Electric-boosted mountain bikes are opening up a world of off-road adventures, giving motorbike levels of performance and excitement.
Sales of standard electric mountain bikes have taken off in the past five years, helped by improved battery technology and the that many people who thought their biking days were over have discovered that a bit of electrical help goes a long way, making a 25km ride just like a walk in the park and taking the edge off those daunting hills.
It is only quite recently that the latest electric technology has been incorporated into high-end mountain bikes featuring state-of-the-art frames and top-notch brakes and suspension – and the results are eye opening.
These are only a few of a fast-growing range of available bikes that demonstrate just how popular eMTBs are becoming – a fact witnessed by Phil Blackford, commercial manager at BikePark Wales, the UK’s largest off-road- cycling centre. “The numbers are definitely rising and the fleet of electric MTBs that we made available for hire at the beginning of the year are attracting more interest every week,” he comments.
An eMTB comes into its own at a site such as BikePark Wales, where riders of non electric mountain bikes are met at the bottom of trails and taken back up in a non-eco-friendly van in what is called an ‘uplift’ – riders with electrically assisted machines can get back to the top themselves.
There is no doubt that eMTBs are of great benefit to riders who want to do some mountain biking but don’t have the motivation or, for one reason or another, feel they’re not up to doing so on a standard cycle.
