Sept. 3, 2014, 2:53 p.m. -  Phill Goodrum

#!markdown I'm a shop rat and my view is that there is a whole lot of fuss about nothing! I've ridden several e-bikes and loved them they are great fun. My parents recently bought two e-bikes and I cant remember the last time they rode their bikes so much! My dad recently had back surgery and had not touched his bike in over a year. Soon as he got the all clear he was out riding again further than on his old bike. His time is taken up by the usual mega hours at work so he has limited bike time and fitness to boot. His e-bike allows him to ride longer and further and got his fitness back up a lot quicker without resorting to going to the gym all the time. My mum only rarely went out with my dad as she struggled to ride with him. Now with her e-bike they can ride together and she really enjoys riding again. We need to stop being so negative about them as they are here to stay and if they can make people get and and enjoy bikes again why should we stop them? Just because the e-bikes have faster modes every one presumes that riders are going to max out on them, well the batteries don't last maxed out and pedalling one with no assistance isn't fun as I found out. Most people don't ride their current bikes to their limits as most of the time self preservation kicks in…. People are idiots on trails without e-bikes and the magazines/websites could man up a bit and take a risk supporting them by educating people on etiquette on the trails making the trails better for all. Why has there been bans on trails with (I'm presuming here feel free to shoot me down!) little consultation or actual evidence that they are a problem? Is it land managers being over cautious and stopping something over possible problems that might not exist in the real world? I'd like to see some serious research go into other users of the outdoors real views and opinions of them. Once we know the real concerns we could address them to be better accepted.