Scottish trial bike extraordinaire Danny MacAskill posted a video of him tricking a E-Bike a few weeks back and the response was mixed. There were more than a few commenters who hypothesized Danny only rode the E-Bike because of sponsorship obligations and would never opt for it if the cameras weren’t rolling. Well, it turns out that’s just not true.
Danny isn’t an E-Bike evangelist but is keen to admit in some cases E-Bikes have their advantages. Whether your Luddite or technophile, its all about whatever is the most fun for you. FULL COMMENTARY BELOW.
I don’t own an e-bike nor do I have any sponsors involved with pushing e-bikes so I have no obligation to promote them, the following info is purely my own thoughts on the subject. So the story goes like this…Danny had his “what the Heck” video out a few weeks ago to mostly positive reviews however some people who hate e-bikes took it upon themselves to assume Danny only rode the bike because he had to and would never chose to actually ride it otherwise.
I explained to a couple of comments that this simply isn’t the case and Danny is genuinely stoked on the bike…I just got abuse as a result. So here’s a video of us both riding e-bikes (my second ever time) and having an amazing day! I understand not everyone likes e-bikes but please don’t transmit your dislike for something onto others who do. It’s like enjoying one genre of music and claiming everyone else should only listen that and nothing else.
Also I see a lot of claims from people who’ve never ridden an e-bike but just made some assumptions. “E-bikes are for lazy people” No, ride a normal bike for half a day and ride an e-bike for half a day and you’ll still be as tired and exhausted as each other but the person on the e-bike would have ridden further and faster. “you’ll become a slower rider riding an e-bike” I doubt it, in fact I’d argue you’d become faster! In half a days ride you’ll be able to ride more laps…more laps = more time riding the downhills…more time riding downhills (no help from the motor here) = more skill development. In other words, what will make you a faster rider, riding a fire road or riding a technical bit of DH trail?
“you’ll wreck trails” No more than a heavier rider or someone with powerful legs would. I can imagine including an e-bike into training would really help make you a faster better rider! This isn’t even mentioning that e-bikes are great for those recovering from injuries, older riders or even riders who want to keep up with their fitter friends on the climbs rather than holding the group back. They’re also great for photographers who need to carry a lot of gear.
So yeah, if you hate e-bikes hold off until you’ve actually ridden one…if you still hate them after then so be it, just respect those who do like them. I hope this video has helped some people realise that people and pro riders can and do enjoy e-bikes and they’re not just on them for a pay cheque. Now how about you go and give Danny a sub (once you’ve given me one), he needs as much help as he can get!
Thanks for watching!
