As I have written before, the popularity of e-biking is fast rising and in the Alps many people have e-mountain bikes. I enjoyed a great day of e-mountain biking in Portes du Soleil and decided to try e-biking on the trails around Chamonix, too.
Hubby G and I borrowed demo bikes from Zero G in Chamonix. They have a great range for e-bikes for sale, including Specialized and Haibike. It was G’s first try at e-biking (he has the Specialized bike) and from the outset he loved it.
I used to think tat e-biking was cheating but it’s just different. You still need to pedal the bikes but you can go further and tackle steep ascents thanks to the power assistance. I was amazed at what I could ride up even though I am not the most skilful of mountain bikers.
The bikes also have full suspensions so they are great fun to ride downhill. hey have dropper seat posts, too, and a good range of gears.
There are plenty of waymarked trails for mountain biking and e-mountain biking in the area. Routes are graded from easier greens to blue, reds and expert blacks. You can pick up a VTT bike trails map in tourist information offices and bike shops.
It’s recommended that if you are on e-MTBDs that you do not need to use the lift system. The power assistance should be enough to give you plenty of ups.
I have a useful Chamonix Bike Book, too, with plenty of routes to choose from.
E-MTB route from Chamonix to Le Tour
The mountain bike trails are picked up to the north of Chamonix centre, close to the sports centre. It’s not always easy to know which direction to choose at a junction but mostly we were able to make our way towards Argentiere and then towards Le Tour.
The trails are a mix of wide forest tracks, singletrack, some steeps and a lot of undulating terrain. On an e-bike there are few sections that I couldn’t manage.
We enjoyed an out and back route over a few hours one morning. The outward ride is mostly up, while the return was wonderfully downhill.
The views are superb. I had to keep stopping to take them in. I recommend you allow extra time for enjoying the views and also for a stop at a cafe, perhaps in Argentiere or Le Tour.
Check out Zero G for bike sales and accessories. The people in the shop are really helpful.