Have you ever gotten back from a hard enduro ride and wondered why everything hurt? What about getting winded on some of the more technical sections?
Us either, that is until we turned 40.
Now there is the need to eat right and exercise, which is boring. Nobody likes kale, and who really likes going to the gym?
Enter the Scott Strike eRide 930 Electric Mountain Bike. The 930 is a midrange bike so it is not fully decked out like some of the ones that will set you back 12 grand or so, but it has suspension and hydraulic brakes.
Before you start telling us that e-bikes are cheating, let me remind you that we are the “WannaBes”, and, since we have no intent on going into professional mountain biking there is no such thing as cheating. Get over it, and remember that riding anything is supposed to be fun.
The Strike gets us out and exercising, and trust us, it is a workout, even with the electric assist. You still have to pedal, and gravity still sucks when going uphill. Seriously. Listen to how out of breath Kjeld is in this video.
The difference is you will likely want to ride more, go farther, and stay in better shape. Plus, riders of different skill levels can ride together, further encouraging more riding. The world could use more riding these days.
The Strike eRide 930 eMTB comes with a 250 watt, mid drive motor. This configuration lets the motor benefit from normal gear changes which provides a much more consistent power delivery as you gear down than the other common type of eMTB design (direct drive) that uses a hub-mounted motor.
While the motor may be mid-mount, there is nothing midrange about the drivetrain. It is shared with some of the much, much, more expensive machines with names like Husqvarna on the frame. The power delivery is phenomenal. We found that in low gear on some uphill single track that the bike was more than capable of wheelieing away, so pay attention!
The 930 has a handlebar-controlled dropper seat which is pretty standard on non e-bikes. As mentioned it has a full suspension which typical of most midrange pricepoint things is best described as adequate. You can quite easily “lock out” the suspension via some handlebar controls which is useful on some climbs or when transitioning from trail to trail by pedaling on some pavement where the bounciness of even a mid-level suspension can get annoying.
The hydraulic Shimano brakes are excellent, as the world has come to expect from even the midrange offerings from the brand.
As one would expect adding a battery and motor to anything will increase the weight, so it is nice that the Strike 890 has a “walk” button that helps if you are pushing the bike, say for example after getting stuck in some sand because you (allegedly) forgot you needed to pedal.
The tires are in the mid-fat range and provide good traction on the Southern California trails we ride, which is nice as the additional torque provided by the motor basically demands that the tire hooks up.
The bottom line is that if you are looking to stay in shape between rides, consider looking at an e-bike. It is a great work out and the sights, sounds, and smells found on most trails is better than any gym. Because you still have to navigate the obstacles found on a trail, it keeps your vision sharp for when you are back out on the enduro bike.
If anyone has a better suggestion for a workout, we’re all ears.
