Electric Mountain Bike VS Traditional Mountain Bike

At Westbrook Cycles, we are run by staff who are all mountain bike fans in some formats - whilst some shun the rise of the electric mountain bike, more and more are regarding electric mountain bikes as the new normal. Customers of ours follow the same patterns, there are some customers who would not entertain an electric mountain bike, whilst others who absolutely love the power of electricity helping them power round the local countryside. 

In this post, we look at some of the main differences between electric mountain bikes and regular mountain bikes - helping you decide which is the right bike for you.

Electric Mountain Bike & Regular Mountain Bike Differences

Although the first electric mountain bikes were pretty similar to regular mountain bikes, today - electric mountain bikes will typically be specified and fitted with specific electric bike components and suspension. These components and suspension developments have been designed to deal with the extra speed and weight of an electric mountain bike. The development of these parts is incredibly important, and the changes have massively increased the performance of electric mountain bikes. 

Electric Mountain Bike Advantages

The advantages of electric mountain bikes are clear - they offer all of the benefits of regular mountain bikes - but with extra power and help available to help you travel further and faster. Further and faster is really important when it comes to the difference that electric mountain bikes make. If you are strapped for time, you can do your regular trails and loops in quicker time, and if you have more time available - you can ride further than your regular fitness levels allow. 

Electric Mountain Bike VS Mountain Bike - Climbing

At Westbrook, we have worked out that using an electric mountain bike will allow you to tackle ascents in approximately half the time it would take if the bike you were using was not powered by an electric motor. The quicker you get uphill, the more time you can spend riding downhill. 

Riding uphill on electric mountain bikes does however, still raise the heart rate and burn calories - so it’s not wasted exercise. The power output of the motor can also be altered to provide either greater or less assistance. 

Electric Mountain Bike VS Mountain Bike - Downhill

The electric motor of the electric mountain bike is pretty much redundant downhill - many riders however, enjoy the feeling of a heavier bike when heading downhill - with full suspension electric mountain bikes still being designed to tackle all of the excitement of downhill singletracks. 

Electric Mountain Bike VS Mountain Bike - Weight

Mountain Bikes today made from carbon fibre are incredibly lightweight - which makes handling them and passing them over gates and fences very easy. Electric Mountain Bikes are far heavier, so it’s well worth remembering that they are more difficult to handle. 

It’s your decision!

Hopefully some of the above information has gone some way into helping you make the right decision when it comes to which bike is best for your requirements. Regardless of your choice - get out and enjoy riding.