rjr44
Well-Known Member
Intro
Big thanks to @jdog for hooking me up with my recent eeb (or "cheater bike" for the purists who are already judging). He politely asked if I'd write something up about it, and since he asked nice, I figured I'd oblige. Surprising, I know, since my default setting is asshole.
TL;DR
My biggest hang-up about pulling the trigger on an e-mountain bike was that it'd turn me into a lazy slob. I'd park my meat-powered bikes in the corner forever, gain 47 pounds eating cheese curds (mmmmm, cheese curds) on the couch, and basically devolve into a human slug.
Yeah, I was dead wrong. Did someone say cheese curds tho?
It's still early days, and sure, total sloth-mode could still happen if I let it, but right now? I'm riding this thing harder than I've ever ridden anything. My Garmin doesn't lie, I'm exceeding previous metrics: higher average heart rate, more intensity minutes, higher aerobic and anaerobic loads, all that nerdy fitness crap. And it's not just the stats, I feel more spent when I get home.
Basically, the motor didn't make me lazy; it just lessened my limitations.
The Long Story
Look, my fear wasn't totally unfounded. I've seen plenty of people buy fancy gear (Pelotons, keto cookbooks, whatever) and then use it as an expensive coat rack. But like diets, gym memberships, or any other "life-changing" system, it's rarely the thing that fails. It's the meatbag operating it. (There are some truly garbage diets and insane workouts out there, sure, but let's be honest, 99%+ of the time, it's user error.)
I should've known better about myself. My brain is a delightful cocktail of OCD, ADHD, and whatever other acronyms fit (probably ADD, PTSD from bad life decisions, and a touch of MAS—Masochist Asshole Syndrome). I ride alone 90% of the time, and I pretty much never take it easy. I'll tell myself, "Okay, today is a chill joy ride, smell the flowers, enjoy nature," and five minutes later I'm redlined, cursing why I do this to myself. So why the hell would slapping a motor on the bike suddenly turn me into a driving Miss Daisy backup? Spoiler: it didn't.
In the same chunk of time I used to have, I'm now covering way more ground and elevation, and doing it at a smoother, higher cadence. The assist lets me stay in the sweet spot instead of bogging down and grinding like a dying lawnmower.
(Caveat to some of the specimens I've done group rides with. While those rides may have seemed casual pace to you, I was GRINDING to try and keep pace. Not that I minded at all, I enjoyed it, what doesn't kill you makes you something something. So keep in mind, all of this is relative to my personal level of suckiness.)
But the real mind-blower? Climbing is actually fun now. Historically, for me, going uphill was pure suffering, a necessary evil to earn the good stuff. I'd chug up like the Little Engine That Barely Could, hating every second. Now? With assist, some of those climbs feel like slower technical, twisty downhill sections, except you're pedaling. UP! The flow, the pin action through rocks and roots, it's all there. I legitimately did not see that coming. Who knew suffering could be optional?
The one area I'm still figuring out is getting this heavy beast airborne. This thing is built like a tank made of tanks. Switching back to my other bikes afterward feels like strapping on a feather. Jumps are...educational. Trexler with the eeb? I've seen plenty of people do it and send it quite well, so it's clearly possible, but considering I'm barely competent at jumping on a normal bike, I might never get there. Or I might. Stay tuned for future ER visit updates (I think there's a thread for those).
And yes, purists, I still ride my meat mobiles. Even solo, not just when I'm slumming it with friends who are going Amish style.
So yeah, in conclusion: I should've bought one of these sooner. But timing worked out, jdog had a killer deal on exactly the one I was eyeing, and now I'm out there suffering more efficiently than ever. Highly recommend, if you can handle the inevitable smugness from knowing you're having more fun than everyone else. Or if you actually like to make yourself suffer like I do, then keep on keeping on. Eebs don't have to be for everyone.
BUT if your ONLY hang-up is fear of physical decline, look inward. Do you have the discipline to keep that from happening? If yes, then shake it off; the E won't make you lazy.
