person doing an emtb ride, emtb tips, caroline washam Liv Cycling
My first time riding an electric mountain bike , I was so excited that I forgot some of the basic rules of mountain biking . I found myself tackling a technical rocky climb, but by the time I got to the top of it, I had lost all my speed and traction. At that point, not even the e-assist was able to help me, so I had to put my foot down to avoid tipping over and falling onto the rocks, brush, and cacti on the side of the trail. My mistake? I was in the wrong gear . So basic!
With the range of assist modes electric mountain bikes have to offer, it is easy to feel overconfident and think you can just power through most obstacles, but the rules of shifting still apply. On that occasion, I was in the middle of my cassette when I should have been in a lighter gear and ready to shift to an even lighter one as I approached the toughest part of the climb . Being on the wrong gear was one of a few mistakes I made as I got used to the new ride, but after some time playing and sessioning, it soon started to feel just like any other capable MTB—just electric .
If you decide to give eMTBs a shot, get ready to see more trails and session more features, but don’t forget that you are still riding […]
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