Mountain Bikes for Mountains

[Morgann]

Made the mistake of trying to take my 105k person and a 15k bergen off tarmac on my hardtail ProConnect the other day. Seemed like a good idea in my head; get further into the moors, higher into the hills, spend longer at my destination, etc.

Wrong.

Scary slidy going up and vibration white finger coming down... Never again.

So, now I have a good excuse for a second bike; a mountain bike. Because the idea was good, it was just that the bike was unsuitable for that purpose. I was thinking full suss mtb with LOTS of power. Don't care about legal cos, off road.
Was looking at Haibike but think I need more power 'cos, fat bloke with a big pack

Any thoughts? Apart from 'Diet!' or 'Liposuction!'

Just to sum up. Hoping for recommendations for a strong mountain bike with lotsa power

 

[eddieo]

Try the Haibike you might be pleasantly surprised.....nice and quiet, so far more civilised and only weighs 20kg

Wisper have an off road version of my DaaHub kit coming....the new DaaHub motor is supposed to be very quiet as well

 

[flecc]

I also think the Haibike if you want to stay legal. If not, maybe you can have the 350 watt version imported.

Bear in mind downhill on very steep slopes can be even more scary with full suspension as the front dives with braking and the rear lifts on it's suspension. The bike can end up at a much steeper angle than the slope.

 

[banbury frank]

Hi Simple answer The bike in the following link £2250

Commuter Comp

Or If the budget allows £3995

Diamondback - Mission



A soft pack battery carried in a back pack 4.5 kilos

48 volt 15 AH

Can fit a Second battery on top bike bikes for long range £550


Frank

 

[Morgann]

Thanks all. I was leaning towards Haibike because of the crank drive and the protected motor and because it is made as a Mountain bike and one would assume that the bits and pieces would be robustly attached.

Never have liked rear carrier batteries or hub motors so, sorry Frank but I'll give the Xipis a miss.

A 350w Haibike? hmm. As usual Flecc. you may have found the the way. I'll take your and Eddie's advice and take a closer look.

Nobody is to laugh if the throttle jams open and carries me wailing in fear up Snowden. I do these experiments so you won't have to, you know? They laughed at McGonigle and look where he ended up.

 

[flecc]

They laughed at McGonigle and look where he ended up.

Well, I tried Google and he may be John, engaged in negative edges and soft thresholding in complex network analysis of resting state functional connectivity.

Or he may have become Margaret, engaged in free classification as a window on executive functioning in Autism Spectrum Disorders.

 

[Tor Atle Lunde]

The Haibike is great. When you put it through mud / water / snow you´ll appreciate it as a complete package. As for power, I rarely use the max setting ("speed 3"). I am 75kg and in a decent shape. For me 50% power is just about right when on the trails.

 

[Morgann]

Well, I tried Google and he may be John, engaged in negative edges and soft thresholding in complex network analysis of resting state functional connectivity.

Or he may have become Margaret, engaged in free classification as a window on executive functioning in Autism Spectrum Disorders.

No He was told to F*** off by Queen Victorias' policeman, was buried in an unmarked grave in Edinburgh, had the **** taken out of him by Spike Milligan and then was viciously and abusively misspelled by me. (His actual name was McGonagall, sorry about that.)

But some of us still remember his name... sometimes... sort of. so, I think the principal holds true.

And there was some considerable time between being told to F*** off and being buried. He was a poet but he wasn't that sensitive.

 

[smudger1956]

One of these will take you anywhere....

 

[banbury frank]

Hi Morgann


Thanks for looking at our bikes

Frank

 

[eddieo]

DaaHub kit with battery in back pack:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JVmmInVwho

 

[Kudoscycles]

Morgann....what about www.electricmountainbikes.com.....no nothing about them but their url must be a clue.I tried the Haibike at Presteigne and most impressed,genuine off road ability....if you are anywhere near us or another BH Emotion dealer the Xenion 650 or Neo X/Treme are worth a look.
Dave
KudosCycles

 

[eTim]

I can only recommend the Haibike, I'm sure the Swiss Flyer X will do the same job, you've got remember that an electric mountain bike is just a mountain bike with power assist, you are still limited by terrain and technical skill!

Without getting too pedantic, taking a technically illegal leccy mountain bike off-road, ie along byways (not footpaths, which is illegal anyway unless you are walking), means you would be riding as illegally as if you were riding on the road, it is a misconception, mainly purported by ebike dealers for marketing purposes, that an illegal ebike would be legal when ridden off-road.

The only time an illegal bike would not be subject to cycle law when off-road is when it is ridden on private land.

 

[Morgann]

Without getting too pedantic, taking a technically illegal leccy mountain bike off-road, ie along byways (not footpaths, which is illegal anyway unless you are walking), means you would be riding as illegally as if you were riding on the road, it is a misconception, mainly purported by ebike dealers for marketing purposes, that an illegal ebike would be legal when ridden off-road.

The only time an illegal bike would not be subject to cycle law when off-road is when it is ridden on private land.

Ahead of you mate. Forestry and MOD land.

 

[flecc]

Ahead of you mate. Forestry and MOD land.

But they have their own byelaws, so probably worth a read, since the RTA laws might still apply. It does on some privately owned roads for example.

 

[eTim]

But they have their own byelaws, so probably worth a read, since the RTA laws might still apply. It does on some privately owned roads for example.

I'm not bothered what people do with their illegal bikes, on or off-road, it's their own business, their own look-out, I run an illegal bike myself with a 190rpm powered Cytronex, taking it to a mind numbing 18mph!

I only post for the benefit of the forum, so that the 'off-road' label is understood better, it is often used misleadingly when used as a marketing tool in the wrong way. In fact I'm sure that advertisers could be liable for mis-selling if advertised in the wrong way and someone really wanted to push it.

I'm not sure about forestry land, for MoD, I do know from my own experience of off-road motorbiking across Salisbury Plain a few times that you must stick to the map-marked BOAT's that criss-cross the Plain. MoD Plod regularly patrol the area and will seize, destroy and prosecute any infractions that they feel deserve it. The same would apply to mountain bikes, ebikes and walkers (yes they will seize and destroy your boots ) straying off marked byways/footpaths.

AFAIK, Forestry Commision land is only open access where posted or marked on the map as such and is by agreement with the land owner and can be taken away and then you must stick to the marked paths and access it sensibly, I'm not sure about the legalities of FC land vs road traffic regulations, I haven't looked into it that deeply.

So to sum up, MoD land are byways/fottpaths use only, regulations apply, FC probably regs don't apply, which could be restrictive if you wanted to be strictly legal. What about beaches? Some of them are private too?!

 

[flecc]

I'm not sure about the legalities of FC land vs road traffic regulations, I haven't looked into it that deeply.

Things can get very complicated. I live alongside a large public access nature reserve which has covenants on it's use drawn up by residents like myself who, as a local group, bought the land in the first place. Subject to those covenants, the land was passed into local authority ownership free of charge for them to oversee management. They maintain the open lands, the Forestry Commission manage the woodlands, while it's also an English Nature designated nature reserve.

So there's the residents' covenants on legal usage, the local council byelaws applying to their open spaces, plus any FC and EN rules and regulations which may apply. Between them they probably cover anything except breathing!

Like you Tim, I don't care what others do, but am concerned that they should know or have access to the legal position on what they might do so that they can make informed decisions.

 

[Caph]

I'm just back from Berlin and I saw an eRockit coming past the American Embassy and turning up to the Brandenburg Gate. It was so fast that by the time I'd turned my camera on it was out of sight! A lot noisier than I expected too.

You'd certainly shift on one of those!