Editorial Issue #013 – The world of endless opportunities

WhatsApp, Tinder, Facebook – Apple’s app store runs the whole gamut of applications with more than two million to choose from, but how many are we actually using? Just like iPhones, eMTBs offer an eye-popping amount of features and functions, yet most of us are guilty of just sticking to the basics. You too? Reasons range from a dearth of inspiration, shying away from new things, or just high prices. The good news is that this issue of E-MOUNTAINBIKE Magazine contains the remedy!

What do sailing, home offices, surfing and a city break have in common? They can all meet in a holy matrimony with an eMTB! For this issue we scoped out the coast of Corsica with a catamaran and took a much-needed escape day in Germany’s Heidelberg, switching our standard desk for a spot in a hip café. If that wasn’t enough, we also dodged tourists and hit Lisbon’s trails in turbo mode to see the city from a new perspective. Our proposed eBike trip to Hawaii was shelved when we heard that Scotland can serve up just as good surf conditions. And if all that sounds too exotic, then go straight to our story about SUV-style commuting with a Riese & Müller eMTB!

Are you one of those riders who presumes you’d be laughed off the trails without a top-of-the-range eMTB? Enough, already! While we tested and highlighted the best, high-end eMTBs of 2018 in our previous issue (with certain models admittedly costing a shade above the € 10,000 mark), this issue tackles the lower end of the market with seriously great eMTBs retailing around € 4,500. Trust us, there’s never been so much performance for your money! When it comes to delivering a great ride, some of these models easily rival their more costly counterparts. However, certain budget eMTBs are guilty of cutting corners, leading to below-par durability, substandard fun, and a lack of performance for their purpose.

You can’t expect to experience the glorious wilds of the world if you prefer to stay inside your hotel room when travelling. So tie your laces, throw open the door and head outside. Even if Googlemaps is insistent on turning right, we suggest just following your nose – who knows where a left might take you? This is neither a prescribed training session nor a well-oiled assembly line, this is your free time. At times like these it’s totally ok to throw caution to the wind and take the odd wrong turn.

If you’re the sort of rider that thinks things used to be better way back when, then you should definitely check out this issue’s essay about dreaming, dancing and doing exactly what you want. Your eMTB will get you through it. And well, you’ll realise that the opportunities that are open to us aren’t reserved purely for specific geographical locations (despite what America says), it’s all about your mindset.

Our bikes unlock diverse and virtually endless opportunities, which in turn means that the industry are continually confronted with new challenges. Our next E-MOUNTAINBIKE Think Tank is going to look at managing innovations, identifying the real needs of users and what developments are needed.

So you see, we want to pull back the curtains on the endless opportunities unlocked by e-Mountain bikes, make sure you’ve got the necessary advice when it comes to buying and riding an eMTB, as well as stoking your motivation to take the initiative. Enjoy this beautiful sunny season of riding, don’t be afraid to try out new things and make the most of the insane potential that eMTBing can bring to your life!

Cheers
Robin Schmitt
Editor-in-Chief E-MOUNTAINBIKE

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