Racking up the miles in Mammoth, California aboard Trek's newest bike that'll make you feel like superman.
We were recently invited to join Trek Bicycles at Mammoth Mountain Resort in California for the launch of a few updated products as well as delve into the world of e-bikes as it relates to trail access in the United States. Mammoth Resort was granted permission to allow the use of e-bikes on resort property – the first to do so in the USA.
Trek has recognized a growing global trend as more riders abroad (outside the United States) are reaching for electric assist mountain bikes to explore deeper into the backcountry. Each year that it has been on the market, the Powerfly has received updates and this next iteration is no exception.
The newest Powerfly receives a host of minor updates including a new battery mounting system and full downtube integration. The entire lineup will now also feature a robust Eagle drivetrain, regardless of trim level or frame material. Yes, there is now a carbon Powerfly, saving 650 grams and offering a cleaner integration of the Bosch motor into the frame.
We hit Mammoth's pumice covered trails on the new Powerfly LT 7 Plus. All Powerfly models feature e-bike specific suspension but is set up using the very same methods as their non-assisted counterparts. Sag was set at 30% for the front and rear with the only debate among our camp being the tire pressures for the 2.8-inch Bontrager XR4 tires. Always a fan of firmer over softer, we aired up to 27psi. In our 25 miles of riding, we had no cause to go lower.
We hit the trails and spent the majority of the day traveling all about the Mammoth resort boundaries. The pace to mid mountain averaged 14 miles per hour… uphill. Our initial climb went well and many wheelies were popped. Our group took a small detour to smash down the Shotgun Trail. This high speed DH run is chock full of blind hits, large rocks, and braking holes. The Powerfly LT smashed its way down the hill and spit us out on the bottom with no complaint. The remainder of our day continued much the same: easier-than-it-should-be climbs followed by super fun downhills.
The biggest gripe would have to be related to the Class 1 designation – the motor stops helping at 20mph. Many of the downhills at Mammoth had us going in excess of such speeds, grabbing some pedal strokes when exiting corners or rough sections left us with no assist and a fair bit of drag in the Bosch motor. It was in these moments that we were reminded of the bike’s (industry standard) weight and that if the motor isn’t helping, it is hindering. This is more the nature of the beast and not unique to the Trek line.
The beauty of a place such as Mammoth is the enormity of the grounds. A typical visit on your bike will have you traversing all around the mountain to link up various downhill trails. Generally, a trip to Mammoth doesn’t have you ripping back-to-back laps as much as exploring and taking time on each run. It is a fitting place to test the waters on the legitimacy of e-bikes on multi use trails. Mammoth is a large expanse of a place with a summit poking its head above the 11,000-foot mark. For those visiting (see also: not acclimated to elevation) the help of the Bosch motor for the climbs will be more than welcome. The soil is persistently dry and loose, making traction rather elusive; enter the 2.8 tire and girth of footprint it provides.
The hope with this launch is that Mammoth can prove to be a model for other locations in California and the United States. Currently, there are very few places where riders can legally ride their e-bikes. Should the Mammoth test run prove successful, perhaps the e-bike market in the US will gain some traction and consumer purchasing numbers will claw their way out of the single digit percentile. For now, though, only time will tell...
Visit www.trekbikes.com for more details.
Photos by Margus Riga
SCOtracks
6/6/2019 6:12 AM
Dildosaurusrex
7/21/2018 4:03 PM
Ya'll are so right- E-bikes are so LAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Any real MTBer will have a big lifted diesel truck and only shuttle every trail, so you can roll coal on all those skinny roadies too.
Go listen to gordo talk with Mike Ferrentino, https://www.vitalmtb.com/features/The-Inside-Line-Podcast-Mike-Ferrentino,2194
erockjmet
7/20/2018 8:27 PM
casman86
7/21/2018 1:10 AM
ninjichor
7/20/2018 3:28 PM
obygobywanoby
7/20/2018 9:47 AM
Kuttermax
7/20/2018 9:42 AM
Interesting article and clearly touches on some big issues facing both mountain bikers, but also web content creators.
First, there clearly are potential issues with E-bikes and traditional bikes sharing trails. The trickiest area is bidirectional singletrack, especially when one person is climbing and the other descending. At times on twisty/windy trails, it can be difficult to see the climbing person until the last minute. With E-bikes motoring up, the potential for collisions and other mishaps seems more likely. This may be why some regions have allowed E-mountain bikes on fireroads and dual tracks, but not on bi-directional singletrack.
