Welcome to a new branch of The Dirt - E-Bikes! After many years using cycling for motorcycle training, it’s time to give the body a break and start enjoying the ride.

Welcome to the first post of this new side-side hustle dedicated to E-Bikes. The Dirt has been going for well over a year now and it’s been a great ride thus far. Obviously those who know me understand my passion for dirt bikes, and having been riding since around 1985, I’m scientifically what you would call an expert on the subject. Those that don’t know me – Hi, I’m Chris Power and have been riding and racing dirt bikes for many, many years across four different continents. CLICK HERE if you want a more in-depth blurb on my racing, testing and media background.

So where does MTB come into it then? Well, Mountain bike riding is about as close as you can get to riding a dirt bike, and it’s fantastic training for when my environment didn’t allow me to get out and twist the throttle. So, I’ve been riding bicycles (MTB and Road) also for as long as I can remember. In no way do I consider myself a bicycle expert – In any way, shape or form. But I do consider myself an enthusiast and really enjoy getting out on the trail and riding with friends when I’m not advocating for Road Safety in the Waikato area during my nine-to-five.

And why E-Bikes? The honest answer is that at this time in my life, I want to enjoy my riding more than I want to slog it out and wreck myself. I’ve done years and years of pedaling up hills, blowing out the lungs and legs, pushing till I nearly throw up and then doing it all over again. It’s time to finish the day feeling good…to give the body a break. It’s my time to start really enjoying the ride and everything that I’ve missed out on over the past 20 years. It’s time to have fun.

My old man recently bought himself a Specialized E-Bike and has been joining the team on MTB rides that he would have never been able to complete. The freedom and capability that his E-Bike has given him, and his partner is priceless. He has gone from minimal ‘exercising’ to doing hour-long slog-rides with us and Rail Trailing for hours.

The introduction of E-Bikes into the mainstream MTB world (and any other genre for that matter) has seen a lot of hardcore peddlers really get their lycra stuck up their ass - much like the rivalry between surfers and bodyboarders. What these people fail to understand is that more bikes out there has to be better for the bicycling economy – Full stop! A lot of these E-Bike owners just wouldn’t have the ability to get out riding, and that’s a lot of money stuck in a bank account somewhere and not being pushed into and filtered through the whole cycling industry.

A rising tide brings up all ships. It’s not making things easy - it’s making things possible.

This will be a slow process going forward and I plan to have fun with this side of my site and learn more as I go about E-Bikes. I want to know what makes them tick, what makes them good and what makes them not. So join me on this ride as we get out there, get active and have a whole lot of fun!

Chris

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