Shimano Brings E-Bikes to America
Here’s the deal: Electric bikes are coming. I happen to believe that staying informed about the process is in our best interest as mountain bikers. BUT: this does not mean I am advocating for E bikes, nor that I think they should be allowed on singletrack near you. If you are making that leap you may as well stop reading now and proceed directly to writing snarky comments about me below this article and on social media. Other publications have taken the head-in-the-sand approach to e-bikes, and that’s fine, but I believe in being informed. Pretending your daughter isn’t having sex won’t stop her from getting knocked up.
Does this look like a mountain bike? Well it’s not. Especially now that the suspension fork has been removed. And now that the flask and front rack were added.
Shimano launched Steps, their pedal-assist electric system in Europe last August but they decided to wait until Sea Otter this year to introduce it to nervous North American riders. Interbike would have been a perfect opportunity but Shimano decided to put the brakes on until now.
This should all look familiar if you have seen the Bosch system. Weight is kept low and power can only be added to your pedal stroke. There is no throttle option.
Shimano’s approach at Laguna Seca was to display custom built examples of bikes that could handle the system, but a pure mountain bike was not on display. At least not one with suspension. The Sycip bike pictured initially had a suspension fork on it but Shimano had it removed to avoid any confusion. The representative I spoke to told me that Shimano won’t sell the system to be implemented on a mountain bike intended for the North American market. At least not yet. The company wants to wait until the issue is more settled before entering the fray. The explanation I heard is that Shimano does things by the book, and since the legalities aren’t fully determined, they are going to wait.
The display and thumb control (at left).
It’s likely other factors are keeping Shimano on the E-MTB sidelines for now. On this side of the pond E-mountain bikes have been welcomed like seal clubbers at Greenpeace headquarters. The mere mention of them incites bile and vitriol like no issue our sport has ever seen. The PR people at Shimano know this and that is likely part of the motivation behind their careful approach.
Shimano’s co-conspirators are shown here – with one notable exception you can see at top left. Someone who is planning to enter the fray (these decisions are made years in advance) got cold feet at the last minute. Apparently it was too late to re-print the sign.
The bike companies who intend to build Shimano-powered bikes for the North American market were displayed on a sign in the Shimano booth, but one company seems to have had cold feet. The top name, just to the right of Trek, is covered by a piece of cardboard. One company who has plans to build Pedelec bikes with the Steps system asked to have their name removed, but not soon enough to have the poster re-printed.
The guts of the system.
I didn’t ask many questions about the system but it’s likely to be very good. I do know that, to conform to US regulations, the system is speed-limited to 19.9 mph. Above that there is no option to engage the motor without turning the pedals.
How long before we see a Shimano Steps-equipped mountain bike?
Comments
InsurgentInMin
8 years, 11 months ago
Once you ride a good electric bike, you'll know why they're the future - especially for commuters.
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older
8 years, 11 months ago
To answer the first picture question, I seem to remember a time when mountain bikes had no suspension. So yes it does look like a mountain bike. Honestly, back when mountain bikes had no suspension, mountain biking took so much skill that there were few trail access conflicts. You couldn't descend very fast on hiking trails so hikers never got persnickety, and there were so few mountain bikers because of the skill involved, that we were never on any nasty bureaucrats radar. Fast forward to today where suspension's so good you can blast down a trail fast enough to seriously maim yourself or others. But that's not enough, trails are getting widened bermed and generally dumbed down so you can go even faster and jump even higher. So really the only biker who can legitimately criticize an e bike is someone who still rides rigid on the shore. Everyone else, myself included, uses a riding aid like suspension. So I can't h8 on anything that makes riding easier, cause I'm guilty of using all sorts of stuff to make mountain biking easy.
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trek eats ballsacks
8 years, 11 months ago
Why is Trek screwing us so hard these days? What did we ever do to you?
