Many years ago, as a person who just learned about electric mountain bikes, I went into reddit for the first time, wondering to get more info about ebikes. As a result, I was really shocked by the truth that there are so many cyclists who convey their disgust and rejection about ebikes.
Okay. It seems they make points.
I'd find a lot of videos comparing electric
mountain bikes to regular mountain bikes, somehow most of reviews are supporting
the popularity of ebikes. But still, there is still some opposition to electric
mountain bikes.
From the worry of safety and the
destruction of the law to the bicycle culture, their dissatisfaction with electric
mountain bikes can be seen clearly. Even they think that electric mountain bikes
should be removed from the mountain bicycle classification.
Electric mountain bikes are like somebody
described, "neither fish nor fowl", "against the original
intention" and "destroy mtb trails", is that right?
Now,
let's see why they make these mistakes.
"Against the original intention".
Some cyclists ride for a simple intention: keeping fit. Unlike most of people
who just use bikes to commute, they classify cycling as a sport. So cycling is
challenging and difficult, while they are enjoying the pain and physical
exertion. A sense of accomplishment will make them keep searching for more
adventure. However, the emergence of the electric mountain bike is like "cheating",
making these satisfaction and happiness be simply denied. As some people say:
If you don't sweat, it ain't sport.
"Neither fish nor fowl". These
people may advocate the so-called "authentic" and have a
fundamentalist paranoia and the pursuit of bicycles. Actually, the definition
of electric mountain bikes is pretty vague. Some of them hate electric mountain
bikes for the dangerous speeds that may break traffic laws. They may support
that electric mountain bikes should be treated like motorcycles.
"Destroy mtb trails". In a lot of arguments against electric mountain bikes, it is common to see an argument that electric mountain bikes destroy local mountain bike trails. An electric mountain bike weighs much more than a regular bike, and its excessive speed and weight may damage the bike lanes when it participates in some activities in the local bike trail.
These reasons may seem reasonable, but it's
easy to find the mistakes.
"Against
the original intention"?
The electric mountain bike starts to work
when battery provides assisted electric power to the motor. The ultimate goal
of the motor is to accelerate, rather than "cheating". Literally it
is not related to the saying "against the original intention of sports".
In fact, electric mountain bikes have
certain requirements for the cadence. Not everyone who is on the saddle can
ride on the difficult terrain easily. People who misunderstand this may never
have ridden an electric mountain bike before. Each electric mountain bike has a
power assisted gear, and what mode of cycling you want is all in the individual
choice of cyclists. It is not so much against the original intention of exercise,
as it reflects the essence of sports: health
and freedom. Be free to change the riding mode, and at the same time to
achieve the goal of exercise. Some people even suggest that riders use electric
mountain bikes for endurance training and practising bike-control. It seems
that electric mountain bikes are not some kind of "cheating", but the
things which can help professional riders for daily training and rehabilitation
after injury. In 2019, the UCI introduced the electric mountain bike project, which
also showed the Competitiveness of the electric mountain bike to the world.
"Neither
fish nor fowl"?
What exists is reasonable. The birth of the
electric mountain bike shows that someone in the cycling world needs it. I
can't force an ebike hater who has a paranoid pursuit of "regular"
bicycles to change his opinion, but can explain that electric mountain bikes
shouldn’t be classified as motorcycles. Electric mountain bikes were born with
a mission, which is starting for older cyclists and people with insufficient
physical strength, making them have the same cycling experience as other
cyclists. Instead of worrying about its speed, accepting these people to electric
mountain bikes would be better.
The birth of electric mountain bikes has
partly expanded the group size of cyclists. Many people who beef with electric
mountain bikes would not refute this: the expansion of the group size of
cyclists makes it easier for them to speak out. If they still have a
fundamentalist xenophobic tendency towards electric mountain bikes, their rights
and interests expression path will become increasingly narrow.
"Destroy
mtb trails"?
When it comes to such problems, many people
attribute the damage of mtb trails to the electric mountain bike for its speed
and weight. But clearly it's not the electric mountain bike but the trails
construction and maintenance which should be blamed. Many countries and
localities do not welcome bicycles, and even the amount of professional
mountain bike trails is negligible, not to mention the trails specially used
for electric mountain bikes. What we need to do is to unite and speak out for
the benefit of the cycling community, improve the local mtb trails and call for
more ebike trails.
The truth is, many manufacturers are
improving the weight and speed of the electric mountain bikes, making them get
with the corresponding trails. Such as Frey Bike, who classify ebikes according
to different road conditions, has 3 types named SAVANNAH - to the city, LIBERTY
- to the trail and VOYAGER - to the mountain,
which combine all the choice of terrains. No matter where you go, these series
will always meet your needs.
We are living in an era when new technology
helps people live better than ever, and it's proven by the birth and population
of electric mountain bikes. Regardless of those arguments, the development of
electric mountain bikes will be more perfect, and I'm looking forward to the
day when they were widely recognized by cyclists.
We sincerely hope everyone can Free Ride
& Enjoy Yourself!
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