Opinion: Further Faster - Thoughts on the Coming E-Ride Revolution
Years ago, I participated in introducing the world to freeride mountain biking through the release of the movie “Kranked-Live to Ride.” At the time we were pushing the limits of how a mountain bike could be ridden and having a lot of fun. We were stoked and wanted to share this experience. Our motives were pure. Lots of people got it right away and were inspired. But most, particularly bike industry people, let us know that we were doing wrong, that trails would be closed, that this was not mountain biking…
Now, I hear the same sentiments about e-bikes. Like freeriding, 29 inch wheels, carbon frames, 1by11 drivetrains, electric assist bikes are a paradigm shift. Electric assist is different and unknown. So I understand why on the surface it is easy to have a negative reaction, I mean come on, a bike with a motor is a motor bike right? Motorbikes chew up trails, are loud and generally are not welcomed by mountain bikers.
News flash: electric assist mountain bikes are not motorbikes. I consider my electric assist bikes extreme performance mountain bikes. They allow me to ride further and faster than before. I can ride to the top of the mountain from my house at a level I have dreamed about for years. I’m like a pro XC racer times 2. I am riding 100km+ a week off road these days. This technology allows me to ride with state of the art DH suspension everywhere. So I am getting DH suspension performance at pro XC ride speeds. I am moving out on the trails, shredding from start to finish, in a manner that is sustainable day in, day out. I’m riding like a super hero, or at least I think I am!
E-bikes are an amazing fusion of advanced technologies. Today’s mountain bikes are incredible. The emerging electric assist technology allows today’s mountain bike to perform at its peak up, across and down. This is what this fusion achieves. The paradigm shift is huge, the performance gain massive. The mindset to understand this performance gain is just as great, until you experience it.
As mountain bikers we need to stick together and embrace change in a positive way. Freeriding inspired the youth of the world to mountain bike. The predicted apocalypse did not materialize. The naysayers eventually started publishing freeride cover shots on their magazines and investing in free ride factory teams. We got to know Brett Tippie, Wade Simmons and Richie Schley!
Riding a bike is a really positive experience. So is riding an ebike. There are way more positives than negatives so why not focus on those and not get hung up on possible negatives and fear of change. The world needs green transportation in an indisputable way. Biking and E-biking are a viable solution.
And what if your friend wants to ride an e-bike? Go for the ride! That’s the most important part. Try the thing, form an opinion based on knowledge, not speculation. I have a firm conviction that this technology is going to revolutionize the sport again! It’s just that rad. I’ve witnessed rad, and this is it. Ride responsibly and with respect and most of all enjoy your friends, no matter what they choose to ride.
Ride Hard, Ride Free
View Mike Kazimer's original e-bike opinion piece here.
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e-bikes are sweet man, watch this rad video!
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Here's the thing. I like going down hills on my mountain bike as fast as I can. I'm not a downhiller though. I suffer riding up hills to have lots of fun on the way down. I ride the bus when it's going and ride up the hills when it's not. That just seems logical doesn't it? If there's an easy way to the top why the f**k not use it? Then I get more fun for my day - pretty simple stuff.
On the other hand, I make sacrifices with my bike so it will still go up a hill - 160mm of suspension etc. So if I could make my bike more fun to go down with (like more travel) yet still get up the hills and along the dumb flat bits why wouldn't I?
We can all get on our fitness high horse and go on about how rewarding climbing a f*cking stupid hill is but I have a certain amount of time in my day and if I had to choose between spending it grinding up a hill, (not fun) or riding down as fast as I can, (definitely fun) I know what I'd choose...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-AzDZt1IcM
And yeah it too looks like alot of fun.
I don't mind the uphills and the flats but its the downhills I live for! Which is why I live in the alps in a chairlift area so I can get as many runs as possible. E-bikes make getting more runs possible especially in the offseason or in non chairlift areas. Still I'll only get one when they area cheaper and lighter!
stereotype stupidity is not part of freeride mountainbiking. and thats just what riding a Kranked bike is. having fun, shreding hardcore WHEREVER, feeling powers of nature-body-and machine (no matter if board,ski,bike,motor).
guess mountainbiking is now too mainstream to have free thinking. or is it called enduro now? ;-)
On the other hand, for lazy people like me there are bikeparks with chairlifts (in most countries, in Ireland there aren't any).
