As you might’ve noticed, class 1 e-bike specs are on the rise. Though the Avinox M2S is just the latest motor to push the envelope, power and torque specs have been creeping up over the past several seasons. And though speeds are locked in at 20mph for class 1 eMTBs in the USA, in Europe, the limit is just 15.5mph, which some riders argue is still too high, depending on the trail.
We want to know whether you think any of the latest e-bike specs are too high for trail use, and whether you’re an e-rider yourself.
Bonus: If you could increase or decrease just one e-bike spec, which one would it be?
62 Comments
2 weeks ago
I'm 81 and am able to continue MTB riding because I have a class 1 bike with 750 watt battery 64 nm torque and this is more than I need.
While we all know it's not the bike but the riders who tear up trails and intimidate other trail users, putting more performance on bike will only worsen the situation.
Manufacturers are also core villains. They are like coke addicts. As long as they can sell more and more performance they'll do it until they kill the hand that feeds them
That hand is the entire MTB sphere. Land managers will outlaw the whole thing!
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My concern is not with e-bikes in general, but with where the line is drawn. We're humans. We like bigger, stronger, faster!! And if you stick a motor on it, it becomes difficult to prevent the next step: higher-output motors, faster assisted riding, which in turn will lead to more conflict with hikers and traditional cyclists, and eventually pressure to accommodate machines that are functionally closer to motorcycles.
This is the epitome of a slippery slope. And many of us saw this coming.
That said, I am supportive of responsible limited e-bike use, especially where it replaces the current use of a motorized "thing" (e.g. internal combustion engine, alpine chairlifts).
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So we should choose wisely. Loopholes in current regulations should be closed, so that other stakeholders will trust the revised regulations. What are the loopholes? Bad incentives include rewarding, or failing to penalize, companies that push overpowered e-bikes and e-motos onto roads and trails everywhere. Stealth moves include e-bikes that civilians can't easily distinguish from muscle-powered bikes. Incremental exploitations include pushing massive torque into existing e-bike designs, just because that hasn't been outlawed yet.
Greed is good? Trail hogs win? Some of us enjoy the forests to get a break from all that.
2 weeks ago
Speaking of which, when it comes to automobiles, those driven by motorists over 80 are more than thrice as likely to cause a fatal accident per mile driven, as compared to every other decade past 30. (Of course teenagers also have accidents at high rates.) So I do not think it is a given that we must accommodate age with ever more powerful motors. It is a sadly inescapable fact that senses deteriorate, bones weaken, and reaction times increase as father time comes for all of us.
I marked power as the metric that my intuition finds excessive, but that's purely subjective. It just seems strange to give anyone over 750w because many young, healthy, fit individuals enjoy trail riding without ever exceeding that number under their own power.
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So help me understand this argument, which you and several others have made. Why is it necessary to add a motor to assist? I think people are confusing accessibility with capability - they are not the same thing.
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I have had many outings with older relatives where I'm on my leg-powered mtb and they're on eMTBs. I'm actually faster than all of them in 90% of the situations we're in. It allows all of us to get out on the trails and enjoy something we love all together. It's pretty awesome. Being a blanket snob about eMTBs without any sort of nuance is silly. Be happy for people who want to keep getting out on the trails and have a good time.
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As I see it, the key distinction is that mountain biking, like soccer, basketball, trail running, hiking, or ultimate frisbee,etc. has traditionally been a human-powered activity. We do not allow motors into those sports simply because the motor might allow someone to perform like a stronger, faster, or younger participant. A powered assist changes the very nature of the activity.
Plus we already have a category for motorized recreation: *motorcycles!* If someone wants motorized trail access, that is a separate conversation, and it should happen in spaces designed, managed, and regulated for motorized use. But once we say motors are acceptable on non-motorized MTB trails because they “only simulate a stronger rider,” it becomes very difficult to explain where the line is. More power for pedal assist? Throttle assist? Heavier bikes? Higher speeds? Different classes of e-bikes? That is the slippery slope concern.
This is not about whether slower riders should be accommodated or whether stronger riders should be punished. It is about whether motorized equipment belongs in a non-motorized trail system. I would ask the same question in any other sport: why should MTB be treated differently from soccer, basketball, ultimate frisbee, or trail running? None of those activities allow motor assistance just because it might help someone keep up.
And I am not a snob. I am, however, critical, which I believe is a necessary component of any discourse. Merely saying "Now let other people be happy..." ignores the issues and is frankly a bit maudlin.
2 weeks ago
2 weeks ago
My argument is that pedal-assisted motorbikes are not apples, oranges, pears, or anything else in the human-powered fruit basket. They belong to the meat section.
I understand that the idea of using a motor to help someone ride farther, faster, or with stronger riders can sound benevolent. In some cases, it may even be well-intentioned. But that does not mean it belongs in every recreational space that was designed around human effort. We do not need to retrofit every activity so that a motor can make participants “more capable.” Sometimes the defining feature of the activity is the absence of a motor.
*AND* it is not as if people lack options. There are already plenty of motorized recreational activities that individuals can enjoy with friends family and loved ones. They have existed for decades. They are fun!
After reading the Singletracks article, I think there is yet another reason to keep non-motorized trail systems exactly that: non-motorized. At some point, the distinction has to mean something, or we are just pretending the fruit basket also includes a Kawasaki Ninja.😔
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It's no skin off your back whether someone is traveling 15 to 20 through muscle power alone or motor assist, functionally it's the same. Everyone has their own hobbies and goals, we just need to respect each other and enjoy what we want as we will.
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In the 70’s there were “clunkers” with no gears and no suspension. In the 80’s rear suspension was added. In the 90’s full suspension came about. In the 90’s some early e-bikes we developed but it took until the 2010’s and beyond for them to become more practical and widespread.
All of these changes were made to make the sport/activity easier, more accessible, and more enjoyable.
The are still guys racing MTB on single speed. How about, choose your own adventure and coexist???
2 weeks ago
And one more thing, right to repair is very important! We need to be able to fix this stuff locally!
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As far as 1 improvement, would be weight/ range. Lower weight or more range.
Power doesn't need to be above 750w, in my opinion.
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I think we can all agree that if it's got a throttle, it's not a bicycle anymore.
2 weeks ago