Middle Aged Man eMTB Update!

[NeilJPatron]

Hey everyone,

I haven’t posted anything recently since joining the forum, but received an email advising a response from a previous post, so thought I’d share the past couple of months with the SCOTT PATRON eRIDE 900 ST TUNED.

So after putting in quite a few crank miles on the Scott, my ‘friend’ who got me into this eMTB carry-on invited me to my first ever experience of actually doing some downhill rides with him, and show me the ropes.

Jeeze! I had absolutely NO clue how hard this was going to be!

I used to train really hard since I was in my early teens. Always been active, but if you’ve read my avi, you’ll know I took near fatal heart failure a couple of years ago.

That’s under control now and I’m definitely finding the bike has made a massive impact in my fitness levels.

Enough to ease me into my first eMTB downhill experience at Hamsterley Forest?

Short answer? NO!

I’d never imagined that going down hill would ever be as hard as this!

And I was only riding ‘blues’!

But……….having stayed with it, I’m riding ‘reds’ and learning to trust the bike and more importantly, to enjoy myself and relax on the way down! Being as stiff as a board (read frightened, lol) doesn’t make for a good time and definitely doesn’t help build confidence in yourself to tackle some pretty sketchy stuff that you’ve never seen before except on YouTube.

Which brings me to a great point about getting into riding downhill on an eMTB………

STOP watching pro riders do their thing, beating yourself up that you’re not able to get anywhere close to how they ride trails and instead checkout people who are newbies, or mid level riders who aren’t afraid to tell it like it is!

You’ll find out that you’re not alone!

EVERYONE s**ts themselves the first time they see their first drop-off/berm/rock garden/skinny/etc.

And to answer your question, did I crash?

Of course I did! lol.

Fortunately on a slow, uphill switchback corner………the front washed out on some gravel and down I went. Fortunately, keeping my body between the ground and my shining new Patron.

However……..I found out it wasn’t over just yet! A word from the wise………..having a Bosch CX-Race motor gives you some decent bragging rights I guess…………..but it also gives you an instant delivery of 85Nm of torque should you (me) have ‘RACE’ mode engaged, have just climbed back on the bike and put a quarter turn of crank on the pedal!

IT WILL let you climb trees and fall off your bike again!

 

[Tonybro]

Persist and the skills will improve! We'll have you up those trees still on your bike in no time!

We've all been there...

 

[Excalibur]

I have enjoyed this summer spending days out on my Scott strike 920 it took some time to get used to the riding modes and the bike it's self but I must say it's been fun, I have been out to places I used to go years ago and done some miles on and off road and the bike has helped with hill climbs and pedalling I am 67 and retired and I do about 40 miles or more when out.
I highly recommend anyone getting an ebike and spoke with some guys while out riding about the advantages of having the motor on the bike and they were impressed, I cannot fault anything about having an ebike and I hope next summer I will be out riding and enjoying the countyside and long warm days.

 

[Stihldog]

And then there’s the winter season. Time for a change in apparel, tires, riding style, trail choices etc. Under the right conditions it extends my riding season and can present different challenges.

A bit more solitude since analog bikes are less likely to make it up and fewer hikers venture out, unless they have snowshoes or crampons. I avoid the features because the trails are challenging enough.

Black Diamond trails become blue trails and vis-versa. Climbing becomes more of an issue since stopping your momentum is not an option. 3” of fresh powder is perfect . Packed ice is not.

Balaclava, heavy gloves, winter spd’s boots, and a decent jacket …and a level of stupidity that can’t be measured.

 

[NeilJPatron]

Persist and the skills will improve! We'll have you up those trees still on your bike in no time!

We've all been there...

Haha. It’s getting me and the bike back down again that’s the problem! Like a cat.

 

[NeilJPatron]

And then there’s the winter season. Time for a change in apparel, tires, riding style, trail choices etc. Under the right conditions it extends my riding season and can present different challenges.

A bit more solitude since analog bikes are less likely to make it up and fewer hikers venture out, unless they have snowshoes or crampons. I avoid the features because the trails are challenging enough.

Black Diamond trails become blue trails and vis-versa. Climbing becomes more of an issue since stopping your momentum is not an option. 3” of fresh powder is perfect . Packed ice is not.

Balaclava, heavy gloves, winter spd’s boots, and a decent jacket …and a level of stupidity that can’t be measured. View attachment 171175View attachment 171176

And then there’s the winter season. Time for a change in apparel, tires, riding style, trail choices etc. Under the right conditions it extends my riding season and can present different challenges.

