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BOOOOOO E-BIKES

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
no i complained about being followed by annoying noises in the woods. the heavy breathing i'm cool with. :twitch:
Sure you weren't just chuffed that you didn't get a push or a tow? :D

Mixed rides (some on e-bikes, some not) are a new animal, with new etiquette to figure out, etc. As I recover from a foot injury I've been "that guy" for about a month - the dude who brings an e-bike to "regular" rides. Some people want you to just blast off and then wait at the top, others are happy to roll along and chat, even though they're working harder and your bike is making those noises. Riding behind a regular rider is usually a sign of being deferential, respecting your effort, etc., but it's not always taken that way. Like a lot of things, communication helps.
 

jstuhlman

bagpipe wanker
Dec 3, 2009
16,622
12,911
Cackalacka du Nord
lol. it was a buddy of mine. we were on the same pace. he wasn't being deferential. i didn't care about him being on an ebike. the only other time i've ever been on a ride with someone on one, they were always the last dude in when we stopped, so i'd never "heard" one before. it was just new and annoying. just my 2 cents. i also rode his bike a bit and did not care for it at all.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,029
7,549
I ride on Eco mode when with acoustic bikers and like to think I’m not too annoying.
 

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,479
4,719
Australia
I ride on Eco mode when with acoustic bikers and like to think I’m not too annoying.
Aren't some of the bikes really quiet and some really loud? I've ridden with e-bikes you could barely notice and others you wish would fuck off. Dunno if thats gears vs belts or just bad transmissions or whatever though
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,029
7,549
Aren't some of the bikes really quiet and some really loud? I've ridden with e-bikes you could barely notice and others you wish would fuck off. Dunno if thats gears vs belts or just bad transmissions or whatever though
Yeah, the Specialized/Brose ones are the quietest for sure. My Shimano motor in a carbon frame has a bit of a small RC car vibe to it but it's not overly annoying, IMO.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,029
7,549
for those of you with the red X of proxy-ness, it's a gif of a Scottish looking dude riding while strumming a guitar
 

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,535
5,470
UK
How would you know when a Scot isn't drunk?
As a nation we're kinda next level at drinking.
 

konifere

Monkey
Dec 20, 2021
513
634
Watch out @metallica, someone found an old Specialized e-bike hat and they'll probably sue you for using the same font and album title.

I guess their ethics work only one way!
 
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Rhubarb

Monkey
Jan 11, 2009
462
238
I have accepted all the old timers finding a new sport now that e bikes are a thing. What’s killing me is the dudes riding up downhill trails. Nearly rode into one a month or so ago, going flat out and thinking I had right of way, but he wasn’t budging so it was me who had to go flower picking. Some fella on Saturday decide to right up the trail with the bollocks excuse he was scouting the trail first. Again decided to right up a step section that if I was coming down at the time would have ended badly due to traction being a challenge (loose gravel) and braking something to avoid.
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
18,850
9,556
AK
I have accepted all the old timers finding a new sport now that e bikes are a thing. What’s killing me is the dudes riding up downhill trails. Nearly rode into one a month or so ago, going flat out and thinking I had right of way, but he wasn’t budging so it was me who had to go flower picking. Some fella on Saturday decide to right up the trail with the bollocks excuse he was scouting the trail first. Again decided to right up a step section that if I was coming down at the time would have ended badly due to traction being a challenge (loose gravel) and braking something to avoid.
Right? They can just hop up 30+% grade sections that no one would have imagined of riding up previously.
 

iRider

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2008
5,648
3,089
Again decided to right up a step section that if I was coming down at the time would have ended badly due to traction being a challenge (loose gravel) and braking something to avoid.
Just wondering, how can he ride up a trail with challenging traction that you have a hard time to brake downhill on? Tires seem to be similar on both types of vehicles.
I get your point and it is an annoying occurence. Here we luckily often have unidirectional trails and even the eMopeds stick to that. Equestrians on the other hand .... nothing better than coming around a corner on a bike-only trail with a horse coming towards you. :eek: :disgust1:
 

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
20,188
19,155
Canaderp
Just wondering, how can he ride up a trail with challenging traction that you have a hard time to brake downhill on? Tires seem to be similar on both types of vehicles.
I get your point and it is an annoying occurence. Here we luckily often have unidirectional trails and even the eMopeds stick to that. Equestrians on the other hand .... nothing better than coming around a corner on a bike-only trail with a horse coming towards you. :eek: :disgust1:
Really? You can maintain traction going up or across something at a steady pace pretty easily, compared to having momentum pointed down a hill and then suddenly having to change speed.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,029
7,549
I have accepted all the old timers finding a new sport now that e bikes are a thing. What’s killing me is the dudes riding up downhill trails. Nearly rode into one a month or so ago, going flat out and thinking I had right of way, but he wasn’t budging so it was me who had to go flower picking. Some fella on Saturday decide to right up the trail with the bollocks excuse he was scouting the trail first. Again decided to right up a step section that if I was coming down at the time would have ended badly due to traction being a challenge (loose gravel) and braking something to avoid.
Assuming you are in the US, then uphill riders have the right of way. If it's not a downhill only section then it's on you to not be out of control lest you encounter someone going up.
 

iRider

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2008
5,648
3,089
Really? You can maintain traction going up or across something at a steady pace pretty easily, compared to having momentum pointed down a hill and then suddenly having to change speed.
I would assume spinning out is an issue, especially with all that added torque, no?
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,647
1,116
NORCAL is the hizzle
Assuming you are in the US, then uphill riders have the right of way. If it's not a downhill only section then it's on you to not be out of control lest you encounter someone going up.
Speaking generally you are correct, but I give others the right of way when I'm on an e-bike, up or down. Especially if I'm heading up a trail that nobody climbs unless on an e-bike. Asserting the right of way for no good reason is kind of dickish IMO.
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,029
7,549
True, that does change the dynamic a bit and I don't know the trail in question. But in general getting moving again is more difficult going up, plus the "flower picking" comment doesn't sound like Rhubarb yielded but merely went off trail to go around the rider. (Which is also not kosher.)
 

SylentK

Turbo Monkey
Feb 25, 2004
2,287
854
coloRADo
Yeah, on the eeb, I pretty much yield to everyone, no matter what direction I'm going or who's who (dog walker, runner, etc.). It's all good! Unless it is a dirt roadie/gravel junky. Fuck those fucking fucks! Just kidding. :)

We get a lot of horses up here too. Sometimes they go waaaaay off trail "into the flowers" to avoid me and wish me a nice day. That's the best. I still yield, tho. Maybe even say hi to the horse ;)
 

Rhubarb

Monkey
Jan 11, 2009
462
238
The established route for this forest is to climb the fire road then ride down the trails. Climbing up the trail is just dumb ass and unnecessary. No one else does it on a regular bike, which demonstrates that these e bikers are proving a point to themselves. No I am not in the US. The section I was referring to has 2 linking corners covered in lose kitty litter and I try to ride this section as fast as I can. There is no much option for riding off the trail to avoid a collision and hard braking would not end well. If you were hiker biking it would be easy to step off the trail, but someone climbing up on a bike would not be able to. In both cases I am not taking about a general trail with no up/down routes, and in both cases they were flat out down hill speedy sections.
 

Gary

"S" is for "neo-luddite"
Aug 27, 2002
7,535
5,470
UK
In that case. In the UK a trail would normally be labelled directional or multi directional and shared/multi use or single use (cycle) on a trail map and many may even be sign posted to show this.
Where is the trail?