Holy smokes. Mountain bikers are a TOTALLY different breed than BMX racers. It’s sort of like comparing sprinters to marathon runners.

I competed in my first MTB racing event today. IT WAS WILD! I knew it would be physical but holy smokes I wasn’t expecting to hit a tree and get so overheated that I puked on the second lap.

I raced in the electric mountain bike class. I didn’t do so great but this was my first time riding a complete lap at this 7 mile trail and it is without a doubt the most physical and difficult race on the calendar. I totally underestimated how physical the race would be. It was 58 minutes (14 miles) of intense riding with lots of fast downhill sections, drops and rock and root filled climbs.

It was FUN! I am now incredibly motivated to hit the gym regularly and get back into good shape.

My Cannondale Moterra held up ok. I was worried about the range riding in turbo mode (most powerful setting) the whole race but thankfully I finished the race with about 6 miles of range left. I might switch to my other ebike for the next race in June as I noticed a significant drop in power on the second lap and was racing against bikes with larger batteries. Lithiun ion batteries are supposed to provide consistent power through the discharge range but I know from experience that once these batteries get into the lower voltage range the power does drop off in a noticeable way.

I got up into 3rd but dropped back to 6th (last in my class) but I learned a lot and I plan to do better in my next race at my home track that I have memorized.

Racing 18 & 19 year olds at the age of 40 was wild! Those kids are FAST!!!

40?! You old fart!

Sounds like a great afternoon, man, good for you!

Congrats! I bet you will be feeling that tomorrow morning. I hadn't biked more than a couple of miles leisurely with out kids until last year when I helped our son get his cycling merit badge in scouts. That was the grueling slog of 50 miles though, no racing or excitement.

Crazy part is my upper body hurts more than my legs. My arms, wrists and forearms are aching.

Trying to control a 50+ lb full power ebike on a fast trail is more physical than I expected.

I’m racing a 500w Bosch CX Performance Line against Scott & Specialized bikes with 750w power tubes/batteries. I probably should have expected to struggle towards the end of the race when I felt the power drop off drastically and I got left behind.


Holy hell! I am sore!!! My upper body isn’t hurting like right after the race but my legs are suffering! There is no way I’m working out or riding today. I feel like I was hit by a car this morning.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: stickman428,

One of the regulars at the local bike shop where I work brought in a Specialized ebike similar to the kind I race against.

Holy hell was my conversation with him eye opening! He can tune his bike on his phone and because his software is more open to customization he can tune his bike and motor to propel him to damn near 40 mph!

Zee Germans who make the software for my bike don’t allow any of this kind of customization or really much of any customization at all. And I have access to the dealer software!!!

Suddenly I understand how my team mate and I got spanked on the start and during a hell of a climb why the two 18 year olds on specialized bikes seemed to only get stronger as the speed increased.

We are racing “class 1 e-bikes” which don’t have a throttle lever and the pedal assist or electric boost from the motor is applied as you pedal. The harder you pedal the harder the motor works. The motor/pedal assist cuts off at 20 mph.

Apparently all one needs is a smart phone to tune their Specialized ebike to vastly outperform the current top of the line Bosch CX Performance Line motors we are running. You can make a Specualized bike continue to give pedal assist up to nearly 40 mph!!!


I found that I can get a chip that bypasses the restrictions on my Bosch ebike but it voids the warranty. Not like I’m worried about that. My motor was out of warranty two years ago. Here’s the kicker, even with a chip I am down 10 mph top speed on these Specialized bikes with a smart phone tune and no chip!


I am 99.9% sure I am racing against guys who are cheating and hopping up their e-bikes. The question is do I “tune” my motor to derestrict the ridiculous 20 mph cut off for power?

I’ve already ordered shorter crank arms (155mm) which should have my legs spinning faster and allowing for more power along with a new set of Hope platform pedals and an alloy chain ring that will shave off significant weight over the steel chainring.

One of the guys at my shop who is on the cusp of going pro in cross country mtb raced in my division and swears the Specilaized riders are cheating/modded their bikes to provide more power.

I don’t want to be “that guy” to call them out but I also don’t want to bring a knife to a gun fight during the rest of the season.

What would you do?