E-bikes present the opportunity to avoid riding up the lifts, which would be appealing at times. Many downhill areas have great double track roads that would be ideal for this. Once up the mountain, I don't see sharing the singletrack downhill trails between traditional and E-bikes as a big problem. But tight singletrack, I'd rather see that remain non-motorized.
The other issues raised is whether this article is "paid advertising". It certainly reads like it is, which is disappointing. Similar to YouTube, in an effort to promote transparency author disclosures should be put on websites and articles. For example, if Trek paid for the author to go to Mammoth and ride the trails, this should be disclosed. If Trek paid additionally to have the article written and posted, it should be disclosed. This is standard in other industries now and allows the reader to make their own conclusions. Sites like DCrainmaker.com are very clear in these areas and are a reason his reviews are some of the most respected.
grambo
7/20/2018 10:06 AM
I agree with efverything you've said. For me, the simplest approach is motorized vs. non-motorized designations. If a land manager has said a trail/network is non-motorized then ebikes should NOT be allowed.
Regarding paid advertising, I'm fairly certain ALL bike press release camps involve the vendor flying out media and paying for accoms/food/lift tickets etc. in exchange for publication of a first ride/review. For long-term reviews, bikes are provided by vendor to publication so you can argue there is always a bias. I think Blister is an example of actually buying the equipment they review.
onenerdykid*
7/20/2018 11:33 AM
sspomer
7/20/2018 1:24 PM
Kuttermax
7/20/2018 2:21 PM
Those are very fair comments and suggest it wasn't the intent to write an article that is biased towards Trek.
However what was once "a long-time practice in any industry" is rapidly changing. Take physicians for example. Many were often invited to activities such as evening dinners hosted by pharmaceutical companies to learn about a new drug or flown to different locales by equipment manufacturers to see a new piece of technology that might be of value to their practice. Many physician employers have now outlawed such practices, and every dollar spent by industry on a physician in the United States by industry in publicly reported because of the "Sunshine Act". Some centers have even go so far to ban the smallest gifts such as a pen with the name of a drug on it, as even these have been shown to sway physician prescribing patterns.
There are examples in many different industries of individuals who have embraced transparency. I mentioned DCRainmaker in a prior post. On the technology side, Leo Laporte of TWiT (This Week in Tech) fame has a long standing policy of purchasing products that he reviews and not accepting any industry freebies.
Getting back to the article, the term "invite" is still pretty nebulous. It could mean i) Trek "invited" you to Mammoth, flew you out, put you up in a nice hotel, paid for your meals and in return you got to ride their bikes and write an article on it versus ii) inviting to come to Mammoth to be one of the first to trial their new bike, but you went on your own dime to do it. Pretty big difference...
sspomer
7/20/2018 3:15 PM
bokdoos
7/20/2018 9:30 AM
onenerdykid*
7/20/2018 9:28 AM
I love it.... no problem with using a chairlift to get up Mammoth, but as soon as people want to use e-bikes on e-bike approved trails people lose their goddamned minds. Nothing like people telling other people how they should be able to enjoy their own mountain bike experience on land where it is ok to do so. Way to embrace personal freedom everyone. Well done.
Also, when arguing against this point, please try not to use slippery slope fallacies, missing the point fallacies, and false cause fallacies because that's all anti-ebike people seem to use.
abeck
7/20/2018 9:09 AM
TBubier
7/20/2018 7:47 AM
nug12182
7/20/2018 5:09 AM
wojo
7/20/2018 3:42 AM
casman86
7/20/2018 3:56 AM
grambo
7/20/2018 10:09 AM
Bang on post here.
In isolation, if Mammoth wants to have ebikes on their own trails and it's within their land use agreement (or they own the land outright) then who cares, go nuts. But instances like this just muddy the waters in the general public's mind and benefit the industry by trying to normalize ebikes as a bicycle when it is an electric moped. So now you have people thinking it is OK to ride their ebike on mountain bike trails where they may be prohibited. Nightmare scenario for a self-policing activity.
casman86
7/20/2018 2:09 AM
wojo
7/20/2018 2:35 AM
casman86
7/20/2018 2:41 AM
wojo
7/20/2018 3:22 AM
If you read the article it clearly states that ebikes are allowed on the trails. So your argument is invalid.
Anyway, enough troll feeding. Good luck in your black and white world.
casman86
7/20/2018 3:26 AM
reseRved
7/20/2018 12:13 PM
Cant Climb
7/20/2018 7:15 AM
reseRved
7/20/2018 8:28 AM