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Forest Service Issues ‘E-Bike’ Guidance

Fact is we can’t keep making it easier for folks without acknowledging the negative affects “easier” can have on the resource including wildlife and hunting opportunity. It’s not that each of these issues is so singularly bad it’s the cumulative effects of all of it that combine to be a knock out blow. Therefore e-bikes need to stay on the motorized trails or else we cut opportunities in the not so distant future. It’s that damn simple
If this is the case, and I do believe it’s a very valid point, then that is what legislatures should focus on and express as they argue for or against these laws. Forget the nuances of the bikes and how they are technically motorized or non-motorized. They should communicate that much better.
 
According to Rad Power, which is what my Ebike is, this is what they say...
  • Class 1: A bicycle equipped with a motor
  • Class 2: A bicycle equipped with a motor
  • Class 3: A bicycle equipped with a motor
And the point of this thread is to discuss if e-bikes should be allowed in areas designated as “non-motorized” travel areas.
 
And the point of this thread is to discuss if e-bikes should be allowed in areas designated as “non-motorized” travel areas.
This thread is almost a year old and 15 pages long.....shoot me? People above this post were discussing classes of ebikes, its not that big of a deal 🤷‍♂️
 
As an avid mountain biker, I struggle with this debate as well. Last year, I purchased a Class 1 eMtb. Guess what, I still got in good workouts, sweated hard, pedaled hard, never once used a throttle (as they don't have them on Class 1 Ebikes) and had a grand time. Why did I get an eMtb? Because I ruptured my Achilles' Tendon fall of 2021. Recovery from that injury is said to take 12 months or so. I can say that having a bike that helped me rehab was a HUGE benefit to my mind and body. Do I still ride my analog Mtb? Occasionally, but I prefer to go further in the same amount of time. I get a similar workout in, just go further and higher in getting that workout in. The eMtb is easier to pedal, no doubt. But for someone to even suggest that a class 1 emtb is anything like a motorcycle, they are totally ignorant. Get on an eMtb and go for a real ride. Not a ride in the parking lot on boost mode, but for a real mountain bike ride. I think you will find it to still be a great workout.

Now, I have a dog in this fight, because some of my favorite biking trails are on National Forest in Utah. I can only ride my eMtb on some of them. The others I cannot. That is fine. But I want the Forest Service to be clearer about where I can and cannot, and to be real about their motivations. A class 1 eMtb is NOT a motorcycle. Sure it weighs about 20lbs more than my analogue bike, but if I throw 20lbs of Beaver skins on my back and ride a mountain bike down that trail, won't I cause just as much damage as a 20lb heavier mtb? Of course there would not be any more damage. But that is one of the reasons eMtb are bad? They weigh more? What about the guy that weighs 250 lbs riding his ultralight cross country mtb vs the lightweight rider riding a heavier emtb? That is a poor reason to outlaw an eMtb.

Fact is, I am learning where I can ride my eMtb and where I cannot. That is fine. Just make sure the reasonings are consistent throughout. This I do know, my mental health is significantly better when I am in the mountains, on trails and exherting myself. My injury was devastating to me physically and mentally. I am still hobbled a bit by it. I will never be 100% again. But having the ability to ride with my buddies, into amazing country I wouldn't see without the ability to get into it, has been life saving for me.

Thanks for letting me share my thoughts.

FH
 
This I do know, my mental health is significantly better when I am in the mountains, on trails and exherting myself. My injury was devastating to me physically and mentally. I am still hobbled a bit by it. I will never be 100% again.
Mountains, trails, exertion hiking, backpacking, jogging, hunting, exploring ... I agree. Like you, injury was devastating. My severed patellar tendon sidelined me for almost a year and now keeps me slower and more careful ... but at 78 yo it's even more critical for me. I have a mountain bike, but only exercise on roads or easy trails. I don't like to ride it in the forest as it requires focus, speed at times, and detracts from my experience. Meeting bikes, motorized or not, on the trails is a real PITA for me. I am glad that certain areas are set aside for bikes. Ride em there so I don't have to deal with them!

Thanks for reading my vent. Not meant as disrespect for your choice of "exertion". Have a nice ride.
 
Mountains, trails, exertion hiking, backpacking, jogging, hunting, exploring ... I agree. Like you, injury was devastating. My severed patellar tendon sidelined me for almost a year and now keeps me slower and more careful ... but at 78 yo it's even more critical for me. I have a mountain bike, but only exercise on roads or easy trails. I don't like to ride it in the forest as it requires focus, speed at times, and detracts from my experience. Meeting bikes, motorized or not, on the trails is a real PITA for me. I am glad that certain areas are set aside for bikes. Ride em there so I don't have to deal with them!

Thanks for reading my vent. Not meant as disrespect for your choice of "exertion". Have a nice ride.
I have no issues with your "vent". Sorry to hear about your Patellar Tendon. My son had to have his reconstructed due to injury while wrestling in High School. It was a rough road for him too. Luckily he had the advantage of being 16 years old and incredible young person bounce back. You and I didn't have that luxury.

