My wife enjoys pedaling her SunSeeker Fat Tad CXS Full Suspension Tadpole Recumbent eTrike with me on eastern Idaho's snow and ice covered trails. While I'm carefully, tactically looking for the safest route on ice on my Surly Pugsley fat tire bike with studded tires, my wife is giggling while sliding around on the ice. She also paces me in warmer weather on roads with her SunSeeker Fat Tad CXS Full Suspension Tadpole Recumbent eTrike. Her fat tad etrike has been a game changer for our bike rides. We both have fun!
@@maldridge7630 no, that can only be in your head, the way you feel about your bike and riding. Riding is a state of mind and nobody else should factor into how you feel when you're out riding your bike.
I keep a battery power washer and a 20lt water container. I find it much easier to wash the bike straight after a ride while the dirt is still wet and easier to get off. So much nicer pulling a clean bike out the car when you get home and all you want to do is jump in a hot shower.
Wet weather riding is a 12 month affair in the UK. One reason I left the country LOL. When it gets wet where I have lived in the US, the trails get closed until they dry out again. Also Winter is a LOT colder for us than the summer.
I get the analogue bike out in winter.. to save my e-motor getting screwed from all that welsh cruddy slop. 🫣😂 But I'm out in the very worst conditions on that thing, I find a good goretex jacket with zipped underarms will keep you dry and cool (coz sweat often gets mistaken for leaking jackets).. and the best footwear I've found are cheap waterproof walking shoes, they keep you dry and warm with tons of grip. Heaps cheaper than mtb shoes.
E-Bikes are the best on all weathers ⚡️⚡️🤟🏻 you can’t visit so many places in one day with a manual normal Mtb. Ebike is giving the chance of going the steepest uphills without any suffering and tear and sweat. Also it helps to catch the cadence of pedaling. When you don’t stop and continue pedaling at every surface hilly or flat, is better for your heart rate your fitness and keeping your knees more healthy. You won’t giving your knees any harsh pain with an e-bike 👍🏻
Wellies are excellent for winter mountain biking. I have muck boots and my feet, ankles and lower legs are completely dry and warm even when it goes way below zero. Absolute no brainer for really cold muddy conditions
Experienced SPD rider here. Tried going back to flats for about a year when switching to e-bikes. Kinda fun, but require more focus on downhills to stay on the sweet spot and rock impacts are way higher (broke more than one pedal cage). Back on my XTRs and, for me, can’t think of one area where they aren’t an advantage.
One of the best things for me with EMTB in the winter is temperature management. When I used to ride my Amish bike in the PNW winters I would always be doffing and adding layers, and my glasses would fog up incessantly. Now if I'm starting to overheat I just open a zipper and turn up the boost! As for bike cleaning, I just use an old soft paint brush to knock off the worst of the mud and then clean and lube the chain before putting the bike on the charger.
Just got back home today. 4degrees outside wet and muddy 20 miler . Great fun mud and puddles not a problem. The bike just rips it up. I always ride all year round. I can recommend water proof socks 😀
Hang on, couple of vids ago we visited the ebike motor fixing man, a great vid. He basically said water kills motors, which having 3 EP8's die from water ingress i would say is true.. HT for winter.
@@ZEODEOften doing something a bit wrong riding, but its never power washed.. Last one died on a Welsh mountain in torrential conditions, 400 miles old.
Normally I agree with you.. but i have to say, I'm with the gmtb guys on this.. you can't ride the same in the winter conditions. It simply wouldn't be safe. And I definitely wouldn't want to wear wellies when riding lol. And id say bike parks are a good bet in wetter conditions as they would be likely to do some maintenance on their trials. That doesn't happen on normal trails
Ebikes definetely great for covering the wet winter boggy trails in the winter not to mention getting more rides in before sunset. Ive never considered wearing wellies on a ride, hopefully not a daft question but any particular kind or just regular? Just got new tyres but will consider Scwalbe shedder for rear as I am forever washing out back wheel over roots and slippery surfaces. Thanks for winter tips Steve and EMBN! ⛄😁👍
Love the Wellies suggestion gone full circle from the old Obs Trials days in 1970's before all the fancy boots where made. Wellies stuck to the TY foot pegs good as well.
