Will you let your ebike take you 'where you don't belong' ???

[Deleted member 4210]

Oh man, is this a crazy story about one man's e-bike adventure, or what ?...

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-dark-side-of-e-bikes

Not like we all live near a desert or deep forests, but I have heard of people actually getting lost (albeit temporarily) on trails actually near their home, going places they'd never knew existed.

My favorite line of the article...

As I sat on the sidewalk, an older guy rode up on his bicycle, and we started talking about e-bikes. “My friends keep trying to get me to buy one of those,” he said. “But I’m afraid they’ll take me where I don’t belong.”

 

[reed scott]

Following

 

[reed scott]

Good article. Well worth the time to read. The guy admits to being really stupid regarding his harrowing experience but there was more than stupidity working there. A generous portion of deadly hubris was involved as well. Going into rough country with little water and no ability to fix a flat literally confounds the imagination. I live in rough country and I'm constantly warning the wealthy extended family I work for they need to be much more careful regarding a myriad of their outdoor activities. They just think I'm foolishly paranoid. People get away with foolish behavior for years ... and then one day they step on a rattle snake or come face to face with a mother cougar with cubs. And panic does not help them.

 

[Deleted member 4210]

Good article. Well worth the time to read. The guy admits to being really stupid regarding his harrowing experience but there was more than stupidity working there. A generous portion of deadly hubris was involved as well. Going into rough country with little water and no ability to fix a flat literally confounds the imagination. I live in rough country and I'm constantly warning the wealthy extended family I work for they need to be much more careful regarding a myriad of their outdoor activities. They just think I'm foolishly paranoid. People get away with foolish behavior for years ... and then one day they step on a rattle snake or come face to face with a mother cougar with cubs. And panic does not help them.

Some might call his 'hubris' simply being 'adventuresome'. But yeah, it wasn't very smart, and it sounds like it may have humbled him a bit. It was a quite interesting read.

If anyone else has similar 'ebike adventure' stories they'd like to share, where they too did 'stupid' (but interesting) things, it could be sort of fun to read some of those. I have had some customer's share their ebike adventure stories. Everything from riding in the Rocky mountains in Tennessee to some harrowing desert ventures that weren't intended to be as long as they ultimately turned out to be. Fortunately none got 'lost'.

Speaking of cougars and protecting their cubs, check out this video.... (how would you like to be followed by one for 6 minutes while on a jog ? and narrowly escape becoming its 'prey'... some serious stuff going down in this one ) https://kslnewsradio.com/1934995/video-cougar-follows-man-running-near-provo-for-6-minutes/?

 

[reed scott]

Some might call his 'hubris' simply being 'adventuresome'. But yeah, it wasn't very smart, and it sounds like it may have humbled him a bit. It was a quite interesting read.

If anyone else has similar 'ebike adventure' stories they'd like to share, where they too did 'stupid' (but interesting) things, it could be sort of fun to read some of those. I have had some customer's share their ebike adventure stories. Everything from riding in the Rocky mountains in Tennessee to some harrowing desert ventures that weren't intended to be as long as they ultimately turned out to be. Fortunately none got 'lost'.

Speaking of cougars and protecting their cubs, check out this video.... (how would you like to be followed by one for 6 minutes while on a jog ? and narrowly escape becoming its 'prey'... some serious stuff going down in this one ) https://kslnewsradio.com/1934995/video-cougar-follows-man-running-near-provo-for-6-minutes/?

Yeah, that news of the mother cougar was why I mentioned cougars. We rarely see them as they are very wary but we catch them on our game cameras regularly.

 

[AHicks]

Oh boy. I have been lost big time in Michigan swamps and woods. SO lucky that issue wasn't complicated by a breakdown!

I am generally really good at coming out/arriving where I plan, but on an overcast day with no wind? I've learned to stay on paths/trails I know well. I HATE seeing fresh tracks, only to realize I'm the one that made them.....

 

[Deleted member 4210]

Oh boy. I have been lost big time in Michigan swamps and woods. SO lucky that issue wasn't complicated by a breakdown!

I am generally really good at coming out/arriving where I plan, but on an overcast day with no wind? I've learned to stay on paths/trails I know well. I HATE seeing fresh tracks, only to realize I'm the one that made them.....

Interesting. I have had customers from Michigan tell me similar things. Sounds like the 'deep woods' there can be pretty scary. Even by car, I have always found that state to be scary to travel in (and not just because of the Troopers with those old fashioned BIG CHERRY's on their vehicle rooftop), but the woods always look so dense even along the highways. Of course I'm coming from the flat and largely 'barren' farmlands of Illinois, where you can comfortably see for miles out away from the highway, but even comparing to Wisconsin which has very nice wooded land, and lots of it, the Michigan geography just feels like I am more likely to run into big wild animals, or something like a 'Bigfoot' possibly. It's very eery. Often cloudy. Would be a great place to film horror flicks.

