Half of my rides are with mixed groups. We are a group of 50-something dirtbike racers in a large club who have also been MTBing for 2-3 decades and riding MTB together for ten years.
In our group are two analog former state champs and two former pro team members (roadie) and a 145-pound ski instructor who can fly when he wants to. All are fast.
We also have some normal human analog pedalers who now struggle to keep up. So that is a consideration.
Five of us (about half of our regular group) went eBike last year due to nagging injuries/illnesses: Knee, femur, muscle tears, lung disease. Some of us still analog. Half my riding is on my Stumpy hardtail.
The fast guys mock us, but they have more fun now. They want to race us when they feel extra frisky and are glad they don’t have to wait for us anymore.
Despite their speed, it is better when certain eBikers don’t lead. Two of them are always on higher power and get way ahead and get lost. Better for them to stay in back. One of the state champs can jet off when he leads as well. That gets the eBikers jazzed, and the race is on.
I personally have my Heckler with three Stunlocker pre-sets. One is full power that I never use. One is a reduced setting when I am with eBikes. A new one I just set up is for this mixed group. It has Eco, Trail and Boost all reduced. Eco is 25nm, 50% Assist, and 200 watts. Previously I had seen my heart rate at a low 120 when the analogs were up at 175. On the new setting I am hitting 160 from time to time and the bike almost feels like an analog race bike when my bio rhythms are all peaked.
