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JCOS Looking into Legalizing Class 1 eBikes

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#23 ·
UncleTrail said:
We used to say the same thing about riding a lift to get a bike to the top of Winter Park in the early 90's. Now look at all the people who pay to do so. Think of the opportunities for resorts. All trails are now accessible.

The only e-bikes you will find on CL will be the ones discarded when new and better e-bikes come out onto the market. I predict a new fad that will rival MTB sales within the next decade.

2017 will be remembered as The Year Pedaling a Bicycle Uphill Died.

The battery issue will be solved with solar powered charging stations. Solar is green. Right?

Think about how much e-bikes help the homeless. I've already seen several here locally who use them to pull their shopping cart trailers around.
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Dirt bikes with motors didn't cause millions of people to get into motorcross/enduro. Biking singletrack while assisted still takes some physical effort and commitment. While this e-bike thing isn't my personal favorite, MTB will still be a niche sport.

I predict a nuisance at best. But I'm typically wrong so ymmv and all that
 
#24 ·
MCS5280 said:
The thing that concerns me is people putting themselves in situations they can't physically get out of once their battery dies and they have to start using their legs 100%.
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Yep. That should be real fun to see someone on, say, the Colorado Trail section of Waterton Canyon, way out there, with a dead battery. I can't wait. I'll give them a Clif bar.
 
#25 ·
LittleBitey said:
Dirt bikes with motors didn't cause millions of people to get into motorcross/enduro. Biking singletrack while assisted still takes some physical effort and commitment. While this e-bike thing isn't my personal favorite, MTB will still be a niche sport.

I predict a nuisance at best. But I'm typically wrong so ymmv and all that
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Gas bikes are much more complex to the inexperienced but I agree that this will only be a nuisance niche of human power mtbikes.
 
#27 ·
Here is what will happen, if e-bikes are legal to ride everywhere that bikes are in just a few years they will have massive power and there will be a lot more traffic on the trails. In my head I can imagine riding a silent electric dirtbike on my local urban trails with pedals (just for show) and blasting through everything. It would be so fun but short lived.

I am sure I could convert this somehow
 
#28 ·
euroford said:
maybe after joe ebike experiences pushing a 40 pound bike 5 miles back to the car we'll start seeing some of these at fire sale prices on boulder.craigslist....
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I demo'ed a Haibike All Mountain in Moab last Fall. I purposely decided to ride it a full lap around the area where it was allowed, about three miles, without using any power, to see what it would be like if the battery died. It was no problem. It rode fine, great, actually, just a little heavy. They aren't like trying to pedal a 40 pound DH bike.

Sorry.
 
#29 ·
bikebum said:
My concern is the amount of speed a novice rider will be able to carry on the DH with these heavy bikes.

However, on the flip side, in 20 to 30 years, we'll all probably want to ride these on our local trails...
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170 lb rider, 30 pound all mountain bike, 5 lb water/spare/tools = 205lb
170 lb rider, 45 pound all mountain ebike, 5 lb water/spare/tools = 220lb.

A massive 7.3% increase in weight. You should be worried about the 220lb guy on the non-ebike.
 
#30 ·
GS Spirit said:
Here is what will happen, if e-bikes are legal to ride everywhere that bikes are in just a few years they will have massive power and there will be a lot more traffic on the trails. In my head I can imagine riding a silent electric dirtbike on my local urban trails with pedals (just for show) and blasting through everything. It would be so fun but short lived.

I am sure I could convert this somehow
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Just throw a kit on an older DH bike and stop with all that pesky pedalling. It'd be just the thing for a crowded front range trail.

 
#32 ·
yosh said:
Except for the fact that class 1 ebikes go 20 mph and generate 750 watts without pedaling, of course. That's really fast on a trail when you think about it.
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A real dirt bike will have up to ~44,750 watts (about 60 times a 750 watt ebike), and a top speed of 80-100mph. Without pedaling!

My kids have a 500watt OSET electric trials bike and it's pi$$ weak with an adult on it. It can barley make it up any kind of incline. It does have a lot of torque, but no top end (HP).

