I recently switched from riding mountain bikes to riding, for lack a better term, E-mountain bikes. Calling them E-mountain bikes is misleading. They are more than mountain bikes with a motor. They are very different from mountain bikes. These vehicles deserve their own name and category. Mountain Cycles? Power Bikes? Trail Blazers? Okay, none of those are any better than E-mountain bikes but you’ll get my point after riding one.
The more you associate E-mountain bikes with acoustic mountain bikes, the longer your learning curve will be for adapting to motorization. I’ve got a few months on my Pivot Shuttle LT after decades on pedal-only-powered mountain bikes and have plenty of tips, tricks and observations to pass along.
EPISODE GUIDE
Rather than post one giant story, I’m going to break my tips, tricks and hacks into chapters. That way you can jump to a chapter that most interests you or you can read it like a book, going chapter by chapter. I suggest the latter. You don’t want to miss any of my juicy nuggets.
TIPS FROM THE TOP
My advice is based on experience riding a mid-drive Pivot Shuttle LT. This is a high-end electric-powered mountain bike. This bike, depending on your build, retails from about $9,000 to over $13,000. Some of my tips and tricks will work when riding far-less expensive E-mountain bikes. Some of them might not. If I believe some techniques won’t work on a less-expensive bike, I’ll let you know.
DISCLAIMER
If your bike isn’t mechanically sound and well maintained, my tips probably won’t work for you. I don’t know what type of terrain you ride, the weather you encounter, your skill level or your physical condition. All of these factors will impact your E-mountain bike experience. Using these tips, tricks and hacks requires you to also use your own common sense.
YOU STILL NEED THE BASICS
These tips apply to riding an E-bike. If you haven’t learned basic mountain biking skills, you really need them in your arsenal. A book by Brian Lopes and Lee McCormick, “Mastering Mountain Bike Skills” is a great tool for learning and understanding mountain biking skills. You can finish reading this book in less time than searching out all the videos that Youtube or TikTok have to offer. Plus, the instructions in the book are from two riders who know what they are talking about. Who knows what you get off the internet?
YOUR INPUT IS WELCOMED
A big frustration when working on a print magazine was the articles were set in ink and paper. No sooner had an issue been printed than somebody would say, “You know what would have been a good addition to that story?” And 9 out of 10 times they were right.
Luckily, Jimmy Mac On Two Wheels can be updated at any time. This is a living document. So if you want to pass along something that I can add or change in these chapters, please let me know. Drop an email to Jimmymacontwowheels@gmail.com.
Chapter Index (Click on any title to read the chapter)
Chapter 1: Intro To A New Breed
Chapter 2: Understanding Your Drivetrain
Chapter 3: Assisted Living
Chapter 4: Climbing To The Top
Chapter 5: Descending
Chapter 6: Cornering
Chapter 7: Trail Obstacles