Interesting perspectives on e-MTB's

[Ravi Kempaiah]

I think E-bikes as a transportation medium is super awesome. e-MTB's are great too but I hope the industry moves carefully by educating instead of pissing them off..

Here are some interesting perspective on e-MTB's.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/i-say-e-bike-you-say-sea-otter-2016.html

 

[pxpaulx]

Have to take a huge grain of salt reading through all those posts - largely negative for sure. I can't help but laugh at the attitude that these outdoors oriented people have - they are very much slippery slope arguments from people who've never ridden an e-bike - that attitude surprises me because it is generally a conservative stance that I would associate in general with politically conservative people. It surprises me that a group of people I would expect to be more liberal on the whole are so aggressively un-accepting based only on their own perceptions and general herd mentality.

 

[George S.]

There are a lot of trails in Utah, mostly on Federal land:

http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/trails/

The State says a legal ebike is a bike with full access where bikes go, and that is laid out. It's a bike. The Feds say "It has a motor, no motorized vehicles". So no "e-" anything.

May take a while to sort out. Even the most basic and popular trails, like Bearclaw Poppy, would outstrip my endurance. But a small mid-drive would work, I'm pretty sure.

But the emtb has to win over the Feds and the traditional mtb riders, and maybe keep the high power stuff away?

 

[EddieJ]

This kind of sums up some of the reactions.

 

[Ravi Kempaiah]

Have to take a huge grain of salt reading through all those posts - largely negative for sure. I can't help but laugh at the attitude that these outdoors oriented people have - they are very much slippery slope arguments from people who've never ridden an e-bike - that attitude surprises me because it is generally a conservative stance that I would associate in general with politically conservative people. It surprises me that a group of people I would expect to be more liberal on the whole are so aggressively un-accepting based only on their own perceptions and general herd mentality.

Exactly!
I really enjoyed the specialized racer's answer.
Most of the negativity comes from people who have not been on one.
Gotta try before coming to a conclusion..

 

[J.R.]

Breakout year
An indication on how electric bike sales are progressing in the US was presented by Haibike’s CEO Susanne Puello. She said that Haibike already sold more e-MTBs in the US this year than in the whole of 2015. And that 2016 promises to be a breakout year in Canada for e-MTBs.

Trail accessibility
At a press presentation in Sea Otter Haibike USA director of sales Ken Miner dampened the high expectations for e-bike sales growth in the US somewhat. He said that mountainbike trail accessibility for ‘motorized’ e-MTBs is still a big issue in the US. It’s the limiting factor on e-MTB sales as dealers proof to be reluctant to take-up these kind of bikes in their shops due to this. Haibike also mentioned that they and the leading US brands have joined their lobbying forces to resolve trails accessibility for electric mountainbikes.

From Bike Europe: http://www.bike-eu.com/shows-events...w-sees-striking-high-e-bike-turn-out-10126097

 

[Jasonpb]

I was surprised at the comments by some people, what difference does it make to a "trail" if an ebike is ridden on it vs a normal bike? how does riding an ebike impact on a person riding a standard bike?

 

[one4torque]

There is another perspective to this guys: You can use an e mtn bike on different terrain that is inaccessible to a pedal bike. Pedal bikes need a somewhat groomed trail or trail less groomed but w slope.

I don't bomb down my local groomed ocd mtn bike trails w my stealth bomber...... Instead I found some poorly maintained abandoned trails or some animal trails to run..... We coexist w out drama. Then there is the urban free ride aspect where an e mtn bike makes regular obstacles objects terrain rather fun........ This is all differential to my pedal bike that needs gravity and or special grooming to enjoy and work in a fun fashion.

It is not a zero sum game. We will coexist. I actually find the special purpose mtn bike trails to be rather boring on an ebike. Get off the groomed path and get creative. ((( of course do this resp so as to not ruin nat parks etc..... I ride a lot of unusable flood plane stuff that can't be developed))))

 

[Jasonpb]

I can see why they'd complain about bikes like the "stealth bomber", it's an electric dirt bike with pedals.

 

[Jack Tyler]

Interesting. I've seen this same dynamic play out in backcountry aviation, exactly as was described by Haibike sales guy:
"He said that mountainbike trail accessibility for ‘motorized’ e-MTBs is still a big issue in the US."

Some Forest Service & BLM land managers - and visitors - don't think a plane should be allowed to land on airstrips in the more remote areas of our public lands. It's noisy, it's dangerous, it's 'too easy', and so forth. (Sound familiar?) For decades airstrips on public lands have been getting closed not because public land managers are jerks but because they knew little about aviation and struggle with compressed budgets and insistently increasing recreational demands by our growing population. What changed the game? An advocacy organization that stepped up in the public discussions which public land managers are required to hold, and *informed* and *educated* land mangers and land users. Examples: On landing, the plane's engine is near idle, so virtually noiseless. Most nearby land users don't even know a plane has arrived. Planes are hard on the land? No, the opposite, as it only rolls out several hundred feet, taxis to a stop and the passengers get out an pitch their tent. What do USFS Rangers do most in summer staffed forests? They do trail restoration from all the backpackers and, ten times moreso, horse packs. What do backcountry airfields demand in maintenance. Normally, very little and often done by volunteer groups. 'Planes are noisy and alter wildlife breeding habits.' This has been used for decades by land users who oppose aviation access but offer no peer-reviewed science to back up the claim. Just released: a multi-year study, submitted for peer review by the University of Montana, that demonstrates aircraft has zero impact on wildlife, unlike e.g. ATV's. (Visit the RAF if you would like to know about a great group of folks doing good work).

Where this relates directly to e-MTB use on public (that's *public*) lands is what's already been mentioned: education & providing thoughtful exposure to ebikes. And in my experience that means the more of us who help in that regard, the better.