E-bikes are a thing

[Jeremy]

All - literally ALL - of my friends who have e-bikes have been riding mtn bikes for decades. Not years - decades. Maybe you need to get out more... 😜

That may be the case locally. But at destination MTB locations that I’ve been to in the last couple years, there are a ton of Covid baby or newer MTBers on e-bikes.

This upcoming year, most trails in Moab will be open to e-bikes.

I don’t really have a point here. And I’m not taking sides in any argument. Just sharing my observations.

 

[a.s.]

I stand by my statement, eBikes have definitely introduced a whole new group of people to the woods; many with shitty (or uneducated) riding etiquette.

And I will add that eBikes now allow seasoned riders, who have always had poor trail etiquette, to ride in shitty conditions. Where in the past one might have turned away because the mud was bogging them down and making it too slow going, you now have "turbo" mode.

Tell me I'm wrong. 😑

 

[stb222]

That may be the case locally. But at destination MTB locations that I’ve been to in the last couple years, there are a ton of Covid baby or newer MTBers on e-bikes.

This upcoming year, most trails in Moab will be open to e-bikes.

I don’t really have a point here. And I’m not taking sides in any argument. Just sharing my observations.

There are definitely different groups to discuss, it would seem the "ride the canal 3 times a year" crowd is now on e bikes as I have seen a bunch in town in the summer.

 

[JonF]

There are definitely different groups to discuss, it would seem the "ride the canal 3 times a year" crowd is now on e bikes as I have seen a bunch in town in the summer.

Can confirm. An older relative rides his Spesh Turbo Turdo with his homies up the canal on thier annual powwow.

 

[Ian F]

Do you have any new friends that just got into riding bikes?

I could use the same logic for myself, that all my friends with e-bikes came from regular bikes but I also don't know any new riders to the sport. I'm sure bike shops are the ones who would actually know the mix of new riders who go e-bike vs regular.

When I got into biking in my 20s I was fat and out of shape. An e-bike if affordable would have likely been my choice. And that 20-something me also thought riding wet muddy trails were cool until I knew better.

I'm not sure what you mean. I was in much better shape in my 20s than I am now... same holds true for all of my riding friends. ...except maybe Tom... I don't think he has lost any fitness at all, although I'm sure he'd disagree.

True about mud riding. It's something we avoid now and one reason I'm hesitant to drive some distance to an unfamiliar riding area this time of year. Over the years, we have arrived for a ride, made it maybe 50 feet down the trail... realized conditions were not acceptable... turned around and gone home. But my friends and I ride pretty much every weekend. If we have to miss a day due to conditions, it's disappointing, but not the end of the world to us. For someone who isn't able to get out as much, that one day they go to the trails may be the one day they get to ride all month. So they're going to ride no matter what the conditions are. I don't agree with them riding, but I can understand where their thought process. Especially if they've just spent a lot of money on some fancy new bike.

Mud does bring back memories of when I bought my Head 600 back in 1989. One reason I chose that bike is because the elevated chain stays provided really good mud clearance. But a lot of the riding I did back then was from my house and then looking for trails in the wooded areas. Near me, those woods are generally along the various creeks that run through the otherwise heavily developed area. So those trails (often fishing trails) tended to be in lowland areas near the water and thus we often muddy. The idea of driving to ride trails was a concept I hadn't thought about yet. Riding my mountain bike was basically a continuation of how I rode my BMX bike a few years prior. I'd leave the front door and ride off for miles...

Following Halter's IG account, I've never gotten the impression that a significant percentage of the sold e-bikes they've posted have been to totally new riders. Sometimes an older rider getting back into riding, but usually just a long-time rider buying something new/fun.

I avoid canal paths like the fvcking plague (that's why I ride on the road), so I don't know or care who rides what kind of bikes there.

 

[Santapez]

I'm not sure what you mean. I was in much better shape in my 20s than I am now... same holds true for all of my riding friends. ...except maybe Tom... I don't think he has lost any fitness at all, although I'm sure he'd disagree.

What I mean, is you were in shape, I was a fat fuck. I struggled for a while just riding Patriot's Path. If I had an e-bike available as an option at the time it's a definite possibility I started there. So I'm not disagreeing with your perspective, I'm saying other people are different.