Personally, screw the challenge, but there are four reasons why I wouldn't buy an e-bike yet:
1. They're expensive
2. They're heavy
3. They look ugly
4. If the engine breaks down, I can't fix it myself.
E-MTB might not be for everyone, but for some people it might just be the way for them to get into the sport. And more people on bikes, no matter what type, has got to be good for the sport right? The sorts of people likely to buy these bikes aren't out to steal your KOM or get an unfair advantage at the next XC race, they are people who want to get that same thrill that we all love but otherwise are unable to. That's who this is for
vimeo.com/51798817
this video is just a disgusting fatty lazy man, riding without helmet. So yeah, it represents very well Ebikes...
You want to ride faster ?
Eat less, train hard and ride more...
I'm a great fan of E-Bikes for commuting being a great alternative to commuting by car and freeing your ride to work from the sweaty, challenging part. But if we reduce our sport to "shredding trails" - is it really more that we win than what we lose? Will it make us happier if we can have a second run on our trail thanks to the motor in our bike? It sounds compelling, but I doubt that our sport will profit.
yeah, i thought it was hilarious that the company making the bikes thought that that would be a good way to promote them, when it is so clearly the opposite.
i had hoped that the public would understand that i was simply being facetious and that in reality, the video perfectly illustrated why i never want to see an e-bike in person, ever.
yeah, sometimes it's hard to understand if people are sarcastic or not
These motors do not belong on bicycles. They belong on motorcycles. Do not take a bicycle, put a motor on it, and then try to tell the world it's still a bicycle.
This is not an "advancement" or "progression" in the sport of mountain biking or cycling in general. This is F'ing Lame.
You want to ride along with a motor? Get a motorcycle or a dirtbike or even an ATV. Even make it an electric one. Great!
You want to ride along on a bicycle? Pedal the damn thing yourself!
Where do I see electric motors being useful? Everywhere except cycling, with one exception. Adaptive sports. The Horizon trike is a great adaptation of a pedal powered offroad capable vehicle that can be used by people with a wide range of physical disabilities. This is one of the most awesome things I have ever seen.
If you have the ability to ride upright on offroad terrain, but lack the fitness or physical stamina to pedal a bike, a dirtbike should be used, not a bicycle with a motor. Imagine e-bikes take off in popularity among mountain bikers. Great. Where is it gonna go from there? Cant keep up with your friends? Simple... Buy a bike with a faster/more powerful motor and longer lasting battery. Your fitness is no longer part of the equation as far as cycling is concerned. What do these e-bikes become as the electric motors and batteries become more powerful? They become motorcycles!
i cant wait for a future where hikers hate mtn bikers and mtn bikers hate e-assist mtn bikers.
personally i'd never use one for mtn biking but i'd totally use one for commuting...
I understand the desire to get more miles in but the trails where I would want this the most are also likely going to be the areas where access is already a touchy subject. I will continue to earn my rides.
I dont wish anyone to get hurt, but I'm living my life for me, not the equestrians who shit all over us.
I would love to rip by hikers and horses while I flip them off on one of these things.
Why cant anyone be punk rock, bunch of hipsters these days suckin d
Do it for the bar and club industry, man.
When they start showing up on Marin and other Bay Area trails, expect to see an exodus of MTB riders once the last vestige of trails gets shut down there.
The upshot is, don't take Strava too seriously, you'll just end up ruining your own riding experience.
I admit I have thought about having a little motor on my Tallboy LT like in the picture when on one of our particularly brutal local climbs. That is just a sign that I need to HTFU. Today on an easy climb an overweight guy in flip flops blasted by me at 15mph. I was freaked out for a moment until I saw it was one of those e-Bikes. The idea of being able to have my own personal ski lift built into the bike so I can rail the descents all day sounds great, until I realize this may kill the fitness aspect of the sport. People who don't earn their turns are likely to be softer and flabbier, it seems.
