Talk about love-hate: e-bikes are brilliant for blitzing around trails but they bring problems like trail damage, poor etiquette and a data obsession too
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E-bikes are pretty amazing, aren’t they? Amazing for all those extra descents you can cram into precious ride time and the fact that you can blast up climbs while barely breaking a sweat.
What’s not to love when e-bikes open up terrain previously out of bounds for older, less fit, and less able riders? Or how a the best electric mountain bikes are perfect for exploring places you previously wouldn’t have bothered busting a lung — or pushing up a steep hill — just to check out? E-bikes are bloomin brilliant when done right, letting you get in more laps and more grins E-bikes smash over rough ground without bucking novice riders and never fail to put a big grin on your face. They add bonus DH laps and give riders that sneaky sense — like a naughty kid — that somehow, you’re kind of getting away with it.
But, like the yin to any yang, nothing’s really free. The rise of e-bikes is transforming everything about the way we ride. Their popularity proves that e-bikes offer riders exactly what they want, but gorging on tasty trail treats too quickly can feel a bit like eating ultra-processed food. You get the immediate sugar-rush high, but it lacks the wholesome, hard-earned satisfaction of a human-powered bike. Mick Kirkman is a man in love with […]
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