I did bad things on Trek's Fuel EXe. I rode it where I wasn't supposed to. But in my defense, most of the trails where I live are closed to e-bikes, and I had a metric shit-ton of fun.
Some of the fun came from being naughty, sure. A feeling that took me way back to the mid-1980s, when I started riding mountain bikes. Back then, almost all trails were closed to mountain bikes. But my friends and I didn't care. We just rode our bikes, explored, and grew our skills, asking for neither permission nor forgiveness. We were having fun and knew we weren't hurting anyone or anything.
This is a bike review, not an essay about e-bike trail politics, but unfortunately, separating the two is difficult. What I find interesting is that I don't find my position in today's debates about e-bike trail access to be substantively different than how I felt all those years ago about mountain bike trail access. I don't feel guilty about wanting to ride an e-bike or enjoying myself on an e-bike and, I believe, neither should you. Riding e-bikes is a blast; they are not the devil many cast them as. And frankly, the quieter, sleeker, and less obvious e-bikes get (like this Exe), the more difficult it will be to tell them apart from unpowered bikes. And as they get better and lighter, also like this EXe, they're going to become more appealing to more riders. Even those who, in the past, had rejected e-bikes.
Guess what horrible event happened when I rode the EXe? Nothing. Nobody noticed, nobody said anything, and no horsemen of the apocalypse appeared. I, however, enjoyed myself immensely because, with assistance or not, the Exe is a damn fine mountain bike. And when you add its sleekly integrated and well-tuned motor, the EXe becomes one of the most compelling bikes-overall-in recent memory.
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Esta historia es de la edición Spring 2023 de Bicycling US.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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GETTING A FLAT CAN MAKE YOUR RIDE BETTER
ON A BEAUTIFUL LATE-SUMMER RIDE UNDER a cerulean blue sky, I got my second flat in three days.
THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY BIKES TO CHOOSE FROM
\"PERFECTION IS ACHIEVED, NOT WHEN there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.\"
THE CASE AGAINST STRAVA
I'LL BEGIN BY SINGING SOME PRAISES: Without Strava, I'm not sure I'd have re-engaged with cycling at the level I did. Coming from just occasionally messing around on mountain bikes as a teenager to trying my best to race at an elite level, Strava has played a role in pushing me to PR, hunt KOMS, and ride faster and harder than ever before.
LOOKING FOR CYCLING'S CAITLIN CLARK
WOMEN'S PRO CYCLING MUST FOSTER A COMMUNITY THAT WILL FEEL INVESTED IN THE SPORT FOR YEARS TO COME.
THE UPSIDE OF GETTING YOUR CAR STOLEN
AFTER I PARKED AT THE LAFAYETTE COLLEGE track for my workout, I did what I always do: I put my phone and wallet in the center console of my car and took the car key off the ring so I could fit it into the tiny pocket inside my running shorts.
UNLOCK THE SECRETS OF CYCLING'S SUPER AGERS
MEET THE SWEDISH SENIORS WHO PROVE YOU'RE NEVER TOO OLD TO RIDE HARD.
BIKE PACKING AMERICA'S LONGEST MULTIUSE TRAIL NETWORK
Even the slightest rain can sound thunderous inside a tent--and this was not slight rain. It came down in buckets, just as my partner Maggie and I were settling into our sleeping bags.
TWICE AS GOOD
WHY A DISCO-BALLINSPIRED DOUBLE UNICYCLE MIGHT BE ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT BIKES OF THE YEAR
THE ALCHE MISTS
They led a cycling revolution in Afghanistan where women were forbidden to ride. When the Taliban returned to power, their only hope was a harrowing escape to an uncertain future.
COUNTDOWN - TO YOUR FIRST CRIT
ONE INTREPID MEMBER, ONE WORLDCLASS COACH, ONE INCREDIBLE BIKE-THE OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME.