Last point: the author doesn't mention that he runs an e-bike company. Seems like a significant omission; this is more an advertisement (albeit a good one) than an opinion piece.
So what the hell is the point of a DH mtb with a electric motor attached? Am I missing a piece of the equation?
I do agree that this could be a great tool for someone who is disabled and can't pedal due to their disability. Maybe a special handicap permit system, like a handicap sign allowing cars to park in handicap spaces, could developed to allow disabled people to ride on mtb trails only if they have the permit visible on the bike somewhere. This would greatly limit the use of electric assist only to those who actually need assistance. I don't think I would have any sort of problem getting passed up on a climb by someone on an ebike knowing that this is the only way they can enjoy the sport, but being passed by some out of shape fat ass who doesn't want to pedal uphill because he is f'n too lazy would really piss me off. I can tell you this, if I ever see some lazy a-hole riding one of these ebikes on my favorite non-ORV trails there will be a very unfriendly confrontation between us.
I do however see e-bikes as being a great tool for commuting and city use. Less cars and more of these would be great.
I don't doubt Bjorn honestly believe what he writes or he wouldn't be making the product, but the fact that he does have a business interest in making e-bikes become accepted just makes the entire piece a joke.
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Well, my friend ... if you need a motor to pedal at the speeds of a pro XC racer, then ... YOU DON'T DESERVE TO PEDAL THAT FAST. Mind you, mountain bike technology has certainly made us faster over the years, but there has been one constant since the first bicycle was conceived in the 1800s... IT IS A SELF-PROPELLED MACHINE. Call it what you want, but a mountain bike with a motor is not a mountain bike.
Don't get me wrong, I bet it's pretty fun. As our industry develops, there might even be a place for this type of riding (it just needs a new name). For instance, this opens great opportunity for bike park development. I can only imagine ripping one of these from the top of Whistler peak chair, down to mid-station, up to Harmony, over to Creekside and all the way down (that would be sick). And maybe over on the Sunshine Coast they allow you guys to rip these unencumbered on the local trails, but how will this do on the shore (or 85% of the rest of the world)? We already have some pretty loud-mouth activists trying to shut us down for "environmental reasons". Of course the NSMBA does a pretty damn good job keeping them at bay, but how will it help our case when riders in full face helmets start whipping past hikers on their way UP Baden Powell? And forget about the headway we've made convincing BC parks to finally grant us access. I'm sure they'll have a field day when we start rocking "motor assisted" mountain bikes on the trails.
I am farthest from a retro-grouch. I spend way too much money on bikes and I am certainly a sucker for the "latest and greatest". But this is too far. Regardless of what you want to call it and how you want to justify it, keep motors off my bikes and keep "motor bikes" off my trails!!!
This e-mountain biking needs a new name cause it has mountain biking in it and it is done on a mountain bike and e-biking has biking in it and blah blah blah.
Shame, shame on you.
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We build skills as we build fitness, and both take time. When the time comes that our speeds become dangerous, we will *hopefully* have mastered the appropriate skills to control our rigs.
I do not support this industry driven 'revolution'. Non-motorized trails are not the place for any form of motorized vehicle, E-bikes included. E-biker will never be accepted by those of us who earned it. I vow to give the stank eye to any motorized bike I see on a non-moto trail.
The trail use agencies and many trail users will view a bike with a motor as a motorized vehicle, which will (at least from a legal standpoint) ban them from bike trails in the US. Of course that won't stop lots of entitled idiots from rationalizing that it's "just a bike". I think our local community in north Oregon would self-police this sort of thing but elsewhere it will create LOTS of trail conflicts.
I can also understand the appeal. I'm saving my pennies for an enduro motorcycle right now so I can get further into the backcountry and explore. The ebike would allow me to get further into the backcountry, but not as far or fast as a motorcycle.
Ebikes are here to stay, but they are NOT bicycles and do not deserve to be considered such. Bicycles are human powered. Period.
What is probably happening here, is that the off-road capability off today's dual-suspension mountain bikes has become the seed of a future evolution - a more efficient, very lightweight motorcycle, powered by electricity, that will soon lose its pedals altogether and become separated from the family tree of cycling. The first motos, after all, also had pedals for many years. History repeats itself. As electric bikes evolve further from their bicycle roots, they will be pushed off trail networks intended for non-motorized use, to areas where their speed and impacts are in line with similar user-groups.
