Simplest solution is to ban both e-bikes (electric-assist bikes or whatever name they're flying under) and Strava users from trails.
Props to Syncro for articulating what I meant by the "No" comment above.
The first e-bikes of the season riding up Mountain Highway
Excluding eMTBs from trails where motorcycles are not allowed is not punishement of any form - no more so that dirt bikers are punished by not being allowed to rip the trails on their 2strokes or I'm punished by not being allowed to bypass traffic via bike lanes on my Panigale.
NSMBA is probably in the best position to guard against eMTBs on the trails it oversees.all it would take is some signs, hopefully. Not sure if it is for or against eMTBs. It would increase membership!!!!
But I'm surprised that it does not have a public view. Pretty soon guys are going to be riding up Espresso! 🤣 Faster than going across Bp to Mtn highway if you want to do another Espresso lap!
Last edited by: Ddean on Aug. 11, 2017, 12:18 p.m., edited 1 time in total.
Posted by: syncro
Here's something to consider, how many people would like to do 4-6 day self supported bike packing trip through the Chilcotins? How many could actually handle that or would your route selection be significantly limited? Would having a pedal assist bike to get you through some of the tougher days make the trip more enjoyable?
I did a 5 day supported trip in the Chilcotinst a few years back with Lee ... The question is can I devote the time I need to riding/training to get in the kind of shape I'd need to be in to be able to complete that same route self supported? I'd wager that the type of fitness it would take be be at a fairly elite level, like close to pro-class racer.
Watch "See the World" series on Youtube. Johan is not elite, he takes his time and uses a granny gear and has toured the world self supported.
Posted by: BigFoot
Watch "See the World" series on Youtube. Johan is not elite, he takes his time and uses a granny gear and has toured the world self supported.
Just checked it out - looks pretty awesome. I'm going to have to put that on the play list/ You're right that there's definitely some parallels, but there's also some differences too between the type of riding he did and a 4-6 day self supported trip in the Chilcotins. The biggest thing would be no place to stop to pick up food.
that's an exceptionally well considered line of reasoning. Thanks for that.
Legislating for idiots makes us weaker as a society. And without a wealth of data, it is hard to back up arguments, so can we/should we turn to 'experts in the field' to add their opinion?
More ambiguity!
I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has experience with policy making on slim data and forecasting.
Posted by: syncro
Posted by: BigFoot
Watch "See the World" series on Youtube. Johan is not elite, he takes his time and uses a granny gear and has toured the world self supported.
Just checked it out - looks pretty awesome. I'm going to have to put that on the play list/ You're right that there's definitely some parallels, but there's also some differences too between the type of riding he did and a 4-6 day self supported trip in the Chilcotins. The biggest thing would be no place to stop to pick up food.
Yes food but he always seems to run out of water. One of those filter straws would come in handy.
Posted by: BigFoot Yes food but he always seems to run out of water. One of those filter straws would come in handy.
I've been thinking about picking up one of those life straws from MEC for big day hikes just to reduce the amount of water you need to pack.
Posted by: syncro
I've been thinking about picking up one of those life straws from MEC for big day hikes just to reduce the amount of water you need to pack.
I purchased one for that purpose but found it a pain in the butt to use. It works but hunching over the water and sucking the water out is not as easy as it looks. It takes a while for water to start flowing and once it does it's slow.
Also have a steripen which is light and effective. Can do a full Nalgene bottle. We can call it an e-filter :P
For really lightweight I prefer aquatabs or something similar.
Posted by: thefishtailbites I purchased one for that purpose but found it a pain in the butt to use. It works but hunching over the water and sucking the water out is not as easy as it looks. It takes a while for water to start flowing and once it does it's slow.
Also have a steripen which is light and effective. Can do a full Nalgene bottle. We can call it an e-filter :P
For really lightweight I prefer aquatabs or something similar.
Yeah I've heard the life straw can be inconvenient. I was thinking more along the lines of the mini pump type ones like the Katydyn or the MSR. The Sawyer ones also seem to be a good cheap alternative.
Posted by: Ddean
Pretty soon guys are going to be riding up Espresso! 🤣 Faster than going across Bp to Mtn highway if you want to do another Espresso lap!
The last time I rode Espresso, while I was sitting on the bench at the entrance having a snack, two guys came up it. They didn't seem at all concerned that they had come up a descent trail.
Posted by: PaulB
Posted by: Ddean
Pretty soon guys are going to be riding up Espresso! 🤣 Faster than going across Bp to Mtn highway if you want to do another Espresso lap!
The last time I rode Espresso, while I was sitting on the bench at the entrance having a snack, two guys came up it. They didn't seem at all concerned that they had come up a descent trail.
Last I checked, Expresso is not designated as a descent only trail. There are a few people I have seen climbing it. I believe its only designation is 'mtb primary'?
Posted by: shoreboy
Last I checked, Expresso is not designated as a descent only trail. There are a few people I have seen climbing it. I believe its only designation is 'mtb primary'?
Trailforks says "Downhill Only", I don't know what is posted on the trail sign. Either way, I think most people would not be expecting to meet someone coming up it.
Posted by: syncro
Posted by: thefishtailbites I purchased one for that purpose but found it a pain in the butt to use. It works but hunching over the water and sucking the water out is not as easy as it looks. It takes a while for water to start flowing and once it does it's slow.
Also have a steripen which is light and effective. Can do a full Nalgene bottle. We can call it an e-filter :P
For really lightweight I prefer aquatabs or something similar.
Yeah I've heard the life straw can be inconvenient. I was thinking more along the lines of the mini pump type ones like the Katydyn or the MSR. The Sawyer ones also seem to be a good cheap alternative.
Pumps are bullshit. Sawyer Gravity filter, I use mine everyday. Every. Day.
Posted by: grambo
And land managers don't have the resources to "police" emtb's. Are they going to pay staff to stand at trail heads and turn motorized bicycles around? No. So if ebikes start causing problems, guess what, all bicycle access is in jeopardy.
Will pedal assist cause issues? Maybe, maybe not. Will assholes that mod their bikes to have higher power and/or throttle? 100% this will cause problems.
See the issue now?
Motor = should not be allowed on non-motorized trails. Period. Simple solution.
^This^
Where is the line in the sand for e assisted and full on electric dirt bike? This is a slippery slope, won't be a good end result.
A friend of mine did some business with an unnamed Ebike company out of Whistler, the one with the batteries in the backpack. He did a full day on it and said he was shocked how fast and the amount of power on this thing has, Electric dirtbike was the description. They are all technically pedal assist, but they are full on motorized.
Last edited by: bux-bux on Aug. 14, 2017, 8:21 a.m., edited 1 time in total.
Posted by: bux-bux
A friend of mine did some business with an unnamed Ebike company out of Whistler, the one with the batteries in the backpack. He did a full day on it and said he was shocked how fast and the amount of power on this thing has, Electric dirtbike was the description. They are all technically pedal assist, but they are full on motorized.
They are NOT 'all technically pedal assist' so let's just straighten that out. The Kranked bikes require you to wear a large battery on your back, which connects you to your bike (not nice) and the motor is operated by throttle. Pedelecs (aka pedal assist) which are the format of e-bike being introduced by most brands do not have a throttle, and the motor engages only when you pedal. There is a big difference in rider experience, and, most importantly, in the amount of torque delivered to the rear wheel. As much as you can argue that an e-bike is different than a mountain bike, a throttled bike is also different than a pedelec.
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