My eBike Dilemma

As a lifelong avid cyclist and later a bike shop owner, I always embraced most new technology that enhanced my cycling experience. However, as a cycling purist, I was always skeptical of electronics that impacted the ability of a bike to move forward or move forward efficiently. I should also mention that my background is in engineering and machining, so I wanted to limit the technology that I used while at work during my time pursuing my passion and pastime during off hours. While devices such as cycling computers, GPS devices, or even lights enhanced the experience, the bike could move from point A to point B without them. More recently, being in retail, I was often forced to follow market trends because of customer demand and found myself embracing technology that was more pivotal to the bicycle’s ability to function. My (personal) gateway into this was electronic shifting. I assumed that the advantage that electronic shifting offers would not outweigh the inconvenience of charging my drivetrain or even worse, failure in the field (road or trail). Boy, was I wrong? Shifting became so much crisper, I could shift more under load, and my battery life would last months at a time. Maintaining my drivetrain was so infrequent that after 1 year, I wasn’t going back. For 7 years now, almost every bike I own (other than my fearless single-speed) has been reliant on this technology. It’s a “game changer”.

Enter eBikes. Like electronic shifting, I started as a skeptic and purist and although I sold them to others passionately, it just wasn’t “my thing”. I preferred the hard grind and being at the back of the group ride and often my friends were waiting for me on our rides. In life, I had become busy with work, trail building, and advocacy and didn’t have time to focus on my fitness as I did when I was younger. I was getting dusted by everyone, but I didn’t care, I was out riding (sometimes). Many of my customers and friends were out riding the eBikes that I sold them and raving about what a great time they were having. “Wimps”, I thought. I was sure that an eBike would offer an unfair advantage to riding and if it died, it was too heavy to ride without power.

After suffering a cycling accident in July of 2022, I entered a 4-month rehabilitation process that set my health back quite a bit. When I was able to start riding again, I was even farther back from the group than before. Not only were my friends waiting for me due to my lack of fitness, but I had become so tentative on the descents that my friends were waiting for a long time most of the ride. Our PROSHOP has a demo Trek Fuel EXe eMountain bike so I figured I would give a good rip on the trails. Boy, was I wrong…again? Yes, if you don’t charge an eBike, it doesn’t work just like your mobile phone, your laptop, iPad, and even some of your cars. The Trek Fuel EXe is a lightweight eBike (relative) and you can control how much power and responsiveness the bike has. I immediately found out during the eBike setup that it had a robust tuning platform to control the responsiveness and power. The bike tuning utilized a phone app and gave me options to offer just enough power to stay in sight of the group, hang with the faster riders, or lead the group on trails that only I was familiar with. More than the versatile power adjustment, the eBike gave me the ability to ride on days when I was exhausted. In the past, I may have opted to take the day off, but with this new technology, I was able to push through the tiredness and ride with the rationale that I would just boost the power if needed. Of course, being the glutton for punishment that I am, I rarely used the extra power and often turned the bike off if I was feeling sprite. Now comes the big issue. What if something goes wrong and the bike will not work at all? Well, that recently happened 4.5 hours from home with no bike shop close to diagnose it. After the bike was in a monsoon on my bike rack going down Route 78 on the way to Raystown Lake, it stopped working, throwing up error codes that were caused by moisture somewhere. So at the beginning of a ride, I pulled the 7-pound battery out of the bike trailside in minutes, stashed it in the woods, and rode the bike for the next 2 days completely dead. I was tired and in the back of the ride, but I had a great time and was able to enjoy the rides with no electronic advantage over my friends. Now that I have mostly recovered from my injuries, I often opt for an “acoustic bike” over an electric one. It depends on my mood and the type of ride we are doing.

The purist in me now has an entirely different opinion on eBikes. I have had so much fun on my rides that I am now selling these eBikes with (even more) conviction. If it provides a fun experience, has minimal impact on the environment, and allows you to be outside with your friends and loved ones, it’s a step in the right direction. Free your mind and your bike will follow.