The awful truth

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I think I prefer riding my EMTB to riding a motorbike - it's definitely a more fun trail bike than a trail motorcycle would be.

[weeksy]

I think I prefer riding my EMTB to riding a motorbike - it's definitely a more fun trail bike than a trail motorcycle would be.

You're preaching to the converted here... I've already converted Couchie.... Nice to have another.

9/10 times i go into the garage on a sunny day, i'll pick up the keys for the lock on the MTB not the KTM.

[hilldweller]

I think I prefer riding my EMTB to riding a motorbike - it's definitely a more fun trail bike than a trail motorcycle would be.

Oh, hard luck, bad timing. If it wasn't for this damned CV19 the NHS would have been able to cure you.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

You're preaching to the converted here... I've already converted Couchie.... Nice to have another.

9/10 times i go into the garage on a sunny day, i'll pick up the keys for the lock on the MTB not the KTM.

I've ridden my EMTB for at least an hour nearly every day since I got it, I'm only doing 15mph and it's really good fun, and I can ride it on bridleways and no one gets offended, it's feckin fab, just wear shorts and t shirt, no need to dress up like a Sci-Fi character just to go for a ride.

It's ages since I rode a motorbike, not even convinced I'll keep a road legal motorbike, might just have track bikes.

[Dodgy69]

You're preaching to the converted here... I've already converted Couchie.... Nice to have another.

9/10 times i go into the garage on a sunny day, i'll pick up the keys for the lock on the MTB not the KTM.

I've ridden my EMTB for at least an hour nearly every day since I got it, I'm only doing 15mph and it's really good fun, and I can ride it on bridleways and no one gets offended, it's feckin fab, just wear shorts and t shirt, no need to dress up like a Sci-Fi character just to go for a ride.

It's ages since I rode a motorbike, not even convinced I'll keep a road legal motorbike, might just have track bikes.

How often are you charging battery.? Generally, my wife gets 2 rides from one charge, just. One ride being 20 mile ish.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I'm charging the battery about every 40 - 50 miles (mostly on sandy tracks), it's usually down to one bar when I charge it, depends a lot on how I ride it though and I'm already using Turbo less than I was.

[G.P]

I'm really tempted, I've got too much cash wrapped up in Ducatis to spunk £3k on an eMTB right now though
I don't see motorcycling as being mutually exclusive to eMTB-ing but I suppose there are limited number of hours in the day for recreational purposes..

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I bought my EMTB rather than buying a trail motorcycle so it's £2.5K purchase price was a lot less than a new trail bike, and probably less than I would have spent on a 2nd hand trail bike, it's very easy to ride and I'm surprised how much I like the assisted pedalling as a way of applying power to the ground, the feel you get for traction is amazing, it's ability to climb steep slopes is incredible, it's more like a trials motorcycle than an enduro bike.

I don't see it as a bicycle replacement, for me it's a trail bike replacement.

[weeksy]

It's not just a replacement for a trail bike or a trials bike even though as you can use MTBs in so many more places than you can anything with an engine. No-one frowns at you as you're ploughing though the woods, no-one shouts because you've terrified their dog with your noisy engine and the Police, well they don't even exist.

For me it's the silence, the swish of the tyres, the crunching of the leaves, then gravel being flipped up by the tyre, that can't be matched by a motorbike as you're in the fully face bubble with ear plugs in drowning out all the noises...

I'll take the MTB any day still

[millemille]

I bought my EMTB rather than buying a trail motorcycle so it's £2.5K purchase price was a lot less than a new trail bike, and probably less than I would have spent on a 2nd hand trail bike, it's very easy to ride and I'm surprised how much I like the assisted pedalling as a way of applying power to the ground, the feel you get for traction is amazing, it's ability to climb steep slopes is incredible, it's more like a trials motorcycle than an enduro bike.

I don't see it as a bicycle replacement, for me it's a trail bike replacement.

You're not the only one.

I took a mate out mtb'ing a couple of weekends ago, me on my e-mtb and he on his Amish, clockwork, bicycle. He'd been taking the piss all the week before, about having a go on my "old man's bicycle" at the end of the ride....

I said that he was more than welcome to but told him that I absolutely, 100%, guaranteed that if he had a go he would be spending thousands of pounds within hours of getting off it. "No", he says, "won't happen...". (Sound familiar [mention]Couchy[/mention]?)

Get to the first climb and I ride away from him - and I'm not even trying, got it in touring mode and just spinning away - so I stop about half way up and wait for him to catch up. Eventually he rides up and he's blowing out of his arse and he's saying, once he got his breath back, "fucking hell, lockdown's really taken it out of me, I can't believe how unfit I am if you can just ride off like that...".

