U.S. Forest Service Sued Over Decision to Allow eMTBs in Tahoe National Forest
As recently reported by BRAIN, the United States Forest Service is the subject of a lawsuit pertaining to the USFS allowing Class 1 e-bikes on non-motorized trails in the Tahoe National Forest without first conducting a public study and analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to assess the impact of the decision. The lawsuit was filed October 23, according to a press release and cites a violation of the "Travel Management" rule, limiting motorized access to certain U.S. Forest Service trails.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit are represented by the Western Environmental Law Center and include The Wilderness Society, Gold County Trails Council, Backcountry Horsemen of California, Back Country Horsemen of America, and the Forest Issues Group.
According to the press release, the Tahoe National Forest recently permitted “Class 1” electric mountain bikes on more than 130 miles of trails that had been developed and managed for hiking and other non-motorized uses. The Tahoe National Forest area already has about 2,500 miles of trails and roads available for motorized uses.
The decision purportedly undermines long-standing travel management laws and policies in place to help ensure higher quality recreation experiences for both motorized and non-motorized users, prevent avoidable damage to water, wildlife, and other resources, and alleviate public safety concerns and conflicts between users, according to the statement.
The statement goes on to say, "prior to opening non-motorized trails to motorized bicycle use, the Tahoe National Forest should have followed the required travel management planning procedure, which is a public process that includes analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)."
There has been controversy regarding e-bike usage on public lands as government agencies have moved to change policy regarding trails that are open to e-bikes. In August, we reported the U.S. Department of the Interior had decided e-bikes would be allowed in National Parks and other Federal lands under the Department of the Interior. While the decision left the execution of the policy open for local land managers and agencies to implement their own regulations on a case-by-case basis, it caused quite a bit of debate.
In the case of Tahoe National Forest, and other National Forests in America, the land is managed by the Department of Agriculture and falls under different rules and regulations than lands under the U.S. Department of the Interior. subject to the ruling in August.
In the press release on the Back Country Horsemen of America website, Helen Harvey, the president of the Nevada County Gold Country Trails Council, said, "Allowing motorized bicycles on nonmotorized trails meant for hikers, backpackers and equestrians poses risks and conflicts for the many visitors who enjoy that type of quiet recreation. It also undermines the trail building and maintenance time and money our volunteers have contributed in the Tahoe National Forest for decades."
Randy Rasmussen, director of public lands and recreation for the Back Country Horsemen of America, concluded the press release by saying, "We would love an early settlement of the case wherein the Forest Service acknowledges its process for authorizing e-bikes on non-motorized trails on the Tahoe National Forest was not done in accordance with the law and agency policy."
As the debate over e-bikes and access on federal lands in America continues to develop, we will provide updates when major news breaks.
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Weird culture if you ask me - what makes them more likely to get what they want? The fact that the clubs make a lot more money than mtb clubs or hiker clubs? (yes, probably)
Just because there are some wealthy dicks who ride their horse once a week around your local state park doesn't mean all equestrians don't bring their fair share to the table. MTB access groups probably have a lot more in common with Backcountry equestrians than not, and going forward if we can work together it will be best for everyone.
www.pinkbike.com/photo/18025139
Lol... nothing has been accomplished hikers, environmentalists and equestrian still hate MTB. It’s not rational and won’t ever change
All those groups just lived Mtbs before e-bikes cane along /s
Give me a break
There plenty of studies coming out now showing that people actually get the same workout on a ebike as on a mtb. the big deference is that ebikers are having way more fun with the same amount of physical workout. Also in a lot of cases people are getting more of a work out cause it brings more joy and they are going out more often.
So don't be a d!ck tell you try one out.
can I ride a segway on the trail to. its an easy world only getting easier. sometimes i wish i still rode a 26r. sorry about the spelling
its a battle of money and lawyers and it doesnt matter who wins people still going to ride ebikes wherever they want.
I did stop as soon as I saw the horse, but I still got a lecture about how "these new bikes" are ruining everyone else's experience like my bike drops buckets of shit in the middle of the trails.
I have no desire of supporting trails for regular bikers. They are a bunch of dweebs who dress up like they are riding dirt bikes but hate ebikes. And XC guys in spandex. They are the worst.
But really, I feel like eBikes are this weird in between thing and quite frankly that’s their own damn problem. They don’t belong on trails that allow motorized vehicles because they are slow and will get in the way. They don’t belong on non-motorized trails. I second the notion they need to figure out their own access instead of piggy backing off of us.
