I don’t think I’ll ever call myself an ‘ebiker’. Give me a free day on the weekend, and it’s my regular mountain bike that’ll be pulled out of the garage.
I like the lighter weight, the nimbleness, the direct connection from crank to wheel, and the unplugged nature of my non-assisted bikes.
Plus, none of my riding buddies own eMTBs, so I’m never stuck at the back of the group trying to keep up with motorised pals.
I’ve no objection to electric mountain bikes, for what it's worth. I know many people love their eMTBs for a broad range of reasons, and many might consider me a dinosaur in my apathy for them.
I’ve definitely been the butt of jokes from friends in the MTB industry who have fallen head over heels for their assisted rides.
- Read more: New Pivot Shuttle LT first-ride review – a true enduro eMTB that challenged my perceptions
Keeping it professional
I do ride electric mountain bikes regularly, though.
Sometimes I’m required to review them for this site, sometimes logistically they make a lot of sense when testing products, and when it comes to long shoot days for MBUK TV, having a motor between my legs makes life a lot easier.
Much like Alex Evans, recently departed from this parish, I rarely feel fulfilled by an assisted ride.
Full-fat eMTBs tend to feel heavy to ride, dulling their (or rather, my) ability to pop and play.
They also need a mental reset to attune to differing braking points and lean angles, something I sometimes struggle to achieve during my limited ride time, leaving me feeling I could have ridden faster or with added confidence and commitment.
Perhaps I’m the prime target for the current crop of SL eMTBs – a lighter weight should provide more analogue-like handling, while the reduced power inputs mean my legs are required to put more in.
But they have never set my world alight either. Sure, they handle ‘better’, but the forbidden fruit of the full-fat eMTB with its torquey punch just waiting to be unleashed on a climb is always there – I’ve never quite worked out where this halfway house sits in my riding stable.
Set in stone?
So, when I picked up the new Pivot Shuttle LT from distributor Saddleback UK, I expected to head out, hit some trails, assess the bike’s performance in a fair and professional manner, and then hand it back without a second thought, ready for the next test rider.
The conditions during my first-ride testing couldn’t have been worse – day one was a quick couple of hours in the pelting rain on some decidedly muddy tracks.
Day two took in some bigger hills in murky conditions, and day three – had I not been experiencing some time pressure with getting my work done – should have been a write-off. I encountered torrential rain, deep holes, ice-like roots and trails I’ve barely ridden.
But I came away gutted I had to give the bike back the next day.
Pivot’s DW-link suspension is nicely neutral, offering both pedalling efficiency, and plenty of control and comfort.
Under power, the bike didn’t wallow or swallow my efforts, giving it a bit of pep and punch that made me want to drive it forward and engage with the trail.
When it came to descending, the weight of around 25kg seemed not to matter, with enough of a platform in the suspension to push against, and haul up and over trail features.
The mullet rear end and moderately tight triangle (in the shorter chainstay setting) meant it didn’t feel like a barge in the turns.
Open the throttle on the straights, though, and that low and central mass, along with the smooth Fox Podium fork and sticky Continental tyres, meant the bike oozed confidence.
All said and done
I’m not sure the Pivot Shuttle LT is going to cause me to perform a U-turn on my preference for non-assisted mountain bikes.
However, the needle has been nudged and my apathy is waning. While I have had fun riding eMTBs many times, the Shuttle LT was one of the first I was bummed out to return after such a short time. Fair play, Pivot.
