RIP EDR - long live EDR-E?

Comedian David Mitchel once said on a British game show, “one of the codes I live my life by is that my appearance should be in no way noteworthy. But then again, not so unnoteworthy as to be in itself, noteworthy”. No finer truth has been said from a middle-aged Englishman appearing in a brown sports jacket on a TV gameshow. The broadcast seems to have resonated not with the British public, but all the design by committee bike brands intent on producing an oversupply of e-bikes that neither inspire or alarm a potential customer from deciding to make a purchase. So bland have some of the options become, you would start to wonder if buying a bike with a penny farthing sized front wheel would be a good idea just to introduce a little spice back into your life.

The majority of sheds across the world now would most likely see an e-bike leaning up against the bench, the trend of only having time and money for one bike is fast becoming the norm. The same applies to wearing a full face, glasses and riding full gas up behind regular bikes on a climb only to shout “thanks mate” over and over again before getting annoyed that there are other people in the world who don’t own an e-bike. Now that little chapter has been covered off, we can settle down and look into the future and make a couple of bold predictions on what this year will bring.  

Is this the last Enduro World Cup season? Is the series about to fold into a European E-Bike series in the near future? And if so, does the earth really revolve around the sun? Not unlike Galileo making a bold prediction that in fact the earth wasn’t the centre of the universe back in the 17^th century, Enduro appears to be heading down the same path of realisation that in fact, there are other forces at play and no longer does the sport enjoy priority funding where companies can market the freedoms which come from a bike that can climb and descend well. Remember those days when bikes could only do one of those two things properly? It seems like a distant memory, which will soon include a series based around a non-motorised form of mountain biking. This might seem like a big call, but sales figures don’t lie and with Downhill being the primary way to create brand recognition in the industry, albeit on shaky ground itself, E-Bike Enduro will exist as a proving ground to help develop the bikes for the next decade, just like the analogue enduro bikes have done in the previous decade. 

Now if you’re still reading in the hope that I might in fact touch on something gravity related, good news! Aussies are being represented just as well as any other nation in World Cup Downhill heading into a very uncertain DH season. Holding onto a factory seat has become so difficult that even previous World Champions are struggling to find a ride. To have so many full-time riders from Australia is a great reflection of the culture at home, and that of the riders at the top helping inspire the future riders coming through. A rider to watch for the last prediction of 2024? Oliver Davis. A mega season in 2023 reflected the character of a young guy stepping out in the spotlight after a tough couple of years marked by injury. A new team for 2024 will help provide that step towards a potential podium having already finished inside the top 10 last season. Once you land on the podium though, it’s only a short step to the top from there, right? Vive la France Oli