And yeah, I get that the main point of contention in the lawsuit is that these lands are managed under different standards, ebike companies are lobbying for going around rules to allow their users to ride to keep growing the market, and that that is bullshit. But I also notice that this lawsuit is being brought by two equestrian groups and that equestrians always seem to be complaining about anyone on trails. I fully realize that they maintain backcountry trails we never even use. There are lots of hiker only trails that are the same way and there are lots of more recent trails (at least in my area) that are seemingly purpose built for mtbs. Mtbers have fought hard for trail access and I feel like this is an example of exactly what everyone was worried about, that eBikes would give equestrians fuel for their fire. And that’s exactly why everyone wants to keep eBikes and mtbs separate. The distinction is important so the buck stops at eBikes. Don’t let the equestrians fool you, they will come for us next. But maybe the best way to keep them from coming for us is to get them to lay off of eBikes? I dunno. Again, not a ebike fan, don’t feel like they belong on anyone’s trails. They should build their own riding centers.
I don’t own an eMTB but most of the people I’ve seen riding on them are low impact riders. They may pass us on the trail and make us angry (or jealous) but likely don’t have a much higher impact than regular mountain bikes. In fact, I’d bet the vast majority of eMTB riders are much less impactful on downhill trails than other riders, per capita.
I don’t fully agree with the lawsuit but someone, somewhere *should* conduct [another] MTB vs eMTB impact study and put this app to rest.
youtu.be/ThEcqzGigbg
As to equestrians, these are animal lovers, they have different brains than yours, they will always treat a horse as their baby and anything that can scare it as enemy. They have the moral superiority because they breed and take care od animals. And animals are nature and all this bullsht. There’s been a case in my hometown where two mtbers scared a horse that threw the rider off its back and started running, broke the leg and they had to shoot it. Nobody cares whether horsie was supposed to be there or not. MTBers are evil and hikers should get out of the way and bow to them. Horse is such a status symbol. You are up there and it costs shit loads. More than Yeti, more than Porsche to park at the golf club.
I feel for ya... keep fighting but emtb is ain’t your problem. Emtbers need to get together and start doing sht small group of mtbers were doing. Apparently most mtbers don’t gibe a crap, they don’t do advocacy nor they show up for trail building, they just whine in ebikes taking credit for actions of a small grouo of people
It’s an E-bike or an E-MTB. Nobody cares what you think. You can ride them clipless.
Like those that live on the beach and restrict access..entitled.
Thats for another discussion though and it is one worth having for sure.
I'm just not comfortable putting at risk what has been acomplished by the years and years of hard work mtb access activists. If e-mtb riders want trail networks then they should show that by advovcating for more trail networks for them. Show your community is willing to put in the work and I'm sure we'll all welcome them with open arms. This is commonly called a squid filter in the dirt bike, putting a very difficult obstacle at the start of the trail to discourage novice riders from making a mess of a great trail. Unfortunately this is what we've had to resort to, making it so they cant get there since common sense cannot really be counted upon anymore.
I'm also more aware than most of the risk that the equestrian user groups pose for mtb. In addition to working for years for the Forest Service and dealing direclty with those groups in areas where they are the primary user group (ie Frank Church Wilderness, Inyo National Forest) riding in Santa Barbara makes you very aware of just how much the equestrian users want us gone, in fact that was the impetus for the formation of our local IMBA chapter, at the time it was one of the first around to be advocating like this for mtb access. The focus wasnt even soley on mtb, it was just trail access and maintenance in general for all non motorized users. MTBers were just trying to survive, let alone have a voice or large impact like the mtb advocacy groups do have now. I think the real issue here is that we just need more trails in general. Trails of all types. Trails for just mtbs, trails for mtbs and emtbs, trails suited for hikers, trails suited for bikers. We're all different user groups and that should be embraced. What we need is to slow everything down a bit, the companies are the ones most encouraging this rapid expansion of the market and we really should be bringing our disputes to them they are responsible for the results of their actions.
(Setting: Germany pre WWII)
Not good, how many Europeans do you think can tell the difference between a nazi and an average German citizen? If the treaty of Versailles persists expect many normal citizens to be on the chopping block. Hate Nazis all you want, but at the end of the day they are the people most similar to you and alienating them is only going to hurt Germany in the long run.
