Electric Bike Thread

[mtngirl79]

As far as elitism goes, a middle aged normal guy can have a great time trail riding on a $500 suzuki...jeans and a helmet. Same guy is in for a few thousand and a lot of suffering if he wsnts to mtb the same stuff.

Around here, Motos destroy the land. They don't stay on trails, their idea of building trails is just rude straight up the hillside until it's too muddy and rotted and then do it somewhere else.

I started mountain biking on an old <500 dollar hardtail and it was fun.

Then I wanted more, and got hooked up on my Kona process because of my involvement in the community.

Now I have a 500 dollar hardtail frame with a nice built and it's the most fun I've ever had in my life.

I bet the dude on the 500 dollar moto feels the same as I did on my <500 dollar hard tail.

It's only elitist if you make it that way, but wanting the ability to buy a motorized bike to go farther and faster rather than letting the physical cost of entry help protect a limited resource sounds more elitist than wanting to leave non motorized non motorized.

[grinch]

Makes some signs and protest at the bottom of all the shuttling spots. I’m sure everyone will be riding hardtail next year.
#kummmbiya #namaste

[ACH]

Ok but we all get you disagree, too? It's always like this. Shut up if you are in opposition to the majority...?

No, actually you don't, because I haven't stated a position one way or the other in this thread, which incidentally isn't all that different than yours or others here.

What might provide me a slightly different perspective is that I have visibility to the wave that is coming, and to legislative activity on the industry side already underway. People are right to be concerned... It's coming, like it or not, and it will change the shape of things.

What I have been tying to say to you, is that the OP was asking about E-bikes (the product) in general, not e-bike access to mountain bike trails. So, it's not "shut up" because we (or anybody else) disagree, it's "please start a new thread" because you are taking this thread off the OP's intended topic.

[mtngirl79]

Me, specifically?

[mtngirl79]

Makes some signs and protest at the bottom of all the shuttling spots. I’m sure everyone will be riding hardtail next year.
#kummmbiya #namaste

Protest what? There are hardly any legal moto trails around here. I might even support opening up more for them, but the reality is that motos have a huge impact and need to be limited to certain areas.

[ACH]

Me, specifically?

Yeah, but before it grew to even more pages of thread drift along the subject of trail access.
So, never mind.

Protest what? There are hardly any legal moto trails around here. I might even support opening up more for them, but the reality is that motos have a huge impact and need to be limited to certain areas.

Maybe not up by you, however WA state has quite a good network of moto access trails and those user groups did a lot to establish and maintain those trails over a long period of time.

[californiagrown]

Protest what? There are hardly any legal moto trails around here. I might even support opening up more for them, but the reality is that motos have a huge impact and need to be limited to certain areas.

Make sure you dont shuttle any of those fun loamer trails around you. Wouldnt want a motorized vehicle to allow you to ride more mileage. gotta keep those physical barriers to the goods!

[mtngirl79]

In the time I have been riding mountain bikes I have been shuttled three times for a total of 4 laps.

[concretejungle]

I checked out the bike b-bear linked to but they don't have any for the lanky individual. Recommend me something for a four mile commute on roads and bike paths.

[grinch]

Protest what? There are hardly any legal moto trails around here. I might even support opening up more for them, but the reality is that motos have a huge impact and need to be limited to certain areas.

I was referring to mt bike shuttling. Shuttle riders are already out there You’re protesting the use of e bikes in this thread and dh shuttles have more of an impact on trails. Ebikes earn their turns more than shuttles. Like e bikes, dh shuttling is here to stay. I’d prefer to pedal up our shuttle trails on an ebike and get 3 laps instead of shuttling 6. Bonus if the area had a nice climb trail. Ideology and politics aside, I can’t see why I couldn’t use an ebike on those trails. My impact would be the lesser of the two. I like shuttling sometimes and also riding lifts although I pedal most of the time .

[mtngirl79]

I don't really care about shuttle trails. They are already shuttle trails. I don't want pedal trails to become shuttle trails.

I want those that can climb 5000 feet to get to enjoy the solitude they earned.