And, yes, I do have some experience riding e-bikes off road. As absolutely fun as it is to climb like Nino Shurter and shred the downs on a long-travel AM sled, when the judge and jury are called to decide the ultimate fate of e-bikes on trails in North America, I will be sitting on the opposite side of the courtroom. Many mountain bikers have dedicated their lives to forge a place for cyclists to share public trails. I think we should honor their efforts and proceed with caution. - RC
Ummmm, no. No we don't. Sure, we all have our preferences on riding type, wheel size, flats or clipless, and the endless polarizing topics that get debated here on PB. But I think where you will see the MTB community galvanized as a whole, is when it comes to our distaste of this so-called "e-bike revolution". Ain't happening.
If you want a green solution, use your bloody legs
....and anything motorized does not belong on a mountain bike trail.
and don't get me started on the added diversification of resources.
I sincerely hope in the future mountainbiking is still going to bring people to places "no cars go", otherwise where is the compensation for our overly technological everyday life?
I don't want an e bike when I'm in the peaceful woods, just circles turning circles.
that's all the magic about bikes.
How many more runs a day would you get with one of these babies?
It doesn't really even matter because hobbies don't ruin this planet. The way masses transport to work on a daily basis, the irresponsible factories polluting way more than necessary, the amount of stuff we buy for no need (e-MTB's included) and the lack of recycling are things that do.
Say what you will from your high horses of "I grind up every fire road and love the pain". But there are always people shuttling - and if there is a more environmentally friendly way to get the people who don't want to pedal, or want to get out on the big bike and have some fun without spending 3/4 of their time pushing up a gravel road to the top of the hill then I am all for it. Surely you would be less annoyed by someone zipping by you on the fire road on an electric DH bike than getting lapped continuously by a big pick-up with 2 bikes over the tailgate while you breathe in the exhaust as it passes.
People who want to ride down hills and not pedal up are going to find ways to do it, so why not let them do it in a way with the least environmental impact? I do however agree that we would need to keep an eye out and "educate" them to the fact that the electric assist is best used on the road and not the trail.
Although I'm in pretty good pedaling shape, I would love to try one of these out. I hate pedaling to the top. If the goal is to have fun and maximize the time going downhill then why not?
I ride cause i enjoy it. If this can add to the fun then why not? Ill always love cruisin around on vintage machines but nobody rides mtb's cause bikes are the most efficiant machine ever built. We do it cause its fun.
I think people need to open their minds a little bit and chill.
My mate tops all the strava Kom tables locally and I most certainly do not (apart from a few dh trails) I'm sure he gets frustrated waiting form me.
This really is one of those opinion things, if you don't like it then don't ride one....but....and this is the beauty of this sport, we make it what we want it to be. If for someone else it means riding an e-bike then so be it, really who cares?
Personally I think a motor of any kind on a bicycle is crossing a line of some sort, is it moving into trials or moto? Maybe not but it doesn't strike me as mountain biking either where to a certain extent what we do is defined by the fact that the bike is non-motorized, even if we are using lifts and trucks.
Of course this is just my opinion, if someone else wants to ride an e-bike then go ahead, I don't care, that's their decision. As long as they are not ruining the trails any more then a non-e-bike-equipped-mountain bike then go nuts.
Christ we are all just doing this to have fun, it's not some big moral or ethical dilemma as it seems to be here. If you're going to put so much effort into hating or wanting to change something there are a lot bigger problems in the world that you could be concentrating on other then whether an e-bike is a bicycle or not.
Just my 2 cents.
I learned a thing or two chasing Bjorn on his ebike; on technical climbs, he'd elegantly roll on up slippery and rooty sections while I spun out and dabbed; so I visualized applying the same steady and consistent power that an ebike motor produces during my pedal strokes and had some great success.
