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This past Saturday, my wife and I rode 15 miles of pure singletrack through the foothills of North Carolina on our e-mountain bikes.

It. Was. Magic.

And yet – still, we hear the same thing:
“Isn’t that kind of like cheating?”

Let me offer a perspective.

In a time when it’s totally normal to spend 10+ hours a day staring at a screen, scrolling endlessly, or binge-watching shows – we finally have a tool that invites people outside, into nature, into their bodies, and into flow. And somehow… that’s cheating?

E-mountain bikes aren’t replacing traditional bikes. They’re not trying to be. Just like a motorcycle isn’t trying to be a car, this is a whole new way to ride. A different flavor of adventure. A different kind of smile at the end of the trail.

They make steep climbs fun. They turn long loops into accessible escapes. And they welcome more people into the joy of singletrack – without gatekeeping who’s “earned it.”

To me, e-MTBs are about more movement, more time outside, and more connection – to the woods, to each other, and to ourselves.

So if you’re already out there: Keep riding, keep flowing.
If you’re stuck behind a screen: Come join us.
And if you’ve ever called it cheating: Maybe, just maybe, it’s time to reframe the ride.

The world doesn’t need less joy. It needs more of us out there – adventuring, moving, and smiling.