They may or may not be cheating, but they are 18 years old. I am sure you are in pretty good shape but again, they are 18 and still don't have the realization they what they are doing may kill them. They still have the 10 foot tall and bullet proof attitude and also have not abused their bodies as much through the years. The equipment will certainly make a difference but it sounds like this is likely not some sort of sanctioned event where there is comprehensive technical scrutiny of the bikes. For now just have fun.

E-bikes are looking more and more attractive to me, but holy cow, some of those Treks are PRICEY! Then again, I'm not gonna be mountain bike racing.

I raced mountain bikes in my late 20s and early 30s before E bikes were a thing. Yes, it was physical. I routinely has scrapes on my knuckles and legs. I stopped after a bad wreck that caused 3 broken ribs and a cracked helmet that most likely prevented a TBI. I was in the best shape of my life during that period and did a lot of training on my road bike to become a better climber in the woods. I spent too much money trying to get my full suspension bike under 24lbs including dropping the granny gear sprocket and riding a double. Good times. Glad you’re enjoying it.

quote:

Originally posted by dking271:
I raced mountain bikes in my late 20s and early 30s before E bikes were a thing. Yes, it was physical. I routinely has scrapes on my knuckles and legs. I stopped after a bad wreck that caused 3 broken ribs and a cracked helmet that most likely prevented a TBI. I was in the best shape of my life during that period and did a lot of training on my road bike to become a better climber in the woods. I spent too much money trying to get my full suspension bike under 24lbs including dropping the granny gear sprocket and riding a double. Good times. Glad you’re enjoying it.

Thank you for posting this! You confirmed my decision to skip the race tomorrow that I would be running blind and join my local bike shop’s group ride to focus on strength and stamina before my home race in mid June. I’m not competing for points this season and just treating it like a practice run. Next season I’ll be going to the majority of the races.

I asked my boss at the local bike shop what I can do to become a better climber and to have more endurance. He quickly responded to join the group ride tomorrow.

I’m excited. I don’t have a road bike but I did put MUCH less aggressive tires on my cyclocross drop bar bike so I suppose it will suffice until I get a dedicated road bike.

What dietary recommendations / preparations do you recommend before a group ride? I am a total newbie when it comes to road bikes and road riding.

I am rocking a single front chain ring and recently swapped from a narrow wide 40T to a narrow wide 50 tooth front chain ring. I’m sacrificing a little bit of climbing ability but picking up a VERY NICE boost to the top speed of my bike.


I cannot begin to tell you guys how much fun it is to line up at the start/finish line and race again. It’s a RUSH! It’s also motivating me to get back into great shape again.

Damn! My hat's off to you for even trying that shit!

quote:

What would you do?

I'd enter an analog bike division with no software modding and race guys my own age.

Pace yourself. Too many races at that age and your body will pay the price......maybe now then but definitely later in life. Just had a court case where a guy started doing Iron Man competitions in his mid 40s through to his mid 50s. He was doing 5 or more a year and now in his mid 60s, he is all messed up with serious neck and back issues. He was suing his doctor for not being aggressive enough in doing neck and back surgeries. He lost the verdict.

In other words, plan your races and plan your workout and preparations for those races. Give your body time off to recover.

LOL, reminds me of riding my bike back from downtown a few years back. I have an expensive rocky mountain, no batteries or power stuff for me although I'd heard of such things. Just a bike.

As the hill approaches, I am working harder but slowing. I glance back and see a woman with a child in the front of some heavy looking unknown custom looking bike slowly catching up to me. The bike lane is narrow, the curb high: I speed up so she doesn't have to take the risk of going into the street to pass me. Yet still she catches up....now I'm standing fully up onto the pedals, heart bursting as I strain my body to produce.

Finally, we get to the first curb cutout right as the hill gets crazy steep. I pull over, hoping I can get out of this ironwomans way so she stays out of traffic. I've pulled over huffing and say (out loud as it turned out), Holy F***k I'm out of shape. The woman and child are past and the biker following had pulled up behind me and had heard my missive. He laughs out loud and says, "she has an ebike" LOL.

Good luck with the bike racing. Don't buy the look, they might have a turbo under the hood so to speak:-)

I got my first podium today at a track south of Greensboro NC. I left straight from work and arrived at the trail later than I had hoped. I decided against a pre-ride of the trail and instead rolled the dice and raced it blind! It was a fast and flowing 6.5 mile trail with my group doing three laps.