Knowing Bjorn personally, I also learned that his passion for his ebike is genuine and deep, it's my sense that what charges him up is the desire to make this technology available for the right people in hopes that it'll contribute positively to their lives like it is to his. Now there are finer details and valid points of argument in the comments above, and those details that can be worked out when and if need be, but big picture, anyone who is willing to risk reputation, image, and finances in order to pursue and share a passion that is personally meaningful gets my vote of confidence.
as long as it does not infringe on ANOTHER group of people who want to pursue and share a passion that is personally meaningful.
there is a possibility of major clashes on the trail, in the courts.... and the losers will be the human powered/gravity powered community.
your friend is just marketing his passion to the wrong demographic. simple. he ain't gonna convert many of us gravity/human powered folks, but maybe there is a market for him with ex motorcycle riders and commuters.
imagine a bmx article on thrasher's website? how do ya think that would go over?
or how bout a raw food website were somebody posts up a big ol article about cheeseburgers?
or how about the benefits of smoking du mauriers on a yoga website?
great product. wrong community, wrong website, wrong demographic.
why isn't he posting here?.......
www.electricbikeaction.com/category/news
too easy.
we have the magazine at nesters here in whistler. i looked at it the other day during lunch.
not my scene, but people are into it. cool. good for them. just don't ruin my scene.....................................
WHATS THAT THING BOLTED TO A BIKE? OH ITS A MOTOR! SO ITS A MOTORE CYCLE! END OF. GET FIT OR GET A LICENCE!
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Now, I have been told to eat sallads and protein and starches for all my life. There's desserts though and one day I decided I will put all those lessons to garbage and eat just ice cream. Way to go.
How open minded of you... Well, if you like to use such trivias then get mine: I am not negative, I am just asking questions, it is about common sense, it is critical thinking. Optimism? I am very optimistic about it that people who truly love that sport who are passionate about bikes, will never buy one. I have that much faith in common sense of humanity i like your pitch, you are in the wrong business, you should run for congress
Seriously, I think that there are several points that need to be addressed here.
Let me start by saying that I have been friends with Bjorn since 1998, when we worked together filming Kranked 3. I think that he is a great guy, and I think that he wholeheartedly believes in what he is working on now with regards to e-bikes.
That being said, I must disagree with him on a couple of points.
You also cannot tell without riding a particular e-bike, how powerful it is or isn't. I have a friend, Paul, who is making his own custom on-road e-bikes, and he sets his up to work as electric motorcycles. They are extremely powerful and fast. A bit too much of a twist of the wrist at any speed under 10 miles per hour, and it will likely loop over backwards, and dump you on your @ss! He has one e-bike that will top 85 miles per hour on flat ground! Paul's e-bikes are truly "electric motorcycles", and if he made an "off-road" version of one of his brand of e-bike, it could certainly tear up a mountain biking trail in ways that a regular, pedal powered mountain bike can not. And the battery and motor technology just keeps getting stronger and more powerful. At what point do we say, "This amount of power is O.K., but this one is too much"? How do you enforce that kind of rule on the trail? What happens when some genius soups one up, and makes it three times as powerful as what the manufacturer's specs painted on the frame says it is? The only way that I can see to deal with these issues, is to treat all bikes with electric motors as "motorcycles". Otherwise, as other people here have pointed out, the logical conclusion of treating any e-bikes the same as plain old pedal powered mountain bikes, is that we will eventually get hit wit a Sierra Club, and lose access for regular mountain bikes.
That said, I don't hate e-bikes, Bjorn's or any others. I don't hate gas powered motorcycles either. In fact, I used to race motocross back in the late 1970's and have owned several motorcycles since then, and will most likely own more of them in the future. And I ran into Bjorn again, at Interbike a couple of years ago, and I tried his brand of e-bike for a few minutes, (until the security at the Sands Convention Center threatened to kick me out and confiscate the bike, if I didn't stop riding it inside the place!) and I had a blast! These things are really fun! But I think that they have their place. And I think their place is any place that motorcycles are allowed.
My final conclusion on e-bikes? While I enjoy riding both mountain bikes and off-road motorcycles, and would certainly enjoy riding one of Bjorn's e-bikes, I am quite unlikely to purchase an e-bike...at least until it has the power, range and reliability, (or better) than a 250 cc dirt bike currently has...and then I won't be needing it to have pedals.
