pepperJerome profile

I owned the 2012 then the 2017 Slash and it's funny how similar comments come to mind as I noticed Cam's giant eyeballs in the pictures and I remember the same feeling on stuff going way too fast and saved by this fine piece of technology!

Interesting that you gravitate toward dual crown forks. I am an old school downhiller (current DH 2016 Session 9.9) and my gosh I am also an ebike rider. I currently ride a Kenevo and it has 180mm Boxxers on it and I have not had any issue with turn radius anywhere. I do appreciate the bump stops as it prevents me from jacknifing when I ride in snowy conditions and sometimes get cross rutted.

with new geometry and strong motor, the Kenevo climbs better than any other e-bikes I have owned or tried. It is actually this comfortable riding position and the poppiness of the bike that are the biggest surprise on this bike. Technology is a good thing as it keeps us riding for more years than what we thought when we got into this game.

Also interesting that you did not approach tire/rim technology with some predictions.

Thank you for the article.

Happy Tuesday!

why not a bigger battery?

people who have tested the bike made the comment that the 504 watt battery is a drawback compared to pretty much any other e-mountain bike in that category.

then the next step is a Shore VLT to compete with the Kenevo?

Finally an article I was hoping would be enlightening but got very little out of it.  I am a trailbuilder, I have been working on the same trail for 20 years and this year because of Covid, I had to do a lot more work on my own since we could not congregate. 

I do ride up the trail with my ebike and I do pay attention if someone is coming down. Most people have no idea how capable these bikes are. There are climbs that are impossible on a regular bike, become possible with the right setup. It is always challenging to climb with tools or nails in your pack but it is wayyy faster and less effort compared to hiking in.

The next evolution is building a builder bike with a stronger motor (350 watt instead of 250 watt) keep the speed limit at 32km/hour but give me more torque please!!!!

There are a few options for trailers but most of them are terrifying going downhill (trailer brakes anyone?)

I agree the ebikes will become more and more important not just for mountain bikers but other trail users as well. think about people working in Provincial and Federal parks, they have already inquired about ebikes for trail maintenance and there are a few ideas brewing on how to maximize the trailer use so that it could be used to haul dirt from a pit to a trail section, carry tools, carry rocks or other usage (parts of benches, parts of bridges). there is lots to think about!

Please don't fear change, your 8 speed fully rigid bike is indeed an antique and I am not getting any younger and I will use technology to my advantage any time I can.

On that same note, I do have a single speed bike, it's not 29er, 27.5 or 26 it's a 20 inch wheel BMX that I use at the pumptrack. the right tool for the job!

I think it is also important to highlight that different groups have different needs within the MTB community and the trail users at large. Is this recognized by your MTB association? The more users there are the more challenging it is to have them all play in the same sandbox. I do believe there is a legitimate need to separate certain user groups such as horseback riders and any intermediate and advanced Mountain bike trails as the horses will be spooked by someone coming in too fast and/or I have seen the damage that a horse does when they climb any significant grade if the soil is soft.

Another example is trail runners, when there is a large group of them there tends to be this yo-yo between bikers and runners and quite frankly it really diminishes the experience of being outdoors for both groups.

A good way to make some inroads is  to survey the users for certain areas/trails and be able to present that to the trail advocacy. It is very hard to refute data! if you ask the right questions, you will get a better idea as to where people want to put there money and efforts.