 

[Deleted member 4210]

Yeah, that news of the mother cougar was why I mentioned cougars. We rarely see them as they are very wary but we catch them on our game cameras regularly.

Mother bears are equally not cool to be around when their cubs are nearby. Lots of that out in New Jersey going on. With many of them being quite bold, and getting into garbage, no matter how well homeowners 'lock their cans up.' A friend of mine said he woke up to the sounds of rustling in his drive, looked out the window and down, and said a black bear sitting in his drive looked like "Poohbear" huddled over a honey pot. Except that was his garbage can, that previously WAS protected by a locked wood fence, wood roof, and door. 2 x 4's turned into tattered 'toothpicks' by the bear. Says hes now going to 'welded steel.'

 

[ruffruff]

There was a thread on this same story awhile ago.
And I'll say it again, it's not the e-bike it's the lack of experience on the bikers part.
If you have done any back country travel you know to carry equipment to get yourself in and out.

Why would you take that ride and not carry tools to fix a flat?

 

[reed scott]

There was a thread on this same story awhile ago.
And I'll say it again, it's not the e-bike it's the lack of experience on the bikers part.
If you have done any back country travel you know to carry equipment to get yourself in and out.

Why would you take that ride and not carry tools to fix a flat?

Regardless, people will get into trouble because they can easily get farther out into the unknown than they ever have previously. Of course we don't blame the conveyance but the fact remains ... inexperienced people will use them to get themselves into real trouble. And knowing people, someone can directly/explicitly warn them ... and they will go right out and be stupid.

 

[Sierratim]

Some might call his 'hubris' simply being 'adventuresome'. But yeah, it wasn't very smart, and it sounds like it may have humbled him a bit. It was a quite interesting read.

If anyone else has similar 'ebike adventure' stories they'd like to share, where they too did 'stupid' (but interesting) things, it could be sort of fun to read some of those. I have had some customer's share their ebike adventure stories. Everything from riding in the Rocky mountains in Tennessee to some harrowing desert ventures that weren't intended to be as long as they ultimately turned out to be. Fortunately none got 'lost'.

Speaking of cougars and protecting their cubs, check out this video.... (how would you like to be followed by one for 6 minutes while on a jog ? and narrowly escape becoming its 'prey'... some serious stuff going down in this one ) https://kslnewsradio.com/1934995/video-cougar-follows-man-running-near-provo-for-6-minutes/?

You gotta wonder why it took that guy 6 minutes to finaly pick up one of dozens of rocks near him and throw it at the big cat. It took off after 1 rock. I guess he wanted to get a video clip that would go viral?

 

[Art Deco]

Mother bears are equally not cool to be around when their cubs are nearby. Lots of that out in New Jersey going on. With many of them being quite bold, and getting into garbage, no matter how well homeowners 'lock their cans up.' A friend of mine said he woke up to the sounds of rustling in his drive, looked out the window and down, and said a black bear sitting in his drive looked like "Poohbear" huddled over a honey pot. Except that was his garbage can, that previously WAS protected by a locked wood fence, wood roof, and door. 2 x 4's turned into tattered 'toothpicks' by the bear. Says hes now going to 'welded steel.'

Lots of bears in Pennsylvania. My friend and I were once followed by a young bear (not a cub) on our suburban street as we were doing our morning walk and work out. We didn't even see it, but our neighbors called the rangers and they drove over and told us about it. Apparently the bear was just curious about two old farts working out with staffs, and left before the ranger showed up.

 

[ruffruff]

Regardless, people will get into trouble because they can easily get farther out into the unknown than they ever have previously. Of course we don't blame the conveyance but the fact remains ... inexperienced people will use them to get themselves into real trouble. And knowing people, someone can directly/explicitly warn them ... and they will go right out and be stupid.

can't fix stupid

 

[Taylor57]

Oh man, is this a crazy story about one man's e-bike adventure, or what ?...

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-dark-side-of-e-bikes

Not like we all live near a desert or deep forests, but I have heard of people actually getting lost (albeit temporarily) on trails actually near their home, going places they'd never knew existed.

My favorite line of the article...

As I sat on the sidewalk, an older guy rode up on his bicycle, and we started talking about e-bikes. “My friends keep trying to get me to buy one of those,” he said. “But I’m afraid they’ll take me where I don’t belong.”