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YYC
8 years, 11 months ago
Interesting that Shimano goes with the seemingly clunky bottom bracket - crank - frame - massive battery combo for this application vs. a sleek seat-tube motor retrofit kit. The seat tube motor gives out ~100W for 60min - more of a pedal assist than an e-bike/e-motorbike but would fit most needs. If you need the bike the pedal for you, is it still cycling?
Current interface only works with Shimano cranks and is far cleaner than buying yet another bike.
vivax-assist.com
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Dan
8 years, 11 months ago
The interface looks less than stiff, too. For a full-on trail bike experience, one would want a burlier frame and motor integration… so it's clear to me that Shimano isn't pitching this as a viable ATB.
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Kaz Yamamura
8 years, 11 months ago
Got passed by an e-bike just yesterday biking home from school. Here I am busting my ass up a hill on my 9-speed bike, and a guy non chalantly passes me without breaking a sweat. I thought his posture seemed to upright to be biking up a hill, and then I saw the the pedal assist motor.
It's an inexpensive way to get around, I just hope they keep the speeds regulated so they aren't passing non-assisted bikers dangerously on the roads
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Matt
8 years, 11 months ago
Absolutely perfect for commuters, less mobile folks out on gravel paths etc. It's when they start putting this stuff on full suspension bikes like Lapierre has done that I start to worry about assholes getting a new outlet for their desire to ruin nice things. It looks like we're a long way from that in North America though, which is comforting.
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Big D
8 years, 11 months ago
absolutely brilliant, these things will bring out a new and sizable segment of people who would rather commute on a bike but frankly are not up for a workout at 6 am. Are there people who are confusing this with a tool for the trails? Because it has the same basic dimensions as a mountain bike? Settle down….
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Dan
8 years, 11 months ago
I'll add that it has the capacity to talk people out of their cars. That to me is the right application for e-assist. Less cars is a win. I don't care one bit about being passed or how much they are or are not sweating. I just want to see fewer cars, and more people in the open air.
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Rob Stead
8 years, 11 months ago
I like this stance. Articles discussing the technology and approach taken by manufacturers to e-bikes are fine by me, but I have no interest in reading reviews and plugs of e-bike products themselves.
But come on. You expect us to believe you didn't take a peek behind the tape covering that one logo?!
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Cam McRae
8 years, 11 months ago
I actually didn't notice it until I looked at the photos. I guess the contrast between California sun and the relative darkness under the tent affected my vision.
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Cranky
8 years, 11 months ago
Square Taper Cranks… don't worry they wont last too long on the trails anyways..
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Dan
8 years, 11 months ago
Good point. I've gotta think that's the Shimano engineers talking with their legal team and vice-versa.
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OldManBike
8 years, 11 months ago
I disagreed with your choice back in November to do an e-bike review. I have no problem with this article.
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Just Askin
8 years, 11 months ago
If it's not intended to be a mtb - then I suppose it's intended more as a commuter/cruiser/gravel bike…? But in that case - why does it need what appears to be balloon sized (3.0?) tires? Just being trendy? Seems if it's not a mountain bike - those size tires aren't necessary, and half the horsepower is going to be needed to offset the extra rotational weight of tires. A little inconsistent if you ask me.
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Cam McRae
8 years, 11 months ago
To be clear, these bikes were all custom built as examples of how the system could be used. And that bike was intended as a go anywhere, get around sort of a bike. That way if your commute included a trail it would be no problem. A fine line for sure - but these bikes were only for the display rather than production.
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tuskalooa
8 years, 11 months ago
Saw an e-mtb on the road (commuting) the other day, the rider just pootled along overtook a roadie and no one noticed and all was well!
Frankly, if it gets more people out and enjoying themselves why not? Saw quite a few people on e bikes in France last summer exploring the countryside. Thought it was a great idea.
Doubt I'd get one unless my knees or health gives way. But then again I'm happy to push my bike up an ascent. Cannot see why anyone would perceive them as a threat to the sport.
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kain0m
8 years, 11 months ago
They are a bit of a danger for areas where trail access is a bit shaky. It blurs the line betwen bicycles and motorbikes, at least for people outside the sport…
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Jerry Willows
8 years, 11 months ago
there is no debate.. e-bikes are motorbikes.
