Are E-bikes Just Mountain Bikes With Motors? We Asked a Bike Designer

Mike Giese is an industrial designer based in Salt Lake City who has designed products for bike brands like Revel, Trust, and most recently, Evil Bikes. Evil just announced their first electric mountain bike, and we’re curious to learn about some of the design challenges that were involved. In this episode we ask: How do industrial designers and engineers work together? Does one usually take the lead on starting a new bike project, or are you working in parallel from the beginning? Is it beneficial, or even possible, to simply take an existing mountain bike design and electrify it? Or is it better to start from scratch? Why? Evil is using a Shimano e-drive system in the new Epocalypse. Is choosing the drive system one of the first steps? Why choose Shimano for this bike? What are the challenges involved in designing a frame to accommodate a motor and battery? Are there any unique challenges with wiring, or is it pretty similar to internal cable and hose routing? How do build kit considerations differ for an e-bike vs. a traditional mountain bike? We’re seeing e-bike innovations, particularly in components like tires and brakes, trickling down to traditional bikes. Are there similar opportunities when it comes to frames? Was the goal to give the e-bike a similar ride feel to other bikes in the Evil lineup, or did you see this as an opportunity to deliver something unique? How do you make decisions about touch points and usability for things like power switches and charging ports? Do you think e-bikes are closer in spirit to motorcycles or bicycles? Who do you see as the target customer for electric mountain bikes like this one? Is it geared toward more experienced riders, or do you think it will appeal more to folks who are new to the sport? Check out some of Mike’s work at mikegiese.com, and see the new Evil bike at evil-bikes.com. ✏️ A written transcript of this conversation is available to Singletracks Pro supporters: singletracks.com/support --Keep up with the latest in mountain biking at Singletracks.com and on Instagram @singletracks