If you’re looking for an exciting new sport to get involved in, we firmly recommend getting yourself an electric bike and getting involved in the burgeoning community. An e-bike can help you ride further than ever before and climb tougher hills than you could previously imagine capable while gaining health benefits and doing your bit for the environment.
The Joys Of Riding
Anyone who already rides and enjoys taking their e-bike out on trails or up mountain ranges will gain a friendly reminder of why we love this sport so much. But if you’re new to the e-bike world, here are seven reasons to get out and ride a mountain e-bike.
1. Grow Your Group Of Riding Buddies
Today’s world is constantly inundated with social media, Zoom calls, and other technologies that provide a false sense of connection with others. Want to know how I connect with my friends and family? We get together and ride! And before you say, “Well, yeah, he must have a bunch of fitness-junky friends,” I can assure you that’s not the case. I enjoy smashing singletrack with my co-workers and friends just as much as pedaling a bike path with my 82-year-old grandfather. Almost anyone can ride an e-bike, and whether your ride is just down the street or to the top of a mountain, the connections you make during a bike ride will be more memorable than anything any social media app can offer.
2. Better Understand Mechanics
The fact is, our bikes are far from indestructible and regular maintenance is part of the sport. While our equipment requires more attention than a baseball bat or a basketball, it’s far less complex than the equipment required for many other sports, so don’t be intimidated about getting your hands dirty. No one will give you a hard time for not knowing how to adjust a rear derailleur or service a suspension fork. That said, every rider should pick up a few mechanical skills, even simple tasks like oiling a chain or adjusting saddle height.
3. Improve Your Fitness And Health
Mountain e-biking can be as mellow as cruising a dirt path or as heart-pounding as trying to set a record time on a climb. Cycling has many benefits, such as increasing cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength and flexibility, and reducing body fat. Best of all, unlike running, cycling is a low-impact exercise that can be continued later in life. You know what they say? A bike ride a day keeps the doctor away.
4. Build Your Mental Toughness
Riding a mountain e-bike creates mental toughness you can carry throughout your life. I know that sounds a bit farfetched but think about it briefly. If you can handle the pressure of navigating a black-diamond trail or launching off a jump for the first time, you can easily work up the courage to take risks elsewhere in your life.
Each time I lace up my shoes and strap on my helmet, I know there will be a barrier I’ll have to overcome. It may be a climb I’ve done hundreds of times, but I know it will still hurt, even when I’m at my best fitness level. The ability to overcome pain and sort through mental struggles is something almost every cyclist will gain. Mountain bikers quickly learn to quiet the pain they feel in their legs on a long ascent and shut down the fear they have when they charge down a rocky trail. Mental toughness is a gift cycling can offer anyone willing to work for it.
5. Learn To Be Patient
It’s easy to get lost in videos of pro riders making trails look effortless as they gracefully manage big jumps and float over technical trails, but what you don’t see are the years of practice these riders commit to. I always try to improve the way I ride by practicing new skills. Even if I don’t master a new skill every ride, I don’t let that discourage me from learning.
One goal I set for myself years ago was learning how to wheelie. I mean, how cool is it to see a rider pedaling around the trails with just one wheel on the ground? That goal quickly turned into a two-year mission. I spent an hour, three days a week, practicing how to wheelie until I had it down. I felt so proud of myself for setting a goal and continually working towards it. It’s important to be patient as you practice new skills or work on your fitness. With consistent effort, anything is possible.
6. Share Your Battle Wounds
No one enjoys crashing, but everyone loves a good crash story. Riding a mountain bike is likely to give you a scar or two along the way. I have quite a few, and I have a story of how it got there for each scar. I don’t have any tattoos. I have nothing against them; they’re just not for me. However, my scars tell stories just like a tattoo. The scar on my abdomen is from when a branch reached out, grabbed my brake lever, and tossed me to the ground. The scars on my knees tell stories about the times I left my knee pads in my truck, thinking it was too hot, or it would just be a mellow ride. If you push your limits on your bike, you’ll get battle wounds, and with those scrapes, cuts, and bruises come stories of excitement and adventure.
7. Become Happier
There’s a quote that says, “It’s not the years in your life that count; it’s the life in your years.” I’m not sure who said it first, but I love the message behind it. I ride a mountain bike simply because it brings happiness into my life. Being out in nature, listening to my tires roll, and the high-adrenaline fun that comes from shredding singletrack puts me at ease and settles my thoughts for a few moments. It’s like meditation, without sitting in an uncomfortable position in complete silence. If you want to bring more happiness into your life, go out and buy yourself a mountain e-bike today.
Live The Joy Of Mountain Biking
A mountain e-bike can help you master jumps, high-speed turns, and the trickiest terrains to your heart’s content. It can help you traverse longer distances and conquer challenging hills that previously seemed out of your reach, all while offering fitness, health, and social benefits.
Ready to hit the trails? Check out our guide to the benefits of electric mountain bikes and explore the models available in our list of the best electric mountain e-bikes.