Moral to the story is stay on roads where AAA can pick you up unless you have the tools and expertise to survive a breakdown...

 

[Sierratim]

Regardless, people will get into trouble because they can easily get farther out into the unknown than they ever have previously. Of course we don't blame the conveyance but the fact remains ... inexperienced people will use them to get themselves into real trouble. And knowing people, someone can directly/explicitly warn them ... and they will go right out and be stupid.

Yep. The rider even admits as much, "I blame the trouble I’ve gotten into entirely on my own recklessness. But a huge part of my own recklessness was to place too much faith in a machine I couldn't repair in the wild". I hope he had to pay for the Search & Rescue team that was dispatched....

Of course it doen't take an ebike to get into trouble. I'm sure we've all seen it; people that insist on getting too close to the booming surf, go for a walk in the woods without map, water or a jacket, ski in the off limits areas, etc, etc. It really does pay to 'be prepared' and respect the fact that Mother Nature is indifferent to your well being; that's your job.

It pays to take a few courses. Bicycle Kitchens across the country offer classes on fixing just about anything bike related. Outdoor courses are offered by retailers like REI and by outdoor clubs.

 

[Art Deco]

Seriously, these are just bycycles. If you're not equiped for wilderness, mentally and physically, stay out of the wild or go with a group of friends. Like they taught us in boy scouts.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

I am all for going places I "don't belong."

Seriously, I've been playing outside all of my life and plan on continuing to do so. Yes, there are nonzero risks with such activities, and I've been far too up close and personal with those risks. Best to exercise a reasonable amount of care and caution and preparedness and carry on. And honestly, if you have a positive attitude, a sense of humor, patience with yourself, and a bit of mental and physical toughness you can overcome a great deal of adversity.

I have had more than my share of epics over the years. The vast majority of which are now basically humorous stories of misadventure. On some of those misadventures I was met by Park Rangers or Mountain Rescue looking for me, and on a few of them we had to stop at the emergency room or a clinic on the way home (although there was furious debate about whether the broken wrist could wait for cheeseburgers). Interestingly, the two worst disasters I was ever involved in happened at a technical rescue class and at ski patrol training. So you need to be bloody careful because even the experts can mess up.

There are lots of outdoor classes that can teach you many of the rudiments of route finding and navigation in the wilderness. My own experience is that there is a difference between "taught" and "really learned" that is not at all small. Even accomplished masters (e.g. Daniel Boone, who is quoted as saying "I ain't never been lost, but I've been a mite confused for several days") can foul up on a grandiose scale. And my experience is that your skill at wilderness navigation will degrade rapidly when you are tired, cold, hungry, or just impatient.

So have fun and use your damned head for something more than holding a helmet.

 

[Deleted member 4210]

You gotta wonder why it took that guy 6 minutes to finaly pick up one of dozens of rocks near him and throw it at the big cat. It took off after 1 rock. I guess he wanted to get a video clip that would go viral?

Yeah, 6 minutes of 'when is he gonna do something other than say 'go back to your babies' ?' That said, throwing a rock after only being 1 minute away from the cubs, just might have provoked the opposite reaction from the protective mother. Cougars have been known to reach 50 mph so running is out of the question and probably makes you more like prey. Would not have wanted to become that cat's 'furball' that later got coughed up. Those front paws looked pretty furiously powerful ! They could turn your head into a little 'bouncing tennis ball' for that size 'cat'. Again not going where you don't belong could be a life saver, and in that situation where you know animals like cougars are present, dont attempt going unless you are heavily armed and a very darn good shot.

 

[reed scott]

Yeah, 6 minutes of 'when is he gonna do something other than say 'go back to your babies' ?' That said, throwing a rock after only being 1 minute away from the cubs, just might have provoked the opposite reaction from the protective mother. Cougars have been known to reach 50 mph so running is out of the question and probably makes you more like prey. Would not have wanted to become that cat's 'furball' that later got coughed up. Those front paws looked pretty furiously powerful ! They could turn your head into a little 'bouncing tennis ball' for that size 'cat'. Again not going where you don't belong could be a life saver unless you are heavily armed and a very darn good shot.

Even for an expert marksman it would be mostly 'spray and pray' with that thing coming for you.

 

[reed scott]

I think an animal behaviorist might tell us that the cougar was never going to actually attack. She was primarily concerned with driving the intruder away from her cubs. Animals think. They asses situations. They value their own lives and with a mother they value their progeny. The cougar knows mankind is dangerous and she needed to survive to raise her cubs. Lions have to spend over a year getting cubs a chance at survival on their own. I bet she spent the better part of that day searching out a more remote location for her family ... far away from bike trails.