ZeroEm said:
Thought this discussion was dead. Was dead wrong and quite the hot topic.
Really? I would have thought it was just heating up. We still don't see many eMTBs on local trails, at least not on this side of the Karenfornia state line.
In Washington state, the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance lobbied for a bill prohibiting eMTBs from all “natural surface trails.” The reason, as explained in Singletracks magazine, was a fear that if e-bikes are permitted then land managers might close trails to all bicycles.
This is a legitimate concern. Since there is little practical difference between a MTB and an eMTB, insofar as their effects on the trails and environment, the easiest way for agencies to curb the abuses (real or imagined) of eMTB riders is to ban all bikes altogether. Done and done.
As usual, with so many issues, it's mostly down to bigotry. Back in the day the MTBers themselves suffered from it, and apparently project it now onto eMTBers.* I was on a ten mile hike yesterday and I was discussing this with my hiking partner. I haven't had much trouble with MTBers, but she said she's had some very bad experiences. On the other hand, MTB groups work closely with land agencies in this area and in fact have been responsible for maintaining trails and even constructing new ones.
The hike we took was an interesting example of backcountry use around here. We hiked up a foot path (on the left of the map) to Marlette Lake with signs at each end prohibiting bicycles of any kind (though there was a tire track in the dirt the entire way). We didn't see anyone until we got to the lake, which is accessible to MTBs by the return road on the right of the map, which we hiked back. Many, many MTBs on that road, where "motor vehicles" were prohibited, but I counted only five eMTBs (one was ridden by a woman who had tethered up one of her kids bikes and was helping pull her up the hill). The eMTBs were almost indistinguishable from the MTBs, and no one was causing any problems. And despite the "no motor vehicles signs," a gated jeep track is a perfect route for MTBs and eMTBs: plenty of room for everyone. I'm getting a MTB myself next month and intend to confine my off-street riding to jeep roads and utility roads.
BTW, the equestrians need to STFU. I used to do trail patrol and maintenance for the Forest Service many years ago, and equestrians are
by far the most destructive legal users of backcountry trails. They are very hard on the trails, and
not once did I see an equestrian get off his horse to pick up the big pile of fresh horseshit deposited at the feet of hikers. If it's difficult for hikers and MTBs to squeeze past each other on a narrow trail, it's often impossible to share a trail with mounted equestrians. And it doesn't help when they are shouting at you how you need to behave around their horses so they don't get spooked. Lady, if your horse has that much of a problem with passing people on a narrow trail, maybe you shouldn't take him onto narrow trails that are open to the public.
I never really had much of a problem with equestrians myself. I just think they need to STFU about eMTBs, is all.
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* Personally, I don't see much point in riding any bike on a single track trail, since you have to share them with hikers and dogs and horses, who all have the right of way over bikes. When I'm hiking and I see bikes ahead of me or behind, I quickly get off the trail (if possible, and it isn't always possible), but I'm sure not everyone does that. On the other hand, I have often encountered MBTers barreling hell-bent-for-leather down a track and have wondered just WTF they would have done if I hadn't leaped off the trail to get out of their way.