I don't say a word, just roll my bike towards him and nod at it.

"What, now?" he says. "Yep" I say "But I'll remind you what I said. 100% certain you'll have a go and be buying one...". He laughs at me and gets on.

5 turns of the pedals later he stops, turns round and is so fucking angry I pissed myself laughing "You fucking c**t! This is amazing....". I had to use my tyre levers to prise him off it in the end.

He's sold his year old Husky enduro bike and used the money to buy a Trek Powerfly FS for himself and a powerfly HT for his missus.

[cheb]

I'll give you £500 for that dreadful bitza Kawasaki.

[Mr Moofo]

I will accept that bikes have a place ... but mine MTB is definitely the favour way to exercise. Aiming at doing 100ks a week plus to a) keep being in diabetic remission b) trying to keep being 60 at bay.
Some of the folk I ride with are on ebikes - and if it get people out, great.

[Docca]

Do you feel fitter, [mention]Julian_Boolean[/mention] ? Would you feel as fit with a regular MTB?

I have my eyes on an EMTB, specifically this one: https://www.rutlandcycling.com/bikes/el ... gIjvfD_BwE

I guess the challenge I have is will I have to ride twice as far to get the same level of fitness etc?

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Do I feel fitter, yes, will it get me as fit as a normal bike, no, but for me the reason for buying it was to have fun, not to get fitter, I'm not bothered about how fit I am, I don't want to live a long life, I want to live a fun life.

[weeksy]

Do I feel fitter, yes, will it get me as fit as a normal bike, no,

That's still open to debate... I can see how it would... but can see how it wouldn't.... would depend on how people ride it.

One day i'll ride one and try to ride flat out for an hour, maxing my HR all the way.. i'm not honestly sure it's possible, but it would be fun to find out.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

If you rode at over 15mph everywhere it would get you fitter than a normal bike, because the power cuts out at 15mph and it weighs about twice what a normal bicycle does, it's probably the same weight as one of those old shop bikes.

But I tend to ride between 10 and 15 mph and use the power to climb hills, but as I said I didn't buy it to get fit, I bought it to have fun.

[Dodgy69]

Do I feel fitter, yes, will it get me as fit as a normal bike, no, but for me the reason for buying it was to have fun, not to get fitter, I'm not bothered about how fit I am, I don't want to live a long life, I want to live a fun life.

I want to live a long, fun, healthy life...

Any pedalling will get you fitter, ebikes make it easier. If you have nice lanes or nice trails to use near by, your very lucky. Pedalling in the great outdoors is great for mind and body, getting fitter is a by - product and will hopefully help us all, in our aim for a long, happy, healthy, fun life.

[millemille]

Do I feel fitter, yes, will it get me as fit as a normal bike, no,

That's still open to debate... I can see how it would... but can see how it wouldn't.... would depend on how people ride it.

One day i'll ride one and try to ride flat out for an hour, maxing my HR all the way.. i'm not honestly sure it's possible, but it would be fun to find out.

It depends on where you are riding and what kind of terrain you're riding on....

Proper gnar off-roading in real hilly or mountainous places and you'll be working your arse off. The difference is you'll either be getting up the ups quicker - if it was ride-able on an Amish bike - or riding up stuff that just isn't ride-able (for mortals) on a clockwork bike.

Take Hagg Side Farm climb in the Peak District. Normally ridden as a descent....



...if you choose to ride up - assuming you have the technique and fitness to be able to - on an Amish bike you're looking at 10 to 12 minutes of grinding up it.

6 minutes, or faster, on an ebike.

You will absolutely be blowing out of your arse at the top on both bikes.

[weeksy]

You've never ridden down here LOL.

we have NOTHING like that... when i say nothing, i properly mean nothing at all. We have long climbs, like Butser Hill, which is grass, smooth, like riding on a pool table at 40deg.... rocky, nah, we don't have it... Anywhere down here. LOL.

All this Gnar you talk about, i'd love some of that, but it doesn't exist in the southern wastelands.

[Taff]

Do you feel fitter, @Julian_Boolean ? Would you feel as fit with a regular MTB?

I have my eyes on an EMTB, specifically this one: https://www.rutlandcycling.com/bikes/el ... gIjvfD_BwE

I guess the challenge I have is will I have to ride twice as far to get the same level of fitness etc?

I think the key thing is...

I've ridden my EMTB for at least an hour nearly every day since I got it,

If you enjoy riding so much that you're out every day then fitness is inevitable.
I've found that my average HR is a tad lower on the ebike than the clockwork, which typically means that I ride the ebike for longer and when I'm at the bottom of the hill debating whether or not to go back up for another run, I'm more inclined to go for it and use higher assistance if need be. On the clockwork I would have just gone for coffee