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The line between bicycles and motorcycles has been slowly blurring lately, but this year in particular saw a huge jump in the number of motorized bicycles at the show. And while they've long had a place in the commuter market, I'm not sure this is the best direction to be taking with mountain bikes. Trail access is tough enough as it is...
Credit
Lee Trumpore
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More New MTB Products from the Taipei Cycle Show Day 2
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14 comments

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fiveacres
12 years ago
Stop this nonsense.
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LTrumpore
12 years ago
You all raise good points, and I'll be the first to admit that fear of the unknown is a big contributor to my own skepticism. However, one thing to keep in mind is that this is first and foremost a show for the Asian cycling market. That means dozens upon dozens of commuter bikes, folding bikes, micro bikes, and most recently electric bikes. Many of which will never leave this side of the planet but will be purchased in huge numbers in cities across Asia.
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F1234K
12 years ago
Yeah, I have to agree that I don't see this sort of bike becoming main stream in Australia anytime soon. But then again, it appears as if the Aussie groms still believe Rockshox and Fox are the only 2 suspension companies out there

This particular company (Haibike) is German. They make a massive range of E-Bikes (as do a ton of other European bike manufacturers).

Pedal assist bikes seem to be quite popular in Europe as well. My feeling is that America, Australia, New Zealand etc. are a bit behind when it comes to this sort of thing.

I did notice KTM are also getting in on this and are distributing in Australia.
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F1234K
12 years ago
I truly don't understand the negativity towards pedalec bikes. And saying it will cause trail access issues?? Why on earth would it do that? It's not a throttle that you can hold wide open and spin ruts everywhere.

All they have done is put a motor in the drive train to assist in power for uphill. Much like... mmm... suspension assisting with downhill or wider bars assisting with stability or a dropper post assisting with everything.

I can think of so many great, fun uses for this type of bike but it seems the general biking community can only think of negative things. It's actually so tiring to read opinions that seem to only ever want to break everything that is new down and dismiss it as being un-mountain bike or cheating or for fatty's.

Let me give you at least 1 good reason why this type of bike is fantastic in the long travel segment:
You bomb down the hill, the same as you do now, no assist, just mountain biking. You get to the bottom and instead of needing a lift back up (car/chairlift) you engage some assist and pedal your way back up the boring road/fire road. You are getting MORE exercise and ride time than the riders on the shuttle.

Perhaps the trail has no shuttle access or lift (pretty much all the trails I know are like this): bomb down with your buddies, again just like now, no assist. Get to the bottom and engage the assist and blast back up the fire road at 25-30km/h while your buddies are grinding away at 5-10km/h. You can probably lap them once or twice before they join you again on another run downhill. More ride time. More fun. And since you did 3 laps of the down and 3 lap assisted up compared to the 1 lap your buddy did, you did at least as much if not more exercise. Just because it is assisting does not mean you are suddenly going to become lazy and not push the pedals as hard. In fact, try one of these one day and you will see how much fun going uphill at high speed can be. And you will pedal hard because it's in our nature to do so - we want to go faster, always.

The moment they build a long travel pedalec bike with a gearbox drive train, I am selling all my bikes and buying it. It will be the only bike I need to commute, ride trails, downhill, have the most fun on I have ever had riding.
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Nicholast
12 years ago
No one said it wouldn't be fun. The point that I agree with is one: "The line between bicycles and motorcycles has been slowly blurring... trail access is tough enough as it is." In the eyes of every non-cyclist and land manager is that if a bicycle has a motor, it is a motorcycle. The difference between pedal assist and a throttle does not exist to them. There are already many groups lobbying to get bicycles grouped with motorcycles, which means removed from non-motorized trails. The concern from those who work to increase and preserve bicycle access is that if electric mountain bikes catch on, they could give the anti-mountain bike groups the last bit of fuel they need to have bicycles designated as motorized and removed from all non-motorized trails. That would be most of the trails in existence. That's the basis for the negativity towards pedalec bikes that you are observing. For some, there are other reasons as well, but that was the point General Lee was making with his comment and the one I agree with.
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F1234K
12 years ago
I agree with your statement: "The difference between pedal assist and a throttle does not exist to them"

This also brings the following argument: They won't even know it has a motor to begin with. The difference between a downhill bike and this pedalec bike does not exist to them.

This is all hypothetical anyway, personally I don't think anything will come of it. Pedelac bikes will be built, bought and ridden more and more. This will not endanger our trail access.
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Nicholast
12 years ago
You may be right that the masses will not initially know or be able to distinguish between a pedal bike and one with motor assist, but the groups that are anti-bike definitely do and are happy to educate the ignorant with their own personal twist on facts. For example: "bicycles are now equipped with motors so they are able to travel even faster on our trails. The increased speed is a danger to other users and the additional power damages our trails more than bicycles already do." That is how it will be spun and how it will be passed on to other trail users and land managers. In reality, very few bicycles are/will be equipped with pedal assist, the motor assist is really only useful on ascents which means descending speeds and any dangers associated will most likely go unchanged, and the impact a bicycle has on trail wear is only a little more than foot traffic and the impact a pedal assist bike has is probably between immeasurable and mildly more. But those two sentences play within the boundaries of truth and hit hard against bike access, especially to the ears of land managers. So while I see where you are coming from, I respectfully disagree that electric assist mountain bikes will not endanger our trail access.
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F1234K
12 years ago
So what I understood from your comment is that people with their own agendas will say whatever they can, whether that is true or not, to further their own goals. Nothing new there...

So they are already doing this and adding a motor to a bike is not going to change anything. It will however open a world of possibilities for having more fun on a bike. Shouldn't we be concentrating on that?
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mrpowerjd
12 years ago
I must concur with Nicholast and Big Bird. While these bikes may not affect access to "your" trails as you say, F1234K, but they will negatively affect access to every trail I've ever ridden across the Midwest to the Pacific. Nobody seems to give a shit that horses do a million times more trail damage than even an asshat mtb rider will do. This is just how it is. It's not right; it's not fair; this is just how it is.
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F1234K
12 years ago
I hear what you are saying, and I agree. The people that want bikers off the trails don't care what excuse they need to use to do it. They will invent one.

So my point is still valid I think: it's not this type of bike that will cause issues. They might as well be saying "29" wheels are causing more damage, get rid of the bikes!". It's misleading and false. Saying these types of bikes are any more of an issue on trails is also misleading and false.

I expect that from anti-bike groups, I don't expect that from fellow mountain bikers. It's just a bit sad is all...
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Big Bird
12 years ago
I share your opinion General.