Uphill Flow?
Gary Fisher on E-MTBs
Would you have put money on Gary Fisher? Mark Weir has become a big e-mtb guy as well, after doing a million vertical in a year under his own power, so maybe we shouldn't have been surprised? And maybe Gary is first and foremost a businessman? Anyway - for better or worse - here's what he has to say about electric mountain bikes and uphill flow.
We've never shied away from controversy, and this is a controversial development.
Comments
Andrew Major
7 years ago
The refreshed 80's porno jam in the background and "I invented mountain biking" shtick screams second-coming-of-marketing-to-non-mountain-bikers... BUT, the using-a-random-piece-of-wood-as-a-cheese-plate bit at 1m28s has me totally sold on E~Bikes.
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Mic
7 years ago
Yes....and in Finale Ligure as well, is that Rene Wildhaber offering some Swiss cheese?
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Andrew Major
7 years ago
Looks like a nice Comté Extra... I hope they had a decent Faugères just off the screen because water or Redbull is a shit pairing.
On the other hand cheese and Redbull is a great synonym for E~Bikes.
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Mic
7 years ago
That is interesting. One of the Originals speaking in favour of pedal-assisted biking.
It is really great PR for e-bikes. Uphillflow....without a hr monitor beeping in the red.
It basically opens the doors of biking/mountainbiking for all kinds of people.
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Drinky Crow
7 years ago
cop out
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JVP
7 years ago
Okay, two things. First, this is an ad for Bosch. Second, part of why we ride is that it's hard. Gary: "you know what? E-mountain bike takes away the hard part." Not everything in life is supposed to be easy.
So yeah, when I'm over 70 I want to ride ebikes on easy trails. But not on technical stuff like they show in this vid. If easy is what you're going for, keep it easy.
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cxfahrer
7 years ago
Lifting up an E-Bike is hard work.
Imagine a chairlift in the bikepark. Or a hiking trail in the alps, where you have to lift this hefty bike many times up 6 feet or more....
I think that when I am 70 (12 years to go :D), an E-Bike will be to heavy for me.
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FlipSide
7 years ago
I'm not sure Greg LeMond had eBikes in mind when said this, but his famous quote still fits the discussion: "It doesn't get easier, you just go faster."
:)
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rideitall
7 years ago
Ok a couple of comments on the article and the comments.
Looking back a few years didn't the "freeride" bikes weigh 45lbs to well over 50lbs. Now we have insanely capable DH bikes at well under 35lbs and enduro/trail bikes at 30lbs and under and marathon/XC bikes at 25lbs and under.
What do the e-bikes battery/motor add to the bike 15lbs??? (I have no idea on the weight.) So you take a capable trail bike at 30lbs and now have an e-bike at 45lbs to 55lbs. Will technology bring that down to 40lbs or 35lbs in a number of years while increasing the power and amount of battery at hand. Perhaps like the perpetual motion watches energy from movement is captured and we have e/perpetual movement bikes that keep on going like the energizer bunny, all the while with the option of adding the extra human power to the mix.
The second point of consideration is the impact on trails real or perceived by the non-biking community. Will the e-bikes simply allow greater reaches of our pristine wilderness to be trashed. Not my view, just playing devils advocate.
My thoughts are that I like to struggle and achieve. Will e-bikes take that away? Perhaps to an extend, but maybe they open up another door we have yet to consider. Remember, suspension, disc brakes, dropper posts were all silly non required add-ons to what a bike should be not all that long ago. What's around the next corner.
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Cr4w
7 years ago
Right now it seems pretty black and white to me that we won't allow them. To you point: what happens when something like this becomes a light and effective option?
http://www.vivax-assist.com/en/product/
Something that adds just enough boost to crush those fireroads a little faster, enough to get you a second or third lap but not turn your bike into a monster.
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whatyouthink
7 years ago
did trek marketing have a gun to gary's head to say that?
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