Absolutely. Might I suggest that that is how a large part of the growth of MTB riding has moved in Japan (at least in my area); there are more and more advocacy groups who are working with rural communities to create, manage and run specific trails for specific user groups; everyone is looking for win-win scenarios that attract outdoor users and boost rural economies.
Would that model work everywhere? IMHO it takes everyone to be willing to give up something to get something else. Japan has written and unwritten rules that might not sit well with your average freedom-toting, freedom loving, "gnar shredder" (Anyone see Sam Pilgrim's attempt at bringing his version of street freeride to Tokyo and the ensuing response in the Japanese media and online?), but for people who were born or live here and get it, it works. It is easier I'm sure though when you live in a society built on the notion of the group.
Does this mean that in societies based on the freedom of the individual, multi-user trails are bound to fail?
As you have suggested elsewhere regarding the necessity for low numbers of users, it only seems to work until that freedom for all to use what they like, how, when and with who they like hits the "tragedy of the commons" (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons). That's where the inter-group strain begins to show.
And when that point occurs in turn depends on how much wilderness you have got to play with. The north american continent has enough of it one would think to allow that point to come later rather than sooner. In Japan it comes real quick, so the society has evolved to deal with that.
Muir knew this I believe when he and the Sierra Club along with its Thoreaux-inspired membership first started campaigning for Wilderness. In the specific case of the USA, the impact that the landscape has on the American mindset cannot be ignored. I read a fantastic take on that as part of my undergrad thesis over 30 years ago on the economics of ownership models of pristine landscapes called "Wilderness and the American Mind" (1967 classic; on Amazon, it's a damned good read www.amazon.com/Wilderness-American-Mind-Roderick-Frazier/dp/0300091222) .
Good reading your thoughts Sir. Have a good day.
@orientdave: That model more or less works in US rural areas too, especially areas that aren't doing too great economically and want more tourism for the money it brings in, but the problem is the majority of riders live in urban metro areas where there are tons of people and conflict around trail use. A typical multi-user trailhead within an hour drive of a major metro area with mountainous terrain will be completely full on weekend mornings and weekday afterwork hours with hundreds of people on the trail at the same time.
My only experience of North American wilderness was a drive from Whistler to Vernon via Lilloet... wow! Rural?
No, back end of absolutely nowhere to me; quite the eye-opener!
no it's simplier than that - whiny little bitches who want gratification for any bigger effort they do. Like pedaling.
At the same time I wholeheartedly agree with people saying that e-MTBers should engage in advocacy, trail building and maintenance otherwise they should not be allowed on mixed trails. You reap what you sow. Same is true for dirt jump sites. Folks building and maintaining them will always look sceptically at cooks showing up on full uspension bikes because there is a rather high chance they are clueless and will cause 10 times more harm than good.
How is that any different from “people who demand everything be made as simple as possible so they can have gratification”?
And I wholeheartedly agree. Cooks (I'm assuming you meant kooks?) showing up with enduro and DH bikes at the DJ's is exactly how I see someone showing up to ride XC/equestrian trails with an ebike.
@chriskneeland - agreed, but oh boy these Dirt Jumpers raise their eye brows when kooks start helping digging or carrying water and shit that would take days to build is completed in 2-3hours. Not only that, they also can tell rich kooks what to do and kooks are happy. It's a challenge to get people involved.
It’s dishonest to pretend that electric assistance is the same impact as suspension, 29 inch wheels or boost spacing. Everybody that whined about minor incremental progress over the years has no credibility and can easily be dismissed.
Shouldn’t have cried wolf about Dub bottom brackets. Now that something has come along that will fundamentally change mountain biking nobody will listen to you.
The definition goes on to make exclusions for certain vehicles like "The vehicle cannot exceed a maximum speed of 25 miles per hour over level, paved surfaces;..." Does that mean that the combination of a person pedaling the eMTB and the motor cannot exceed 25 mph? Does that mean just the motor coasting with a person cannot exceed 25 mph?
What happens if a rider turns pedal assist off? Are they now a non-motorized vehicle? There's plenty to discuss here
Horse power? It's basically a organic atv.
Horses do way more damage then any mtb e or otherwise.
all motorized boats are not the same.
electric ones are allowed on reservoirs with a speed limit.
how is this different?
The equestrians are really throwing a wrench into the e bike haters agenda, and I think it’s hilarious and ironic.
The only people ashamed of riding an e bike are the ones shaming others into not riding one.
The only people ashamed of riding a mtn bike are the ones shaming others into not riding one.
Pick your sides wisely pinkbikers.
