I'm 55 and Lyme Disease knocked me off my MTB's saddle a few years ago, but pedal assist got me back on. I now ride twice as much as I ever did on my old Stumpjumper, and weigh less than I did at age 35!
So far I've been lucky in that my local Park Rangers agree that my eMTBs are
bicycles, not motorcycles, and let me ride them anywhere MTBs are allowed. But the local MTB association has been actively lobbying against ebikes on public land in my region, and I half-expect my "permission" to change any day now.
If/when that happens, they'll probably say I can ride with ATVs and motocross bikes (and breathe their exhaust). The nearest ATV-legal park is an hour's drive, while here in my "backyard" there are 150+ miles of interwoven trails, at least a third of which are flowing-but-hilly singletrack, which is my favorite stuff to ride now that climbing is FUN.
In effort to avoid MTBer scrutiny here, I mostly ride on weekdays like
@Alphbetadog. I'm not retired, but am self-employed and much of my work can be done eves & wknds. Should my local access change, however, my doc says he'll write me a "note" proclaiming my Lyme as a disability and pedal assist as a reasonable accommodation.
A same-age friend who bought one of my old eMTBs says, "
Age is a disability!" I tend to agree, and think that pretty much anyone in the AARP bracket has some condition(s) that would qualify. Potential court battles aside, I say talk to your docs too, and get a note to show any "no ebikes" enforcers (and land managers).
Eventually I expect that enough "hard-core" MTBers will hit our age group and bring more acceptance of pedal assistance onto US trails, but for now we can -and should - use whatever legitimate tactics are at our disposal.
