# Examining the Efficiency of Electric-Assisted Mountain Biking across Different Types of Terrain
## 5 Conclusions  
The current study's findings have a direct practical application to understanding better the demands and differences between electric-assisted and conventional mountain bikes, particularly for recreational and competitive cyclists, especially while the electric-assisted championship was recently established. Electric-assisted off-road cycling appears to provide extenuating circumstances for riding. Electric-assisted off-road cycling refers to the use of electric motors to assist the rider in navigating difficult terrain. These e-bikes can provide a speed and power boost, which can be beneficial for riders with varying levels of fitness or experience. This assistance can be especially beneficial for mountain biking. By using mountain bikes with electric assistance, people with different abilities, such as trainers, less trained riders, recreational cyclists, and elite athletes, may be able to ride together more harmoniously. The electric assistance can help bridge the gap between physical fitness and technical ability, allowing less experienced riders to keep up with more skilled ones. In conclusion, the study's findings illustrate that changes in terrain (uphill, flat, downhill, or technical demanding terrain) influence physiological parameters and mechanical work performed regardless of electrical assistance. The results of the study suggest that physiological and performance measurements help to provide insight into the physiological profile of off-road cycling in different off-road terrain with an electrically assisted and a conventional mountain bike. The results highlight that uphill cycling with an electrically assisted mountain bike can result in more efficient cycling, which is characterized by lower oxygen consumption relative to the power expended. This improvement in efficiency is attributed to the assistance provided by the electric motor, which reduces the physical effort required to ride uphill. In contrast, when riding downhill, on flat trails, and on technically challenging terrain, smaller differences were found between electric-assisted and conventional mountain bikes. When riding downhill and on flat sections, the battery power of the electric bike was decisive in limiting the maximum speed. Below this threshold, electric assistance resulted in a smoother ride and consistent speed. However, once this limit was reached or exceeded, participants had to apply more force to maintain their pace as the electric motor ceased its assistance. In essence, this study underscores the nuanced impact of electric assistance when cycling off-road, with clear advantages on climbs but more complex interactions on flat sections as well as on descents and technically challenging rides. However, this advantage only applies up to a speed of 25 km/h. Beyond this speed, e-bikes offer no additional support, which can make descents, technically challenging terrain or downhill sections more difficult to ride compared to conventional mountain bikes. These results provide valuable insights, especially for cyclists and underscore the importance of considering specific terrain when evaluating the effects of electric-assisted mountain bikes on cycling performance. Conceptualization, S.R., M.S. and J.V. ; methodology, S.R. and M.S. ; formal analysis, S.R. and M.S. ; data curation, S.R. and M.S. ; writing--original draft preparation, S.R. ; writing--review and editing, S.R. ; visualization, J.V. ; supervision, S.R. ; project administration, S.R. and J.V. ; funding acquisition, J.V. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript. This work was supported by the Slovenian Research Agency (P5-0147). The study was conducted following the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Commission for Ethical Issues in Sports in Ljubljana, Slovenia (Ref. No. 10: 2019-1056). Informed Consent Statement: Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study. Data Availability Statement: Data are available upon reasonable request and are available from the corresponding author (S.R.).