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This is what's wrong with The Industry™

Bikael Molton

goofy for life
Jun 9, 2003
4,088
1,235
El Lay
This is where eMTB is really hurting those of us who dig legally on public land in the US.

the real problem (which i too have stated before) is that when the industry says "grow the sport" all they mean is "growing sales". not growing access to more trails, or increasing trail mileage.
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
20,065
10,630
AK
Seriously, who is going to buy this? There is noway he is going to make money on these...
You mean until they come out with a fat-bike version...

As crazy as they are, these guys are definitely "survivors", they've been trying this for at least 20 years now...
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,732
1,243
NORCAL is the hizzle
I probably shouldn't admit this, but I swear I predicted E-AWD was coming when some buddie and I were out riding ebikes a few weeks ago. We were goofing around with a super tough, steep and loose climb for laughs, the sorta thing you'd never get very far on with a regular bike. After several attempts and no one cleaning it, it occurred to me that a little front wheel drive would have made the difference.

Not interested personally but I can see how it would be neat in certain situations, particularly if you can switch it on and off.

(Ban?)
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,638
8,683
I haven't found any situations where I have been craving a driven front wheel, honestly. The first climb out of the parking lot or the steep righthand shale switchback at Mountain Lion are about as steep as what is rideable, afaik, and with "only" rwd they're fine.
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
20,065
10,630
AK
I haven't found any situations where I have been craving a driven front wheel, honestly. The first climb out of the parking lot or the steep righthand shale switchback at Mountain Lion are about as steep as what is rideable, afaik, and with "only" rwd they're fine.
For most climbing situations, it would make no sense, most of your weight is on the rear wheel, way more than normal, which is already most on the rear wheel. You wouldn't be gaining much, although I'd think even 80/20 would be significant.

But on snow on a fat-bike...once they figure out that E-bike market (with batteries that actually last), I'm sure they'll have plenty of idiots in the pool. The battery thing is a big deal though, e-bike dumbness aside, it's asinine how much "outdoor" stuff is powered by Li-Ion batteries that go to shit around freezing and below.
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,638
8,683
Just rig up a little diesel-powered heater for the li-ion pack
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
55,943
21,974
Sleazattle
For most climbing situations, it would make no sense, most of your weight is on the rear wheel, way more than normal, which is already most on the rear wheel. You wouldn't be gaining much, although I'd think even 80/20 would be significant.

But on snow on a fat-bike...once they figure out that E-bike market (with batteries that actually last), I'm sure they'll have plenty of idiots in the pool. The battery thing is a big deal though, e-bike dumbness aside, it's asinine how much "outdoor" stuff is powered by Li-Ion batteries that go to shit around freezing and below.

Wait until they come up with 1600mm wheelbase "modern geometry" AWD e-bikes.
 

Bikael Molton

goofy for life
Jun 9, 2003
4,088
1,235
El Lay
Uphill berms are fun as shit on a Moto. Imagine how fun ripping up A line or DM would be on a ktm.
Ratty and others have already shown that sort of thing on ebikes.

Which is another reason why the ever-more-poweful eMTBs will need their own tracks.
 
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dexter

Turbo Monkey
Sep 23, 2001
3,053
99
Boise, Idaho
Good.

Because the only assholes who ever said that had jobs that depended on bike market sales.

I really wish ebikes didn't exist. Because the indisputable fact that pedaling uphill for 2 hours just kind of sucks was a really nice barrier to entry. Now it's all fucked.
I saw more ebikes while visiting your hood than I have seen in 2+ years, impressive. Its only a matter of time woo till you go to the darkside :spartak:
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
I saw more ebikes while visiting your hood than I have seen in 2+ years, impressive. Its only a matter of time woo till you go to the darkside :spartak:
No I don't let E-thanol gas anywhere near my dirtbike.


And I will never defend california recreational douchebaggery when it comes to anything bicycle related. It's indefensible.
 
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Banga

Monkey
Sep 7, 2001
362
11
Wellington, New Zealand
Maybe there are places where no trails should be?
Watching the video it seems to be a giant waste of money with a serious environmental impact for how many potential trail users?
Maybe if it was a single trail in isolation, but this is part of a wider project by NZs department of conservation to link to an existing shared trail- multi day hike type trails.


The planning that goes into these types of trials to get approval from the department of conservation to proceed is immense, a huge amount of effort to manage and protect bio-diversity and ecosystems- the video doesn’t really give that perspective though!

The is definitely on my bucket list to do along with the old ghost road https://oldghostroad.org.nz/
 

iRider

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2008
5,686
3,143
Maybe if it was a single trail in isolation, but this is part of a wider project by NZs department of conservation to link to an existing shared trail- multi day hike type trails.


The planning that goes into these types of trials to get approval from the department of conservation to proceed is immense, a huge amount of effort to manage and protect bio-diversity and ecosystems- the video doesn’t really give that perspective though!

The is definitely on my bucket list to do along with the old ghost road https://oldghostroad.org.nz/
Thanks for putting this into perspective. I wonder why the video showed it the way they did. This will just be ammunition for the anti MTB folks.
 

Wuffles

Monkey
Feb 24, 2016
157
98
Nah, the VPP patent was already gone by the time they launched the Switch. They retired it because of the lack of any proper sealing and the harshness/binding it experienced when the link started rotating the opposite way.

The fuckers even acknowledged it on the Switch Infinity introductory piece at PB. They WROTE how they knew the previous version was sub par, yet they sold those models for what, 3-4 years?

And their tribe still praise those dentomobiles... :banghead::banghead:

Gotta rationalize that buying decision somehow.

I fell for it. Owned an SB66. Decent bike, until you needed to maintain that fucking system. Greased it up and sold it on to some techie-bro with pristine lifted Tacoma. Still doesn't bother me in the slightest.
 

Wuffles

Monkey
Feb 24, 2016
157
98
This. The guy must be smuggling coke in the frames. Otherwise I can't explain how the heck those abominations have survived for over 20 years.
















Oh, wait, because 'Murika :D.

Pretty sure the bikes are just a hobby. His money maker is in moto, specifically Enduro and Enduro-X bikes (Enduro in the original, motorized sense). A fair bit of the top riders and companies either use his bikes, or license the AWD design.
 

englertracing

you owe me a sandwich
Mar 5, 2012
1,657
1,143
La Verne
Pretty sure the bikes are just a hobby. His money maker is in moto, specifically Enduro and Enduro-X bikes (Enduro in the original, motorized sense). A fair bit of the top riders and companies either use his bikes, or license the AWD design.
Didn't think anyone actually raced them....
I mean you can get a trials bike places these won't go... and people that proficiently ride trials bikes can also get big bikes places that these may or may not go.

Though it was like a yeti or e bike, people who don't know any better and think they look cool buy them.
 

JustMtnB44

Monkey
Sep 13, 2006
853
122
Pittsburgh, PA
holy shit he's apparently based in philly.
When I was in Philly two years ago for the Bike Expo we went to get dinner and saw the Christini shop across the street. I was like holy shit I remember those ads from early 2000's MBA magazines but had no idea they still existed. It was open and we went in and looked around but nobody else was there, or at least came out to talk to us, it was really weird.

Pretty sure the bikes are just a hobby. His money maker is in moto, specifically Enduro and Enduro-X bikes (Enduro in the original, motorized sense). A fair bit of the top riders and companies either use his bikes, or license the AWD design.
That makes sense, the shop seemed more like a moto shop than bicycle shop.