Are eMTB Riders Cheating? An Amflow Skeptic Converts

A longtime eMTB skeptic at The Verge changed his mind on an Amflow PX Carbon Pro. What his account shows buyers, what stays subjective, and what to check.

For years, Thomas Ricker admits, he muttered “cheater” at every electric mountain bike rider who cruised past him on a climb. Then he rode one. In a first-person piece for The Verge published July 18, 2026, the deputy editor describes how a few weeks on an Amflow PX Carbon Pro, powered by the compact Avinox M2S motor from a DJI offshoot, dismantled a purist attitude he had carried since he took up mountain biking during the pandemic.

Conversion stories like this one are common in eMTB coverage, and they are genuinely useful, but not in the way they first appear. They tell you a lot about why people enjoy these bikes. They tell you much less about whether a specific eMTB belongs in your garage.

So here is what Ricker’s account actually establishes, what stays subjective, and the questions his article should prompt you to ask before you spend real money.

What Actually Changed His Mind

Ricker’s core discovery was not speed. It was the removal of the specific kind of suffering that was cutting his rides short. He writes that long, steep, technical climbs stopped being a cardio tax and became engaging, flowy challenges, and that he still chooses how hard to work: turbo assist on the rough days, eco when he wants his heart rate pinned.

The backstory matters for reading his impressions honestly. By his own description, Ricker is a pandemic-era novice who learned technique from YouTube and suffered a crash that dislocated his shoulder. He had not felt confident on a mountain bike since. The motor, he says, compensates when poor technique kills his momentum: a bolt of torque when a technical section stalls him, quick acceleration out of turns he braked too cautiously into, enough support that stronger friends no longer drop him in the first ten minutes.

The result he reports is more laps, more repetitions, and more fun on the same trails. He also describes a deliberate etiquette: announcing passes early, staying humble around fitter riders, and skipping Strava leaderboard grabs. That detail is worth copying whatever you ride.

The Gatekeeping Argument, and Its Limits

Ricker frames motors as the next chapter in a long pattern. Mountain bike purists once dismissed full-suspension frames, disc brakes, dropper posts, and 29-inch wheels as making the sport too easy. All of that is now standard equipment, including on the bike he was testing.

It is a persuasive frame, and history is on his side. But notice what the argument does and does not do. It answers the social question, whether assist is legitimate, convincingly: riding what makes you ride more is not cheating. It does not answer the buyer’s question, whether an eMTB is the right tool for your trails, your budget, and your fitness goals. Plenty of riders who would never call assist cheating still conclude that an analog bike suits how and where they ride. Those are separate decisions, and conversion essays tend to blur them.

His Experience Comes With European Rules Attached

This is the part US shoppers most need to slow down on. Ricker rides in Europe, and he is explicit that his bike has no throttle, cuts assist at 25 km/h (15.5 mph), and carries a 250W maximum continuous power rating. He points out that strong trail riders can exceed 30 km/h on straightaways, leaving him behind on a heavier bike, which is why he calls the idea that eMTBs make you faster a misconception, at least where he rides.

None of those numbers transfer automatically to the US market. American e-bikes follow the three-class system, where even Class 1 assists to higher speeds than the European trail cap, and motors are commonly rated well above 250W continuous. A US Class 1 eMTB is a different experience from the bike in Ricker’s account, and a throttle-equipped Class 2 or a 28 mph Class 3 is a different machine entirely. Our e-bike classes guide breaks down what each class means before you shop.

The rules behind Ricker's ride versus the US picture

data

Rule	European eMTB (per Ricker's article)	United States
Throttle	None; pedal assist only	Class 1 and 3 have no throttle; Class 2 allows one
Assist cutoff	25 km/h (15.5 mph)	20 mph for Class 1 and 2; 28 mph for Class 3
Motor rating	250W maximum continuous	Commonly 750W nominal, with state-level variation
Trail access	Varies by country and trail network	Set by each land manager; many trails allow Class 1 only, or no motors at all

Trail access is the sharpest edge. In the US there is no single answer to where an eMTB can go: federal agencies, state parks, counties, and private trail networks each set their own policies, sometimes route by route on the same mountain. Before an eMTB purchase makes sense, you need to know what the land managers of the trails you actually ride permit. Our state-by-state e-bike law guide is the starting point, but the trailhead sign and the land manager’s current policy are the final word.

Feeling Safer Is a Feeling, Not a Finding

Ricker writes that adding a motor made him feel safer, with a greater sense of control, and given his shoulder history that feeling clearly matters to him. His examples are concrete: assist lets him brake conservatively into corners and still carry pace out, and it rescues him when momentum dies mid-feature so he does not have to dismount or tip over.

Treat that as exactly what it is: one rider’s subjective experience, honestly reported. It is not evidence that eMTBs are safer than analog mountain bikes, and no such data appears in his article. Assist also adds weight and makes it easier for a developing rider to reach terrain and speeds ahead of their skills. Confidence and control are real benefits worth test riding for. They are not a safety rating, and nobody should buy an eMTB as protective equipment.

