regardless I stick by my post above that suggests being a very good off road dirt motor rider doesn't immediately or necessarily translate into a good off road MTB rider...emtb or pedal-only.


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## Flyer (Jan 25, 2004)

Most around here are limited to 20 MPH so cannot keep up on flats or downhills on any surface if I am on my road bike or gravel bike, but they just power up steep long uphills at 15 +MPH when I can manage 8-12 at best. I have a road e-bike but hardly ride it. It does do 28 MPH on assist and can fly up hills and flats. The MTB has way more power on the ups but is limited to 19/20 MPOH max. The handing is different too- he may be used to motorcycles but unless it is a dirt bike, the skills are not really transferable to dirt.


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