Critical Mass – The First UK eMTB Think Tank
With innovation and acceptance no longer taking faltering steps, but giant leaps, eMTB is exploding into many new markets. The UK, especially, seems to be poised at critical mass. Perfect timing then for us to organize the first UK eMTB Think Tank.
The UK eMTB Think Tank’s goal was to analyze the status quo, untapped tourism potential, identify important new customer groups and create a vision for other international markets. For many emerging markets the e-Sector represents not only a chance to reinvigorate constricted sectors but also a chance to reach out to an almost limitless new target group. The UK is a very sensitive market, and at first, the introduction of eMTB was met with outright hostility. Since we launched E-MOUNTAINBIKE Magazine in 2013 we’ve seen this hostility shift to curiosity over the past two years and now eMTB is a very hot topic.
At this crucial time, with the UK standing at a tipping point, as an international magazine – and after four successful think tanks in Italy and Germany – we thought it was good timing to connect with the most influential brands in the UK and provide a neutral platform for discussion. With eMTB still defining an identity in the UK, it’s vital for the industry to join forces to make confident steps over the coming years. As such, key brands were invited to attend the UK’s first eMTB Think Tank, held over two days at the Mountain Bike Centre of Scotland, perfectly located in the legendary Glentress Trail Centre.
Representatives from brands and distributors most motivated to take responsibility for the sustainable development of eMTB in the UK journeyed from far and wide to take part in the discussion, workshops and, of course, some excellent eMTB riding. Representatives from Bergamont, Bosch, Canyon, Cube, Endura, Giant, Ghost, Hope, Moustache, Orange and Scott were in attendance, joined by representatives from Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland, EMTB Coaching, Napier University, Visit Scotland and of course the international E-MOUNTAINBIKE Magazine Team, all sharing a vision of a bright future for eMTB in the UK.
Having the opportunity to discuss, with the industry the future potential of eMTB based on past experience, armed with survey data from E-MOUNTAINBIKE Magazine was hugely constructive and insightful. Hollie Weatherstone CANYON UK
The timing of the Think Tank was perfect and the debates were highly interesting, even though our group all shared the same overall goal, opinions were often polarising, and while it became clear there is no right way for the UK, there are many wrong ones. There are still many specific challenges to face, but the immense opportunity to the UK market cannot be ignored. The session provided a unique platform for competing brands to forget about their ‘slice’ of the market, and instead, discuss how to make the market bigger for everyone. In the following points we share some highlights of the discussions:
The status quo in the UK
In the UK there is still much confusion and insecurity about making a good eMTB purchase, and widespread misunderstanding about eMTB function is still prevalent – “does it have a throttle?” Increased communication with the mainstream is essential to raise awareness of the potential of eMTB. Within the core audience acceptance is growing fast but there is no clear vision or identity for eMTB in the UK. Where the UK is strong is in the many excellent events offering demo opportunities, but still demo fleets are too small to satisfy potential. Forward-thinking destinations like BikePark Wales have already embraced eMTB and are developing e-specific tourism opportunities.
Reaching new target markets
Think Tank participants concluded that while the core market cannot be neglected, to focus only on ‘converting’ existing MTB riders ties up valuable resources in the battle for acceptance and identity and does not help grow the market, more damagingly, it actually reduces the size of the traditional markets. Instead, efforts should be made to reach out to new customers, as such we identified the new users and discussed and developed strategies how to reach them, the family group, fitness enthusiast, off-road commuters, new recreational rider and the millennials – this is where true potential can be discovered. The participants concluded that success lies less in creating heroes and idols, and more in inspiration through accessible storytelling that amateurs can better identify with, reaching out to a wider audience. Also, participants agreed that for the traditional mountain biker eMTBs are often considered as a compromise, whilst for the new rider eMTBs are the pinnacle of technology and innovation. Hence, it’s important for an industry mostly shaped by core riders to think outside the box.
Tourism potential
Until battery or eMTB rental becomes widespread, being an island makes the UK a difficult destination for international eMTB tourism, however, the domestic tourism potential is still mostly untapped. With an extensive trail centre network and great infrastructure, the UK is already well provisioned for easy eMTB integration. Through improved communication with other trail user groups, charge-friendly cafes and uphill focussed trail design, higher-than-average spend eMTB riders offer a unique opportunity to breathe new life into rental fleets, family-friendly gravel roads, forgotten trail networks and riding hot-spots.
Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. Henry Ford
After the intense workshop sessions, it was good to let off some steam from our smoking heads, and where better than the purpose-built trail centres of Glentress and Innerleithen? The interesting conversations continued as we charged around the forest, moving fast both up – and downhill. It’s amazing how many trails you can ride with an enthusiastic and skilled eMTB group, anybody watching us fly by would be left in no doubt about how much fun we were having. E-MOUNTAINBIKE Magazine also took the opportunity to share more detailed brand-specific results from our 2018 anonymized Readers Survey, with over 11,000 responses from our readers, for some brands, there were some startling revelations.
The first UK eMTB Think Tank was a great success for all involved. As the UK sees great change over the next few years a unified approach will be vital. The UK Think Tank taught us many things, but most importantly it showed how open-minded networking benefits the development of the sport for everyone and that E-MOUNTAINBIKE Magazine and all the participating brands have made a clear statement of intent to make eMTB more successful in the UK.
If you would like to be part of the next UK eMTB Think Tank, please contact Trevor Worsey
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