Buy a ebike, work on my fitness or a lightweight full suss

[Hugo Stiglitz]

Firstly the title can read anti ebike. No. At somepoint I'll get a ebike.


However, I've not ridden properly (at all) for months. Today I rode the Surrey Hills and watched someone zip past me on an ebike.

I'm spanked. Absolutely warn out. I could have dozed off at the end of the ride.

Should I concentrate on regaining my leg strength etc or cut to the chase, whilst riding more get a Specialized Levo SL?

I currently ride a ti hardtail 29er. I could do with some squish, the other thinking is get a light short travel full sus frame and swap all the bits over. Stumpjumper?

Anyone else been through this, facing the regain fitness uphill battle and thinking I could do with some help? Persevered? Or relented? It's 5k to spend if I go electric!

[LukeSi]

Get a full fat Ebike rather than one of the "inbetween ones".
It means you can make the ride as easy or as hard as you want.

[paulwf]

Several people I ride with are fitter and slimmer since getting an ebike as they get out far more often.

I am in my early 40s and still pretty fit, but a several hour ride wipes me out for at least a couple of days now

I like the SL, but if you want to do all day rides then it won't be enough

[smn159]

Depends how much you want to put into your training.

If you can get out (or onto Zwift) regularly / a few times a week, the leg strength will build quickly. If you ride occasionally / not consistently then an ebike might be better.

[LordHaveMurci]

I’m not anti e-bike but for me, off road, they are far too heavy to have any real fun on.

Your riding may be very different to mine, as may your views on it.

[Hugo Stiglitz]

I'm thinking Levo SL as I hired a Trek Rail a while back for a ride back in the Peaks.

I found the brakes couldn't cope with mine/it'd weight combined and the suspension struggled (no feeling of finese).

It might have been it was a hire bike so possibly tired however I had the feeling it felt like a big heavy lump on berms/drops etc.

I wouldn't be riding for 7 hours (does anyone nowadays have that much time?!)

And I'd need to wheels off load it into my car boot.

[CheesecakeRunner]

Buy upgrades, or ride up grades. Your choice.

[cowboyengineer]

I would buy an electric bike. You will have more fun, ride faster/further in the same time and will be just as tired if you were riding a normal bike. As for the brakes, you get what you pay for. I’m really heavy and ride relatively quickly and still have confidence in my brakes

[LF5335]

Personal experience and opinions, so someone will be along soon to tell me I’m talking b******s, but just what I’ve experienced.

I’m in my mid-50s and started mountain biking more or less from scratch about 5 years ago. I started with something that I just bought on a whim via Facebook and really enjoyed it. However, soon decided that I wanted more and bought a year old carbon hardtail for back in the UK, then went to a full suspension Stumpjumper 3 years ago and still absolutely love it. My fitness is probably better than it’s ever been in my life currently. However, I’ve noticed the climbs where I live are just getting a bit too much and I’m not enjoying it, so have picked up an e-bike having borrowed a friends several times.

I’ve gone for a 750wh battery as I plan on doing long rides with big climbs to maintain / improve my fitness. Personally, I’d say buy whatever will mean you go out and ride. One long ride every fortnight is no use compared to 10 30 minute rides over the same timeframe.

As for those saying e-bikes don’t give you any feel or whatever, I’d suggest that the reviewers in magazines are at a far higher riding standard than many on here. I’ve raced MX bikes & enduro bikes though, so may be biased with feel and weight arguments.

[Hugo Stiglitz]

I'm with you. Totally but not on bike mag reviewers.


Having met and ridden with a fair few over the years put me off buying mags or reading their reviews years ago.

[LF5335]

Hugo Stiglitz said:

I'm with you. Totally but not on bike mag reviewers.


Having met and ridden with a fair few over the years put me off buying mags or reading their reviews years ago.

That’s fair enough, like I said, I may be talking b******s. I don’t think reviewers are better than everyone, but certainly better than many on here who will be parroting stuff without really knowing what they’re saying. A lot of stuff in the car sections reads like that.