[babybear]

I checked out the bike b-bear linked to but they don't have any for the lanky individual. Recommend me something for a four mile commute on roads and bike paths.

shoot- but yea good call on the sizing. I have the medium size and almost wouldn't mind the large size, even tho I am only 5'7"
it's a bummer the sizing doesn't work bc that is almost my same commute- 5 miles each way on road/ pathway and it's perfect for that. The wheels/ tires are a nice width- a little fatter than a road bike tire so a little gravel/ dirt isn't going to throw it off.
One other thing I liked about this Raleigh model is the battery placement in the rear vs frame mounted. Figured I'd be putting a crate on the back anyway and people hardly notice it's an ebike. but the rear is really heavy so it's awkward if you have to move it around and while it's not something you'd frequently do- putting it on a bike rack is very weird (I had ridden it to pick up my car from the mechanics and had not thought it all thru that far)
The battery is pretty good too- I can get probably 4 trips back and forth to office/ home ~40 or so miles np. I did let it run out once when out to dinner and that is one of the only times I've ever used the low gears but it was fine (weighs 55lbs with all my stuff on it)

One of the guys that works at the bike shop has one of these Felt Outfitters with a bike rack on it and he will ride the ebike up Teton pass with his mtn bike on the rack and shuttle himself lol
https://www.feltbicycles.com/USA/Cat...outfitter.aspx

[grinch]

I don't really care about shuttle trails. They are already shuttle trails. I don't want pedal trails to become shuttle trails.

I want those that can climb 5000 feet to get to enjoy the solitude they earned.

Fair enough. I just don’t want to throw rocks at glass houses. If there’s no conflict what difference does it make? Do you’re own thing.
I’ve had people , that live in 5000 sq/ft houses with multiple vehicles and recreational vehicles , talk shit to me about my freeride bike on a trail they’re riding on their xc bike and I built the trail. I prefer to look at the big picture. We’re riding bikes and if there’s no conflict there’s more important things to protest

[ill-advised strategy]

Around here, Motos destroy the land. They don't stay on trails, their idea of building trails is just rude straight up the hillside until it's too muddy and rotted and then do it somewhere else.

I started mountain biking on an old <500 dollar hardtail and it was fun.

Then I wanted more, and got hooked up on my Kona process because of my involvement in the community.

Now I have a 500 dollar hardtail frame with a nice built and it's the most fun I've ever had in my life.

I bet the dude on the 500 dollar moto feels the same as I did on my <500 dollar hard tail.

It's only elitist if you make it that way, but wanting the ability to buy a motorized bike to go farther and faster rather than letting the physical cost of entry help protect a limited resource sounds more elitist than wanting to leave non motorized non motorized.

obviously very different places, because here the trails are all roots and rocks because all the hardcores want to feel that $5000 carbon full suspension working. You don't see regular people riding mountain bikes here. You see the $70,000 Silverado or the $100K sprinter van with $15000 of carbon fs bikes. The regular people live a town away to the west or south and ride old atvs and dirtbikes from their cheaper homes....that's about the only good thing about living out there and commuting in though, because those places are all methed out and skeezy.

So I don't know. What I see here is a bunch of trails built so they really can't be ridden adequately on a cheap bike and lots of yuppies keeping the rest of the county out so they can have their little exclusive playground.

Clearly it's different elsewhere.

[ill-advised strategy]

I want a super powerful e trike for winter, and I want to do mad donuts with it.

I'm not kidding. I do actually want this.

[californiagrown]

I don't really care about shuttle trails. They are already shuttle trails. I don't want pedal trails to become shuttle trails.

I want those that can climb 5000 feet to get to enjoy the solitude they earned.

And there are plenty of people who only want folks that can climb 5000' without the use of a $4000 machine, to enjoy the solitude they earned. So why are they wrong, and you are right?

Also, if you don't care about the shuttle trails in your area you are truly missing out.

[grinch]

Also, if you don't care about the shuttle trails in your area you are truly missing out.[/QUOTE]

^^^ this. Pedal them if you don’t want to shuttle. Just be careful about taking ownership of them

[mtngirl79]

obviously very different places, because here the trails are all roots and rocks because all the hardcores want to feel that $5000 carbon full suspension working. You don't see regular people riding mountain bikes here. You see the $70,000 Silverado or the $100K sprinter van with $15000 of carbon fs bikes. The regular people live a town away to the west or south and ride old atvs and dirtbikes from their cheaper homes....that's about the only good thing about living out there and commuting in though, because those places are all methed out and skeezy.