And slavery still existed. Just cause it’s old it doesn’t automatically mean it’s right.
Thinking needs to evolve. Horses are worse for trails in every way and it’s lazy and cruel IMHO.
I’d give an ebike rights over horse riding any day of the week.
Ooooh I am a horseback rider, I am important, I promote out of doors life, I love animals, I love nature, let me just pack my fancy boots and stupid helmet hat in the back of my fresh Land Rover while some peasants who cannot own a horse fiddle with my Flavio. Such a good thing that kids take care of my horse, thanks to that they can ride some shitty horse for one hour. Otherwise they wouldn’t be able to afford it. Kids these days need to learn discipline and responsibility, I especially like when it is girls taking care of my horses. Good girls. Mommy likes’em good girls taking care of horses. Those rough, manly dads teaching their daughters to comb and stroke my Flavio... yeeees! I will also stroke it on the face so it feels calm and loved... oh wait there’s a stain on my rosé-gold Iphone case. Horses are fun! So holistic!
Rarely do those conversations end constructively through acceptance of the others' points of view and attempts to find win-win outcomes.
Want to change that? There's gold in here for anyone willing to look for it.
Start at 2:12
youtu.be/tvkeuK877Rk?t=132
So to re-cap the rules for a happy and successful ride:
1) Don't be d!ck
2) If you see a horseman, stop, let them ride by, say hello and have a great day
3) Carry on you merry way
If a horseman gets bothered and says you shouldn't be there, politely respond with, "Oh I'm sorry. I wasn't aware that I couldn't ride here. I must have missed the sign - sorry about that. Thanks for letting me know." Then pedal away.
I know it's naive optimism, but all I can do is try.
And so it began, the great Eque-Velo wars that characterized the early 2020s. That fateful day when, whilst out riding, Archduke Franz Ferdinand took umbrage at having his metaphorical face rubbed in his charge's discharge.
The resulting rallying of the two's troops, entrenched in their positions at either end of the field of broken dreams, each nurturing their belief in the innocence of their own personal wilderness, condemned everyone to ultimate disappointment.
Now of course, I do exactly as you say because I try to be as nice as I'd want people to be with me - but it shows the bias. The equestrian should also not be a dick. They should also stop. They should also carry on their merry way. They should also be careful where they go, and pickup poop or fix trail every now and then too yea? Or also apologize for taking the wrong trail?
Anyway, it's a complex problem, not so much due to sharing the trail or maintenance, but if a mtb comes at 40mph and you're here in the middle with your horse, it's going to be scary. Personally, I never go fast if I can't see far ahead but I see many who don't do that at all.
Absolutely; it is really tough sometimes to be the person you'd want to be with, but absolutely.
@tmadison12
How do you keep hold of your naive optimism? I struggle to hold on to mine and am finding myself increasingly dreaming of a hut deep in the back country where it may be safe!!!!
They turn into the glue for the patches that mends our tires.
The horseback riders are about 50/50 on being courteous with this technique with half just chatting back and its all "Have a good day, great weather eh" the other half seem to just grumble a bit while staring distrustfully or saying something like"Your not going to come back down this way are you?"
Regardless all trails that have any sort of heavy horse use tend to be completely destroyed, especially after any rainfall, along with a lot of poop. I've been on one mixed trail user day where hikers, bikers and horses were encouraged to come out and use trails together. The long sections of hub deep mud created by the horses meant that I learned my lesson to not ride there on the day of the event, or for a week or 2 after as it took a while for the trail to recover.
That and tasty post-ride libations!
My younger sister grew up riding horses competitively. I got on one once, got ejected off the back, stepped on and was done, never wanted anything to do with them again.
In my opinion if the horse can't handle being safe for everyone on trails where people are doing regular trail user stuff, I think that it would be wise to keep that horse off the trails where you might encounter other trail users. There would be no question if we were talking about a dog that had 50/50 chance of attacking someone that surprised them. That dog should not be on trails.
About being able to hop over the mountains of poop left by horses. Kind of tough to hop over three big glops of poop that are staggered across a granny gear climb on singletrack.
Under the law, if the Park Service wants to make a change like this, by law, it needs to do a study to understand impact to the environment and other trail users before making that change. For whatever reason, this study wasn't done here. The ban on e-bikes was simply lifted one day and it's not clear what went in to this decision.
If successful, the suit would force the Parks Service to do the study they were supposed to do. That's all.