It's actually probably better to compare an e-mtb to an off-road segway.
Also his heavy are these things? Do they just ruin the fun of MTB and way, I don't know I've never used one but please could someone shed some light on this issue
newsflash -> european countries will put taxes on electric bicycles (which you stated are no motorbikes). The rising number of sales will give them a lot of money throught taxes and most of the electric bikes are (according to national laws) to fast that the owneris allowed to use it without a numer plate in my country.
This is of course not the case in every country.
I tried 29er and electric bikes (model 2014 full-sus) and I don´t like it. It would be of more use if the ressources spent on electric bikes would be used to develop cheaper components and bikes for current "normal" bikes.
...just my opinion and I am not a fan of electric bikes at all
And whats with all this "I ride longer on an eBike BS"? I mean some of us have done 24hr races... Stop being such a puss, and pedal!
Personally I was not sure if it was the right thing for me, but then I tried it and loved it - some common misconceptions....it's far from a motorbike....Yes it has a moto and on paper it sounds burly, but it's not... The bike is too light and you will simply loop out as it does not have the necessary weight and tire size
An e-bike does not need to weigh 60 pounds...my slash weighs in at 37 pounds...I can easily bunny hop it without the engine ...yes I " cheat" on the way up the fire road...when I get to the top I turn the engine off and ride my bike down ? How does this make me any different then the guy who shuttled up and rides down on his 40 pound downhill rig ... I think the whole point of this new crop of ebikes is to maintain the bike feeling hence you want to keep the weight down
I leave you with this video of nico vouilloz riding after his double knee surgery...on an electric assist bike....haters gonna hate....but for those of us that just ride to have fun...well they are darn fun...
Nicolas Vouilloz is Back:
www.pinkbike.com/video/359273
It definitely looks like he is having more fun than the other guy... but maybe both are having fun, just in different ways. At least he didn't blow gas exhaust fumes at him as he was passing.
Although, I prefer full pedal assist only e-bikes like these:
www.haibike.de/produkte_detail_en,72221,19679,detail.html
When Pinion get this baby up and running: www.motorizedbicyclesportal.com/pinion-e18-drive-system.html I will be building a bike around it for sure. Full DH squishy, slack awesomeness with a nice range and the ability to not kill myself getting up the hill (but I still have to pedal up, which is better than shuttling or taking a lift).
Do it from the ground-up in a nice clean package à la Tollwut or Jezken or some shiz. I could totally dig a Digga with an EM. Say'n?
I also love that fact that many trail efforts are supported simply because a human powered vehicle poses less threat to many of the people that have the power to allow, or disallow our ability to ride in an area.
Yep, there's a place for these bikes but it's not on most of the local trail networks that we support as mountain bikers.
You're probably too lazy to actually ride a proper bicycle so that'll be the reason why as I scrolled down the page I saw your name every 5 comments or so. Also it's probably why you want an electric bike, so you don't have to try so hard to keep up with everyone else on the trails. Go and ride your human powered bicycle and don't come back until every muscle in your body is aching and you are able to keep pace with the other trail users without almost having a heart attack.
Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to bed. I need to rest so I can ride bikes tomorrow.
-Come on kiddo, it's only 200 meters FLAT dirtroad to the next trail entrance.
-Whooot? Am I going to PEDAL for 200 meters? You've got to be kidding...
My opinion?
I would certainly prefer it, if these bikes had (at least) a pedal activated generator that would feed the motor...
So,
This technology is surely interesting when applied on city bikes & commuters (especially cargo bikes!), but otherwise is like giving credits to these idiots who were claiming, once upon a time, that mountain bikes were just dirt bikes without the motor!
If you want to go faster farther then train harder. It's a human powered activity and sweat equity is proportional to the results you get.
I sold my motorized toys after years of near misses with morons in the sand and woods running tapped and not paying attention. I don't want the same experience with a loon on an E-bike at Blackrock or anywhere else.
Go ride at Browns Camp and leave the rest to people that want to earn the downhill.