In the winter I find it's easier to maintain body temperature on the ebike since I'm not sweating as much or pumping as much ice cold air into my lungs. Where I live thorn punctures are a big problem in winter, but my ebike has heavier tires to compensate. Also, goretex socks are amazing.
I didn’t buy my EMTB to sit in a garage in the winter. I will ride in all weathers. That’s what I got it for and just for the love of it. One thing I will be changing is the tires on the bike.
I've got last years winter rides on my ride to date. And some summers Terra waiting till next summer. My motto, a Dirty Bike is a Happy Bike. A Clean Driveline is a Happy Driveline.. And give some love to the suspension parts and seat post..💪🍺
When it is super wet out here on the wet coast of Canazuela, I use light hikers and hiking gaiters. I do have and have used wellies. Try hand warmers in your gloves
... 4:25 and 4, the moisture build up can cause Athlete's Foot, so best to dress your feet with 10% iodine before and after. Also, spray those rubber boots with Detol (PineSol in the USA) whenever you finish riding. This is due to Pine extracts' natural anti-fungal properties.
Nothing beats a pair of Vevo barefoot hiking boots! Leather and rubber that protects even your ankles, not the silly low cabs where crud & mud chunks from your tires fall inside. They're made in EU and are repairable; not he plastic crap that wear out,crackle and shear. Regarding the eBike cleaning, first of all 'Dry cleaning' as much as possible, with custom made brushes and toothbrush - let it dry - finalise with wet cloth. I also tape off gaps around batt and ! partially ! around motor venting holes; regularly open motor bashguard and carefully brush out ! without pushing to hard on the wiring connectors. By the way, dodging puddles and bog on your path is part of the sport ! Enjoy !
A bit late to launch a winter based emtb on the last day of January Steve - okay, still appropriate for virtually every month in the UK as you mentioned! Finally something else for your list …… an emtb with motor etc which isn’t susceptible to water ingress🙄
As he said, in winter with an eMTB you can run wider more aggressive and grippy mud tyres without them feeling like you are trying to pull a boat anchor up hill which you would really struggle to do with an analogue MTB in the same conditions. 👍 As I ride pretty much every other day in winter, I just hose my bike to get the worst of the mud off, but don't worry about the rest apart from a weekly chain clean and lube. I do a deep clean in the spring. I can't be bothered stripping off all my wet gear and changing when I get back to the car as our car parks are muddy with big puddles, so I bought some Scuvvers waterproof folding seat covers that I just quickly unroll from their headrest bag and sit on them in my wet gear until I get home. 👍
Note: video not applicable to much of the United States during the winter. Wind chills were -16F two weeks ago. The trails are still mud pits and will be for a few more weeks save for a day here and there…enter, gravel bikes.
2:47 what mudguard is that? I installed RRP pro mudguard for the rear, superb when it comes to saving frame bearing from mud, but not enough to keep me and rest of my eMTB clean. Probably should have gone for SKS rear mudguard, but I was afraid of it irritating me by hitting the tire.
I tell you what, Wellies are an OK idea, but how about trying Horse Riding long-boots, just like wellies, but tighter and no deep tread to gunk up and hold 2pounds of Mud. Local hardware stores sell "unbreakable" workplace sunglasses for a few dollars, or grab several pair at a time from AE/TEMU. ;-)
I personally ride as much in the winter as I do summer. Ridden at -4f with no issues. Dress properly, lower air pressure if snow on the trails and give 'er.
I'm not afraid of cold, but rain and mud are a pain in the arse. Going out for a one hour ride means two washing machines and at least half an hour more than in dry weather in bike cleaning and maintenance.
@@fundidoarrojo269 Oh, around me here is the Midwest US (Wisconsin), most trails are closed if they are wet or muddy. I hate the mud...won't ride in it.
