It's embarrassing but I've injured myself riding uphill before, and I didn't need an e-bike to do it. Your friend that did so could probably have managed that injury just as well without a motor.
I get the point you're trying to make but I don't see it bearing itself out in real life. The thing about riding uphill too fast is that if you run out of skill, you'll also run off the trail if it's even halfway technical. And if it's not a technical climb, it won't be tight and narrow - not an error people will make often. On the way down, you're usually not pedaling and speed in technical trail sections has a way of reminding you when you're out of talent, usually faster than you run out of trail.
April 21, 2020, 9:29 p.m. - Pete Roggeman
It's embarrassing but I've injured myself riding uphill before, and I didn't need an e-bike to do it. Your friend that did so could probably have managed that injury just as well without a motor. I get the point you're trying to make but I don't see it bearing itself out in real life. The thing about riding uphill too fast is that if you run out of skill, you'll also run off the trail if it's even halfway technical. And if it's not a technical climb, it won't be tight and narrow - not an error people will make often. On the way down, you're usually not pedaling and speed in technical trail sections has a way of reminding you when you're out of talent, usually faster than you run out of trail.