Any Mtn Bikers on RME?

[Greg]

What are the groups thoughts on e-bikes? Mountain bike, of course. I used to ride a LOT, but I've gotten old, fat and out of shape. I would love to get back on a mtn bike, with a little assist. I rode a friends city bike this weekend and was way impressed with how it worked and how quick it was with assist. I realize there are plenty of people out there that HATE the idea of e-bikes, but I really don't care. Just want something that will get me out. Found a lightly used Kona Remote that looks like a good start, 27.5" wheels, hardtail, etc.

 

[Unimog]

What are the groups thoughts on e-bikes? Mountain bike, of course. I used to ride a LOT, but I've gotten old, fat and out of shape. I would love to get back on a mtn bike, with a little assist. I rode a friends city bike this weekend and was way impressed with how it worked and how quick it was with assist. I realize there are plenty of people out there that HATE the idea of e-bikes, but I really don't care. Just want something that will get me out. Found a lightly used Kona Remote that looks like a good start, 27.5" wheels, hardtail, etc.

I was out hiking earlier this year and ran into some older guys that had converted bikes over. They let me take a quick ride up the hill on one and it was fun! Quite a bit heavier than a regular mtb, but fun! They had tried several options - I can look back and dig out what they recommended.

 

[Kevin B.]

What are the groups thoughts on e-bikes? Mountain bike, of course. I used to ride a LOT, but I've gotten old, fat and out of shape. I would love to get back on a mtn bike, with a little assist. I rode a friends city bike this weekend and was way impressed with how it worked and how quick it was with assist. I realize there are plenty of people out there that HATE the idea of e-bikes, but I really don't care. Just want something that will get me out. Found a lightly used Kona Remote that looks like a good start, 27.5" wheels, hardtail, etc.

I equate them with side by sides... they're just a tool like any other, but as they get more popular they're going to bring in an element of user base that hasn't earned their wings, so to speak? These new users are going to have less knowledge of trail etiquette, and perhaps less respect for the land that they're recreating on. They're going to open up big chunks of terrain to riders that lack the fitness to get in there otherwise, and I expect that's going to get trails either a) closed to cyclists or b) paved or otherwise sanitized to cater to a less skilled crowd, both of which I'd call bad. Right now it seems like most Forest Service and BLM land managers are restricting them to motorized trails, and most private recreation areas and city/county parks are banning them outright. That's going to change as they get a bigger presence and those land managers start getting lobbied hard. On the flip side, they ARE going to open the backcountry to a lot of riders that for medical reasons couldn't possibly get back in there any other way, and that's clearly a good thing. And they're going to be getting more cyclists on the streets and out of their cars, which I'm 100% in favor of as well.

I've got no hate for the machine. I'd own one if I could afford it, they look like a ton of fun. I expect I'm going to have a lot of heartburn over the actions of some ebike riders, and I feel pretty certain that the proportion of heart-burn-causing riders among the ebike crowd is going to be higher than among the general MTB user base. But just like side by sides they're here to stay and they're going to change everything and there's nothing to be done about it except sit back and see how it plays out.

FWIW, man, you're not much older than I am and you're certainly in a lot better shape than I am. Don't let the ebike thing stop you from getting out there if you wanna ride. Just come ride with me and you'll feel like Lance Armstrong in comparison .

 

[kmboren]

Most trails say no e bikes. Greg how old are you? I am 41 and 270lbs. If I can do it you can do it. It's hard but worth it and gets me the exercise I need.

 

[TRD270]

Most trails say no e bikes. Greg how old are you? I am 41 and 270lbs. If I can do it you can do it. It's hard but worth it and gets me the exercise I need.

And i'll make you a deal on a sweet bike (that i don't want to get rid of but have to buy more plane time)

 

[glockman]

I just rode a giant trance E bike up corner canyon last week. It was pretty impressive. I only rode it for a half mile or so and it was on the lowest assist setting (35% if I remember right). I see old guys, as in 60+ riding them in corner canyon often. I would love to get one so my wife could ride with me. I think (and my friends reason for owning it) they are a great way to get out and ride and buffer that time where you aren't fit enogh yet to ride more than a mile or two unassisted.
The only issue I see them bringing is more use of trails. Depending on how you view that it's a good or a bad thing. Etiquette is also going to be an issue but it is with the non E bikers too. One thing I keep repeating is the mtb community has more whiney children than a primary class. They will bitch about wheel size, attire, skidding and every other thing imaginable. I've heard the argument that ebikes weigh more and thus make ruts. That logic means only 130lbs people on xc bikes should be allowed on trails. I've also heard they spin tires, but so do I if I'm not careful weighting the rear when out of the saddle. It's not a dirt bike, you still have to pedal and put in effort, just less effort. It's all just hate with no justification, other than increasing use of our trails.

 

[glockman]

I rode park city for the second time yesterday. Climbed Armstrong to pinecone. What a fantastic ride it was. One of my biggest rides too. 16 miles and 2600ft of elevation. It's a beautiful ride and the temp was way nicer than in the valley.

 

[rholbrook]

Chad, you ought to let me know when you ride. Harrison would love to join you.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I am a tier coach on my daughters Mnt bike team. Just go when I am not working. Yesterday day the team did a ride on Rainbow ridge. We started at Timp point. Road for 10 miles one way then turned around. It is a great ride with Awsome scenery. Glad I got to do this with my daughter. That's the Grand Canyon in the back ground. View attachment 121244View attachment 121245View attachment 121246

Awesome! Rainbow ridge is about 3 hours from me. Awesome trail.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I think ebikes are great, especially for commuting/transportation. I've ridden them on road and offroad (including up AF canyon, where they're legal), and in my mind it's the worst of both a moto and a mtb. They are kinda ok on the up (but a moto is way more fun up), but they suck on the down (a MTB is way more fun on the down). I'd much rather ride a moto or a regular mountain bike than an ebike in the mountains. The pedal assist definitely helps on the ups, but the bike is a tank and doesn't handle like a regular MTB.

