Horses For Courses
In horse racing there are horses called mudders. They may not win on smooth, hard, flat, dry courses, but they leave othes behind on a rainy day. Bikes and especially e-bikes, are no different. No one bike does everything well.
Probably my single toughest job is helping people understand that their one bike is not made to do everything. They take their road, gravel or adventure bike off road, often carrying a lot no mtb’er would consider for such rides, then get upset with me when it breaks. They take their suspended mtb or fat bike on pavement or hard pack and wonder why it isn’t fast, or why they crashed!
You would not take your Corvette or Ferrari mudding. Your jacked up 4wd won’t compete on a road course and Mom’s mini-van is not going to set any records in the quarter mile. Your flat bottom fishing boat is not a good ski boat. Your deep “V” speed boat probably isn’t getting you close enough to shore for bass fishing. Why would you assume your one bike can do everything? There are always some serious compromises (BTW, there is no “cheap” way to mtb; you WILL spend a lot replacing broken parts if you are any good at all).
Sadly, choices are often made because of some weird idea that a particular bike looks, “cool” or “tough.” I said it before, I say it again, no one is going to be throwing their panties at you because of your bike (and we all look like dorks in helmets…live with it). It’s a bike!
Yes, I know a fella that rode his unicycle around the world. That doesn’t mean unicycles are a good way to see the world. I had a rigid hybrid I used for commuting, touring, some.minor off roading and club rides (80k miles). That does not mean it was efficient at any of those tasks. I replaced parts and compromised on a lot of things over those years. Frankly, I wish I had spent less on cars or booze and funky smelling bike clothes to own more, as well as more appropriate, bikes!
E-bikes are not just another category like Gravel, Adventure, Road, Fat or Mtb. You don’t just add one to your stable. There are e-bikes in every catagory. No one bike is ideal for more than one. If you can afford just one e-bike, get the one best suited to the riding you do most. Do not compromise everyday performance (range, speed, handling, acceleration, braking…) to get something you think can do your most arduous of rides that only happen once in a while. You will eventually be disappointed