Obsidian
iMTB Rockstah
It is seriously bullsh*t. However — and to his credit — that dude is putting up a fight. He made a website & created a Facebook page. He is trying to rally people to his cause. What are we doing? Who is stepping up to try and stop or confront eBike riders? It seems like we are just hoping the parks will take care of it.
For my part, I almost always call out eBikers on trails they are not allowed on, and if we happen to cross paths on Strava flyby, I put a message on their ride. I usually just mention that their bikes are not allowed, and I try very hard to not be a dick or bully about it ... but that really depends on their response to me. Most seem to be unaware, or make that claim anyway. If they are on trails where they are allowed, like SkyPark, I do not say anything unless they are riding like a fool.
There were a few interesting, and maybe even disturbing, posts last night in the eBike thread on Facebook. One comparing "us" to the hostility of hikers towards mountain bikers in the 90's ... one who said he witnessed an eBike rider getting bullied by two guys at the water tower in Whiting ... one chick with a sore knee that hurt her on climbs, so she got an eBike and an ADA permit ... and on an on.
I don't know, maybe we should be doing something to try and stop or at least educate them. I posted a thread on here almost three years ago after I encountered my very first eBike, asking if the damn things should be banned before they got out of hand, and the general consensus was no, because that was a slippery slope towards banning us all ... https://www.imtbtrails.com/forum/threads/thoughts-on-electrics-ban-or-no.3083/ Kind of funny to read some of the responses to that thread again three years later:
"Hmm never seen an electric Mtn. Bike"
"I don't believe there will be an abundance of them on the trail."
"I wouldn't worry about it. I bet that guy ain't coming back. IF he does, he'll likely come back on a regular bike."
"Nah. Just another etiquette issue, but banning anybody is asking to be banned ourselves."
Three years later, and they are everywhere. I can't remember the last ride I did where I did not see at least one ... and it is just going to get worse. The batteries will get smaller and smaller, and pretty soon they will be virtually indistinguishable from our bikes. So, through our own inaction, we may all get banned in the end.
I have not had many positive interactions with them, and we're getting buzzed by more and more when we ride the parks- sometimes on trails that a normal bike would not usually climb. We exceed the speed limit on our regular bikes. No denying it. Those things, however, could easily exceed the speed limit if it were double the 10 mph limit on flat ground or a climb. And they do! It's nuts that their speed is so unnatural and easily distinguishable from a real bike. Add to that the clueless riders we've encountered... My favorite is still the guy I saw in Caspers who came out of an unauthorized trail in Coto. He passed me while yelling that he had "no f@cking clue where he was or what he was doing." No helmet, no water, flip flops... And probably 20+ mph up and down on a $10,000 Specialized. I've seen several like that... Even at the peak.
: 