What This Tells a Buyer, and What It Cannot

The genuinely transferable lesson in Ricker’s piece is about motor character. What won him over was not raw power but delivery he describes as intuitive and predictable: power that arrives in proportion to his effort, exactly when momentum fades. When you test ride any eMTB, that quality, how the motor engages, modulates, and cuts off, is worth more attention than the peak numbers on the spec sheet.

The second useful point is that his epiphany bike is not the entry price. He is upfront that the $10,000 Amflow PX Carbon Pro, with its reported 150Nm of torque, temporary 1,500W boost, and 20.6 kg (45 lb) total weight, made the experience easier to love. But he also notes Avinox now lists over 60 bike brand partners, that the cheapest bike he found with the same M2S motor is a roughly $4,000 CRUSSIS hardtail, and that budget brands like Ride1Up and Aventon offer eMTBs with less capable motors that are still fun. His own conclusion is that a five-figure carbon bike is not required for the shift he felt.

What one first-person essay cannot tell you: how the motor and battery hold up over years, what service and parts support look like where you live, real-world range on your terrain, or how the Avinox system compares to Bosch, Shimano, and other established drive systems in a controlled test. Ricker says the incumbents are on edge; that is an observation about the industry, not a comparison you can shop from.

If you are earlier in the process than this, our guide to choosing your first e-bike covers motor types, battery sizing, and budget tiers that apply to eMTBs as much as commuters.

The Honest Takeaway

Ricker’s closing line is the most useful sentence in the piece for a shopper: the motor will not suddenly make you a better mountain biker, but it might make you want to become one. That is the right-sized claim. An eMTB reliably buys more laps and less suffering. Whether that is worth the price, the weight, the charging routine, and the access homework depends on your trails and your goals, and no conversion story, however charming, can answer that for you.

We will keep covering eMTB reviews and US access rules as they develop, and we will flag when independent, instrumented testing of the Avinox system appears.

FAQ

+Is riding an electric mountain bike cheating?

Only if you pretend it is something else, like claiming segment records against analog riders. The Verge's Thomas Ricker argues that motors are the latest in a long line of technologies, from full suspension to dropper posts, that purists called cheating before they became standard. On a personal level, assist that gets you outside for more laps is not cheating anyone. Etiquette still matters: announce passes, yield appropriately, and keep assisted efforts off analog leaderboards.

+Do electric mountain bikes make you faster on the trail?

Not automatically, and in Europe often not at all. Ricker notes that European eMTBs cut assist at 25 km/h (15.5 mph) with a 250W maximum continuous rating, so fit riders on regular bikes routinely out-pace him on straightaways. US Class 1 bikes assist to 20 mph and Class 3 to 28 mph, so the answer depends on the bike, the rules it is built to, and the terrain. Where assist reliably helps everyone is sustained climbing, not outright speed.

+Are eMTBs safer than regular mountain bikes?

There is no good evidence either way, and you should be skeptical of safety claims in both directions. Ricker reports feeling safer and more in control because assist rescues him when momentum stalls in technical terrain, but that is one rider's subjective experience, not a study. Assist also adds weight and can carry a developing rider into terrain beyond their skills sooner. Treat confidence as a real but personal benefit to evaluate on a test ride, not a safety feature.

+Can I ride an eMTB on any mountain bike trail in the US?

No. US trail access is decided by each land manager, and policies differ between national forests, BLM land, state parks, county systems, and private networks, sometimes trail by trail in the same area. Many trail systems allow Class 1 eMTBs only, and some allow no motors at all. Before buying, check the current written policy for the specific trails you ride, and treat trailhead signage as the final word. A bike you cannot legally ride where you actually ride is a bad purchase at any price.

+How much do you need to spend to get a good eMTB?

Less than the flagship reviews suggest. Ricker's conversion happened on a $10,000 Amflow PX Carbon Pro, but he points out that Avinox lists over 60 brand partners, that he found the same M2S motor on a roughly $4,000 CRUSSIS hardtail, and that budget brands like Ride1Up and Aventon sell cheaper eMTBs with less capable motors that are still fun. The honest tradeoffs as price drops are usually weight, suspension quality, and motor refinement, so a real test ride matters more at the budget end, not less.

+What should I test on an eMTB test ride?

Motor behavior first: how assist engages when you start pedaling, how it modulates with your effort on a real climb, and how it cuts off at the assist limit. Try stalling on a steep section and restarting, which is where Ricker found assist most valuable. Then check the practical items: whether the battery removes easily for charging, how the bike feels to lift onto a rack or over an obstacle, and how the brakes handle the extra weight on a descent. Ride actual gradients, not a parking lot.

Are eMTB Riders Cheating? What One Skeptic's Amflow Conversion Tells Buyers