Sometimes it’s nice to be surprised. Siblings Ryan and Becky Gardner were vehemently anti-Ebike. They’re too strong, too fit, no need for a pedal-assist bike. But when we asked them to make an Ebike video with the Remote 160 they didn’t have too much choice. Reluctantly, they dove in, and wouldn’t you know, they discovered what the rest of the world already knows. E-bikes are a riot! Whether towing planes, moving houses, or ripping trails, you never know where one may come in handy.
Ryan and I have always been up for a big ride. We got into riding in the early 2000s when mountain biking was split cleanly into two groups: the cross-country riders and the downhillers. Cross-country folk would get a light XC bike to put in the miles, while the downhillers would get a heavy, sturdy bike and stick to chairlifts and shuttles. Ryan and I, and our group of close friends, took a different approach. We put climbing cassettes and telescoping seat posts on 55lb downhill bikes that we would stand and pedal up the steepest fire roads around, all to access that sweet, sweet, downhill. We even invented a mega ride that would traverse across multiple peaks and took a full day to get through. The Mega Ride quickly became part of our identity, and to this day, our favorite thing to do is drag ourselves and our friends out on whatever insane ride we dream up. Since then, Ryan and I have raced many 100-mile races, enduro world series, multi-day races, through-the-night races, and all sorts of mega rides that we draw up the night before just to see what’s possible. Some of our favorites include 10k in the Bay, where we ride 10,000 feet from Ryan’s house in Oakland via trail bikes. Another favorite is Ryan’s Vision Quest, where he rode from his house in Oakland, CA, to Mt Vision in Marin County which was around 12k of climbing and 115 miles with a healthy mix of dirt and trail.
So, when Kona asked us to do an E-bike video, we didn’t know what to say. Well, that’s a lie. We knew what to say: “E-bikes really aren’t our thing.” The response was “have you ever tried one?”. Well, no, and we were honestly intending to keep it that way. We were both dedicated acoustic bike riders so why would we ever need an E-bike? But being open-minded and sufficiently encouraged, and knowing that E-bikes are not going anywhere, we decided to give them a go.
When the bikes arrived, Ryan and I started thinking about silly ways people could use an E-bike. Subconsciously, we thought if we weren’t riding actual trails with the bikes, then we weren’t E-bike riders, right? We knew they would be great for photographers, videographers, and trail builders. Could they tow a plane? Maybe we could use them to run shuttles for rafting! These bikes would allow our friends who might not be fit enough to pedal all day still be able to ride with us. We also thought they could be great for days when you want to ride but not drain your body. I suppose E-bikes have some utility…
Finally, we broke down and took the bikes to the trails. And Welp, E-bikes are pretty darn fun. I mean, turbo boost? What kind of witchcraft is this? We got to use the E-bikes on the trails around my house in Colorado where there are tons of high alpine trails, and these bikes are perfect for linking big miles together quickly. I’m lucky to live in a place with hundreds of miles of moto and E-bike-friendly trails, so it was fun to adventure around with no worries of running out of water or killing my legs. The Kona Remote 160s are similar to our go-to Process 153’s, so they can handle gnarly descents, making you confident on any trail you end up on. The bikes have also made my quick after-work rides double the length they used to be and have been a great tool in scouting trails and running shuttles. We had a blast riding these bikes and turns out it’s really hard not to smile when you are ripping up a fire road that used to roach your legs before all the fun stuff.
Will I only ride E-bikes now? Absolutely not. I still love pedaling analog bikes and going on big all-day mega rides. However, I’ll be keeping an E-bike in my fleet now because they truly are a blast. You can say you are not an E-biker, but it probably just means you have never tried one. – Becky Gardner