And not saying starting with an E-Bike would have been right or wrong for me, except maybe any E-Bike in my budget would have been an absolute POS it turned me off to biking.

 

[Bike N Gear]

except maybe any E-Bike in my budget would have been an absolute POS it turned me off to biking.

This is a conversation I used to have with customers all the time about all bikes. After they balked at the starting price they said they'd buy a department store bike. I always told them that I love riding, ride as much as I get the chance, but if that's all I had, I'd give up the sport. However, ignorance is bliss to some people.

 

[Patrick]

Has anyone seen statistics on accidents by ebike class by environment? Single rider crashes vs rider/car or rider/pedestrians/hiker

Then vs analog and severity.

I get there feeling that there insurance companies are pushing the bill to save on medical payout and create another revenue stream.

We all have this somewhat empirical view because of what makes the news. Maybe there is a problem?

Maybe it is the riders who start on ebike and have more speed than they can handle? Lack of experience too

 

[The Kalmyk]

Has anyone seen statistics on accidents by ebike class by environment? Single rider crashes vs rider/car or rider/pedestrians/hiker

Then vs analog and severity.

I get there feeling that there insurance companies are pushing the bill to save on medical payout and create another revenue stream.

We all have this somewhat empirical view because of what makes the news. Maybe there is a problem?

Maybe it is the riders who start on ebike and have more speed than they can handle? Lack of experience too

Here is what Pat is saying in one sentence…😜😜

We are all speaking from a position of conjecture.

 

[Ian F]

What I mean, is you were in shape, I was a fat fuck. I struggled for a while just riding Patriot's Path. If I had an e-bike available as an option at the time it's a definite possibility I started there. So I'm not disagreeing with your perspective, I'm saying other people are different.

And not saying starting with an E-Bike would have been right or wrong for me, except maybe any E-Bike in my budget would have been an absolute POS it turned me off to biking.

Ok. Point taken.

Although, to be honest, reading that brought back memories of "I only ride park!" 😏

Statistics can be misleading... when I broke my collarbone earlier this year, I was riding my e-bike... but being on an e-bike had little to do with it. Maybe if I'd been on a lighter bike, I wouldn't have slid out of the ice I didn't see... but that is conjecture as well.

Part of what makes the proposed legislature so frustrating is it just lumps all bikes with a motor together when in reality the risks involved in riding a completely stock Class 1 bike and a completely unregulated e-moto that sort of looks like a bicycle if you squint hard enough are vastly different.

 

[Kaleidopete]

Do you guys go out in adverse conditions and tear deep ruts into your local trails?

no, not me

 

[christryon]

no, not me

Nope. I'm putting in the TM hours on trails. No need to make more work for the the trail crew.

 

[Santapez]

Ok. Point taken.

Although, to be honest, reading that brought back memories of "I only ride park!" 😏

Statistics can be misleading... when I broke my collarbone earlier this year, I was riding my e-bike... but being on an e-bike had little to do with it. Maybe if I'd been on a lighter bike, I wouldn't have slid out of the ice I didn't see... but that is conjecture as well.

Part of what makes the proposed legislature so frustrating is it just lumps all bikes with a motor together when in reality the risks involved in riding a completely stock Class 1 bike and a completely unregulated e-moto that sort of looks like a bicycle if you squint hard enough are vastly different.

There's no defending that legislation whatsoever. It's idiotic and likely written by people that don't even know mountain biking exists.

 

[stb222]

Ok. Point taken.

Although, to be honest, reading that brought back memories of "I only ride park!" 😏

Statistics can be misleading... when I broke my collarbone earlier this year, I was riding my e-bike... but being on an e-bike had little to do with it. Maybe if I'd been on a lighter bike, I wouldn't have slid out of the ice I didn't see... but that is conjecture as well.

Part of what makes the proposed legislature so frustrating is it just lumps all bikes with a motor together when in reality the risks involved in riding a completely stock Class 1 bike and a completely unregulated e-moto that sort of looks like a bicycle if you squint hard enough are vastly different.

Yeah but whats the likelyhood cops show up to ticket people at the trailhead? Or anyone at all? Or the motos at nesh?

Right, none

 

[Red Mosquito]

It will be used to ticket people occasionally when convenient, but I’m with Patrick. It’s all for litigation/insurance and writing a summons when there is an accident to help determine liability.