Back in my day, a mountain bike was a mountain bike…
Words are weird, and it seems like the lingo mountain bikers use is in constant flux. Not only that, but whenever something new comes out, the original thing is often the one that ends up getting a new name. Take hardtails, for example. We’re pretty sure that term didn’t exist until there were full-suspension bikes that didn’t have hard tails.
With electric mountain bikes, riders find themselves at a similar crossroads. The Singletracks staff has been internally debating how to best distinguish traditional mountain bikes from their electric progeny in our writing. Like it or not, as the previous sentence illustrates, it’s no longer enough to just say ‘mountain bike’ and assume folks know you’re only talking about the non-electric ones.
More food for thought: Most of the choices in the survey above have either a positive or negative connotation, depending on your perspective. While terms like non-electric are decidedly more neutral, they’re also clunky.
75 Comments
Apr 3, 2022
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Non motor assist bikes should be called mountain bikes and keep the distinction with e-bikes
Apr 4, 2022
Apr 5, 2022
And to be clear, I'm not against e-bikes. I just recognize that e-bikes are a deviation from what a mountain bike fundamentally is.
Apr 4, 2022
Apr 3, 2022
Right?…. Is it?… 🫠
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It seems that some who want to sell motorbikes, and get motorbikes onto bike trails, are trying to use clever language to cloud this issue.
Apr 3, 2022
This blurring of the lines seems like attempted justification to allow them where they are not currently.
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Apr 5, 2022
A lot of folks are making similar ideological argument here in the comments, and I totally get it. To me, however, this is a language question.
Let's take a sentence like this: Electric cars require less maintenance than ___. If we just place the word 'cars' in the blank, it doesn't make sense. So, we have add a modifier to 'cars' to talk about the subset of cars we're comparing the subject to, which is in this case is gas-powered cars. Before electric cars, cars were just cars. Well not really, there were all types of cars and what we're really trying to clarify -- for the purposes of the sentence -- is what is being compared. Again, I think it's a question of language.
Electric mountain bikes are more expensive than ___. To fill in the blank without adding a modifier to the word 'mountain bike,' we would have to change the subject to something else.
OK, so let's say we have a sentence comparing these battery-assisted, pedal bikes to mountain bikes, which as many are saying should be called MOTORBIKES. Motorbikes are more expensive than mountain bikes. Sweet! The problem is, many folks will assume we're talking about mopeds, or motorcycles, or dirt bikes. The term motorbike has been in use for a long time and is not specific enough.
Which, unfortunately, leaves us back where we started. That is, unless, we invent a new, unique term to call eMTBs.
I suggest sparky spokers. Sparky spokers are more expensive than mountain bikes.
Fixed!
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E-bike and eMTB are already accepted language, so no further new, unique name is needed for industry/consumers to know what we're talkin'bout.
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Happy riding! 👍
Apr 3, 2022
Don't make it more complicated than it really has to be because right now this article seems pretty much like a filler article
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Apr 6, 2022
Not ideological.
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Apr 6, 2022
Yeesh...Slow week?
Bikes with out motors are bikes. Pretty simple.
We already have hardtail, softtail roadbike gravel bike(meh) MTB, and e-mtb or e-bike I think we're good.
Srsly,...let the roadies figure out what to call THEIR e-bikes... We have MTB and E-MTB,
It's done.
Apr 3, 2022
Apr 7, 2022
Can’t trust those robotic eBikes, I mean, sending gap jumps uphill just isn’t right. And what if the battery exploded, there goes your inner thighs. Plus I’m broke.. but if I had an extra 10k def would buy an eBike. Have you tried grey poupon energy gels?
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I like the term "me-bike" that someone in the comments mentioned.
Apr 4, 2022
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There will probably come a day when I will go with an e-bike, but I'm going to put it off as long as I can.
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I appreciate the readership here is far different and prefer additional descriptors applied to the newer generation of ebikes. For obvious legislative consideration we prefer to separate ebikes from motorbikes and motorcycles and refer to them as ICE bikes. What to do about defining high powered off road only types of ebikes? ( Illegal comes to mind, lol) Truly a quandary at this point as they have achieved ice bike type power...yet many cannot, yet are considered over powered.
The 3 class system for ebikes leaves a bit to be desired, yet a 20mph limit for most is reasonable from my own practical observations. Of course ice cars and bikes are built with no limits on speed- the laws are meant to be obeyed. Why are bikes are left so underpowered? People are converting existing bicycles never designed for the speed that can be held with a motor. The vast majority of bicycles are inexpensive lines that cannot survive even light use much less severe duty.
Maintaining any decent machine is a constant process most are unqualified for. And our riding infrastructure is rather poor even before considering the the new fleet of powered bikes. BTW, the majority of high power ebike types are off roaders and do not buy into my city centric views. I have spent 25 years of my adult life without a car, yet had 20 years as a local CDL driver in several fields and as a heavy equipment operator. I'm not just some dink that just dislikes cars. Any touring I have done has been in state and under 250 miles.
Apr 4, 2022
Apr 4, 2022
Acoustic and Analog are just non-sense. Maybe if my bike was powered by sound or e-bikes suddenly become powered by something other than Analog electric power (and pedal)...., batteries(electricity) are only Analog now.
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mo·ped
/ˈmōˌped/
noun
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