Motorized Electric Bikes On Trails

[SpiderLegs]

Had my first encounter with one of those new motorized E-Bikes on Trail 100 yesterday. Guess the intent of these bikes is to have a small electric motor to "assist" the rider up short, steep sections of trail. The bikes have a max speed of about 20 MPH. I really got ticked off when I saw this guy plowing down the trail on what in my mind is essentially a low powered motorcycle.

Has anyone else bumped into these bikes yet? From the cursory bit of research I've read these bikes exist in a grey area and haven't been banned yet because they are so new to the market.

[Tough_Boots]

I just don't get the need to expand access THAT far. Next you'll see the push to allow bikes in wilderness areas start to gain more support.

I always thought the allure of the AZT was the ruggedness, remoteness, and solitude that some of the other thru hikes lack. It would be unfortunate to see those areas now flooded with activity.

[LosDosSloFolks]

The lead line on the AZT website currently reads..."The Arizona National Scenic Trail is a complete non-motorized path..."
Quick and easy change to..."The Arizona National Scenic Trail is a complete non-motorized path, except for some motors..."
Hundreds of trail signs will need to be updated also. Progress.

[chumley]

@Tough_Boots
It's a factor of how funding works in today's world. Where the forest service should have an annual budget for trail maintenance ... it does not. Therefore, even popular trails like Barnhart don't get the work they need without outside assistance. The ATA does good work in that it applies for grants that do trail maintenance even on trails that are not part of the AZT (Thanks! - Barnhart is great!) But that's the problem. The Tonto NF can't get a $5,000 grant for a single trail crew to spend a few days working on a single trail. It takes an outside agency like ATA to apply for a $50,000 grant for a project that is way bigger than it needs to be. And the only way to apply for (and win) funding is with bigger (sexier) projects. And those are easier to win when more people have a vested interest. So bring in the horsemen, the hikers, the hunters, the mountain bikers ... bring in anybody and everybody who could possibly find a trail useful. (Can we get Instagram to donate a percentage of income?)

Sadly, more use equals more funding, rather than just providing the FS with the support it needs from the start.

[CannondaleKid]

I just don't get the need to expand access THAT far

I agree.
If someone can ride an e-bike on the trail but are unable to ride a regular mountain bike, they surely have the capability to walk.

Of the six e-bikes I've encountered on trails in the last year, ALL were riding on trails CLEARLY marked no e-bikes. And of those I called their attention to being on a prohibited trail all responded as though they were somehow more entitled... saving the environment and all.

[FOTG]

@toddak
Yup I filled it out for sure, like I said, it almost seemed April Fools ish to me, I never thought as an outdoor enthusiast and hiker, I would see the day when the use of motorized vehicles was being advocated for on hiking trails...they paved paradise and put in a parking lot, sigh...

[chumley]

Can I report a post for a bad music lyric violation?

[Tough_Boots]

Can I report a post for a bad music lyric violation?

How dare you speak ill of Joni Mitchell!

[outdoor_lover]

I think it's as simple as attracting new users to the AZT who may support, protect, and volunteer for trail maintenance.

I'm betting that half of E Bike Users won't be physically capable in helping with Trail Maintenance and the other half simply won't care about supporting anything but themselves.

[Alston_Neal]

You mean our favorite section could get worse? San Francisco Peaks - AZT #34. Hard to imagine, but if you can get there before the hipsters have made their avocado toast for breakfast you're less likely to get run over.

[cactuscat]

I ordered my Lectric XP a couple months ago - I am eagerly awaiting it's arrival in another week or two!
However, I do NOT think I should be able to ride it on "non-motorized" trails ... it's gonna be a whole lot of fun on dirt roads though!

[chumley]

I'm waiting for my corona stimulus check so I can buy one of these. AZT better let me use it along the trail too. It's the ultimate mobility device providing total barrier-free access to all.
[ youtube video ]

[herdbull]

I'm waiting for my corona stimulus check so I can buy one of these. AZT better let me use it along the trail too. It's the ultimate mobility device providing total barrier-free access to all.
[ youtube video ]

poo mess.....little nitrous on that thing and count me in

[BunsbertMontcroff]

I'm betting that half of E Bike Users won't be physically capable in helping with Trail Maintenance and the other half simply won't care about supporting anything but themselves.

Maybe? I don't really know. I was speaking about mountain bikers in general (not e-bike riders), many of whom like me also hike and run the AZT. And do trail building and maintenance. I am not a fan of e-bikes, for the record. And I don't want to see quads, s x s, or motos on the trail, of course.

But the vibe I am getting is that you guys don't want to see any new users or increase pressure to the trail, period. Whether those are hikers, trail runners, cyclists, or equestrians. And I get that, I can truly empathize - as a backcountry fly fisherman who seeks out small, difficult to access hike-in streams I cringe every time I see news or photos about said streams on IG or other social media. I want to keep them for myself and keep the masses away. But I'm also realistic about the increasing popularity of outdoor activities, overlanding ,and the like. And that the population of this state has nearly doubled in several decades. So I guess we'll be sharing the trails and streams with others. The winning move seems to educate these users and get them involved in advocacy and maintenance.

[Alston_Neal]

So Chums becomes the first flying penguin and with a tude like no other.

[azbackpackr]

So, as much as I dislike taking surveys and opinion polls, (unless I'm paid to do so), I started that one. But it was so long I never finished it.

[rcorfman]

Hike the Colorado Trail through a section that allows mountain bikes and you will never want to see another one on the trail, Apart from the weird bravado mountain bikers seem to come with, the trail becomes trash, picture walking foot over foot on a 6-8 inch deep five inch wide rut all day,

I disagree. I thru-hiked the CT in 2017. The day out of Breck there was a big mountain bike race and I saw hundreds of riders. All were nice. There were a lot of riders in other places too. All were nice. The trails were fine. Where the trail was all rutted out wasn't from Mt. Bikes, but from dirt bikes. Also, all IMBA registered cyclists need to perform some amount of trail work to keep their license. At least that's the way it used to be.

[FOTG]

@rcorfman
Maybe we did not hike the same CT.

[chumley]

I saw hundreds of riders. All were nice. There were a lot of riders in other places too. All were nice.

I don't know why you have a bias on this topic, but it's laughably apparent in your post. Nobody has ever met hundreds of any group of people and found them all to be nice. There are hundreds of nuns in a monastery and you'd still find one or two that's having a bad day. Let's be real here.

[sidhayes]

@rcorfman
Not about being nice. It is about fast wheeled vehicles physically and mentally clashing with foot traffic. Incompatable.

[rcorfman]

@chumley
I suppose I could have written, none were not nice. But it still remains that all encounters I had with cyclists on the CT were fine.