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nvmtber
8 years, 11 months ago
You can say they are motorbikes all you like. Technically you are not wrong. But the reality is that they are a new class of motorbike and their performance (top speed, etc.) is closer to that of a regular bike than a traditional motorbike. Clearly the debate continues (see Norona's post below). I personally don't want to see them on trails either, but painting the situation in black and white terms is not going to help win this fight. Until land managers come out with clear definitions and rules (as in Moab), this debate will continue to take place.
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Big D
8 years, 11 months ago
seriously other than riding a dirt road this would be useless. Not like that tiny motor is going to blast you up a steep climb. This is a non issue. It's a commuter.
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kain0m
8 years, 11 months ago
You'd be surprised how much oomph they offer. My Father has a 250W Panasonic drive in his bike, and despite him being a heavy smoker, he absolutely would kick my ass on climbs. Riding this thing feels like riding a tandem, but without the weight of a second rider. I'd guess I could climb about 3000 ft per hour with his bike…
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kain0m
8 years, 11 months ago
In Europe, we already have a definition for that. Basically, it is a motor assisted bicycle. Back in the days you couls get these things with a tiny two- stroke on the chain… limited to 25kph (16mph), no license plates or drivers license required. Same rule was applied to ebikes as well, which is why they are slower in Europe than in the US.
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el_jefe
8 years, 11 months ago
I have already seen a full mtb version ridden/demo'd on Fromme… I'm certainly anti-e-bike-on-singletrack.
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ashroadadam1 .
8 years, 11 months ago
What Norona post? You're dead on nvmtber- making it black and white will not help. We need to clearly distinguish gravel path riding, from street riding, from trail riding. The big issue about trail applications is the weight and power of the bike and its associated impact on the trails, and the potential to have ninnies blasting uphill on singletrack head on into oncoming traffic. Second is the issue of unseasoned riders getting in over their heads. You make power accessible to all, there will be consequences. You learn how to generate and control power incrementally; less problems. These are specific issues, and saying E-bikes are great because some family uses them to bond at Lost Lake is no better than saying E-bikes are bad because someone saw a dude being a douche-bag on their local trail.
Critics and advocates both need to be specific about the particular usages and applications they are referring to in their respective plugs. Likewise, manufacturers should be scrutinized closely so they don't use foot-in-the-door arguments for unrestrained expansion of e-bikes, saying that getting older or disabled riders is the key feature, when all they really care about is selling more and more and more, regardless of physical abilities.
You don't have to be pro-Ebike or anti-Ebike. The civil discussion of these products will benefit most from conscientious and contextualized debate. My biggest peeve is that I have yet to hear the manufacturers contribute anything meaningful whatsoever to such a conversation, other than their bloated more more more and excellent-freedom-speed-accessibility all-is-awesome Kool-aid sell-job. I won't hate on Ebikes as a whole, but screw the pricks that are pushing them without conscience or mindfulness to their potential impacts.
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Meister
8 years, 11 months ago
I think you are a hater of e-bikes.Therefore I have to ask the question do you shuttle or drive to your destination to ride? Maybe your just afraid your Strava time will suffer. I for one think it's great to be able to ride to your destination, be able to do a couple of laps on your favorite dh trail and ride back home. When you think about it, you won't be using power on the way down a trail and when your riding single track your still pedaling. Trails won't get damaged the way people believe, its a false sense. Horses and people skidding and blowing up berms like in the videos do way more damage!!!
Yes granted there will be some people who will be the exception that find it necessary to screw around and damage the trails. The majority will use an e-bike to help them cross long distance and uphill, not tear apart there fav trails. Your arguments are like when bikes first started showing up on hiking trails remember those days? E-bikes will be the future learn to deal with and respect them as the riders of e-bikes are sure to do.
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Jerry Willows
8 years, 11 months ago
Hater or not, E-bikes are motorbikes.. I applaud Moab for banning them and definitely are not the future.
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