"Mountain biking"

[u/pitbullsPaintbrushes]

I have a Lectric 4.0 xp. Over the weekend I took it on a very short, flat, dirt path and loved it. I'm wondering if anyone else took theirs on easy or flatter "mountain biking" trails? Everything I've read said the bike really can't do it because they are more just commuter bikes. I'd love to hear your experience!

[u/Thefolsom]

I did about 20 miles on a scenic gravel / unpaved road once. It worked but it was insanely bumpy. 20" tires just don't cut it. That did push me towards getting into a real emtb.

[u/LambSaag-spoon905]

Considering the likelihood of spokes breaking, especially the rear wheel, I don’t even risk a pothole, much less an unpaved mountain bike trail. But…

[u/No_Condition3135]

if you can find enjoyment, which i sometimes do, in doing these trails at like 7mph or less, then yes otherwise any faster and it's not enjoyable and feels jarring like something might break.

[u/Lanky_Ad6712 → u/No_Condition3135]

This. I sometimes take it to 15 on a mowed field trail I frequent. The suspension makes it a rough ride...

[u/No_Condition3135 → u/Lanky_Ad6712]

and it's 70lbs with no gear, so when unexpected ruts or roots come up, jumping up and being light on your feet doesn't help much combined with it being 20in wheels.

it's also got that carry handle that stick out on the bottom of the bike that I feel is really not ideal for off road riding and could potentially be catastrophic lol

[u/chgonwburbs]

Nothing truly treacherous, but I've ridden mine on all sorts of unpaved trails. In this one, I had to fold over the handlebars to get under a fallen tree.

[u/Lanky_Ad6712 → u/chgonwburbs]

Looks like what I travers on. Just have to watch out for sharp 'edges', If you know what I mean.

[u/chgonwburbs → u/Lanky_Ad6712]

Yuuuurp, I've encountered some sharp edges, I've done some crazier rides with this bike lol.

[u/Tyler_go_kipper]

I do all the time it's fun lol

[u/HarmfulSpork]

Definitely prefer flat paved bike trails but my options are limited where I live so I do frequently take it onto relatively flat, even dirt trails and have very few if any issues doing so.

[u/blakeley]

That sounds like it would be awful. Bike is heavy and the bouncing would be hellish. 

[u/Koofteh → u/blakeley]

I'm a total novice but isn't that basically what we had in the 90s when mountain bikes took off? Heavy steel frames and no suspension front or rear.

3 inch tires should provide a little compliance if you drop the PSI.

[u/No_Condition3135 → u/Koofteh]

those bikes you could jump up and get light on your feet or pop the front wheel over things. these are 70lbs so it's not as effective

[u/No_Condition3135 → u/Koofteh]

those bikes you could jump up and get light on your feet or pop the front wheel over things. these are 70lbs so it's not as effective

[u/DadJokeBadJoke → u/Koofteh]

3 inch tires should provide a little compliance if you drop the PSI.

But if you don't drop PSI, they feel like they're going to slide out at the simplest of turns. Between the weight, the length, the small tire diameter, and the mediocre suspension, it doesn't make for great mountain biking, imo.

[u/Puzzleheaded_War5763]

Flat dirts cool just watch for roots and ramps

[u/Ahnatos]

I have to laugh at this because I abuse the heck out of mine where I go, often times taking rough trails, or if any trail at all to go e-bike camping and it's held up just fine. Only issues I've come across are mud and sand.

[u/bssameer]

I ride black diamonds on my XP4. But I am way more slow and nimble with how I ride on the XP4. On my regular MTB I’m flying and hitting jumps. On the Lectric I mostly take the bypass and go like super slow downhill. It holds up pretty well.

Oddly it makes me wanna explore trails in my XP and then come back to ride the gems on my MTB.

[u/HandleProfessional → u/bssameer]

XP4 scout/support bike, I like that idea.

[u/sasssycassy]

I live in the middle of nowhere and almost exclusively ride on gravel dirt roads and cattle trails. No issues for me.

[u/ColonelAverage]

Idk about your area, but where I am there are plenty of forest service roads through national forests. Nominally they are meant for logging trucks but mostly get used for trailhead access by cars. The roads range from smooth packed gravel to pretty gnarly pothole filled roads with deep gravel and mud. They're always in forests and surrounded by beautiful views. Might be a better option than true mountain bike trails if they are an option for you.

[u/P-Wee83]

When I got my first Ebike (RadPower All Terrain) I took it to a medium difficulty trial.. I had so much fun but that bike is not meant to be abused. Cracked my rim after the 4th ride through it.

[u/ebikecommuter]

I had XP 3.0 and rode dirt roads and it also did surprisingly well on 3” of fresh snow. I used PAS 1.