canuckcrawler

I'm 51 with arthritis in my right ankle, and I still won't buy an ebike. To me, Mtbing is about riding to have fun and stay healthy. I appreciate the idea of extending your riding career by using an ebike, but if it comes at the cost of losing trails, then I can't endorse them. In my area, the city has already closed nearly all of our singletrack to mtbs, if you want to ride here, you either pay to ride at a private trail network, or you poach illegal trails. I don't like tickets, so I pay to ride.

I agree, Sam can ride for whoever he wants. As a pro, he has to make a living. However, Ebikes are not bicycles by the very virtue of them having a motor and power supply, while in Europe there may not be a huge issue with ebikes, there does happen to be a problem in North America. We already have access issues in some places that restrict the use of mtbs, we don't need help from ebike users to be kicked out of riding spots. Most non-bike trail users already think that we destroy the trails, letting ebikes on will only accelerate the damage in their eyes. The way I look at it is, if you want something with a motor, buy a dirtbike and ride in the appropriately designated areas, mtb trails are for non-motorized bikes. I have test ridden an ebike at a private trail center, and while I agree they could be fun, they also chew up the trail pretty fast as well, therefore they are not suitable for shared trails. Damaged trails around my area equal closed trails, so not an idea that I like. With the industry pushing ebikes as a way to include a larger demographic in trail riding, I can't help but think that as a whole, the industry doesn't care about anything but profits. This way of thinking will get us shut out of all public trails eventually. Just my opinion.

@enej46: yeah, he broke his bike in half, and was still able to qualify 2nd on a back up bike.

It's not letting me enter, keeps telling me that I have to be 19. Being that my profile states that I'm almost 51, this shouldn't be an issue, but it still is. Anyone else having this problem?