Power Struggle: Who Controls the Future of E‑MTB?

The United States is complicated weave of laws and regulations decided by each state. Naturally we will see a broad variance of such throughout the Country. As time goes forward (sometimes slowly) as legislators get educated things will settle. Unfortunately some states are governed in a fashion which does not make the people happy. So, without getting involved in politics, if you don’t like the regulations and laws, change them with your vote.
 
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Would have thought a decent ebike could come in handy these days if you live in a blue state.
 
The inside scoop from many manufacturers is they are not selling analog MTB’s hardly at all. They would love to be selling them but no one is buying. Everyone is going EMTB. As far as legislation goes there is still a lot of education going on. Yes some places like NYC have passed stupid laws but people who ride EMTB’s don’t ride in the city. That whole thing was started because delivery people where hot rodding their bikes and causing accidents. Where high profile accidents occur politicans always love to over react.

It wouldn’t surprise me to see analog bikes essentially go away. Some manufacturers have trimmed analog development and production by 70% and shifted all those resources over to EMTB’s.

Sad but true, a lot are struggling to sell the enduro level bikes in the 150-170mm range. eebs get more runs, we only ride bikes for fun... fun up, fun down :cool:

Yeah I hear you on the education-legislation too, many legislators shout E-BIKES, not drawing the line between us 50yr olds on legal pedal assist $10k Treks and kids raking havoc in the streets on 3-5kw throttle bikes, which we as the educated know are electric dirt bikes.

Hopefully someone explains to the knee-jerk law makers that distinguishing between a legal Bosch, Brose, DJI pedelec etc is not the same as a DumbFong cheap electric motorbike.
 
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E-bikes aren’t coming — they’re already here. In 2023, over 5.1 million of them were sold across Europe, with traditional bikes only just ahead at 6.6 million. In Germany, e-bikes actually overtook analogue bikes for the first time, grabbing more than half the market. This isn’t a trend anymore — it’s a takeover. And it’s transforming everything: how we ride, how bikes are built, and what the industry believes a bike should be.

Then came the curveball.

DJI — yes, the drone company — dropped a 1000-watt, 120Nm eMTB system with sleek integration, fast charging, and power to burn. The Avinox system didn’t just raise eyebrows; it kicked the industry’s front door in. Overnight, the usual suspects — Bosch, Shimano, Specialized — found themselves playing defence. Soon after, the eMTB elite huddled in a Think Tank and proposed something unthinkable just a year earlier: a self-imposed cap on motor output.

750 watts. That’s the new line in the dirt.

Is this really about protecting trails and riding responsibly? Or is it a well-dressed panic move from brands caught flat-footed by an outsider with better tech?
In this piece, we dig into what the DJI Avinox launch really triggered — and why older high-powered motors like the Haibike Flyon and Sachs RS never got the same reaction.

Discussion thread for full article:
Way too reminiscent of FIA rule changes for LeMans racing in late 1960’s after Ford enterd their iconic
GT-40 and dominated the field… the established EU wussies changed rules on engine size. Ford dominated again for couple years, having proven their point, Ford moved on to other racing.
 
I like e-bikes but I don't think that a modern full power e-bike is any slower on a tight trail than say an early CR125.

We better be very careful...
And the faster eMTBs are going up, the faster the closing speed on bi-directional trails. A real problem in some areas.

In any case, not sure that there is any answer at this point. So many riding the de-restriction train now....."rules don't apply to me, they are stupid. I'll do what I want."*

* Edited: To be clear, any frustration I have with this is U.S. based, where we already have a faster speed limit. I understand and appreciate the different concerns in the EU/UK, etc.
 
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As more than one Ebike reviewer is noticed I think the power war is a distraction from more important things like reliability, cost and durability. It would also be very counter productive long term if it sparked all kinds of new legislation and regulation.
 
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