Meaning, allow people to use them that would not otherwise be able to enjoy the state parks that they pay taxes for.
To use them for anything else is inviting disaster:
Meaning a person with no skills, experience or common sense is now able to blast thru trails with little to no regard for anyone else on the multiuser nonmotorized trails.
using the ada to get ebikes on non motorized 'bike' trails is just plain wrong.
walking trails.... fine.
biking and horse trails? no.
Stacy, you agree, right? Can you think of an instance when someone was riding a vehicle that didn't conform to the traditional 2-wheeler paradigms rode your trails and you were happy about it? Probably not.
using a 'disability' to gain access to mtb/non motorized use trails with an engine?
weak.
non motorized /mtb trails need to be respected, disability or not.
the probability of abuse is very high.
ever seen whos parking in 'disabled' parking spots at a walmart?
stupidity and obesity is not a disability.
and the kicker is, once the loop hole is est for engines on mtb trails...everyone will lose.
At least those on e-bikes have to put out some effort by pedaling lightly, whereas those in trucks, or on lifts do nothing?
I have seen the people who have disabilities, I am friends with some of them
The issues are very real.
As for not being allowed if you can't ride, I guess beginners are banned from your trail system?
Strava KOM's are more dangerousness to our trail access than anything else out there, IMO.
I have Lupus(autoimmune disease), which affects my muscles (mostly legs), heart and lungs amongst all the other problems it causes. From the outside I look fine most of the time. But my days of long epic rides and pedalling up hills are gone. I've been riding mtb for 20 years and I'm not going to stop even if it means I have to go down the route of an E bike. If I could afford one, I would have one tomorrow!
are they harmless after YOUR massive head injury?
will they be there for you at the hospital?
will they pay your bills?
will they repair the damage from riding up a trail with an engine?
will they repair the trail from riding down hill with an engine?
e bikes belong in motorized vehicle use areas.
go to the mx track, ride in an approved motorized off road vehicle area.............
sure you may not behave this way, you use the fire road...cool.
but not everyone will act like you.
no electric motorized vehicles on any and all bike trails and bike parks. no engines . no exceptions ....disabilites included.
have you ever met a human being before?
very unpredictable they are......
your a prime example of someone that 'gets it'.
you have an electric power bike/vehicle and you ride it in areas that have no conflict with mtb trails or mtb parks.
you ride in areas where others who pedal , for the most part don't ride.
you also use it for some urban commuting right? bmx tracks? city parks? backcountry? correct?
you my friend are a shining example, as i said, of someone who 'gets it'.
i have no problem with bike/vehicles with engines.........
but they need to be ridden in the proper areas where consideration is given to the intended use of the trails.
i have alot of respect for what and how you ride. but i have even more respect for you because of the fact in the past 6 or 7 years there has never been a situation were there was trail conflict.
you use your head and 'get it'.
but not everyone is gonna be as smart as you slayer74!!!!
you said you were not interested in trail conflict. you kept your word.
cool.
m.youtube.com/watch?v=hwaW-hEO4Lk
Wow that's only an hour slower than me on my
Single speed. Good luck with that
buy a motorbike
All I'm getting at is it would sure be great to ride your V=10 up to the trail head rather than shuttle, No noise it's electric!!!! Or u could put ur baseball cards in the spokes If u need a distrating. Embrace change it's coming whether u like it or not.
www.elearnenglishlanguage.com/blog/english-mistakes/farther-vs-further
www.grammar-monster.com/easily_confused/further_farther.htm
Nothing wrong with the traditional set up... It's just a lot slower and let me just say don't hate until you try it.
It costs a bit more, but riding is an adventure like never before... Like a vacation everyday in the wilderness.
@Justin1000, if you can't afford one don't start bad mouthing (STFU)
My distain for these ridiculous contraptions has absolutely nothing to do with affordability. It has to do with the lowering of the bar for our beloved sport, and the ensuing rush of punters like yourself into it. People don't ride golf carts because they can afford to rent one, they ride in golf carts because they are too goddam lazy to walk their asses around the greens. Thankfully around here, most of the trails are off limits to motor vehicles and that would include your electric bike, (whether you could afford it or not).