I don't see how anyone concerned with trail access and/or sustainability wouldn't support this challenge and while it makes for strange allies, I would hope that most mountain bikers would support the equestrians on this one.
E-bikes may or may not be dangerous to other trail users. They may or may not cause injuries as more people with less skill are riding further and faster than they otherwise would. We all have our anecdotes and opinions. The lawsuit is trying to force the government to not act based on opinion and instead do the work to seek facts about their impact.
sofa-king stupid
It appears like mountainbiking with pedal assist is in a similar situation now. The PB comment section does a great job at generating the most awkward claims of why e-bikes on the trails are considerably worse in all aspects compared to having non-assisted bikes on the trails. It is definitely time for a proper research just like has been done for regular mountainbikes. Either it proves that e-bikes really are that bad for the trails, animals etc and these bikes should be rightfully rejected from those areas. Or their trail impact proves to be comparable to that of unassisted bikes (and other already accepted trail users) which implies there is little reason to ban them. Either way, the discussion as it is now needs some foundation. Some proper research could provide that hence is more than welcome.
So yeah, again as I said I think requiring them to do a public study is a good one.
As the horseriding guy was so vocal, it may indeed be fitting to do a research on the impact of horseback riding on the area. For context and maybe it could be reason for the landowners to reconsider their access to the area.
But some of them the motor only assists the human motor.
Know what else assists the human motor? Gears. So maybe we should all singlespeed.
Or maybe a singlespeed e-bike.
Time for another beer.
All that being said, I personally find any motor to be antithetical to the nature of a bicycle.
"USFS allowing Class 1 e-bikes on non-motorized trails in the Tahoe National Forest without first conducting a public study and analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to assess the impact of the decision."
You know what, this is great! While we're at it, why not make all trail access dependent upon public study, analysis and conduct an environmental impact report? I would love to see how riding f*cking horses affects those trails and perhaps then we could determine whether or not to continue to allow them access?
Also, "It also undermines the trail building and maintenance time and money our volunteers have contributed in the Tahoe National Forest for decades."
Exactly how much trail maintenance have you ever seen horse people doing? I'm gonna guess some but the overwhelming majority of trail work is done by the Forest service itself and MTB and hiking advocacy groups. I don't see horse people doing shit.
If you have asthma and can't pedal 6000ft vert in 20 minutes than f÷@# you....get off my trails brah.
Been mtb 25+ years and it is sad to see....we used to all be stoked on everything mtb fun including our very illegal trails.....now it's just a bunch of pompous arrogant pricks telling everyone the right way or wrong way to do it.
1. Ebikes are here and they've sold crud-loads of them. That means there's a market and they're not going away.
2. Since they're likely to be here to stay whether you like it or not; if you have legitimate concerns over the use/impact of eMTB's being used alongside regular bikes, it's in your collective interests to work out how they can coexist together and be sustainable. As long as it's making money for someone, eMTB isn't going to disappear no matter how loudly you demand it rolls in a ditch on fire. So if you don't work towards a compromise that you can be at least 50% happy with, you'll almost certainly end up stuck with a result you're 100% unhappy with.
3. I would imagine most people here love mountain biking and would dread the thought of having to give it up. When you get older, the fitness levels decline and the body just can't cope with the demands of riding anymore; how many people are seriously going to turn down the option of even just a few more years riding and doing what they love? Work towards making eMTB sustainable and trail-friendly now, reap the (hopefully guilt and impact-free) benefits in the years to come when you might need it.
This. I have no interest in getting an e-bike, but still, this.
After half a century on this little corner of the firmament, I have only recently grown to fear for the world my children and their descendants have to inhabit.. Why? Because of this...
「So much ignorance regarding (insert anything you want here)」
You have distilled life into one short sentence that is pretty universal. Trying to engage with people about any subject involves so much work to get past everyone's knee-jerk infested echo chambers that I find myself unwilling to try, so rarely contribute to any meaningful extent online anymore. Which is a shame because there are some mighty fine people here.
Is it just wishful thinking this will ever change?
Yes, Toby, if you want to look at it that way, you can.
For me though, the truth lying within the statement is that one should first, and in fact only, level it at oneself, never at others. When one does, then it instantly becomes helpful. If you don't level it at yourself, yes, therein we have a problem.
Unless you level it at yourself first, you yourself are still stuck in your own personal knee-jerk echo chamber.