So I don't know. What I see here is a bunch of trails built so they really can't be ridden adequately on a cheap bike and lots of yuppies keeping the rest of the county out so they can have their little exclusive playground.

Clearly it's different elsewhere.

Everyone rides mountain bikes here. Regular people. Often the bike on the roof is worth more than the car.

This in the PNW. Our trails are gnarly. You can ride them on a hardtail.

Sure there are people with a ton of money. There always will be people with more than you. Learn to live with it or figure out how to make more.

[mtngirl79]

Also, if you don't care about the shuttle trails in your area you are truly missing out.

^^^ this. Pedal them if you don’t want to shuttle. Just be careful about taking ownership of them[/QUOTE]

I didn't say I didn't ride them I said I don't get shuttled very often and I'm not worried about them getting over ridden by ebikes because they already are shuttle trails.

[grinch]

^^^ this. Pedal them if you don’t want to shuttle. Just be careful about taking ownership of them

I didn't say I didn't ride them I said I don't get shuttled very often and I'm not worried about them getting over ridden by ebikes because they already are shuttle trails.[/QUOTE]

Ah I see. We’re making some of the same points. Just trying to be pragmatic with this e bike thing

[ill-advised strategy]

Everyone rides mountain bikes here. Regular people. Often the bike on the roof is worth more than the car.

This in the PNW. Our trails are gnarly. You can ride them on a hardtail.

Sure there are people with a ton of money. There always will be people with more than you. Learn to live with it or figure out how to make more.

yes, well the whole thing about elitism has a fair basis here (geographically, where I live). Here the rich people have used all that granola/fitness-elitism/erosion bullshit and closed a lot of our town’s trails to anyone except them.

If learn to live with it is going to be the bottom line, fine, these bikes are coming regardless of your feelings. “Learn to live with it.”

[ACH]

Everyone rides mountain bikes here.

Yeah... You live in a microcosm - Bellingham is nice from a cycling perspective but not the norm...

[wooley12]

2 e bikes just went by on the SVT

[LeeLau]

I was trying to use trail use advocacy history and relate it to these ebikes. The powers that be initially started with a “no” or only on fireroads. Then the sport grew and the fines started then the rogue trail builders and riders said a big fu to the man ..... holy shit this is incoherent

Of course rogue builders drove the sport. I was a rogue builder. Then went full official. Then got screwed by the trail org I founded so am now full rogue. I get that.

My point is if you (meaning ebikers) want to get sanctioned then they've got the do the work themselves. Someone else in this godforsaken thread made that point. Whining about on here isn't going to do shit.

And if ebikers don't want to be sanctioned and just want to poach then do it. Don't whine about it on this thread. Just poach.

I'm off to get some KOMs/ Strava comes first

[grinch]

Of course rogue builders drove the sport. I was a rogue builder. Then went full official. Then got screwed by the trail org I founded so am now full rogue. I get that.

My point is if you (meaning ebikers) want to get sanctioned then they've got the do the work themselves. Someone else in this godforsaken thread made that point. Whining about on here isn't going to do shit.

And if ebikers don't want to be sanctioned and just want to poach then do it. Don't whine about it on this thread. Just poach.

I'm off to get some KOMs/ Strava comes first

You quoted me so I just quoted you to not be rude and respond.
I wasn’t judging you(I think I’ve seen your north shore pre advocacy pics)or whining(well maybe a bit but that’s my 1st world entitled right) just stating facts. I’d rather this thread be about the op’s intended purpose, cool tech shit. A lot of my posts were meant to respond to wild claims in here and no facts to back the claims up. I’m very curious about them but not sure I have a fully informed opinion. It looks fun and it looks accepted elsewhere with rules in place. I hadn’t considered them until a month ago but I think my opinion before that was based on a lack of knowledge. Still listening and learning and I’m not sure they’ll ever be acceptable everywhere. Where is the question
FTR , I think they’ll be enough e bikers to establish something before I cough up the dough to get mine or I’ll go back to being a criminal rogue