How an electric bike can improve your fitness, and four of the best places to ride one
The combination of ease and fun is making the popularity of e-bikes soar. Mountain biking purists may call it cheating, but you’ll reach places you wouldn’t otherwise get to
I was hammering down one of the bike trails of the ski resort of Les Arcs in the French Alps, whooping and laughing like a child who has just learned to ride. I’d heard mention of the “electric bike smile” before, and now I knew just what it referred to.
This was my first time riding an electric bike – a Giant Full-E+1 mountain bike – and I could not wipe the grin off my face.
Thanks to a motor that gave me a choice of “Eco”, “Normal” and “Power” modes, whenever I came to an uphill section that would have been a slog on my regular mountain bike, I simply started pedalling and the motor would engage to assist me in the climb. It was like being given a helpful push.
I was on the undulating single track for which Les Arcs is renowned – lots of berms, plenty of opportunities to get your bike airborne if you like that kind of thing, and lots of “flow” to ensure a seamless ride all the way from the high point of the trails at 2,600-metre Col de la Chal to the base some 1,800 metres below.
A full range of gears and suspension, front and rear, provided a smooth, plush ride and even though the Giant weighed a hefty 54lb (24kg) – compared to around 34lb for my usual non-motorised mountain bike – this was never an issue. The extra weight of the motor and battery made the downhill ride stable even at high speed on loose dirt.