The cool features of an eMTB are headline grabbing . Fair enough But aside of the cool features the day today reality is how to keep the bikes maintained and running. Just spent hours and a lot of money on special tools taking, cleaning and refitting my CX Bosch motor. Under the the bonnet it’s a real mess
See you have the rear Shredda front and back, that’s the way to go. The front Shredda is ridiculous on anything but loam & deep mud! Dirlej Dirtsuit or the Endura equivalent for the win clothing wise in the wet or winter….
Recently purchased my first mid drive emtb, i am using it to commute in uk rain, will this kill the motor? Seems to be mixed opinions? Bit of a design floor that i wasnt warned about?
Odd that schwalbe should use a soft compound for a mud tyre where as nearly all Enduro and MX tyres use a hard compound to dig in better rather than flex. I guess schwalbe know what they are doing....
That’s not the winter riding I thought you where going to talk about, where I live it’s cold and snowy, and deciding what to wear is one of the biggest decisions when riding in the cold, to much clothing you sweat , to little, you freeze.
Meanwhile in a video on this channel with an interview with a chap from ebike motor repair centre, he says that the motors are not more than splash puddle rated and will fail eventually from fording, jet washing and even being transported in wet weather on a bike rack due to road spray?! Doesn't sound like a good bike type for uk winter riding? If taken at face value, these videos are quite contradictory 🤣
Apparently "exactly" meaning is degrading in the same way "literally" until it'd eventually mean exactly one thing and literally the opposite at the same time.
Yah yah yah. Yep all good points about nancy , winter riding gear. But the eMTB reality is about all the mud etc that clogs up the motor and drive chain. I have just spent the best part of two days of hard craft, a lot of money on tools like bolt extractors, metal drill bits and torx bolt bits. Just to keep my Bosch CX powered bike running. I hate mud. You guys live in a brand sponsored rarified world. Get real.
Can’t Ride off Road because Frozen Shoulder I find my Walking or my Safety Boots good riding bike with Flat Pedals can’t wash Bike when come home at 8pm as have Dinner so I Ride at Night on Roads I got Exposure Lights so can be Seen ride Ebike in High because lost bone Destiny & good for Diabetes Exercise I got Diagnosed 3wks ago
sick of it - by the time I bundle up (midwest usa often well below freezing) , drive at least 30min to nearest trail, and clean up the mess on all of it, simply not worth the time investment for a miserably cold ride. Best case riding on frozen ground before any thaw kicks in if you don't mind. Get other hobbies for this miserable season...
Had a levo sl got rid due to water ingress back on a nomad cc never looked back yes climbing not as good if your unfit but once up I leave the ebikes in my dirt down hill the nomad cc rules all my opinion and yes I'm biast 🤙
How often do you ride your eBike in the winter?
My wife enjoys pedaling her SunSeeker Fat Tad CXS Full Suspension Tadpole Recumbent eTrike with me on eastern Idaho's snow and ice covered trails. While I'm carefully, tactically looking for the safest route on ice on my Surly Pugsley fat tire bike with studded tires, my wife is giggling while sliding around on the ice. She also paces me in warmer weather on roads with her SunSeeker Fat Tad CXS Full Suspension Tadpole Recumbent eTrike. Her fat tad etrike has been a game changer for our bike rides. We both have fun!
Years passed i went out just about ever time it drop below -20 on my HT levo ,this year not so .
Daily rides for me on my Surly Pugsley (not an EMTB), even pedaling at my maximum effort doing less than 5 mph at -30 F with 30 mph headwinds.
Years ago just about ever tie it below -20c i go for a ride on my ht levo 3 inch fattie
Not very often, because I don't own an e-MTB... Yet!
eBikes are the best bikes, period.
They're the future
Stop saying that!
This renders my precious Cannondale Trigger obsolete :-(
@@maldridge7630 no, that can only be in your head, the way you feel about your bike and riding. Riding is a state of mind and nobody else should factor into how you feel when you're out riding your bike.
I keep a battery power washer and a 20lt water container. I find it much easier to wash the bike straight after a ride while the dirt is still wet and easier to get off. So much nicer pulling a clean bike out the car when you get home and all you want to do is jump in a hot shower.
