Got harrassed on the trail today

ruffruff

ruffruff

Well-Known Member
Had friends in town and they wanted to try Ebikes so we rented and set off down the trail.

And the intersection of a trail we pulled off to take a break at a picnic table. We are off the trail in a grassy area, not blocking anything and here comes a guy on a road bike, full lycra outfit...ya that guy.

"Look at the piece of sh** ebikes! Get those fu**** off the trail!s"

There was a family there with little kids, and he yelled loud enough so they heard it....we laughed it off but the family was appalled!
They were shocked that someone would be so upset about a type of bike!

I'm pretty new to ebiking but is this a common thing?
 
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It is when you come across a crackhead in a clown suit. One of my rides I go through a homeless camp on one of the trails and I ALWAYS get harassed. They blocked my path once and spotted my cell phone so of course they accused me of being a cop and spying on them. I only got away because I had helped one of the women deliver her baby on a sidewalk then I gave her a few dollars, fortunately she remembered and told the guys harassing me to let me go.
 
A clown suit? Really!? Well, that's an interesting twist.

The closest I've come to being harassed was an a-bike guy who wouldn't let me help him with his flat tire. There was no discussion about what I was riding, but he had that certain look.... Just kidding, sort of, but no, I haven't been harassed. It does seem like a goodly percent of the a-bike riders I encounter on the roads/trails don't wave or nod. Maybe they're too tired though; hard to tell for sure.

TT
 
LOL....ok I edited my post, we call the full lycra outfits complete with bright sponsor shirt that you really don't ride for....."clown suits".
 
The most common thing I get is the cry of "Cheater bike" or " That looks too easy" from a good natured roadie but I do sometimes encounter a roadie trying to catch and pass me with his grim game face on. Sometimes I will draught them just to annoy them... because the ebike can bring out the folly of a youthful ego in me. But if my wife is riding along none of this transpires (-:
 
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Comes up here every couple of weeks, and then lots of folks here trash some other style of cycling. It’s normal division in the world today. We’ll be reading about gunfire settling the issue like the way other angry people settle disputes these days.
 
The same people who gave you grief also yell at walkers, dog walkers, moms pushing baby carriages, kids learning to ride and anyone else who they think are in their way. They seem to have an attitude that multi use trails were built for the exclusive use of road bike training enthusiasts. Fortunately, they are in the minority (at least where I ride). It is best to just ignore them. You will find plenty of other folks on the trail who are genuinely interested in your ebike in a positive way. It is fun to have a conversation with them, so that is what I keep in mind when I encounter someone like that.
 
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I dunno, maybe NorCal is just friendlier. The two months my wife and I rode e-Bikes on routes normally used by acoustic riders, we encountered nothing but good vibes. First, one biker drafted me for a spell, and thanked me for the "pull" afterwards. On another occasion, we passed a road biker while climbing, and he joked putting his hand out for us to pull him up the hill. He later passed us on the downhill. We met up at the route standard watering hole and had a nice exchange, with him saying our bikes worked great and us telling him that he's a really good rider. One time a rider shouted "that's cheating" at us, and I shouted back "Absolutely!" and he laughed. Other times acoustic riders at stops would ask us about the bikes and how we liked them, etc. We also met fellow e-Bikers of all ages having a good time going places. I still have my expensive road bike, and when I ride that I do get dressed for the ride, and I enjoy that experience as well. I don't feel that one kind of riding is better than another.

In my view, as long as you're pedaling, it's all good.
 
Oddly enough the only problem cyclists I've encountered were on race bikes in full lycra on a busy canal trail. My issue with those two was their absolutely abysmal trail etiquette which ended up contributing to me dumping my bike. Their terrible etiquette applied to everyone around them however, so they were equal opportunity offenders. Let's just say that if I ever set foot in the shop they were "repping" I'll be sure to give the owner an ear-full.
 
If riding an ebike as opposed to an analogue one is cheating then riding carbon bikes is cheating. Shaving your legs so that you weigh less and can go faster is cheating. Wearing clown outfits so you become more aerodynamic is cheating. Choosing the lightest and latest road bikes is cheating....
Cheating in my opinion is when you sit on your backside watching judge Judy instead of going out and riding the beautiful roads and trails. So I don't give a toss to anyone who accuses me of cheating even though in over 4 years of riding ebikes no-one has apart from one guy who was struggling on a climb and when I breezed passed him he said "you ought to try it without a motor" to which I replied, "I have and didn't like but thank you for the suggestion".
 
Who's the loser when I pull into Trader Joe's after work and load up my panniers with two full bags on the way home? However, riding a road bike after getting used to an e-bike is like riding a child's toy - and it feels as fragile as one too.
 
Yep, this was in friendly ole Minnesota. Stillwater, at the junction on the Brown's Creek trail where you turn to go to Pine Point or St. Paul.
 
What if you are in pedal assist mode to compensate for all the extra weight, so you are being assisted in medium mode might be equal to that guy in his ultra light all carbon fiber bike, in either case you have employed modern technology to assist your biking it's just a matter of perspective. A fat tire bike with 4 inch wheels that weighs 70 lbs. verses a 23 lb carbon fiber bike with 2.5 wheels, the guy riding that bike has no clue if he makes a disparaging comment. Also what if you weigh 250 lbs as a rider and are trying to get exercise, and want an assist on your way home after you feel tired.
 
ruffruff said:
Yep, this was in friendly ole Minnesota. Stillwater, at the junction on the Brown's Creek trail where you turn to go to Pine Point or St. Paul.
Click to expand...
Yikes, I was just vacationing there this past weekend...... Glad I didn’t run into him.
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