I took my 29er Niner RIP E9 instead of my Carbon Cannondale Moterra. My Cannondale has a 29er front and 27.5 wheel out back which handles great but doesn’t roll over rocks and roots as well as a 29er.

Yesterday I rode the Niner on my local trail right before sunset and destroyed my lap record. I’m glad I ran it today instead of my Cannondale. I had planned on a road group ride but after seeing how fast my other ebike was at my local trail I am glad I decided last minute to go race!


Im making progress!!!



I look so damn tired in this pic!!

The Cannondale rep dropped off two $7,000 Moterra SL (Super Light) e-bikes for us to demo at the bike shop. Coming in at 47 lbs they are nimble and incredibly smooth bikes that just love to get airborne. It’s a neat bike but I don’t really like the smaller (and lighter) Shimano motor compared to my Bosch CX Performance line motor.

I upgraded my Cannondale cranks and chainring. The cranks are lighter and shorter and the alloy chainring is considerably lighter than the steel ring it replaced. I’ll have a new 29er rear wheel, cassette and wireless shifting on this baby before the next race!






My boss raced in Virginia over the weekend and came back smiling having come VERY close to winning his group. We talked about how much of an adrenaline rush racing a full power ebike is on a trail.

The pace is so much faster than MTB. It’s sort of the perfect combo of motocross and mountain bike racing. You still get a hell of a work out but not just your legs. My upper body was aching more than my legs after my most recent race.

I think it’s more of a rush than riding a motorcycle. Dodging trees and carving up trails in the woods might be the most fun I’ve ever had on two wheels.

We got to talking about the best platform to race. I mentioned GasGas’s new ECC6 that has wireless shifting and a semi auto transmission that can upshift and downshift on its own!

We have a $10,999 top of the line GASGAS racing ebike headed to our shop as a demo bike!!!!

Link to GasGas flagship ebike

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:

I asked my boss at the local bike shop what I can do to become a better climber and to have more endurance. He quickly responded to join the group ride tomorrow.

I’m excited. I don’t have a road bike but I did put MUCH less aggressive tires on my cyclocross drop bar bike so I suppose it will suffice until I get a dedicated road bike.

Oh, you poor soul. Do you know the expensive path you just went down?

Back in 1994 I had a trail near where I lived. I got a MTB to ride that trail. Shortly afterwards I got a nicer MTB. Then I started riding more. Then I starting racing. Then I starting riding my MTB on the road to train for racing. Then I got a road bike.

Nowadays, while I still love MTB, time is the limiting factor. But I ride my road bike 3-4 times per week.

Enjoy the journey!

quote:

Originally posted by holdem:

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:

I asked my boss at the local bike shop what I can do to become a better climber and to have more endurance. He quickly responded to join the group ride tomorrow.

I’m excited. I don’t have a road bike but I did put MUCH less aggressive tires on my cyclocross drop bar bike so I suppose it will suffice until I get a dedicated road bike.

Oh, you poor soul. Do you know the expensive path you just went down?

Back in 1994 I had a trail near where I lived. I got a MTB to ride that trail. Shortly afterwards I got a nicer MTB. Then I started riding more. Then I starting racing. Then I starting riding my MTB on the road to train for racing. Then I got a road bike.

Nowadays, while I still love MTB, time is the limiting factor. But I ride my road bike 3-4 times per week.

Enjoy the journey!

Wish me luck! I’ll be doing my first group road ride tomorrow after I get off work at the local bike shop. I fully expect to get my ass handed to me but it’ll be fun and a good way to get more endurance/stamina, which I can use when I race in the e-bike class.

We are a Cervélo dealer and a BMC dealer so if I can stop buying full power e-bikes I dare say a legit road bike will be added to my garage by 2025. I DEFINITELY WANT to compete in the charity road ride that I recently got to follow as a support vehicle & do last minute tube swaps and small fixes and tire air pressure top offs for nervous riders prior to the race. That was a FUN experience!

I have a new found appreciation for the roadies.

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On a different subject the mods I did on my racing e-bike have yielded results. I am only one minute off from the winning lap time from last year at my local trail. Considering only a few months ago I was almost 10 minutes off the winning lap time I think I am progressing nicely!


It’s a 5.5 mile trail so there are plenty of places to make mistakes. I’ve noticed my overall speed is increasing quite a bit but I still have a long way to go.