I have had occasions where bikers were not prepared for the mixed use of the trail as well. Regardless of the trail, I am ultimately responsible for where and how I ride. I still have to follow trail ettiquette. I promise to do that and expect others (bikers, hikers, horseback riders, runners etc.) to follow it as well. Don't even get me started with the trail runners, bikers etc. who wear their ear buds and are totally oblivious to everything around them. So frustrating, yet they are still mad at you for following behind them, asking if you can pass for hundreds of yards, whistling, ringing my timber bell etc. and they still have no idea you are there. One ear bud is fine, just be aware of others using the trail as well.

And...let's be real here, most of us aren't hunting in areas that are even remotely accessible by bike. I know I am not. But I have had thoughts of how my eMtb might help me get higher on the mountain to start my hike to another area. Then I remember I have a 20lb pack on, my weapon of choice, hunting clothing, boots etc. and realize I am no longer interested in riding my bike into that area to hunt. :D

I do know of folks that have accessed the old logging roads with bikes and that makes a lot of sense, but not many of those types of places in the areas I hunt. Mostly it is trailheads and steep climbing until I forge out away from the trails to my destination.
 
But I want the Forest Service to be clearer about where I can and cannot, and to be real about their motivations. A class 1 eMtb is NOT a motorcycle. Sure it weighs about 20lbs more than my analogue bike, but if I throw 20lbs of Beaver skins on my back and ride a mountain bike down that trail, won't I cause just as much damage as a 20lb heavier mtb? Of course there would not be any more damage. But that is one of the reasons eMtb are bad? They weigh more? What about the guy that weighs 250 lbs riding his ultralight cross country mtb vs the lightweight rider riding a heavier emtb? That is a poor reason to outlaw an eMtb.
Do I still ride my analog Mtb? Occasionally, but I prefer to go further in the same amount of time.
My motivation: we can't just keep shrinking what intact habitat remains and expect big game populations to remain stable.
 
I do know of folks that have accessed the old logging roads with bikes and that makes a lot of sense, but not many of those types of places in the areas I hunt.
I'm sure someone hunts there. I get the point you are making but just because it doesn't impact you directly doesn't mean it won't impact other hunters.
 
My motivation: we can't just keep shrinking what intact habitat remains and expect big game populations to remain stable.
I get your point but let's be real. People are going to continue to move to Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Utah etc. to "get away" from the more populated areas. They love the idea of living where they can easily access their forms of recreation. The problem isn't a few hundred mountain bikers. Much like you elude to in your comment above, the problem is less wintering ground, more people, everywhere they can be, due to trail systems. More roads/highways cutting off migration routes etc. There are millions of acres of land that people aren't riding bikes into and people are rarely hiking/backpacking into. But these same people are all living in the foothills below these wilderness areas where the generations of animals have been able to escape the worst of winter. Today, there are houses, ranchettes, roads, etc. all over those areas.

I am not saying that I don't have to do my part to make it better, but do we all really believe that ebikes are what are causing the demise of deer and elk herds? Maybe there is some culpability in those promoting hunting on TV, social media etc. There has been a huge influx of "new hunters", most of which have significantly improved gear versus when most of us started. Don't we have to take some responsibility in the type of equipment we use to hunt with? Rangefinders, Long range rifles and turreted optics, electronic aiming devices on bows, scopes on muzzleloaders? How about the ease of using a program like OnX or even GoHunt in helping know where to go. I would venture to say that these advancements have as much or more to do with the reduction of herds as anyone riding in the summer on designated trails on a mountain bike, ebike or not. People are already hiking, running, recreating on these trails. Mountain bikes are not the issue, with a motor or not. The issues are the encroachment of people, particularly their homes, and the huge influx of more population. I have seen the population triple in my state over the last couple of decades. Most of you here in the West have seen something similar.

Our desire to keep the trails only accessible to those who want to hunt is a no-go in my opinion. For the trails to exist, they will have to have other uses. Period. That said, I will ride my eMtb where ever it is legal to do so. Where I live, that is mostly foothill and some cool alpine/subalpine trails that are mixed use. I have little desire to ride my mountain bike on a boring fire road, gravel road or pavement. At least not when there are opportunities to legally ride on single track trails. I will however ride my bike on the fireroad, gravel roads etc. when it is my only option. And you will never catch me creating my own trails, on a bike, ATV, truck etc. ever.

There, I have vented. We all have things that we deem important. We all will fight for them in ways that we feel we should. I will continue to fight for the ability to ride my Class 1, pedal assist ebike anywhere someone can ride a bike at all. And most likely, I will continue to use my Leupold CDS scope on a high powered rifle to hunt with. Or my compound bow with a slider sight and an accurate rangefinder. Or, I will as long as it is legal to do so. I am venturing that all of you will do the same.

FH
 
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