Good arguments both ways, bunch of great points. Nice e-MtB's are fun as hell, as are moto's & e-motos. Commuting by e-bike is smart & eco-sound, when it actually replaces driving... Reducing shuttles & lift needs is also pretty eco-sound, esp. in Europe these days (even though one lift probably has a way lower carbon print than 50 e-Mtb's)
But most irksome, and making me embarrassed to be part of the bike industry is the blatant irresponsibility of the brands selling e-MtB. Rather than $10 a trail, good 'ol public education campaigns and trying to work with anti-MtB outdoors groups to improve MtB access, they are universally spending budgets on "mind-blowing" videos (nice e-legal singletrack, wankers) and high-buck junkets to convince core MtB press that there's no harm coming. This will end badly, starting with trail/area closures and injury lawsuits for people getting in over their heads too quickly.
I get it, bike brands, your sales have been flat for years. Hell, you've had to actually do a good job at P&A just to scrape some margin back into the EBITDA (the horror). I honestly don't care how badly you've been beat down over the years, it's time to be f***ing responsible for once, because Amazon is not going to.
So, as you continue to develop an opinion one way or the other, let's try to predict & prepare for the future, just a little...
Sept. 20, 2018, 2:49 p.m. - redbarn
Good arguments both ways, bunch of great points. Nice e-MtB's are fun as hell, as are moto's & e-motos. Commuting by e-bike is smart & eco-sound, when it actually replaces driving... Reducing shuttles & lift needs is also pretty eco-sound, esp. in Europe these days (even though one lift probably has a way lower carbon print than 50 e-Mtb's) But most irksome, and making me embarrassed to be part of the bike industry is the blatant irresponsibility of the brands selling e-MtB. Rather than $10 a trail, good 'ol public education campaigns and trying to work with anti-MtB outdoors groups to improve MtB access, they are universally spending budgets on "mind-blowing" videos (nice e-legal singletrack, wankers) and high-buck junkets to convince core MtB press that there's no harm coming. This will end badly, starting with trail/area closures and injury lawsuits for people getting in over their heads too quickly. I get it, bike brands, your sales have been flat for years. Hell, you've had to actually do a good job at P&A just to scrape some margin back into the EBITDA (the horror). I honestly don't care how badly you've been beat down over the years, it's time to be f***ing responsible for once, because Amazon is not going to. So, as you continue to develop an opinion one way or the other, let's try to predict & prepare for the future, just a little...