[ruggedscotty]

e bike....

did wonders for me, and got out and about a lot more with it, used it for a commute in and out of work broxburn to Edinburgh loved it..... 26 miles a day 5 days a week.....

[Hugo Stiglitz]

What do you both ride? Ebike wise.

[ruggedscotty]

not a mountain bike a merida commuter 500w

[LF5335]

I’ve bought a Mondraker Level RR, but I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie and downhill is what I really enjoy. The battery power is to get me up to the top of the hills that I’m struggling with a bit at the moment. Probably overkill, but as I’ve said, it gets me out on the bike a lot and means I’m not dying with aches and pains the next day.

[LordHaveMurci]

Hugo Stiglitz said:

I'm with you. Totally but not on bike mag reviewers.


Having met and ridden with a fair few over the years put me off buying mags or reading their reviews years ago.

[cowboyengineer]

Hugo Stiglitz said:

What do you both ride? Ebike wise.

I have a commencial meta hardtail as my electric bike, i don't actually like the bike, however i'm saving up for a nicolai full sus electric bike. hopefully will have it in time for april next year.

When i uplift or ride down hill i use my normal nicolai full sus

[fredd1e]

Whether or not you'll get fitter using an ebike vs a lung powered MTB is subject to how you will ride the ebike. If its on the same trails for the same distance/time then you'll likely not gain fitness except if you use it in minimal assist mode. Thats what i found with my recent swap from Full sus lung powered to a rather nice Mondi Crafty ebike. If I want to get the same/similar strava effort I used to get on my analogue rides, I have to add in additional difficult climbs that tax my legs and lungs on the lowest level of assist needed to clear them and to ride farther . Even then I see more time in the lower HR ranges than I did on the analogue rides. I'm not saying its not possible but perhaps more thought is needed on where and how you ride trails rather than it happening organically because they only way to move forward/up involved just legs/lungs and mechanical gears. PS The Mondi is lots of fun though slightly less nimble (weight and its a longer slacker geo than my old bike) I've not chipped it so once at max assist of 16mph the only way I'm going faster is if I pedal harder /faster this means my local downward trails are only moderately quicker than I was analogue powered but the uphils are far easier even in low assist mode, hence the need to ride challenging upward trails to compensate usually ones I couldn't clear under my own steam as they maxed out my cardio capacity.

[mike9009]

ruggedscotty said:

e bike....

did wonders for me, and got out and about a lot more with it, used it for a commute in and out of work broxburn to Edinburgh loved it..... 26 miles a day 5 days a week.....

Same here. I don't go every day on my 26 mile daily commute but at least 50% of the time. I am late 40's and I think the commute would have killed me on a normal bike.....

I have done 2500 miles in ten months, lost a stone in weight, (now 11.5 stone), toned up and still love cycling in without feeling too knackered.

Edit, just in response to the post above about assistance. I always have my bike (Giant Fathom E+3) on max assistance. I don't stop pedalling for 13 miles in 43 minutes. My heart rate is probably a little high. I just want to get to work as quickly as possible without killing myself. I will rely on the assistance up the hills and then have enough energy to charge along the flat and downhill too. I very rarely freewheel.

Edited by mike9009 on Thursday 6th October 21:16

[nickfrog]

LordHaveMurci said:

I’m not anti e-bike but for me, off road, they are far too heavy to have any real fun on.

Your riding may be very different to mine, as may your views on it.

I know what you mean you lose a little "finesse" and "feel".

But not much IME. I have a YT Decoy 29 and it is very good fun either on the South Downs or BPW. If anything it was more fun at BPW than my 13kg FS Mondraker. And you didn't have to take the smelly bus! Even the climb was fun.

But the kicker is, you do twice as many downhills wherever you are, if not 3 times. You can just do loops as you climb back so much quicker and you can choose to not be totally knackered at the trail head!