I try to ask myself about my ignorance; just imagine how cool it would be if we all managed it all the time? I still can't manage it, but hell do I try.
d2zfp6uemhh7c1.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/30125735/XM91a2y.jpg
www.pinkbike.com/news/tools-of-empowerment--the-eddy-king-story.html
Hikers and horses should be segregated from mountain bike trails by making lots of directional mountain bike only trails like New Zealand. No conflicts. Win-win-win situation.
AS a person who grew up with horses, motorbikes and ride Mtb's I might just throw something into the mix that isn't hugely considered on both sides of the equation. Horses are dumb, fact. They are hugely governed by flight responses to perceived threats and when there is a person on top of one in a flight situation it isn't fun for most riders.
Usually with exposure, horses can learn that things like motorbikes, Mtb's and much else, isn't a huge threat to them and then they are pretty chilled. If not then how do you think they managed to use horses in War situations.
It is mostly more about riders being scared of a horse which gets a scare from meeting a Mtb/eMtb on a trail.
One time riding a 1st cross Quarter Horse I came across a mtb coming down the dirt road on a slight hill. He slowed but my horse went stupid and spun on his hind quarters and bolted in the opposite direction. I reigned him in, turned him around and rode back up the road towards the Mtb-er who had proceeded to get of his bike and walk. I also got off my horse said hello, he apologised and I laughed whilst at the same time introducing my horse to the bike. It was a case of calming the horse and letting the horse see that the bike was ok.
Nothing hard to deal with. Had some excitement from the encounter but maybe luckily for me, I had experience with competitive reigning and cattle work as well as horse eventing so I wasn't fazed and able to stay put on the horse when he spun. Most riders would have gone sideways into the dirt or worse, half off and dragged. Anyway, at the end of the day, be friendly with riders and see if their horses want to have a look at your bike if the rider is ok with that. This will be what helps the 2 worlds come together. As for horse shit, well just something else to jump over on the trail.
hahaha yeeees
As for access.....100% no differant than a normal mt bike. Period. What is this? Communist China?? F@$%ck....Let people damn ass ride!!! E bikes have zero differing affect on trails than normal bikes......The bottom line is this : Can the little teeny tiny motor make the rear wheel break loose, ala a motocross bike when you twist the throttle? Nope. It cannot.
Debate finished.
If you want a real debate then debate me when I ponder taking my TC250 and really, and truely and honestly ripping the living s$h*i3t out of mt bike trails !!!!!! Believe you me......I think about that allllllllll the time!!!!! Then you E bike haters would have something to complain about!!
CM!
Where you lose me and I believe the entire "for ebike's argument/rational" is stating or bringing up studies that say "ebikes provide the same work out as a non ebike." This makes zero sense and is counterintuitive to the majority of reasons FOR ebikes. Those reasons being, ebikes help people with disabilities or are not in the best of shape get out on a mountain bike and ride. If it WASN'T any easier then why are these the stated benefits of an ebike? At some point if you need to rationalize why you want to use something seven ways from sunday then may be you/the ebike community should just say "the ebike helps me and aids in my riding making it easier on me." I mean come on, lets call a spade a spade here. Pedal assist, it's in the name.... The motor is ASSISTING you along the trail.
If I ride 25 miles on a normal mountain bike, a person on an ebike would have to ride X number of miles further on the same trails while giving the same effort to get the same workout.
At some point it comes down to plain old reality. That bike has a MOTOR ASSISTING you along while the other bike doesn't. The one with the motor WILL be easier to ride. Hence why it's being touted as an avenue for older people, people with disabilities or just plain out of shape people that want to experience MTB.
agree, disagree I don't care but I know it's easier on an ebike (that is the purpose for them to exist) than it is on a regular MTB.
After this i decided (just for me) that the ebike is the better training machine for what i am looking for: more downhill riding, more burned calories (for not getting fat now that i‘m older) and less fatigue so i can ride more often in this dimension.
I do much more XC riding so an ebike doesn't hold any appeal to me.
ebikes allow people to maintain trails much easier.
Is there any way of easily telling what the all time high score thread responses are?
Get a life
"As a pilot for 2019, pedal assist e-bikes are permitted on all trails and areas that bicycles are permitted in Jasper National Park."
www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ab/jasper/activ/activ-experience/ete-summer/velomontagne-mountainbike
Not saying there aren't sketchy regular bike riders out there, just that decoupling skill progression and speed can result in these situations. A few years ago if someone was riding faster than me, up, down, or flat, I could be pretty confident they had a modicum of technical ability. Not true now.