Posted by: mammal
Posted by: andy-eunson
Are ebikes becoming ubiquitous in North Van? Is ebike use a real problem or a perceived one? It seems to me that if a rider for whatever reasons replaces their bike with an ebike but does the same rides it’s not really much different. Of course the marketing thrust seems to be more riding in a given amount of time or because it is usually less tiring that will have an impact on the trail wear and probably a negative perception by non riders.
The people in my periphery that have "switched" to ebikes definitely have done so in order to cram in more descending, and they're all veteran riders of the shore. It's one of those things that, when equated with the shuttling option, seems pretty harmless on the surface. But considering that basically every descent on the shore can be effectively "shuttled" now, it will definitely add up to a lot more trail wear in places that traditionally don't require as much maintenance. That's one of my main peeves with ebikes these days, and I can't think of a better term than entitlement, for what drives people to buy ebikes for the sole purpose of "more".
Sometimes I wish it was easier. But whenever my ride doesn't include a grunt of a climb I always come home dissatisfied. And that sets me up for the next big challenge: developing the sac to do that gruesome climb a second time. Without the meat the pudding is just a bunch of wet cardboard.
I still like the idea of self-shuttling from home. Get major mileage in even with the assist and save a bunch of driving and reducing my participation in the ever-worsening NS gridlock. But oh, what's that, even a 900kwh battery can't get a 235lbs guy from east van, up a mountain and back home again and I should still expect to drive that $15k 55lb moped across the bridge. These things are going to have to get a whole lot better before I get on board.