My issue with them is the potential land access issues. It's not because I think they cause more erosion, it's because the lobbyists will think they cause more erosion, or higher speeds, or they see the motor. And then they won't be able to distinguish between ebikes and regular bikes, and it'll be easier to just ban them all. Maybe I'm cynical from growing up in the birthplace of mountain biking (the bay area) where you get a $500 ticket for going over 15 mph on your bike. Or where 90% of my favorite trails as a kid are now illegal for mountain bikes. And that was before ebikes were on the radar.

One other issue I'm seeing is how easy it is to hack them. There are a bunch of YouTube videos on how to remove the governor, or add a thumb throttle. I was at sea otter and a vendor came up to me showing me his new DH ebike. 3" plus tires, dual crown forks, full suspension, and he flipped a switch and said it'd go 50 mph with no pedalling. I said "sounds like a moto" and he said EXACTLY, only now I can ride on MTB trails." Then he demonstrated the thumb throttle. It was an e motorcycle. And don't get me wrong, I think emotos are cool too, but when MTB trails are already walking a fine line with access issues in some areas of the country, adding a motor only complicates the issue.

If I had a crystal ball that could show that ebikes would never lead to any singletrack trails getting shut down for traditional MTBers, I'd be 100% in favor of them. I have no issues with someone using pedal assist. I'm not ever going to buy one, but I don't care if others do.

Personally, I love a simple bicycle. I love the feeling of pedaling my bike up a mountain, and then pointing back down and letting gravity do the work.

 

[RockChucker]

Personally, I love a simple bicycle. I love the feeling of pedaling my bike up a mountain, and then pointing back down and letting gravity do the work.

My thoughts exactly. I was looking at a Haibike. Then I thought hard and realized it was defeating the purpose of getting a bike. I'm trying to improve my fitness. I need to work. And it is so satisfying to make deposits in the gravity bucket and cash in and zip down the mountain.

 

[glockman]

If I had a crystal ball that could show that ebikes would never lead to any singletrack trails getting shut down for traditional MTBers, I'd be 100% in favor of them.

Maybe I'm the optimist. I don't see MTB's getting shut down any time soon. The industry has grown to be too big of a cash cow for any politician to cave to the green groups. It creates real jobs and real tourism dollars. It's possible that I feel this way because
A) I'm a moto guy first, who rides MTB for fitness and I see the MTB group as the less damaging and I'm concerned about Motos being shut out.
B) I live in UT right next to one of the best trail systems in the US (draper) and where multiple cities are BUILDING trails specifically for MTB's. I don't see any UT cities reducing the number of miles of trail. Maybe user specific which will end bike use on some trails but we will end up with more miles. I personally support user specific trails. It eliminates the conflict that is apparently inevitable on multi use trails.

I don't doubt there will be more limitations on MTB's or E-bikes at the federal level in the FS arena.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I agree, I don't see areas like corner canyon, lambert, or eagle mtn getting shut down. If anything, they're going to grow (well... maybe not lambert, that park seems to shrink every year). Some states are amazing about building more trails (arkansas, arizona, now utah), and some states are really struggling (California especially). I don't understand all the issues and I'm still trying to educate myself on it. I do know that the trails I rode as a teenager are not legal now and I can't take my family back to ride them with me, and that's a sad reality.

Here's a really interesting video and article that Bike mag made right before we lost hundreds of miles of MTB trails in Idaho in 2015.

Mountain Biking in Wilderness Areas | BIKE Magazine

We just lost some of the best trails in America, and it's going to happen again. Here's our in-depth look at mountain biking in wilderness areas

www.bikemag.com

and one more about the history of mechanized access being banned in wilderness areas. Obviously it's a biased piece, but I learned a few things.

The Web Monkey Speaks: Wilderness Mountain Biking | BIKE Magazine

Wilderness mountain biking has long been banned, and in this article Vernon Felton voices his opinion on the questionable reasons behind the regulation.

www.bikemag.com

I admit that I don't understand the entire issue, and I'm trying to learn more.

 

[glockman]

California is just a different animal. I'm really surprised Idaho closed single track to MTB's. There is thousands of miles of moto single track there. Not exactly the same thing though.

 

[Tebbsjeep]

For those who know what they're talking about(ie. not me) would these rims be an upgrade for my DB Syncr?

DT Swiss And Alexrims 27.5 Aluminum

Have some minor scratches in paint but nothing too deep 180 and 160 mm brake rotors Setup tubeless Thru axle Tires have less than 1 season on them 27.5 X 2.35 Pre boost

classifieds.ksl.com

 

[sixstringsteve]

Is your syncr boost?

 

[Tebbsjeep]

No it is not. It's a 2015 model if that helps any.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Do you have a picture of the wheels it has on it now?

 

[sixstringsteve]

It depends on the hubs. Usually when someone is selling a mismatched wheel set like that it's because they trashed a rim and had it rebuilt with another rim. So either a heavy rider, an aggressive rider, or a new rider.

I'd pass personally. Is there anything you dont love about your current wheel set?

Often replacing the rear hub for something with better engagement is the best way to upgrade a wheel. For me, I run budget front wheels and nice rear wheels.

Alex rims are ok. Nothing special. Dt rims are strong but heavy.

 

[Tebbsjeep]

No real complaints. I'm still getting back into riding so there's no real need to upgrade. I just thought if it was a good deal I'd grab them. I have pinch flatted my front tire a couple of times, so the tubeless aspect was intriguing. Maybe I should just try better tires. I do want a better rear hub. I swear it takes half a crank to engage.