You’ve all heard the rumours, and tales about what an e-Bikes, and with so many competing ideas out there we thought we would take a look at 5 of the most common e-Bike myths and debunk them once and for all.
E-bikes are illegal
Though some people tend to think of an e-Bike as an electric motorbike, the two types of vehicle are very different. E-Bikes are designed to meet strict requirements to ensure that they are safe to use on public roads, trails and bridleways. E-Bikes are legally limited to a certain speed (this varies on your location) and an e-Bike will only assist you if you are peddling.
If your electric mountain bike meets these conditions then it should be legal to ride in almost all of the same places as a standard mountain bike. With this said, we do recommend that you check your local laws and regulations on e-Bike use in National Parks and other government-controlled areas to ensure access laws haven’t changed.
E-Bikes can’t be cleaned with a hose
An e-Bike is designed to be ridden in all sorts of terrain in all weathers and is extremely weathertight and sealed against water, dirt, dust etc. Just like your normal mountain bike, you can clean an e-Bike with a hose, and just like a normal mountain bike, you must take care when spraying water around suspension seals, hubs and the transmission.
E-Bikes damage trails
That’s right some people believe that an electric mountain bike causes more damage to the trail, and will state that the motor power and weight of the bike can add to erosion. This simply isn’t true, an e-Bike’s motor only activates if the rider pedals, it doesn’t work on a throttle like a motorbike so the chances of spinning a wheel are just as likely as they are on a standard pushbike.
What’s more, while an e-Bike is heavier than a normal mountain bike the combined weight between the rider and the bike is what we really should be looking at, not the bike weight alone.
E-bikes are just for weak or old people
Ok so an e-Bike can greatly improve someone’s chances of going out for a ride, especially if that person if old, injured or ill, but that’s not to say that electric mountain bikes are exclusively for the frail. Modern electric enduro bikes like the Patrol E-Six are designed for the same aggressive and hardcore riding as our 691 enduro bike. Sure you can use the motor to spin to the shops and back with ease, but you can also use it to lap downhill tracks and bike parks too.
E-Bikes are cheating
We’ve saved this for last, as it’s perhaps the most common thing you’re going to hear either while riding, or if you mention to a pal you intend to buy an e-Bike. The fact is, e-Bikes are not cheating and they can actually give you a very healthy workout.
Yes, an e-Bike does have a motor and yes the motor works to assist you while peddling, but here’s the thing, the motor ONLY provides assistance on an electric mountain bike when you’re peddling meaning the more effort you put in, the more motor assistance you’ll get out.
So now that you know e-Bikes are fun, healthy, easy to clean and can be ridden by anyone, all you need to do is choose between the Patrol E-Six and Patrol E-Zero to get out on an e-Bike adventure.
