sal_the_salmon
Steelhead
i guess you have not heard of the new marketing push, e-bikes
The Mountain Bike Thread
- Thread starter Josh
- Start date
Nice try.i guess you have not heard of the new marketing push, e-bikes
I’ve had my ebike for five years now
sal_the_salmon
Steelhead
I guess I don’t quite understand your point. But I dont take cycling comments serious from anyone with a kickstand...... #bikesnob
edit: now i get it. you like bamboo rods so my silk line comment must felt like a personal attack. (it wasnt)
jaredoconnor
Peabrain Chub
E-bikes are legit. Turns every trail into a resort. Fuck climbing; I just wanna go downhill. If I went riding enough, I would 100% buy one.
We actually have two Tern HSD P9 electric cargo bikes. I have quite a menagery of road, mtb, general purpose bikes (and one beautifully hand fillet brazed extended boom recumbent).i guess you have not heard of the new marketing push, e-bikes
Gravel bikes seem to be making a split in design and use.
People like me that don't want to ride roads anymore and/or are looking for a cross bike with relaxed head angle and lower bb for smoothness and control. (drop bars and skiinier tires)
People looking for a rig that isn't a modern geo mtb with a super low bb, lots of squish and a wierd seat angle for staying centered. those bikes are headed more towards flat bars and big tires.
I like adjacent to national forest with a lot of singletrack available from my house. When I ride to fish it is on my mtb 99% of the time. My gravel bike is fun on singletrack but a little too squirrely with fishing gear attached.
People like me that don't want to ride roads anymore and/or are looking for a cross bike with relaxed head angle and lower bb for smoothness and control. (drop bars and skiinier tires)
People looking for a rig that isn't a modern geo mtb with a super low bb, lots of squish and a wierd seat angle for staying centered. those bikes are headed more towards flat bars and big tires.
I like adjacent to national forest with a lot of singletrack available from my house. When I ride to fish it is on my mtb 99% of the time. My gravel bike is fun on singletrack but a little too squirrely with fishing gear attached.
sal_the_salmon
Steelhead
im looking into getting an e-cargo bike myself, or maybe an e-fat bike with a trailer.
sal_the_salmon
Steelhead
i agreee. gravel bikes are diverging
category 1, road riders looking to avoid cars and actually riding gravel roads mostly (like you said, low BB, fast tires).
and
category 2, mountain bikers who feel mtbs are getting to good or who want to adventure ride more (things like the cross washington route), taller bottombrakcets, slack headtubes with long toptubes (modern hardtail geometry).
for me, mtbs are too good. I dont want to be riding these dangerous techincal rock rolls and stuff that modern mtbs are so very capable on. the "green" trails, forest roads, etc are just way to easy for a modern MTB. the gravel bike makes green/blue trails fun again. and i have no interest in riding blakc or double blakc modern mountain bike trails, they are high risk usually and im trying to be healthy, not shatter my ribs.
Lots of great e-bikes out there. E-bikes are the great equalizer...see all sorts of people of different fitness/ age levels out there riding together. Some of them are going to find out they can be stronger than they once believed.
sal_the_salmon
Steelhead
they are also problematic in many cases. espcially for public lands. around here at the local MTB downhill system, people are destroying the trail builders work with e-mtbs. cutting switchbacks on the climbs, spinning the tires in deep mud etc. espcially the unrestricted ebikes or non pedal assist bikes. folks worry about that blurred line between a bike and a motorcycle.
im not anti e-bike, and i think they are great for many uses, but i am seeing new problems arrise from there popularity
sal_the_salmon
Steelhead
they arnt as fun downhill as you might think. that step from 30 lbs to 50lbs makes a big difference in how "fun" and playful they are on a descent. #earnyourturns ! to me, the best uses for ebikes are comminuting machines., or as training tools for elite enduro and downhill racers who dont have a lift access bike park.
Happy to have ebikes in town/commuting etc. Anything that gets people out of their cars is a good thing.
I'm less excited about them on MTB trails. Bike trails weren't built with ebikes in mind and can't handle the abuse. They also tend to get people into places they aren't ready to go. If people want to ebike on trails, I'd encourage them put in the work to advocate for creation of some trails systems designed more specifically for ebikes.
And the unrestricted/non-pedal-assist bikes are just electric motorcycles with a more marketable image.
I'm less excited about them on MTB trails. Bike trails weren't built with ebikes in mind and can't handle the abuse. They also tend to get people into places they aren't ready to go. If people want to ebike on trails, I'd encourage them put in the work to advocate for creation of some trails systems designed more specifically for ebikes.
And the unrestricted/non-pedal-assist bikes are just electric motorcycles with a more marketable image.
Thanks for filling me in on the kickstand. This is really embarrassing. I’m going to take that thing off right now so I can join the cool kids club
I’ve never been serious about bikes, just like to ride them sometimes.
I’m just joshin you @sal_the_salmon. No hard feelings here.
jaredoconnor
Peabrain Chub
I have only used one once, but I had the opposite experience; all the weight is at the BB and the bike feels planted AF.
sal_the_salmon
Steelhead
what bike park in 2022 is designed for keeping the bike planted on the ground though? they are all about the whips and ney-neys, doubles, tabletops, and huck to flat!
sal_the_salmon
Steelhead
well, its not a bad idea. there is no reason to use one. bikes are fine to lay on the ground (drivetrain facing up) or lean agaisnt a tree. but the real issue isnt a style thing, its a safety thing.Thanks for filling me in on the kickstand. This is really embarrassing. I’m going to take that thing off right now so I can join the cool kids club
I’ve never been serious about bikes, just like to ride them sometimes.
I’m just joshin you @sal_the_salmon. No hard feelings here.
many a bad crash has occurred on offroad bikes from the untimely deployment of a kickstand.
And you mustn' ever use a helmet mirror (or even worse a handlebar mirror) or, in the ancient biking parlance, hopelessly label yourself as a 'fred'.Thanks for filling me in on the kickstand. This is really embarrassing. I’m going to take that thing off right now so I can join the cool kids club
I’ve never been serious about bikes, just like to ride them sometimes.
I’m just joshin you @sal_the_salmon. No hard feelings here.
Protip...a helmet mirror works great.
I'm sure the rules will eventually catch up to controlling the abuse.
sal_the_salmon
Steelhead
ah you mean like the salmon and steelhead runs of years past! will the damage already be done? Will every e-biker think they have a god given right to cut switchbacks? lol
I guess we'll see...unlike salmon and steelhead runs, switchback cuts are repairable and the local mtb riders (who build and maintain many trails around here) are pretty innovative in 'preventative' obstacle placement. A slob on an electric mtb generally is too lazy to move logs or pull pickets.