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The first sign of the apocalypse


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Forest Service prepares to welcome e-bikes  Following national guidance, San Juan National Forest can allow the bikes for the first time. 

If you read the article, note that e-bikes are not allowed on Forest trails YET.  There's an entire evaluation process that has to take place, which means it probably won't be this year.  Even then, e-bikes will only be allowed on certain trails and prohibited on others. 

I'm confused though, because at least in the past, many Forest trails were open to motorcycles and four wheelers and e-bikes would certainly be eligible on those trails. 

 

 

Edited by June Bug
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When I was on a Hut to Hut there and I needed to bail one of the group out after day 1 I talked to a Forest Ranger about a trail they were putting in for eMTB maybe 4 miles above Purgatory.  Has to be better than all those OHVs everywhere between Durango and Silverton.

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9 minutes ago, AustinBike said:

Saw 2 e-bikes at WC this morning.

This will only get worse over time.

At least we have the heat death of the universe to look forward to. So eventually this will get resolved one way or the other. 

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Came close to getting taken out Saturday on picnic by a guy on a Devinci emtb. Had to holler out at him to avoid a head on and he ditched left instead of right and dumped the bike dead in front of me covering the whole trail. Totally out of control on a busy trail on a busy day.

Nothing most us haven’t encountered but I doubt he would have been moving as fast under his own power.  Had I been a noobie that wasn’t looking way ahead and reacted quickly it would have ended different from him eating shit into a bush but walking away unharmed. 

Edited by Chongo Loco
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Couple of guys on contraptions like this were buzzing through Picnic at Brushy Creek on Sunday while blaring their music for all within earshot. I couldn't keep up with them, at least until they hit a few roots, at which time I had to stop and wait for them to clear the trail. Certainly hope that is not what the future holds for local trail riding! 

image.thumb.png.63c528782a4cda0abc065ddd912581bb.png

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FWIW, I'm loving my Levo, but I just ride it like any other mountain bike I've owned. Only now, despite being old and decrepit, I can ride more often and further that I could otherwise.

I keep pace with whoever I'm with, unless they are riding too fast for the conditions (pedestrians, etc.) and then I'll choose a more appropriate pace.

Since buying the e-mtb I've been riding much, much more often than I have in years, and I've lost weight, gotten back into trail building, and am in overall better shape now than before owning it.

Sure, there are going to be those folks who will make e-MTBs look bad and this will paint all MTBs in a poor light, but, we've had the same issues with people riding on non-e bikes who do that as well. People are a problem. That's not going to change.

Blaming the bike for a person's behavioral choices is really missing the root of the issue, isn't it?

Edited by Ridenfool
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Well the bro that almost took me out was bro aged, not old and decrepit. So I’ll agree to disagree, the ebike was the speed enhancer and I doubt he would have been lead rider without it. His buddies were giving him shit for his Barney antics.  

Edited by Chongo Loco
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Darwin and Karma will catch up with folks like that.

Sometimes you get to see the scales come into balance, as you described. 😁 This is rare, and can be savored.

Some people can't stop drinking too much, others can't prevent themselves from abusing power (of all sorts).

It isn't the bottle, the bike, nor the corporate or political position that has the control issue. That is all I'm saying.

Happy trails!

 

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My issue is not karma catching up with these people. My issue is selfish: some of them will threaten access for all of us. 
 

The attitude among many is “I’ll do whatever I want, mind your own business” but they don’t understand that their actions threaten my access. But I assume that none of them care about others based on my interactions so far. 

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4 minutes ago, AustinBike said:

My issue is not karma catching up with these people. My issue is selfish: some of them will threaten access for all of us. 
 

The attitude among many is “I’ll do whatever I want, mind your own business” but they don’t understand that their actions threaten my access. But I assume that none of them care about others based on my interactions so far. 

Yes, and that has been the case for decades in the MTB world, hasn't it? People upset over an encounter that threatened trail access for everyone? Same song, different verse.

The solution is a matter of education, then putting the knowledge into one's own behavior modification stragegy, just as it has always been.

The best thing that happened to MTB was it becoming more mainstream. As more people became involved in the MTB community, spreading the word on how we are each an ambassador to the sport, sharing the rules for who yields to who, coming together to make more trails, etc., the acceptance of MTBs has risen substantially.

