Electric bikes on trails

[Fintious]

Hi all, I may well get shot down for this but how annoying are electric bikes. Me and my boy go to Sherwood Pines most weekends as he’s fairly new to MTBing and it a really good place to learn skills and build confidence and fitness. He’s now really comfortable on the red route but this morning there were so many electric bikes we spent most of the route having to pull over and let them speed past. I didn’t mind at first but it became a real pain. What wrong with good old fashioned pedal power

 

[Slick]

Sorry but I think you should be shot down for that attitude. If it helps people get out why should it concern you. More bikes please.

 

[Ajax Bay]

I guess you could choose to not pull over. Great that riders get out there (with @Slick on that), but if a rider is using electric doping then surely they can be comfortable with dallying (and switch off power assist) behind own strength riders.
Some local concern (Haldon Hill) has been expressed about the level of erosion caused (allegedly) by power-assisted rear wheel spin.

 

[Fintious]

Sorry but I think you should be shot down for that attitude. If it helps people get out why should it concern you. More bikes please.

I agree it’s great that more folk are out biking - just found it a bit annoying having to keep getting out of the way for leccy bikes today

 

[Slick]

I agree it’s great that more folk are out biking - just found it a bit annoying having to keep getting out of the way for leccy bikes today

Yeah I get it but they are just out enjoying themselves as well and are on a different page from you so let them go with a wave. I always wondered why you would even use an ebike for hills until I met some super cool merican dudes on the boat to Arran and they explained that they let the motor take the strain going up the likes of goat fell, so they have energy to burn on the downhill thrill ride. I thought it made sense.

 

[LJR69]

If you can't beat them...join 'em!

 

[Mark pallister]

Sorry but I think you should be shot down for that attitude. If it helps people get out why should it concern you. More bikes please.

I agree ,kids flying all over on them and quite a few older ones that should know better
if the engine cuts out at 15 mph that’s the speed there doing ,walkers ect having to jump out of the way
accident waiting to happen

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I'm surprised it's only ebike riders you have problems with, I went round Dalby Forest with my 9yo grandson there was entitled cyclists coming up behind us, shouting "Rider behind, rider behind" clearly expecting us to jump out of their way. A couple of them got my views of their rudeness.

 

[Tripster]

Rider behind.....Rider in front 👍

 

[Tripster]

Yeah I get it but they are just out enjoying themselves as well and are on a different page from you so let them go with a wave. I always wondered why you would even use an ebike for hills until I met some super cool merican dudes on the boat to Arran and they explained that they let the motor take the strain going up the likes of goat fell, so they have energy to burn on the downhill thrill ride. I thought it made sense.

Good videos online of Danny McCaskill riding a Santa Cruz ebike👍

 

[Jody]

I don't think I have ever been to Sherwood pines and not come across someone riding like a nob, e-bike or not. It really puts me off going. A good percentage of the people are all the gear and no idea.

Those who fly up behind and start shouting "coming through" etc can wait until it is safe to pass if I'm out with my son. It's a family centre. If they want fast there are lots of other places to ride.

I bet half the etiquette problems would disappear if Strava wasn't allowed.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I bet half the etiquette problems would disappear if Strava wasn't allowed.

Not sure about that, maybe if self entitled idiots were allowed Strava is just a projection of themselves.

Last time I was there (last year), there was a teenager riding like a complete tool, weaving in & out of people at a fair speed sat on the back wheel all the time, very impressive & I was jealous of his skills but still an idiot to be doing it there, it was right outside the cafe & none of the rangers said a word.

 

[Drago]

A legal powered electeic bicycle is liable to be slower than a conventional bike in most situations.

If people are razzing around on non legal spec powered bikes then they are actually mopeds or light motorcycles, and they shouldn't be using them on the public trails at all. At privately owned trail centres thats an issue for the landlord to permit or otherwise. Im a professional (when i can be bothered, and when covid permits) MTB trainer, and suffice to say I steer well clear of train centres for numerous reasons.

I shout "behind", not in an expectation that anyone will suddenly leap aside, but as a warning not to ride HUA and do so ething unpredictable while I am passing. If people learned to ride properly and made some minimal effort on their situational awareness then i could happily remain silent. Unfortunately, most people ride like they drive - very badly.

 

[mustang1]

If the trails get too crowded then that isn't really a bunch of fun either. But so far so good, if the e-bike guys wanna get out there, fair play to them, i see quite a few of them out there and I wouldn't mind having a go.

Occasionally I would move out of the way when going uphill for example. I'd make out like I was being polite but I'm just catching my breath . But other than that, I wouldn't move out of the way and any illegally modified e-bikes can get a stick stuck in the spokes for all I care.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I agree it’s great that more folk are out biking - just found it a bit annoying having to keep getting out of the way for leccy bikes today

You don’t have to get out the way. It’s up to them to safely pass when they can.