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E-MTB - who is it for?

E-MTB - who is it for?


Mick, Miriam and Phil from the Cycle SuperStore, courtesy of Niall from Biking.ie took out 3 of the brand new Lapierre Overvolt FS 400 Electric Mountain Bikes for test-ride.

Mick and Miriam are both seasoned MTB riders while Phil had never been on one in his life. The idea was to get opinions from both sides of the fence on what this new craze is like first hand.

On one side we'd have a complete rookie with no bias toward the conventional system, on the other, two purists who would either make or break the concept of E mountain biking.

First of all, a little bit about our riders:

Mick: Mick has been racing MTB for over 20 years and has a wealth of experience. He is well known around the circuit here in Ireland and in 2014 placed 3rd in the European Marathon Champs.

Miriam: Miriam is a downhill racer and has been riding MTB since 2007. Her biggest achievement to date was a multi day solo all mountain style bike ride in Moab, Utah. She has recently returned to Ireland having worked and raced in Canada and is looking forward to racing 2016 in Ireland.

Phil: Phil has never ridden a mountain bike in his life but is useful enough on a TT and road bike. Interestingly, his view on MTB was that he'd be interested to give it a go just to see if he likes it. This is one of the main things potential buyers say when they first look at electric bikes.

So, as you can see a very diverse background between the trio.

Riding an E-Bike

The three guys took some live footage using GoPro and Phil and Micks Strava data can be seen here also.
From it, you can see the speeds they can get up to.



Conclusion

E-MTB's are FUN. Nobody is trying to reinvent mountain biking here. Electric mountain bikes will simply allow more people to get into the sport which in our books is a good thing.
One thing that is consistent every single time someone rides one for the first time is the loud shrill that they all let out as they first pedal. When that propulsion system kicks in at the start it is a real buzz.

"I phoned my dad later that evening to inform him of a way we can now take to the trails together" – Miriam on Monday back at work.

"Electric cars are shit, electric motorbikes are shit, these things are awesome" – a passerby on the trails who asked us if he could have a go. (He was riding a Cyclocross bike)

"I don't think mountain biking is for me, but I'm delighted I got to take to the trails with riders of Mick and Miriams standard and see what it is they do without being left behind" – Phil after testing the FS 400.

Who is Electric Mountain Biking for?

  • Newbies - helps to cut out 'the climb' and introduce beginners to mountain biking
  • Enduro riders - Bike can be used for general decent training plus to recce stages for upcoming races.
  • Downhillers - get multiple downhill runs in without the need of a lift service.
  • Tourists - allows people to cover more distance in remote locations with limited time
  • New age demographic - bike will allow older people to stay in the sport longer
  • Injury/ illness – Mountain bikers returning from injury or illness can get a helping hand

Bikes used

We have used Lapierre Overvolt FS 400 Electric Bike
E-Mountain Bikes Range can be found here.


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