The Spokesmen #117 – Semi-live from Sea Otter

4 Comments

  1. Lee
    May 12, 2015

    I think that the issue with electric MTB’s is that they are a little bit too close too electric motorcycles.

    On a road this may be acceptable as a motorized presence is accepted, expected and to some extent designed for. But MTB’s regularly share trails with walkers, families and other cyclists which is a completely different environment.

    While I agree that they are restricted at this point in time; the scope for abuse is vast, and it wont be long before people are injured by the reckless few riding at 30 mph on shared trails. I would also like to point out that we already see kits on the market that allow you to easily de-restrict them without any real knowledge (Bosch Speed Tuning Dongle). This will become more easier and cheaper as popularity rises, just as it has in cars with ECU tuning modules. Just plug in and go…

    In my opinion, electric MTB’s should not be allowed the same access rights as human powered devices by default.

  2. May 13, 2015

    Thanks for your comment, Lee. Yes, it’s a potential problem and I hope IMBA is able to reach a sensible decision.

  3. mark
    May 13, 2015

    Wow!
    I listen the TSRTPC at night and I’m usually sound asleep way before the 15 minutes of introductions have finished, but suddenly I heard dimly heard Paul Skilbeck mention that his first real bike was a Lennie Rogers. FANTASTIC! I have a ’60s Lennie (Suntour V vintage) and its a real blast to ride. Paul, I hope that your “Handmade bicycle” ventures can capture some of this fun in this age of sterile bike industry induced ennui (c’mon, be honest with yerselves).

  4. DP-San Diego
    May 13, 2015

    Re: e-mountain bikes & getting stranded. I don’t think that e-bikes will contribute to more people getting stranded. It might even reduce incidents. E-bikes have battery level meters. People do not. People bonk and get cramps all the time. IF (and that’s is a big if) a person has properly managed their battery, they are more immune to getting stranded due to bonking and cramping.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.