eMountain bikes: Relaxation and Adventure

Stuttgart/Reutlingen – The sun is shining, the wind is stirring the leaves, a group of bikers is setting out on a ride through the mountains: they are pedalling vigorously, taking the curves with ease, enjoying the outdoor world around them. Eventually, the group reaches the top, totally relaxed. Their faces are beaming – pure enjoyment, a sense of lightness. Their secret? Bikes with a special feature. For about the past two years, power-assisted bikes have been the latest trend in the mountain bike community. This new form of cycling has been opening up more and more previously unknown possibilities for bikers. Gary Fisher, inventor of the mountain bike and now a mountain bike legend, is a fan of the "electric tailwind" as well. He sees eMountain biking as "the next big thing". Like Fisher, more and more bikers with sporting ambitions are making the changeover. Bosch eBike Systems is actively supporting this comparatively new discipline – with the company's renowned expertise, innovative technologies and farsighted ideas, all of which are highly esteemed within the biking community. Among them professionals such as André Wagenknecht, Greta Weithaler and Nicolas Vouilloz. What is so special about eMountain biking? What motivates the bikers?

Discovering one's home region – from a different perspective

André Wagenknecht, the German Enduro Champion, first came into contact with biking in the 1990s, mostly taking part in downhill races. More recently, he has switched to eMountain biking, which enables him to explore the countryside in his home region on a regular basis – thus fulfilling a long-held ambition. When he has some free time, however short, he loves to ride around his local area. Detours pose no problems: with the Nyon all-in-one onboard computer he can follow his route closely and can plan a number of stops along the way. What he likes best about the eMTB are the small things: "I've started getting to know my home region again. I've suddenly discovered completely new sections on the routes I used to ride along."

Relaxed riding in the great outdoors

A native of South Tyrol, Greta Weithaler, a successful ex-World Cup rider, began cycling as a child and her subsequent career as a sportswoman centred on biking. After her retirement from professional sport in 2014, she looked for a more relaxed form of cycling – and discovered the power-assisted version, the eMTB. As a guide at women's camps, trade shows and other events, as well as on private tours, she encourages people to cycle as an ideal form of physical activity. Thanks to her eMTB with Bosch Performance Line CX, her uphill rides are much easier than before. This increases the enjoyment of biking and leaves more time and power for further uphill and downhill rides. Greta firmly believes that "once riders are on the trail, they find that they have plenty of extra time and this can be put to good use, whereas other cyclists might not have as much extra time in a whole day's riding!"

Not just a discipline for professionals

Frenchman Nicolas Vouilloz, tenfold winner of the Downhill Mountain Bike World Championships, has an expert knowledge of downhill mountain biking. Following a knee operation, he enjoyed the benefits of an electric tailwind on his mountain bike for the first time: "It was incredible then to be able to ride again even though I didn't have full strength in my legs just yet. I was able to move my legs in spite of everything and to have fun on the trails again. That would have been impossible on a normal bike." In the meantime, Vouilloz is using his expertise to advise a French MTB manufacturer on bike development, including eMountain bikes, which in his view do not only offer another training option for sports enthusiasts or facilitate a comeback after injury: he is convinced that eMTBs are ideally suited for all non-professionals who cycle relatively seldom. According to Vouilloz, "The motor support means they are less inhibited when it comes to starting off. As well as that, they can cover much more trails in less time."

Uphill Flow: more than a fun biking experience

What exactly is meant by Uphill Flow? "Flow" describes a state of complete concentration on an activity during which all external distracting factors are shut out. The rider is totally absorbed and temporarily loses all sense of time. The Uphill Flow is that unique sensation which an eMountain bike can produce in the course of an ascent. With up to 300 percent assistance relative to the rider's power, every eMountain biker with the Bosch Performance Line CX is assured of the Uphill Flow. Differences in physical conditions are compensated at the push of a button and the flow window is extended by the technical system. "Flow is fun", says Gary Fisher.

Uphill Flow mecca in the heart of the Bavarian Forest

In order to enable beginners and professionals to experience the Uphill Flow at first hand, Bosch eBike Systems has been collaborating with trail-building guru Diddie Schneider on the development of the world's first-ever Uphill Flow trail in the Bikepark at Bischofsmais in the Bavarian Forest. As Claus Fleischer, Managing Director of Bosch eBike Systems, explains: "A superb facility for beginners, learners and holidaymakers is taking shape in the Bavarian Forest." On the 2.5-kilometre trail, ranging 270 meters in altitude, visitors and locals can experience the Uphill Flow "live" and enjoy the uphill and downhill trails, which have different levels of difficulty.

Background: Bosch eBike Systems' Uphill Flow campaign

The Uphill Flow trail on the Geisskopf mountain is part of Bosch eBike Systems' Uphill Flow campaign.
After the subject of "Uphill Flow" was featured in the first videos in the series and tips on riding technique and etiquette were presented using impressive imagery, professional bikers now show what Uphill Flow means for them and how they experience it "off the beaten track". In the third part of the video series, Gary Fisher, Nicolas Vouilloz, André Wagenknecht, René Wildhaber, Stefan Schlie and Greta Weithaler invite us to join them on a breathtaking tour: the Fascination of the Uphill Flow.