E-bikes are a thing

Ebikes??

  • I have never ridden one

    Votes: 99 41.6%
  • I have ridden one for over an hour on a trail and I’ll never buy one

    Votes: 9 3.8%
  • I have ridden one in a trail for over an hr and I am considering one

    Votes: 19 8.0%
  • I’ll never give up my analog bike but I’ll still get an ebike

    Votes: 34 14.3%
  • Did he just say analog bike?

    Votes: 35 14.7%
  • My knees are failing and an ebike in inevitable

    Votes: 16 6.7%
  • My next bike will certainly be an ebike.

    Votes: 19 8.0%
  • I’ll never own an ebike, even when I’m 90

    Votes: 25 10.5%
  • Ebikes cause more trail damage than analog bikes

    Votes: 8 3.4%
  • Ebikes have no more trail impact than a traditional bike.

    Votes: 63 26.5%
  • I hate anyone on an ebike

    Votes: 7 2.9%
  • Anyone on a bike is a friend of mine, ebike or not

    Votes: 89 37.4%
  • I’ve been seeing ebikes in the woods regularly

    Votes: 50 21.0%
  • I’ve never seen an ebike on the trail

    Votes: 15 6.3%
  • It's called an Acoustic bike

    Votes: 14 5.9%
  • “I may consider one after my body is all used up and broken"

    Votes: 64 26.9%
  • I already own an off-road Ebike

    Votes: 29 12.2%
  • I have no interest in an e-bike

    Votes: 13 5.5%
  • Arguing against ebikes is kerfuffle

    Votes: 13 5.5%
  • I like Matty no matter what he rides

    Votes: 17 7.1%

  • Total voters
    238

jShort

2018 Fantasy Football Toilet Bowl Lead Technician
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Out here right now in Park City, they’re probably 10% of the bikes you see. Tons of signs saying No E-bikes, but you can rent them right down the mountain.

The bikes look the same and you can’t tell the difference half the time. But the dead giveaway is the people riding them.
Example: After just riding a 30 minute switchback climb, which hurt, you turn around and you got some schlub riding right next to you. No fn way he’s doing this climb. Then you look and it’s always an e bike.
These are the people who probably should not have access to these trails. They’re way over their heads and they’re being taken out on helicopters. Which is not a good look.
 

stb222

Love Drunk
Jerk Squad
I will admit, the trails I had in York were often ripped up my motos and one of my local parks is the same, so I do have so ptsd and honestly I can’t stand the noise.
@Norm makes really logically arguments and it is easy to see how 20% of bikes will be electric in 10 years. Still need to be weary from an access perspective though.

the DH parks popping up is not from people not fit enough to ride up, lol. It is because riding DH is more fun than going up. I don’t really think that is an argument to buy an e bike though.
 
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Ian F

Well-Known Member
I don't know about DH parks and no fitness. I just did 8 runs at Blue Mtn and I am wiped out worse than after a 3 hour trail ride in the Shed. Fitness was why I quit racing DH - I just didn't have the desire to train that much to be competitive.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I don't know about DH parks and no fitness. I just did 8 runs at Blue Mtn and I am wiped out worse than after a 3 hour trail ride in the Shed. Fitness was why I quit racing DH - I just didn't have the desire to train that much to be competitive.

We are veering off topic so I will not belabor this. But this is not true for me. Note that I have never ridden Blue nor Shed.
 

mattybfat

The Opinion Police
Team MTBNJ Halter's
We are veering off topic so I will not belabor this. But this is not true for me. Note that I have never ridden Blue nor Shed.
Finishing top 10 in whatever class of DH takes a ton of training. Used to be pros spent all week on road bikes during season then weight training and moto off season. Last year with all the SS I was doing put me in the best form in years when we went to the big mountains. But your riding at a pretty good peak so it's non noticeable to you. Jump on when your not so fit and frequent stops are the norm. Now I wonder if I could do a top to bottom pin run at creek.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Finishing top 10 in whatever class of DH takes a ton of training.

Again I would say we are off topic. And the vast majority of people at the DH park (99.8%?) are not finishing in the top 10 of any races, I would imagine.
 

mattybfat

The Opinion Police
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Again I would say we are off topic. And the vast majority of people at the DH park (99.8%?) are not finishing in the top 10 of any races, I would imagine.
True beans
I would have a strong interest in demoing that Norco Range but I'm afraid ebike demos are probably even more scarcer then analog bikes.
 

a.s.

Mr. Chainring
If we’re going to dive into park riding and eBikes, here’s my .02¢ on that.

In the next 10 years Ski mountains will convert their service roads into uphill trails for eBikes. There will be quick charging stations at the base. Lifts will operate less frequently if at all, saving tens of thousands of dollars, maybe millions at the big resorts. This could also be an opportunity for small local mountains who’s overhead can not currently sustain summer operations.
 

a.s.

Mr. Chainring
Again I would say we are off topic. And the vast majority of people at the DH park (99.8%?) are not finishing in the top 10 of any races, I would imagine.
Speak for yourself. Anyone who rides an eBike is guaranteed to get a top 3 at any race they enter. It’s in the pamphlet.
 
