A thought and confess from a FREYBIKE rider:

 

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.

The news about E-MTB in UCI

 

"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.

FREY EVOLVE is designed for more high end specs at a great price

 

"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 you can Free Ride & Enjoy Yourself!