By Ron Koch
I love mountain bike racing of all kinds, but there’s one class that has me scratching my head. This might sound funny, but past years at the Sea Otter Classic, the race I’ve looked forward to most hasn’t been the dual slalom, downhill or any of the other traditional events; it was the emountain bike circuit race.
I always found time to watch it. I watched for all the same reasons you would any race, but mostly out of curiosity. The idea of racing eMTBs was foreign to me, and I was trying to wrap my head around it. At one point, Sea Otter even had an eMTB Enduro class. However, last year, there wasn’t a single eMTB race or class on the schedule.
Curious, I asked race organizers why they were excluded. I got a generic answer: “We’re always evaluating our schedule and balancing all of the different events, time frames, space uses, etc., so it just didn’t work out this year.” I could be wrong, but I think people are starting to realize what I’ve been thinking for a while now, which is that eMTB racing is flawed. It’s not because of the racers or the organizers, but because of the evolution of the bikes themselves. The good news is that eMTB racing is back at Sea Otter for 2026 so it will be interesting to see how it all goes.
OBSERVATIONS
Watching the eMTB race was entertaining on many levels. Sea Otter’s version was basically a short-course layout that included some trail and a short stretch of pavement. What I saw was a wide spectrum of riders—from relatively unfit novices to those who looked nearly pro level. The faster riders seemed to be racing just above the 20-mph assist cutoff, while the less fit ones hovered just below it. Want to guess which group had smiles on their faces and which didn’t? Yes, the slower group was all grins. If fun is the main reason you race, then power differences between bikes may not matter. But you know what’s really fun? Winning.
This was back in the earlier days of eMTBs when power and torque output were fairly similar across brands. That’s no longer the case. I can tell you from testing various drive units that there’s now a wide gap in output between some models. It’s as if manufacturers are in a race to one-up each other in power—and that’s the main reason I think eMTB racing has become a bit silly. The only way to make it fair would be to separate the bikes into classes, much like motorcycles with different engine sizes. But how would you divide them? By brand and model? Claimed power output? It would get complicated fast.
There are a few other reasons eMTB racing may be stalling. One likely factor is the eMTB rider demographic. The ones I know primarily ride for fun. Sure, for many, every ride is a “race within a ride,” but the ultra-competitive riders are still racing their traditional mountain bikes. And full disclosure: I’ve never raced an eMTB. Some might say that makes me a bit ignorant on the subject, but after decades of racing and testing nearly every eMTB drive unit out there, I’d like to think I have some perspective.
NEW DIRECTION
The one type of eMTB racing that actually makes sense to me is enduro. Yes, differences in motor output can still matter, but power rarely plays a major role on steep, fast, technical descents. Oddly enough, even the E-Enduro World Cup WAS scaled back last year—from being part of every round to a single one-day world championship event. The general consensus seems to be a lack of participation. But to me, this is where eMTB racing should thrive. I confirmed my suspiscouns last year when I participated in Bosch’s eMTB Challenge enduro race at Whistler.
Enduro racing could push the development of not just maximum power output, but other, more nuanced factors, like weight, handling and power delivery. After spending quality time with the Yeti MTe and Pivot’s Shuttle SL AM, I truly believe this is the direction eMTBs need to go. Lighter, more natural-feeling eMTBs are incredible when they offer just enough power and range to get the job done.
The point I’m making isn’t that eMTB racing is dumb. It’s that more power isn’t the answer. I know a lot of eMTB owners will disagree, but lighter, more efficient and better-optimized systems are the smarter long-term solution—for everyone, not just racers.
Yes, power is fun. But where’s the line? As Uncle Ben told Peter Parker, “With great power comes great responsibility.” So, who’s taking on that responsibility? To me, it seems the push to sell more bikes is taking priority for some brands. Fortunately, efforts are underway to more clearly define power limits—not just in North America, but in Europe as well. I hope eMTB motor manufacturers can agree on reasonable standards before government regulations do it for them, because those regulations might not be what any of us want—or need.