The real problem with electric mountain bikes

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There’s been a lot of vitriol thrown at electric-assist mountain bikes. The arguments against allowing e-MTBs on singletrack run the gamut from the somewhat elitist and intangible view that they’re not 'real' or 'pure' mountain bikes to the much more valid (and worrying) claim that, if not managed responsibly, e-MTBs could cost all mountain bikers access to the trails we love to ride.

For readers outside of the United States, this issue may not apply to you. The US is blessed with millions upon millions of square miles of public land — many times larger than some countries — that are administered by a complicated web of federal, state and local land management agencies. Rules on land use can vary dramatically and can take years, even decades, to change.

In general, e-MTBs are classified as motorized. This makes sense as they do, in fact, have an electric motor. Early research shows that their impact is comparable to traditional mountain bikes, but whether e-MTBs should only be allowed on trails that are also open to other motorized users, or if they should also be permitted to pedal alongside their non-motorized brethren isn’t the point, at least not for now.

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The best defense against trail closures is educating e-MTB riders on where they are currently allowed to ride and in this, the cycling industry is falling woefully short.

For now, the primary concern should be making sure that anti-mountain bike zealots can’t turn e-MTBs into a reason to run the rest of us off the trails. Pedal-assist mountain bikes might empower some riders to go farther and faster, but this is not technology worth losing hard-fought ground for. The best defense against trail closures is educating e-MTB riders on where they are currently allowed to ride and in this, the cycling industry is falling woefully short.

A reponsibility to educate

Are e-MTBs allowed on my trails? In some cases that’s murky question, but one that must be answered. In my opinion, the responsibility for educating riders on responsible electric-assist mountain bike use falls squarely on the shoulders of the bike companies pushing their acceptance, not on overworked and underfunded advocacy organizations.

To the bike companies peddling e-MTBs: it’s time to take a slice of the pie from the marketing budget and put it toward educating your customers.

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