eMTBs Aren’t Ruining Mountain Biking — They’re Expanding It

Bike Radar have lost the plot on this one and at some point you have to wonder, is cycling journalism hurting our sport more than helping it at times?

There’s been plenty of debate about what electric mountain bikes (eMTBs) are doing to the sport. Some, like a recent opinion piece arguing they “ruin our relationship with effort and reward,” claim e-assist has dulled the meaning of mountain biking.

But to many riders — and future riders — eMTBs aren’t ruining anything. They’re rebuilding access to joy, fitness, and the outdoors that traditional biking too often locks behind fitness, age, or ability barriers.

One comment on the original piece captured it perfectly.

I_am_richard

“Either this is a complete misjudgement from your Editorial team or this is a sad attempt at clickbait… It’s not until half way through the self-indulgent, mis‑guided ‘article’ do you even consider why some people might choose to ride e-bikes. Age, health, invisible illnesses — oh and this thing called choice!”

That word choice is the beating heart of this discussion.

Accessibility Is Not a Compromise

For anyone living with chronic pain, joint issues, heart disease, or recovering from injury, an eMTB isn’t a shortcut — it’s a gateway. What used to be a single exhausting climb can become an achievable challenge, not a deterrent. The assist doesn’t remove the work; it redistributes it, turning “impossible” into “maybe I’ll try.”

Mountain biking has always been about overcoming obstacles — the steep hill, the tricky root section, the fear of falling. eMTBs simply make those challenges reachable for people who’d been shut out before.

A Broader Trail Community

Ride in any modern trail centre and you’ll see eMTBs bringing together groups that wouldn’t otherwise exist: parents keeping up with their kids, older riders staying part of club rides, and newcomers learning skills without being crushed by early fatigue. They’re re‑weaving the social side of mountain biking — the post‑ride coffee chats, the shared stoke, the simple act of belonging.

The beauty of eMTBs isn’t in replacing effort but redefining it. Effort still exists — just measured differently. For some, it’s 1,000 metres of climbing. For others, it’s pedalling at all after surgery, illness, or burnout.

You Don’t Lose the “Earned” Feeling

That satisfaction after a great ride — the grin, the tired legs, the stories — doesn’t vanish because a motor helped you climb. The sense of reward comes from progress, flow, connection, and freedom. Those feelings are personal. They don’t require a purity test. They only require motion and heart.

eMTBs aren’t eroding mountain biking; they’re evolving it. They invite more people to ride, feel, and heal. The sport gains more voices, more energy, more community — not less.

And that, in the long run, is worth more than any argument about purity or power inputs.