It's funny how your "winter" always looks only like early autumn to me.
Wet weather riding is a 12 month affair in the UK. One reason I left the country LOL. When it gets wet where I have lived in the US, the trails get closed until they dry out again. Also Winter is a LOT colder for us than the summer.
If I live in UK I will definitely not have bike as a hobby.
I get the analogue bike out in winter.. to save my e-motor getting screwed from all that welsh cruddy slop. 🫣😂 But I'm out in the very worst conditions on that thing, I find a good goretex jacket with zipped underarms will keep you dry and cool (coz sweat often gets mistaken for leaking jackets).. and the best footwear I've found are cheap waterproof walking shoes, they keep you dry and warm with tons of grip. Heaps cheaper than mtb shoes.
E-Bikes are the best on all weathers ⚡️⚡️🤟🏻 you can’t visit so many places in one day with a manual normal Mtb. Ebike is giving the chance of going the steepest uphills without any suffering and tear and sweat. Also it helps to catch the cadence of pedaling. When you don’t stop and continue pedaling at every surface hilly or flat, is better for your heart rate your fitness and keeping your knees more healthy. You won’t giving your knees any harsh pain with an e-bike 👍🏻
But you do lose leg strength
Wellies are excellent for winter mountain biking.
I have muck boots and my feet, ankles and lower legs are completely dry and warm even when it goes way below zero.
Absolute no brainer for really cold muddy conditions
Great mud guards. This afternoon took rocky sandy counrty roads I just returned home with dog,deer, boar, and horsepoop everywhere. GG
Experienced SPD rider here. Tried going back to flats for about a year when switching to e-bikes. Kinda fun, but require more focus on downhills to stay on the sweet spot and rock impacts are way higher (broke more than one pedal cage). Back on my XTRs and, for me, can’t think of one area where they aren’t an advantage.
One of the best things for me with EMTB in the winter is temperature management. When I used to ride my Amish bike in the PNW winters I would always be doffing and adding layers, and my glasses would fog up incessantly. Now if I'm starting to overheat I just open a zipper and turn up the boost! As for bike cleaning, I just use an old soft paint brush to knock off the worst of the mud and then clean and lube the chain before putting the bike on the charger.
Just got back home today. 4degrees outside wet and muddy 20 miler .
Great fun mud and puddles not a problem.
The bike just rips it up.
I always ride all year round.
I can recommend water proof socks 😀
I live in Michigan and there is know way i could ride in the Winter but not too shure honestly 💯🤙💪
Get a fat bike with studded tires. That's what I have for Wisconsin. Then just get the right clothing choices for riding down to 0ºF.
Hang on, couple of vids ago we visited the ebike motor fixing man, a great vid. He basically said water kills motors, which having 3 EP8's die from water ingress i would say is true.. HT for winter.
If you have had 3 die from water ingress, then you are doing something a bit wrong in your riding or bike washing.
@@ZEODEOften doing something a bit wrong riding, but its never power washed.. Last one died on a Welsh mountain in torrential conditions, 400 miles old.
Exactly, I agree.
I think you should patent a special mtb wellies before someone else will 😂
The Biggest Difference: being able to wear rain clothing and not get too warm when climbing. Much better control of body temperature.
Normally I agree with you.. but i have to say, I'm with the gmtb guys on this.. you can't ride the same in the winter conditions. It simply wouldn't be safe. And I definitely wouldn't want to wear wellies when riding lol. And id say bike parks are a good bet in wetter conditions as they would be likely to do some maintenance on their trials. That doesn't happen on normal trails
Ebikes definetely great for covering the wet winter boggy trails in the winter not to mention getting more rides in before sunset. Ive never considered wearing wellies on a ride, hopefully not a daft question but any particular kind or just regular? Just got new tyres but will consider Scwalbe shedder for rear as I am forever washing out back wheel over roots and slippery surfaces. Thanks for winter tips Steve and EMBN! ⛄😁👍
Love the Wellies suggestion gone full circle from the old Obs Trials days in 1970's before all the fancy boots where made. Wellies stuck to the TY foot pegs good as well.
