[websitescenes]

Long time cyclist and bike shop owner here. I recently put an electric hub motor on an old DH bike and have been riding local trails. I have to admit, I did not expect the push back that I have received from cyclists. I get trolled, called names and targeted all because I like to ride my ebike on the trails. Funny thing is, nobody else seems to care. Only other cyclists.

[tobltobs]

Those other cyclists will be the ones who will loose access to the trails. After two difficult decades of finding a balance between hikers and bikers on the trails these new breed of trail ebiker destroy the hard found compromise. As sooner as ebikes are forbidden on trails as better.

[alrs]

They're motorcycles, they are already forbidden.

[HNaTTY]

It varies slightly by state, but many places you can have up to 750-1000 watts and up to 20mph unassisted on flat ground and still have a bicycle, meaning no license or insurance requirement. You'll typically pedal close to 20mph on flat ground. I find these limits to be reasonable.

[brianwawok]

Well bikes are a little bit self limiting which helps. Me an average biker can do 20 mph for a while. Buddies who race can cruise 24, 25mph all day. But they also have really good reflexes.

Normal guy first day on the bike and 75 pound overweight? He does about 12mph. Throw him on an ebike and he can do 30mph or more (depends on the speed regulator).

Overall I am very split on ebikes. Love seeing more guys on bikes. The more bikes, the more cars expect them, the more bike friendly laws, etc. On the other hand, biking is pretty cool. ebiking is more like motorcycling.

[alistairSH]

Tell that to the guys riding them.

I beginning to see a few on the local multi-use trail (where motorized vehicles are banned). One even has a giant fairing and looks more like a tuk-tuk or e-car than a bicycle.

Right now, there are few enough that it's not a big problem. But, the tuk-tuk e-bike is larger than a normal bike, so it's hard to pass (or make a pass) and will do more damage in a collision. Some of them are faster than the average road bike - I've seen several hybrid-style e-bikes cruising at close to 20mph with the rider soft-pedaling.

It's a can of worms for sure.

[jlarocco]

You've hit the nail on the head. To a lot of people (myself included), they're more like electric motorcycles.

I don't really care if people choose to ride them, but there are already designated trails that allow motorized access, and poaching mountain bike trails is going to ruin it for everybody.

[tobltobs]

In europe they are still allowed everywhere if they are constructed as a pedelec with a top speed restriction.

[digi_owl]

25kmh with pedaling (you can go faster, but the engine will stop assisting at that point) and 6kmh on just engine.

I keep seeing videos on /r/ebike and similar from USA where some yahoo has ordered engine and battery from Ebay or China that can push the thing way into motorcycle range.

[masklinn]

> 6kmh on just engine.

FWIW that makes it not a bicycle according to EN15194. EN15194 recommends a bicycle classification for vehicles which

* only ever provide assistance

* below 25km/h (with progressive cutoff)

* with maximum continuous rated power of 250W

Anything beyond that is classified as a moped.

Though EN15194 is a recommandation, member states are free to follow it or not.

[arethuza]

Pretty sure the "right to roam" here in Scotland prohibits access to other people's land on motorised vehicles.

[jlarocco]

I'm also a cyclist, and I don't really care what other people do. However, my view is that if the trail allows other motorized use (dirt bikes, ATVs, etc.), it should also allow electric bikes. If the trail does not allow other motorized access, it should also be closed to electric bikes. I'm sure it's only matter of time before trailhead signs and regulations catch up.

As you probably know, mountain bikers already struggle to get access to a lot of trails. Zipping around even faster is a sure fire way to lose access.

[websitescenes]

Access is explicitly allowed in my region. I'm not going to stop riding because some cyclists are worried. If the law changes, I'll have to reconsider my position.

[MrTonyD]

I remember my college theology class - we discussed how laws are often created in an effort to reflect and communicate community values. I find it interesting that someone would insist that laws are more important than the values being communicated by their "neighbors". If anything, I would think such feedback is a more valid expression of community values.

[icebraining]

websitescenes did write that only cyclists are bothered, so the values being communicated by the community at large don't seem to conflict with the law.

[thatcat]

They're bothered by the precieved threat of more restrictions due to larger community possibly being bothered.

[websitescenes]

Not sure what you're asking but I'm just saying that I ride on trails because it's currently allowed and fun. When and if the law changes I'll reconsider.

[derekp7]

Out of curiosity, how stealth is your setup? And when you get flak, are you running in pedal assist mode, or throttle only? In my case, I've got a smaller (geared) hub motor on the back, you wouldn't know it was there unless you were looking for it (hides nicely between the gear cluster and the disc brake). The only obvious ebike sign is the large battery (shaped like a water bottle, but sized more like a long 2-liter bottle)

[websitescenes]

Super silent but It's a frankenbike; Huge battery on the toptube.