I do keep, and keep failing, to keep the thread on topic about a 'growing' group of 'riders' using said machines to rip it up. It is a problem and it's not all e-bikers, but there is a big group of them. As someone has said, they suspect it's ex. MX riders. Most of them just aren't 'interested' in the cycling/fitness side.
Some 'obvious' examples.
Guy gets his very expensive top of the range eMTB out (probably over £8k - Santa Cruz. He's dressed in waterproof pants, a jacket and big wellies. Other lad, full waterproof 'wet gear' - it was 13c and not raining. Even one of the group said 'are you not hot'. He said I'm not even trying ! Llandegla a couple of years back, dad dressed in cycling kit on an e-MTB. Two older teens or young 20s, his sons, both on electric MX bikes (which are banned) - and that's at a trail centre.
Most e-MTBers are in appropriate clothing.
I'll keep trying to keep the thread on track. Please stop bringing up some peoples views about lazy etc, which I know people have strong views. I know a fair number of e-MTBers who use them to enable them to get out, one has even sold his as it was too quick and he got fed up of waiting for everyone. Others have needed them to enable them to enjoy the rides. It's a very different bunch to those turning up at trail centres, and then just ripping it up. These folk are the problem, as we will lose these 'facilities' as they aren't well funded - there in lies the issue.
There are places far better suited for these folk. Llandegla can cope with it as it's pretty commercialised, as is Antur Stiniog, Bike Park Wales etc etc. Some are uplift only, but BPW is ideal for e-bikes as you don't need the uplift.
Places that are Forestry Commission owned can't support this type of 'riding' - there is either no charge or a small charge to park there, usually no facilities (you are lucky if there is a toilet). The trails are old, and basically just patched up when there is storm damage. When a trial get's churned up, you should either still stick to it, or hike the bike past the obstruction. Not take to an off piste route, which is what we saw in abundance. On a particularly boggy section, these 'guys' just ripped it along side the trail, it wasn't a route a standard bike could reasonably take (a fair few of us pushed). there in lies the problem - just because 'you can' doesn't mean you should.
What ruins it is when people are avoiding what's called 'features'. You usually get two lines, one to go over the feature, be it a jump or a drop, then another line which is for those that don't want to risk it - e.g, haven't ridden it before. There was one such section at the top of a climb where there was a drop off, but due to the amount of off piste avoidance of the feature, I got to the top and just thought, where the bloody hell am I supposed to go. What should have been 3-4 foot wide, was over 20 feet - this is erosion.
Same issues apply when walking, stick to the routes.
so to re-iterate, there is a growing 'group/type' who have access to some very powerful machines that are not respecting the countryside. They aren't 'cyclists' as such, that is obvious. This is what the thread is about.