In the winter I find it's easier to maintain body temperature on the ebike since I'm not sweating as much or pumping as much ice cold air into my lungs. Where I live thorn punctures are a big problem in winter, but my ebike has heavier tires to compensate. Also, goretex socks are amazing.
better in all conditions
I didn’t buy my EMTB to sit in a garage in the winter. I will ride in all weathers. That’s what I got it for and just for the love of it. One thing I will be changing is the tires on the bike.
I've got last years winter rides on my ride to date. And some summers Terra waiting till next summer.
My motto, a Dirty Bike is a Happy Bike. A Clean Driveline is a Happy Driveline..
And give some love to the suspension parts and seat post..💪🍺
When it is super wet out here on the wet coast of Canazuela, I use light hikers and hiking gaiters. I do have and have used wellies. Try hand warmers in your gloves
Just had my 1st ever ride on mtb trail mud water wind but i loved it
Better in all conditions 👍
I use wellies when there’s snow, work well for me. Having said that I’m not on an e-bike .
... 4:25 and 4, the moisture build up can cause Athlete's Foot, so best to dress your feet with 10% iodine before and after. Also, spray those rubber boots with Detol (PineSol in the USA) whenever you finish riding. This is due to Pine extracts' natural anti-fungal properties.
Nothing beats a pair of Vevo barefoot hiking boots! Leather and rubber that protects even your ankles, not the silly low cabs where crud & mud chunks from your tires fall inside. They're made in EU and are repairable; not he plastic crap that wear out,crackle and shear.
Regarding the eBike cleaning, first of all 'Dry cleaning' as much as possible, with custom made brushes and toothbrush - let it dry - finalise with wet cloth.
I also tape off gaps around batt and ! partially ! around motor venting holes; regularly open motor bashguard and carefully brush out ! without pushing to hard on the wiring connectors. By the way, dodging puddles and bog on your path is part of the sport ! Enjoy !
A bit late to launch a winter based emtb on the last day of January Steve - okay, still appropriate for virtually every month in the UK as you mentioned!
Finally something else for your list …… an emtb with motor etc which isn’t susceptible to water ingress🙄
As much as possible, even in the snow here in Colorado. 🎉
Could not agree more.
Welly bobs for the win 💪💪💪💪
As he said, in winter with an eMTB you can run wider more aggressive and grippy mud tyres without them feeling like you are trying to pull a boat anchor up hill which you would really struggle to do with an analogue MTB in the same conditions. 👍 As I ride pretty much every other day in winter, I just hose my bike to get the worst of the mud off, but don't worry about the rest apart from a weekly chain clean and lube. I do a deep clean in the spring. I can't be bothered stripping off all my wet gear and changing when I get back to the car as our car parks are muddy with big puddles, so I bought some Scuvvers waterproof folding seat covers that I just quickly unroll from their headrest bag and sit on them in my wet gear until I get home. 👍
Note: video not applicable to much of the United States during the winter. Wind chills were -16F two weeks ago. The trails are still mud pits and will be for a few more weeks save for a day here and there…enter, gravel bikes.
2:47 what mudguard is that? I installed RRP pro mudguard for the rear, superb when it comes to saving frame bearing from mud, but not enough to keep me and rest of my eMTB clean. Probably should have gone for SKS rear mudguard, but I was afraid of it irritating me by hitting the tire.
I tell you what, Wellies are an OK idea, but how about trying Horse Riding long-boots, just like wellies, but tighter and no deep tread to gunk up and hold 2pounds of Mud.
Local hardware stores sell "unbreakable" workplace sunglasses for a few dollars, or grab several pair at a time from AE/TEMU. ;-)
I personally ride as much in the winter as I do summer. Ridden at -4f with no issues. Dress properly, lower air pressure if snow on the trails and give 'er.
I'm not afraid of cold, but rain and mud are a pain in the arse. Going out for a one hour ride means two washing machines and at least half an hour more than in dry weather in bike cleaning and maintenance.