A bit more solitude since analog bikes are less likely to make it up and fewer hikers venture out, unless they have snowshoes or crampons. I avoid the features because the trails are challenging enough.

Black Diamond trails become blue trails and vis-versa. Climbing becomes more of an issue since stopping your momentum is not an option. 3” of fresh powder is perfect . Packed ice is not.

Balaclava, heavy gloves, winter spd’s boots, and a decent jacket …and a level of stupidity that can’t be measured. View attachment 171175View attachment 171176

Loving that pic of you in the snow! And yes, although now 55, my levels of stupidity know no bounds!

Bring on the winter!

 

[Stihldog]

Haha. It’s getting me and the bike back down again that’s the problem! Like a cat.

You mentioned bikes and cats. I thought I’d repost these pics taken by @luna87824

 

[ValActionT 750]

IMHO using max power, all the time isn’t a sport anymore, it’s recreation. Coming from a 74yo with shitty lungs in year two with my Cube. Anyways, using full power while climbing is too much I find. It’s a balance between gearing and body positioning. With just enough power to make up for lost lung capacity (sometimes more ) Which gives me a sense of satisfaction. My previous mtb was a lightweight superb BMC. When I got my emtb, I just point that thing for towards all the roots and big rocks In my way to learn what this puppy can take. Which is a lot. Definitely takes more muscle due to the close to 25# weight difference. That’s all. Now to go riding.

 

[NeilJPatron]

IMHO using max power, all the time isn’t a sport anymore, it’s recreation. Coming from a 74yo with shitty lungs in year two with my Cube. Anyways, using full power while climbing is too much I find. It’s a balance between gearing and body positioning. With just enough power to make up for lost lung capacity (sometimes more ) Which gives me a sense of satisfaction. My previous mtb was a lightweight superb BMC. When I got my emtb, I just point that thing for towards all the roots and big rocks In my way to learn what this puppy can take. Which is a lot. Definitely takes more muscle due to the close to 25# weight difference. That’s all. Now to go riding.

Much respect

 

[Gianna@3]

Hey everyone,

I haven’t posted anything recently since joining the forum, but received an email advising a response from a previous post, so thought I’d share the past couple of months with the SCOTT PATRON eRIDE 900 ST TUNED.

So after putting in quite a few crank miles on the Scott, my ‘friend’ who got me into this eMTB carry-on invited me to my first ever experience of actually doing some downhill rides with him, and show me the ropes.

Jeeze! I had absolutely NO clue how hard this was going to be!

I used to train really hard since I was in my early teens. Always been active, but if you’ve read my avi, you’ll know I took near fatal heart failure a couple of years ago.

That’s under control now and I’m definitely finding the bike has made a massive impact in my fitness levels.

Enough to ease me into my first eMTB downhill experience at Hamsterley Forest?

Short answer? NO!

I’d never imagined that going down hill would ever be as hard as this!

And I was only riding ‘blues’!

But……….having stayed with it, I’m riding ‘reds’ and learning to trust the bike and more importantly, to enjoy myself and relax on the way down! Being as stiff as a board (read frightened, lol) doesn’t make for a good time and definitely doesn’t help build confidence in yourself to tackle some pretty sketchy stuff that you’ve never seen before except on YouTube.

Which brings me to a great point about getting into riding downhill on an eMTB………

STOP watching pro riders do their thing, beating yourself up that you’re not able to get anywhere close to how they ride trails and instead checkout people who are newbies, or mid level riders who aren’t afraid to tell it like it is!

You’ll find out that you’re not alone!

EVERYONE s**ts themselves the first time they see their first drop-off/berm/rock garden/skinny/etc.

And to answer your question, did I crash?

Of course I did! lol.

Fortunately on a slow, uphill switchback corner………the front washed out on some gravel and down I went. Fortunately, keeping my body between the ground and my shining new Patron.

However……..I found out it wasn’t over just yet! A word from the wise………..having a Bosch CX-Race motor gives you some decent bragging rights I guess…………..but it also gives you an instant delivery of 85Nm of torque should you (me) have ‘RACE’ mode engaged, have just climbed back on the bike and put a quarter turn of crank on the pedal!

IT WILL let you climb trees and fall off your bike again!

Honest and relatable update Downhill eMTB riding isn’t as easy as it looks, and it’s great to hear the real learning curve. Respect for sticking with it and progressing to reds—this will definitely encourage other riders.