Electric bikes are no longer motorized vehicles

[kentrek]

what's granny going to do when her e-bike dies and she cant self rescue...maybe they can do a special...buy 1 ebike & get a garmin inreach mini 50% off

Really dont see how this is beneficial to hunters in anyway..

You would if you were in your seventies or disabled.

If youre in your 70s or disabled, maybe its just time to accept that non motorized areas are no longer an option. 

Its 2019....we dont have to accept our gender let alone our age..  look at our president, he cant even accept his own skin color


When did we get so insecure

[Igor]

The reward for working hard to get five miles in a trail is the lack of hunting pressure. When the number of people able to easily get away from their vehicles and do what hikers have done will diminish the experience for everyone.

Except for the guy on the bike..................

[kentrek]

The reward for working hard to get five miles in a trail is the lack of hunting pressure. When the number of people able to easily get away from their vehicles and do what hikers have done will diminish the experience for everyone.

Except for the guy on the bike..................

No he too will get to enjoy the crowds and lack of game

[baldopepper]

I'm in my seventies, can't get around quite like I used too but wouldn't consider riding an E-bike hunting. For me personally it just wouldn't seem like hunting. I remember seeing where people could go on the old Tote-Goats and where more modern dirt bikes go and can't help but think with newer batteries and electric motors you'll be seeing E-bikes in places you'd rather not see them. Never thought I'd see the day where hunters could accurately take animals out over 1,000+ yards but modern technology has made that fairly common. Seems to me this ruling could be opening another Pandora's box.

[bigdub257]

Aren't there already a lot of people already accessing these trails/areas on non-motorized bikes? I just don't see that many new people rushing out to buy an e-bike because of this ruling.

[bornhunter]

I'm in my seventies, can't get around quite like I used too but wouldn't consider riding an E-bike hunting. For me personally it just wouldn't seem like hunting. I remember seeing where people could go on the old Tote-Goats and where more modern dirt bikes go and can't help but think with newer batteries and electric motors you'll be seeing E-bikes in places you'd rather not see them. Never thought I'd see the day where hunters could accurately take animals out over 1,000+ yards but modern technology has made that fairly common. Seems to me this ruling could be opening another Pandora's box.

[Crunchy]

We allow horses into the backcountry that do far more damage. There are plenty of folks because of their age and/or disabilities that applaud this decision. Time now to open it up to everywhere bicycles are allowed. We stopped being able to criticize these bikes when we allowed the ATV's that we see almost everywhere and mountain bikers that have no concern for anyone else on the trails...

Yeah that!!!

[GoldenRing270]

I got an e-bike in February and have put 800 miles on it. I still can't believe how fun it is to ride. I also can't believe how great of biking shape it has gotten me in. Before getting the e-bike I would get off our regular mtn bikes and walk up most hills. Doing a 10 mile ride on a flat road used to be a long ride for me. Since getting the e-bike I can power up hills on a regular bike and ride for 20+ miles. Most of my riding has been on forest service roads open to vehicles. The bikes motor is 500 watts (about like having an Olympic cyclist helping you out). In order to keep the bike moving up moderate/steep forest roads I have to pedal and am usually huffing and puffing. Also, going up hills really drains the battery and unless I am working and pedaling I could only travel a short distance. The bikes top speed is 20 mph and I would guess I average 10-12 mph going up most forest roads.

One day on my way home from work along a paved road I noticed someone on a non motorized road bicycle about 500 meters in front of me. We got into an impromptu race. I was gaining very slowly and he kept looking back to check my progress so I was pretty sure he was giving it everything he had trying to stay in front. It took me 5 miles to catch him and very slowly overtake him and there were several hills along the way. I passed him just in time to make the turn into my house.

I feel like I'm on both sides of this issue. I love the wilderness and love my solitude. On the other hand as long as motor size and top speed is restricted I often wonder why e-bikes shouldn't be allowed in places where you can ride a regular bicycle.

Either way electric bikes are an incredible thing. Something to be celebrated. Such a simple form of silent transportation which uses zero fossil fuels and is partially human powered.  I encourage everyone to give it a try.

[KFhunter]

That's a good point on fitness with the ebike,  being that you're able to cover so much more ground it has encouraged you to ride more,  and in doing so you help it help you and get even more exercise than you would on a "boring" normal bike that you might not even take out in the first place.

Interesting.

I hadn't thought of that angle.   

Most folks would say you wouldn't get as much exercise on an e-bike, but your experience is showing that you actually get more due to the fun factor. 
Is it an electric assist bike? Or a human assist the bike, bike?

 

[High Climber]

I got an e-bike in February and have put 800 miles on it. I still can't believe how fun it is to ride. I also can't believe how great of biking shape it has gotten me in. Before getting the e-bike I would get off our regular mtn bikes and walk up most hills. Doing a 10 mile ride on a flat road used to be a long ride for me. Since getting the e-bike I can power up hills on a regular bike and ride for 20+ miles. Most of my riding has been on forest service roads open to vehicles. The bikes motor is 500 watts (about like having an Olympic cyclist helping you out). In order to keep the bike moving up moderate/steep forest roads I have to pedal and am usually huffing and puffing. Also, going up hills really drains the battery and unless I am working and pedaling I could only travel a short distance. The bikes top speed is 20 mph and I would guess I average 10-12 mph going up most forest roads.

One day on my way home from work along a paved road I noticed someone on a non motorized road bicycle about 500 meters in front of me. We got into an impromptu race. I was gaining very slowly and he kept looking back to check my progress so I was pretty sure he was giving it everything he had trying to stay in front. It took me 5 miles to catch him and very slowly overtake him and there were several hills along the way. I passed him just in time to make the turn into my house.

I feel like I'm on both sides of this issue. I love the wilderness and love my solitude. On the other hand as long as motor size and top speed is restricted I often wonder why e-bikes shouldn't be allowed in places where you can ride a regular bicycle.

Either way electric bikes are an incredible thing. Something to be celebrated. Such a simple form of silent transportation which uses zero fossil fuels and is partially human powered.  I encourage everyone to give it a try.

Which one do you have?

[GoldenRing270]

Rad Power bikes - Radrover

I love it. I have had a couple issues with it but the company offers a one year warranty and they truly stand behind it.

I went to the shop in Seattle and picked up the 2018 model on closeout for $400 dollars off since the new 2019 model was coming out. Got it for $1299. Then about a month later I noticed that I got a deposit for $200 from Rad. I called and they said that they figured out how to absorbs the tariffs and were sending everyone who purchased a bike in January/February $200. I couldn't believe it.

[Crunchy]

Rad Power bikes - Radrover

I love it. I have had a couple issues with it but the company offers a one year warranty and they truly stand behind it.

Same ones we use.  We park our truck at camp, and rarely need to start it until it is time to head home.  From camp we take the ebikes or quad depending how far from camp we hunt. 

[SGTDuffman]

I’ve always just walked because it’s the least disruptive, for me and everyone else.

It’s irritating to have gotten up super early and hiked way back into an area on a closed timber road or something just to have some guy on a bike come screaming by as your approaching your area and make an S load of noise. Seems like the lazy way. Get up later, blow through making a ton of noise, completely oblivious to the herd of elk they just scared off, because they’re so focused on getting to wherever they never took the time to look around or stop and listen. I watch it happen sitting up on sours and stuff. See the logging roads and here some guy on a bike coming from a mile away. You might as well be driving a truck.

https://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/pubs/journals/pnw_2018_wisdom001.pdf

[Crunchy]

Only thing on an ebike that makes noise is the brakes sometimes they get squeaky. 

[KFhunter]

and tire on gravel noise, to an elk...mile away noise