A kids ebike would be great so that the kids can hang with the adults in the mountains on those long climbs. But it's not worth risking trail access for.
 
#33 ·
honkinunit said:
170 lb rider, 30 pound all mountain bike, 5 lb water/spare/tools = 205lb
170 lb rider, 45 pound all mountain ebike, 5 lb water/spare/tools = 220lb.

A massive 7.3% increase in weight. You should be worried about the 220lb guy on the non-ebike.
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220# putz on a 34# HT SS here - be afraid, be very afraid.
 
#35 ·
baker said:
I think that providing an ebike to a kid so they can keep up with adults on a climb is a very weak argument.
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I'm not trying to argue anything. Just pointing out there would/could be some useful application for ebikes in the future.

If ebikes didn't lead to trail closures, then I'd be all for them. But I don't think there are any guarantees, so I'd vote no.

Dirtbikes are so much fun though. Hopefully ebikes will be the 'gateway drug' and a new generation get to enjoy the sport. ~80-100lbs & ~20-30hp.... imagine the fun!
 
#36 ·
baker said:
I think that providing an ebike to a kid so they can keep up with adults on a climb is a very weak argument.
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Tourism is a major industry in Colorado though as are the seniors, disabled and wounded vets. Those of us able and willing to pedal up steep inclines for the ride down are few and far between. There are easily as just many who would like to ride, but cannot IMHO.

Once it is seen that the positives outweigh the negatives I think e-bikes will gain wide acceptance. Just look at what they've accomplished as far as lobbying goes already. They put MTB advocacy to shame. Makes you wonder why Trek, etc... haven't dumped those kind of resources into MTB trail advocacy.

If you want to talk green transportation. What could be better than combining the most efficient form of human transportation with the most efficient motors and electronics available? Colorado has a unique opportunity to be the proving grounds for e-bikes and possibly the epicenter for a new industry that will create tons of new jobs. Why put the brakes on it or chase it away?

Besides the damage certainly can't be as bad as several hundred acres of park closed because of too much dog poop.
 
#37 ·
Steve71 said:
I'm not trying to argue anything. Just pointing out there would/could be some useful application for ebikes in the future.

If ebikes didn't lead to trail closures, then I'd be all for them. But I don't think there are any guarantees, so I'd vote no.

Dirtbikes are so much fun though. Hopefully ebikes will be the 'gateway drug' and a new generation get to enjoy the sport. ~80-100lbs & ~20-30hp.... imagine the fun!
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I'm all for 2 wheeled fun of all sorts. I think emotos would be a great way for ICE moto guys to gain more trail access closer to population centers. Those OSETs are fantastic, I'd love to see an etrials center go in next to the ballsport fields where I live. I just don't think these, both using "750w" motors are bicycles. It's a new sport, it should be treated as such.


 
#38 ·
There are a couple of interesting opinion pieces on PB today regarding e-bikes:

For: https://www.pinkbike.com/news/opinion-e-bikes-are-good-for-the-sport-2017.html
Against: https://www.pinkbike.com/news/do-we-really-need-e-bikes-opinion-2017.html

The for is an interesting read from a European's perspective. The argument there is that these EPAC classed bikes are to all intents and purposes classified as regular bikes so can go where ever bikes can go. The limited power assist and need to pedal separates it from an electric motorbike. I also found the power output comparison interesting with regards to potential damage to trails. Say you have a 160lb rider who can put out 250 watts and gets a boost from an ebike of an extra 250w for a total of 500w and an extra 20 lbs bike weight. Now compare this with a big burley 250 lb dude who can push out 500+ watts and explosive power up to a 1000w. Who might cause more damage? It probably wouldn't be the ebike...

Anyway interesting reads. Pros and cons to all sides.
 
#40 ·
Harryman said:
I'm all for 2 wheeled fun of all sorts. I think emotos would be a great way for ICE moto guys to gain more trail access closer to population centers. Those OSETs are fantastic, I'd love to see an etrials center go in next to the ballsport fields where I live. I just don't think these, both using "750w" motors are bicycles. It's a new sport, it should be treated as such.


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Making lots of noise is a big part of what gets moto people off.
 
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