Posted by: bux-bux
Funny how the MTB community/industry seems to have a major woody for ebikes. Yet in the road and gravel community they are pretty much no where to be seen.
It's hard to love road riding and gravel riding without liking to train. I've never heard of a roadie getting shuttled to the top of Seymour so they can descend the road. In fact, the descents and flats in the tour are just the placeholders between climbs. E bikes don't really jive with that vibe.
I wonder how many of the mtb riders who are in favour of e bikes have any road/gravel background? Vs those who are anti e bikes. I suspect that riders with more experience on road and gravel will have less interest in e bikes of any sort, but I don't have any evidence.
The fact that mtb climbs tend to be pretty challenging and the downs so much fun makes ebikes a more natural fit in mtb than other disciplines (for some riders). I just bought a power meter for my road bike rather than investing in any sort of electric motor, so you can all guess what camp I belong to. I've never been one to shuttle or take the lift, so I can't imagine what interest an e bike would hold for me.
I am happy ebikers enjoy their activity. The one thing I wish they could stop is being amazed at what they can ride. What did they think was going to happen when they strapped 1000 extra watts to their drivetrain? I think what they really find amazing is that it still feels like cycling to them? I find it so annoying for the reviewers to all wonder at what they can do while riding an ebike. "It's amazing, I did 3 laps in the time it takes to do two" or "I made it up that really hard climb". Kinda obvious. I actually appreciate the focus specialized has put into making the e help be seamless or less dramatic with their lighter weight options. It shows that they realize the real trick is convincing cyclists they are still riding a bike. May not be for me but I can appreciate others may like it.