Gear box and belt drive anyone?

I think that's wrong and too sweeping a statement - some may well be Luddites (that applies to any walk of life ) but I suspect that we are just cynical because we all know 'the man' is just trying to come up with new ways for us MTB folk to be persuaded that we really need this latest Fad, Gimmick, amazing new piece of technology and must rush out and spend our life savings to get one first.

I think we just need to be convinced a bit more than other groups.

You probably said the same about a dropper post until you tried one? 

I understand that its annoying when bike manufacturers are currently bringing out new standards that everyone must have. Especially being a poor 18 year old, all you see is the brand new parts that we must have, whilst i'm riding on stuff thats 5/6 years old... At the end of the day though, we ride bikes because its enjoyable, and that if theres an affordable product that will make the bike faster/more enjoyable/better to ride, then i don't see the problem with it. 

Rear derailleurs are old technology now, they're about as developed as they can be, they shift well and are cheap to construct and easy to work on, but they have their negatives (easy to break, poor shifting in poor conditions, drive-train wear e.t.c)... If you could get a gearbox at an affordable level that performs better than a derailleur, then surely that is worth a look in at 

I'd like to have a go on one, they're not exactly cheap though.

You may think differently after my post but I am not against E Bikes.

I think the perceived cheating may be from doing a climb that would normally take 15-20 minutes down to 3 minutes. Theres no way you've pedalled the same to do that. You are faster but you are not pedalling the same and you might be putting a lot of effort into the climb on an E Bike but it is like taking a shorter climb. Get an E Bike a normal bike, put the same watts through your leg on the same climb and see how you are at the top and how quick you've done it. This is why people think it is cheating. 

A lot of people think that the slog of the climb is the pain to get the sweet reward for the downhill. Me, personally if someone wants an E Bike and it gets them out and has fun then yes there is nothing wrong with that. 

As long as you don't start taking KOM's on Strava ;-) 

I have a SS fully rigid...

I've taken One for a ride a few years back. A Cube. Was OK.. I'd certainly not buy one.

i think these are the two points where we might disagree...
i don't like E-bikes and i don't get excited by them...i hardly like Di2...sorry but it is cheating...just read the news lately! Want an engine or assistance, get a scrambler (oh! how much i miss mine!?)
only one thing i probably like even less and that is Strava...it just makes us sound more like roadies and get this unnecessary competitiveness...unless you are a racer or something...and this comes from a guy who is supposed to be really competitive...apparently.

but i like to respect people's opinions and views...so its all cool!

E bikes are cheating, but I fully intend yo get one when I find it to hard to get up the banks.

You can have ebike lessons around the midlands with emtbcoaching.co.uk. I'd love to get my dad one so he would come out on the bikes with us but they are just so much money at the moment. Still they may have second hand ones on pinkbike soon.

rlo80 & Kalli ..you have both made some valid points ...
Where I still disagree with you is the fact that you think it's cheating ..and this is a sticking point which a lot of people will find it hard to get past ...
Think of it this way ..it's an aid to make you go faster ..BUT ..the bottom line is you still have to pedal these things and just like any other bike it is down to the individual as to how much effort they want to put into that ..if you want to go flat out and push these machines to the max then I can absolutely guarantee that you will be completely knackered before the battery runs flat !
While I disagree that it's a different sport...it's still mountain biking ..I concede the point that it's a different discipline .
When it comes to racing ..then I can never envisage a day when these bikes will compete against "normal " mountain bikes ...but then again in XC racing advantages are gained in terms of bike weight..a true race would have each machine weighing the same ...
As for principles ..that's down to each of us individually and I wouldn't want to mess with those ...but when you say that going out with a mate who was riding an ebike and you weren't wouldn't work ..that's based on the assumption that he was at the same level of fitness as yourself ...but what if he wasn't ?
Kalli made a couple of valid points when referring to her dad and also the fact when age / fitness becomes an issue.
If this type of machine can extend the way I ride my bike in terms of the type of terrain I like to ride ..and not confine me to cycle paths and " Lakeside Way " type of riding ..then what's wrong with that ?
Bear in mind that I have moved through the ages of mtb ..started fully rigid heard the " cheating " arguement when technology moved us onto hard tails heard it again when full suspension was introduced and now I'm hearing it again with e-bikes ...same song ..different tune ..
I prefer to think of it as progress...what I would say is don't let your principles hold you back from ever trying one ..the worst that could ever happen is that you might enjoy the experience...god forbid ! Lol.

I'd argue having an aid is "cheating"..... such as an electric bike. it's not as if you'd be concealing the fact, and competing against people...