@@fundidoarrojo269 Oh, around me here is the Midwest US (Wisconsin), most trails are closed if they are wet or muddy. I hate the mud...won't ride in it.
Clean the chain. Wd 40 the pivots. Paper towel the shiny bits on your suspension, done.
Best winter bike is trainer bike hahah
The cool features of an eMTB are headline grabbing . Fair enough
But aside of the cool features the day today reality is how to keep the bikes maintained and running. Just spent hours and a lot of money on special tools taking, cleaning and refitting my CX Bosch motor. Under the the bonnet it’s a real mess
Car floor matt is better than cardboard it won't slip put on ice
See you have the rear Shredda front and back, that’s the way to go. The front Shredda is ridiculous on anything but loam & deep mud!
Dirlej Dirtsuit or the Endura equivalent for the win clothing wise in the wet or winter….
Recently purchased my first mid drive emtb, i am using it to commute in uk rain, will this kill the motor? Seems to be mixed opinions? Bit of a design floor that i wasnt warned about?
Rear fashion police here 🤺
Any chance of you guys doing a head to head battle with some 800wh ebikes please.
Love how you can easily ride thru sticky mud…
Hi guys got a transition patrol looking to convert to e-bike what do you recommend
I ride a minimum of 2 to 3 days a week.
Wellies. No. Pack it in.
Odd that schwalbe should use a soft compound for a mud tyre where as nearly all Enduro and MX tyres use a hard compound to dig in better rather than flex. I guess schwalbe know what they are doing....
Range anxiety at winter😩
G🌕🌕d inf🧐rmati😉n❣️Thanks
2 or 3 times a week in winter, 4 or 5 times a week in summer on average.
That’s not the winter riding I thought you where going to talk about, where I live it’s cold and snowy, and deciding what to wear is one of the biggest decisions when riding in the cold, to much clothing you sweat , to little, you freeze.
I don’t have one
If you have the deep pocket to spend replacing or fixing the motor due to water ingress, then yeah.
I found just upon reflection not plan that my ebike became my winter bike. Just want to cycle not battle wind and rain.
Meanwhile in a video on this channel with an interview with a chap from ebike motor repair centre, he says that the motors are not more than splash puddle rated and will fail eventually from fording, jet washing and even being transported in wet weather on a bike rack due to road spray?! Doesn't sound like a good bike type for uk winter riding? If taken at face value, these videos are quite contradictory 🤣
3:39 "EXACTLY the same"? C'mon, you cant say that.
Apparently "exactly" meaning is degrading in the same way "literally" until it'd eventually mean exactly one thing and literally the opposite at the same time.
Yah yah yah. Yep all good points about nancy , winter riding gear. But the eMTB reality is about all the mud etc that clogs up the motor and drive chain. I have just spent the best part of two days of hard craft, a lot of money on tools like bolt extractors, metal drill bits and torx bolt bits. Just to keep my Bosch CX powered bike running. I hate mud. You guys live in a brand sponsored rarified world. Get real.
Can’t Ride off Road because Frozen Shoulder I find my Walking or my Safety Boots good riding bike with Flat Pedals can’t wash Bike when come home at 8pm as have Dinner so I Ride at Night on Roads I got Exposure Lights so can be Seen ride Ebike in High because lost bone Destiny & good for Diabetes Exercise I got Diagnosed 3wks ago
sick of it - by the time I bundle up (midwest usa often well below freezing) , drive at least 30min to nearest trail, and clean up the mess on all of it, simply not worth the time investment for a miserably cold ride. Best case riding on frozen ground before any thaw kicks in if you don't mind.
Get other hobbies for this miserable season...
No comparison, doesn't feel like u are pedaling on velcro 😂😂
Nope. Definitely do not ride in the winter like you do in the summer. Mud destroys your bike.
Had a levo sl got rid due to water ingress back on a nomad cc never looked back yes climbing not as good if your unfit but once up I leave the ebikes in my dirt down hill the nomad cc rules all my opinion and yes I'm biast 🤙