eBike Demo Ride

I had the opportunity to ride a Specialized full-squish pedal assist mountain ebike up AF Canyon on Monday. It was quite the interesting experience. Here's my take-

Pro's:
- When the pedal assist kicks in, it's a riot! I went right up the steep stuff like it was flat. You do still have to pedal but, at the top of climbs I was never out of breath or sweating heavily. There is a sweet spot for having the assist kick in or shutting off as it does have a limiter.
- We were passing EVERYBODY on the climbs. There is no way a standard pedal bike could keep up with the ebike, even in a pro-level rider vs. weekend warrior competition.
- I loved the 3" wide tires (27.5 x 3) and the Bluto fork. The traction with that tire setup was amazing. We were zipping right up the rock garden loose stuff. I wouldn't do an ebike with a smaller tire size. All of the normal hike-a-bike uphill sections of trail I cleared no problem (although I still had to work it).
- We did 17 miles and 3,200 vertical which is right at the battery-pack power limit. Just as we got back to the car, my buddies power died. We planned the route to have the last few miles of trail be downhill just in case.
- Just plain fun!

Cons:
- The bottom bracket is really low. I understand the need for this is to keep the center of gravity down lower as the bike is heavy. I hit my pedal way more than normal.
- The bike is heavy. If the battery dies and you still have climbing to do, good luck. You'll be pushing it!
- The weight of the bike, plus the big tires do not a maneuverable bike make! You can't really whip it around the corners.

Bottom line:
Beside the fact that regulations need to be looked at as far as motorized ebikes is concerned (AF Canyon allows motorized so it wasn't an issue), if they are allowed then I can see a need for these and they are way fun. I could totally see myself getting one in maybe 10 years when I could be struggling to pedal up my favorite trails. An ebike would allow me to still be a trail user. If you have a chance to try one out on a trail, do it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh1hA_bSHm8

So you're saying you set several KOM's.... hahaha...

Cheater!

I claimed pretty much every KOM on that ride and proudly held them until a couple hours later when I could get to my PC and change the ride type status to eBike! Problem is, I'm sure guys are cheating and not changing the ride type. In fact, according to STRAVA, I'm the first person to ever pedal an eBike up AF Canyon which I know isn't correct as I was passed by one a couple of weeks ago. Cheaters will always cheat.

I'm not sure what the hate is all about with the ebikes, I don't see them as a problem at all on the mountain bike trails. Those that complain about ebikes on certain trails are riding the same trails that motorcycles are allowed on. As long as they are quiet, I don't see the problem.

Then again I'm the slowest climber on the mountain anyways, so I'm just used to people passing me. Maybe it's usually the fastest climbers that are opposing them, as they've now got somebody passing them?

I think they are just fine though.

My hate for the ebikes comes from the fact they are riding trails signed no motorized vehicles. Ebikes are beginning to show up in Corner Canyon on a regular bases. I don't know what part of no motorized vehicles they don't understand. Are ebike riders really that stupid or are they pulling a Clinton and think the rules don't apply to them?

Mark my words, this disregard for the rules is eventually going to come back and bite all MTB riders in the ass.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Iceaxe

My hate for the ebikes comes from the fact they are riding trails signed no motorized vehicles. Ebikes are beginning to show up in Corner Canyon on a regular bases. I don't know what part of no motorized vehicles they don't understand. Are ebike riders really that stupid or are they pulling a Clinton and think the rules don't apply to them?

Mark my words, this disregard for the rules is eventually going to come back and bite all MTB riders in the ass.

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I totally agree with you. After riding one, my attitude of "whatever" has changed to liking them for special circumstances but, if the trail rules state no motorized then that applies to motorized pedal assist ebikes as well. Their popularity will increase, guaranteed. At some point trail managers will need to decide if no motorized means no pedal assist or not.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Iceaxe

Mark my words, this disregard for the rules is eventually going to come back and bite all MTB riders in the ass.

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I agree with this for sure. I have nothing against ebikes, but they will cause trail access issues in the near future. Especially at this critical point where a bill is in front of Congress to amend the Wilderness Act.

I picked up a Haibike full fat six, it is a full suspension fat bike with pedal assist. It is truly made mountain biking a totally different experience, I love it! The other day a buddy of mine demoed a levo and we went up Holly's at the base of Canyons resort and rode some of the lift assisted trails. It was unreal how much ground we covered and how fun it was. There is no was we could have done this without the pedal assist. We did 3 or 4 loops down wild mouse and drop kick and then went back down insurgent. We had about 25% left on the battery when back to the parking lot. Both the Haibike and Levo are fun, I do like the Haibike a little more than the levo but won't get into that here.

https://vimeo.com/181969653

https://youtu.be/aZzt3jgvoVU

https://vimeo.com/181968612

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http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/2016...ca51660873.jpg

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So let's discuss why motorized vehicles aren't allowed on certain trails, and then we can determine if eBikes have those characteristics.

Is it because of noise? I know admittedly nothing about eBikes but I assume they are just as noisy as my chain going around my broken gear teeth.

Is it because of the speed? If so, there would need to be a speed limit on all bikes.

Is it because "that person isn't working as hard as me to get up this hill"? If so, we should ban all mtn bikers who weigh less than 150 lbs because that's what I think about them :bandit:


I'm truly curious though, what is the main goal behind the motorized trail access ban on certain trails?

It's complicated... I've been around off road vehicles my entire life and if the answer to easy access was simple we would all be sharing the trails.

But bottomline motorized is a reasonable line that is simple and easy to draw if we're going to draw a line.

If we allow the line to be redrawn there is a good chance mountain bikes will end up on the wrong side of the new line as the wording motorized vehicle could easily be replaced with mechanical vehicle.

YMMV

Do any of these eBikes come with a drink holder on the handlebars for my Super Big Gulp?