The e-bike: a bicycle undergoing an image change from a mobility aid for the lazy and elderly to an absolute trend sport device. Several years ago, when I was still living in Salzburg, I considered buying an e-bike myself so that I wouldn't always arrive at work sweaty. ‘Why do you need an e-bike?’ I was asked. ‘You're still young, be sporty!’
Meanwhile, the perception of e-bikes has changed completely. Among touring cyclists and mountain bikers, bikes with batteries are now a common sight on the roads. The cool (and expensive) e-mountain bike is particularly trendy. It allows even less athletic people to reach heights and distances that only the fittest could previously dream of.
Well, until last weekend, I had never tried an e-bike (put off by the opinion of my colleague in Salzburg), and I'm not a cycling enthusiast anyway. Before I find myself pushing a bike uphill, panting because I can't ride any further, I'd rather leave it at home and hike uphill without any extra weight.
Together with my friend Michael, I spent two days visiting my dear friend Stephanie in Zell am See – and we spontaneously rented two cool e-mountain bikes from Intersport Bründl so that we could try out the sport and go on a tour with her.
First metres on the e-mountain bike
Michael and I pick up our e-mountain bikes in Kaprun, while Stephanie drives ahead to her flat, where we are to meet up shortly. We mount our bikes and set off along the Tauern Cycle Path towards Zell am See. We carefully switch our bike computers to ‘Eco’ mode. Immediately, broad smiles appear on our faces. With every turn of the pedals, the bike pushes us forward powerfully. Without any effort, we speed along at 25 km/h on the rather heavy bikes. It is possible to go faster, but only with your own muscle power: for safety reasons, the motor stops assisting at 25 km/h. (We'd rather not mention here that this restriction can be circumvented with a little tuning. After all, it's illegal... 😅).
Michael switches to the next higher level, ‘Tour,’ on a straight stretch to test it out. The bike propels him forward, and we're having a blast. And that's just on the first few kilometres on a flat, paved road. This is off to a great start!
Let's go to Areit with the e-bikes
When we arrive at Stephanie's, we throw on our cycling gear. I want us to cycle up the Schmittenhöhe to the Areitalm. My father comes from Bruck an der Glocknerstraße, the neighbouring village of Zell am See: I learned to ski on the Schmittenhöhe when I was three years old, and it remains my beloved ‘home mountain’ to this day. We have about 700 metres of elevation gain ahead of us. As we tackle the mountain road, I am sceptical. I don't really like cycling, and despite the e-mountain bike, I don't feel like exerting myself. But: in for a penny, in for a pound. I set my bike computer to level 2, ‘Tour’, and start pedalling.
It quickly becomes clear: yes, we are panting and sweating (it's almost 30 degrees). BUT: we're chatting! I'm not dying and I'm happily cycling uphill, thanks to level 3 ‘Sport’. Mountain biking can be really fun! It's a steep climb at over 12 km/h – wind in our faces as we ride uphill! We overtake a ‘real mountain biker’. I feel a bit bad as I pass the athlete with his well-trained calves at three times the speed, rather unsportingly and with little sweat, and greet him politely. If I were in his place, I would be totally annoyed with myself. Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
At almost breakneck speed, we gain altitude and enjoy the hard-won magnificent view of Lake Zell far below us. In 40 minutes, we reach the Areit Xpress mountain station – we have climbed 700 metres and are still feeling fit. Is that the end of our tour? I wonder if you can count that as a workout.
All that lies ahead of us now is the descent – back down the same gravel road and then the asphalt road. Unfortunately, I'm a bit of a coward. Stephanie and Michael let their bikes race down the mountain at full speed. I hang on to the brakes, which are slowly overheating. The bad joke is that I've been downhill biking for two seasons. So I've been riding down root-covered trails on an 18-kilogram bike with 220-millimetre suspension forks and shock absorbers. I was never good at this sport, but after two seasons I should at least be able to ride down a gravel road on a normal mountain bike without fear. What I lack is the courage, the full-face helmet, the head-to-toe armour and the ultra-strong tyre tread. So I hang on to my brakes and take breaks when they start to squeal.
There it is again: the reason why I don't really like cycling.
Day 2: Another 700 metres of elevation gain on an e-mountain bike
Day 2 dawns. I am really looking forward to the tour, even though I know that this means another downhill ride. In ‘Eco’ mode, we cycle the approximately seven kilometres to the start of the mountain road up to the Enzianhütte and the Erlhofplatte. Today, we are already prepared for how easily these great bikes will carry us up the mountain. Stephanie and Michael are athletic and pedal in ‘Tour’ mode, while I switch to ‘Sport’ mode, which still makes me sweat enough. So much for the idea that e-biking is unsporting: everyone determines the level of assistance they want and thus the degree of effort for themselves. This also makes it possible for well-trained athletes to go on a ride with less active people without one group getting bored and the other stressed out.
We cycle along the mountain road, enjoying fantastic views. We chat and laugh and pedal – it's really wonderful!
When we arrive at the Enzianhütte, we treat ourselves to another (undeserved) break. Many cyclists arrive after us, and apart from one exception, they are all riding e-mountain bikes.
We continue up to the Erlhofplatte. The asphalt road first turns into a gravel forest road, which rapidly deteriorates. With ‘Sport’ mode, we are not bothered by stones, holes or bumps. We simply iron over them. Megacool! We even have another level on our computers. But we only switch to ‘Turbo’ for fun; we never need to use it.
Once we reach the Erlhofplatte, a long and steep mountain bike descent lies ahead of us. For the second time, I wish I had my full-face helmet and protective gear from downhill biking. Bad luck, I have to go downhill. Michael, a former downhill youth competitor, and Stephanie, a courageous recreational athlete, race ahead again. I, coward that I am, trundle along behind, sending desperate prayers to my brakes, complaining and taking breaks until the brake discs have cooled down again. Relief only comes when we reach the flat road again.
Conclusion of my first e-bike tours
No, cycling isn't for me. That's how it was and how it is. But e-biking is simply brilliant, especially riding an e-mountain bike up to magnificent views!
If I lived in the mountains, I would definitely have an e-mountain bike in my garage. And maybe a full-face helmet and some protective clothing, so that I would dare to ride downhill again.