E-MTB is an extension of this existing MTB movement and must go through the same process. Ego has to be set aside and good behavior encouraged. There isn't really any better approach. Anyone can yell "Get off my lawn!" till the cows come home, with little result to show for their effort.

The only constant is change.

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12 hours ago, Sluggo said:

It won’t be pedal assist e-bikes that deny access. 

You're probably right on this.

But, at the same time, the authorities are generally not that savvy and will use the blunt force of "no mountain bikes" instead of trying to thread the needle around which ones are and are not allowed.

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IMHO:

The issue with e-bikes (or more bikes of any kind) in places like tejas is the lack of available public land. The trails in CTX are already being used to death, and we spend so much time and energy just trying to hang on to what is left much less adding additional space. Adding more people, particularly riders on motorized bicycles, who in my observation tend to ride at a faster pace than traditional riders, is just going to be another thorn in the side of joe pedestrian. 

 

best luck

 

Edited by ATXZJ
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I get all of the arguments for the various use cases that make good sense for eMTB, but show me one ad where the manufacturer is actually targeting the old and decrepit. No, instead they are appealing to the masses simply to increase profits - not to extend MTBing to those who otherwise couldn't enjoy it. They don't give two shits about those people. 

To me personally, eMTB is an insult to the sport itself, coming directly from the same bike builders who helped make the sport so enjoyable for those of us who like to keep pushing harder to advance our game (even at 63). Advancements in equipment over the years have lifted the limits in MTB just like they have in other sports. Deploying a motor to make a sport easier though has crossed a line IMO. What's next, an escalator to the top of Mt. Everest?       

image.thumb.png.45e2fb3ff4c4af8d18222fed36429e3d.png 

    

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I agree completely.

I'd just be happy with some education to the buyer. "Here's a list of all of the places that you can and cannot ride them" and then let the buyer decide. The problem today is that there is a huge disconnect. My gut says eBike buyers are unaware of the limitations on usage. They believe they can ride the bikes anywhere that other bikes are being used. This is a functional problem of both the manufacturers and the shops. 

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26 minutes ago, throet said:

I get all of the arguments for the various use cases that make good sense for eMTB, but show me one ad where the manufacturer is actually targeting the old and decrepit. No, instead they are appealing to the masses simply to increase profits - not to extend MTBing to those who otherwise couldn't enjoy it. They don't give two shits about those people. 

 

This 100%

Initially ebikes were marketed as a way for people with limited mobility to enjoy the outdoors. I also remember when Kona introduced their first emtb, they made a promo about using it for trail maintenance duties. Even had pack to carry work tools.

 

I can see someone out west buying one and doing all day rides with a lot of elevation. Here in flatlandia? Nope.

 

Edited by ATXZJ
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6 hours ago, AustinBike said:

I agree completely.

I'd just be happy with some education to the buyer. "Here's a list of all of the places that you can and cannot ride them" and then let the buyer decide. The problem today is that there is a huge disconnect. My gut says eBike buyers are unaware of the limitations on usage. They believe they can ride the bikes anywhere that other bikes are being used. This is a functional problem of both the manufacturers and the shops. 

To the contrary, I would guess the retailers are telling people "don't worry - nobody will ever enforce the rules", which of course has proven to be true.  

Edited by throet
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15 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

The same generation that gave out all those "participation trophies" to today's youger adults are now running bicycle companies. Boomers ruin everything.

I'm a boomer and can't disagree. When I was a kid, we only got to go to Dairy Queen if we won the damn game. Nowadays, everybody goes, and they get parfaits and banana splits instead of an f'n cone. Geez!  

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Wife and I are mid/late 40s gen-Xrs raised by boomers. Both came from poor white trash backgrounds, with nothing passed on to us by parents but debt.

Our generation is responsible for the zoomers and they are light-years worse than the millennials. 

Now, I think I need to put on my thunder vest and find a safe space on my e-bike🤣

Edited by ATXZJ
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10 hours ago, ATXZJ said:

 

I can see someone out west buying one and doing all day rides with a lot of elevation. Here in flatlandia? Nope.

 

There’s enough flatlandia around here to kick your ass on an all day ride, but I wouldn’t want to do it on an e-bike. 

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