Big thanks to @jdog for hooking me up with my recent eeb (or "cheater bike" for the purists who are already judging). He politely asked if I'd write something up about it, and since he asked nice, I figured I'd oblige. Surprising, I know, since my default setting is asshole.
TL;DR
My biggest hang-up about pulling the trigger on an e-mountain bike was that it'd turn me into a lazy slob. I'd park my meat-powered bikes in the corner forever, gain 47 pounds eating cheese curds (mmmmm, cheese curds) on the couch, and basically devolve into a human slug.
Yeah, I was dead wrong. Did someone say cheese curds tho?
It's still early days, and sure, total sloth-mode could still happen if I let it, but right now? I'm riding this thing harder than I've ever ridden anything. My Garmin doesn't lie, I'm exceeding previous metrics: higher average heart rate, more intensity minutes, higher aerobic and anaerobic loads, all that nerdy fitness crap. And it's not just the stats, I feel more spent when I get home.
Basically, the motor didn't make me lazy; it just lessened my limitations.
The Long Story
Look, my fear wasn't totally unfounded. I've seen plenty of people buy fancy gear (Pelotons, keto cookbooks, whatever) and then use it as an expensive coat rack. But like diets, gym memberships, or any other "life-changing" system, it's rarely the thing that fails. It's the meatbag operating it. (There are some truly garbage diets and insane workouts out there, sure, but let's be honest, 99%+ of the time, it's user error.)
I should've known better about myself. My brain is a delightful cocktail of OCD, ADHD, and whatever other acronyms fit (probably ADD, PTSD from bad life decisions, and a touch of MAS—Masochist Asshole Syndrome). I ride alone 90% of the time, and I pretty much never take it easy. I'll tell myself, "Okay, today is a chill joy ride, smell the flowers, enjoy nature," and five minutes later I'm redlined, cursing why I do this to myself. So why the hell would slapping a motor on the bike suddenly turn me into a driving Miss Daisy backup? Spoiler: it didn't.
In the same chunk of time I used to have, I'm now covering way more ground and elevation, and doing it at a smoother, higher cadence. The assist lets me stay in the sweet spot instead of bogging down and grinding like a dying lawnmower.
(Caveat to some of the specimens I've done group rides with. While those rides may have seemed casual pace to you, I was GRINDING to try and keep pace. Not that I minded at all, I enjoyed it, what doesn't kill you makes you something something. So keep in mind, all of this is relative to my personal level of suckiness.)
But the real mind-blower? Climbing is actually fun now. Historically, for me, going uphill was pure suffering, a necessary evil to earn the good stuff. I'd chug up like the Little Engine That Barely Could, hating every second. Now? With assist, some of those climbs feel like slower technical, twisty downhill sections, except you're pedaling. UP! The flow, the pin action through rocks and roots, it's all there. I legitimately did not see that coming. Who knew suffering could be optional?
The one area I'm still figuring out is getting this heavy beast airborne. This thing is built like a tank made of tanks. Switching back to my other bikes afterward feels like strapping on a feather. Jumps are...educational. Trexler with the eeb? I've seen plenty of people do it and send it quite well, so it's clearly possible, but considering I'm barely competent at jumping on a normal bike, I might never get there. Or I might. Stay tuned for future ER visit updates (I think there's a thread for those).
And yes, purists, I still ride my meat mobiles. Even solo, not just when I'm slumming it with friends who are going Amish style.
So yeah, in conclusion: I should've bought one of these sooner. But timing worked out, jdog had a killer deal on exactly the one I was eyeing, and now I'm out there suffering more efficiently than ever. Highly recommend, if you can handle the inevitable smugness from knowing you're having more fun than everyone else. Or if you actually like to make yourself suffer like I do, then keep on keeping on. Eebs don't have to be for everyone.
BUT if your ONLY hang-up is fear of physical decline, look inward. Do you have the discipline to keep that from happening? If yes, then shake it off; the E won't make you lazy.