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Ian F

Well-Known Member
If we’re going to dive into park riding and eBikes, here’s my .02¢ on that.

In the next 10 years Ski mountains will convert their service roads into uphill trails for eBikes. There will be quick charging stations at the base. Lifts will operate less frequently if at all, saving tens of thousands of dollars, maybe millions at the big resorts. This could also be an opportunity for small local mountains who’s overhead can not currently sustain summer operations.
This is already starting - Kanuga in NC is more or less the prototype for an e-bike park. I've been saying for awhile how Glen Park fits this mold as well - one climbing trail to the top and multiple DH trail options back down. Spring Mtn in PA is like this as well. It's essentially a park that is open to ride whenever, but the lift doesn't operate anymore. Not that climbing up the mtn was often faster anyway and an e-bike would definitely be faster.

One scenario I've seen is instead of operating (or in the case of a totally new park, installing in the first place) a lift would be to have a fleet of rental e-bikes. Should be a hell of a lot cheaper to purchase and maintain as well as less impact on the land. Less operational costs as well, not having to staff a lift. Would likely only need one or two more rental shop staff to keep track of the e-bikes.
 

jdog

Shop: Halter's Cycles
Shop Keep
This is already starting - Kanuga in NC is more or less the prototype for an e-bike park. I've been saying for awhile how Glen Park fits this mold as well - one climbing trail to the top and multiple DH trail options back down. Spring Mtn in PA is like this as well. It's essentially a park that is open to ride whenever, but the lift doesn't operate anymore. Not that climbing up the mtn was often faster anyway and an e-bike would definitely be faster.

One scenario I've seen is instead of operating (or in the case of a totally new park, installing in the first place) a lift would be to have a fleet of rental e-bikes. Should be a hell of a lot cheaper to purchase and maintain as well as less impact on the land. Less operational costs as well, not having to staff a lift. Would likely only need one or two more rental shop staff to keep track of the e-bikes.
There is a guy I know who works at cannondale who hits fort hill at Thunder on the ebike. Laps it w/o a chairlift. He's legit!
 
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mattybfat

The Opinion Police
Team MTBNJ Halter's
This is already starting - Kanuga in NC is more or less the prototype for an e-bike park. I've been saying for awhile how Glen Park fits this mold as well - one climbing trail to the top and multiple DH trail options back down. Spring Mtn in PA is like this as well. It's essentially a park that is open to ride whenever, but the lift doesn't operate anymore. Not that climbing up the mtn was often faster anyway and an e-bike would definitely be faster.

One scenario I've seen is instead of operating (or in the case of a totally new park, installing in the first place) a lift would be to have a fleet of rental e-bikes. Should be a hell of a lot cheaper to purchase and maintain as well as less impact on the land. Less operational costs as well, not having to staff a lift. Would likely only need one or two more rental shop staff to keep track of the e-bikes.
Let's hope that this is something that will open plattekill again or maybe it's already happening. They already have the access road.
 

Ian F

Well-Known Member
Let's hope that this is something that will open plattekill again or maybe it's already happening. They already have the access road.
Possible... it would still require management to invest $$$ into trail maintenance... about which I have some doubts. Let's face it, if you remember the way bikes were hung on the chair lifts, there was never a large amount of investment made into the biking side of the business at Plattekill. I just can't see them spending the coin required to buy a fleet of e-bikes.
 

mattybfat

The Opinion Police
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Possible... it would still require management to invest $$$ into trail maintenance... about which I have some doubts. Let's face it, if you remember the way bikes were hung on the chair lifts, there was never a large amount of investment made into the biking side of the business at Plattekill. I just can't see them spending the coin required to buy a fleet of e-bikes.
I agree about putting money into a fleet is probably not gonna happen, once other venues opened he gave up. What made Platt special was how raw and steep it was. We used to laugh that they just took a big ball of string and let roll down and that was your course. The natural drops and shale surfing made that place unique. I do miss it, loved the area too...
 

Ian F

Well-Known Member
I agree about putting money into a fleet is probably not gonna happen, once other venues opened he gave up. What made Platt special was how raw and steep it was. We used to laugh that they just took a big ball of string and let roll down and that was your course. The natural drops and shale surfing made that place unique. I do miss it, loved the area too...
Yeah... Me too. Looking at Trailforks as well as a trail map I found on mtbparks.com, the number of trails seems a lot fewer than I remember - 8 or 9?. Granted, I'm guessing many of the old race courses were just allowed to go back to nature from lack of use/maintenance. But the idea of using the two Lift Mountain Roads (as shown on Trailforks) for e-bike climbing has some possibilities.
 
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Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Yeah... Me too. Looking at Trailforks as well as a trail map I found on mtbparks.com, the number of trails seems a lot fewer than I remember - 8 or 9?. Granted, I'm guessing many of the old race courses were just allowed to go back to nature from lack of use/maintenance. But the idea of using the two Lift Mountain Roads (as shown on Trailforks) for e-bike climbing has some possibilities.

Are these trails actually still open to ride in the summer? I did see a picture of friends skiing there this winter and he pointed out that some of the wooden drops are still there, as his kid was skiing off one.
 
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