BOOOOOO E-BIKES
- Thread starter Gary
- Start date
The couple of mates that just got the lightweight Kenevo SL things bring them pretty much every ride now. They're not powerful enough to leave me for dead on my archaic Amish/Acoustic/Analogue/Real/Meat-Powered trail bike. If anything its a welcome step up in pace (some social rides tend to dawdle and stop too much). I'm sure when I'm tired I'll hate them but mostly its a good little training exercise I suppose.
The noise isn't the greatest - much like the AXS/Di2 noises its something you kinda tune out after a bit.
I find a mix of fitness in a decent sized group often has the effect of the faster fitter guys feeling like they've been waiting so long they've cooled down and just want to head off again as soon as the last unfit guy reaches them when in reality it's the unfit guy who *needs* a rest most. Ebikes can work really well for those guys. but only if they're not dicks with the pace.
Ah yes the infamous Dick Stop. Wait till the fittest people are refreshed and then continue when the slow riders arrive so they don't get a break.
Went for a quick XC-ish 1.5h ride last Friday. I was pretty much alone in the trails, except for this one guy on his emtb. Just after starting from the parking lot, I hear the motor whine from behind and quickly stop to let the e-guy pass because he seemed to be quite in a hurry. Later on I see him coming out from the woods, he passes by, once again looking quite in a rush (on flat ground/gravel road). The final time I was climbing up near the parking lot and this fucker came in again from behind without slowing at all. I stopped on the side again, he said "thanks" and I just said to me "fucking ebikes". What if every other rider was on an ebike and I had to stop every 30 seconds ?! Welcome to 2026 probably.
I guess he needed to hurry up to cover more ground than me because he was short on time!! We both arrived and left at the same time, both rode for 1.5 hours in the woods. It was proabably the best ride I've had this season, I guess he also had a great time. I struggle to see how this is better for everyone involved in mountain biking.
Walking back from work today I was passed by a fucking 1 wheeled-unicycle-cyborg filming himself with his selfie stick and moto helmet at 50kph on the city cycle path, while crossing paths with a father and his young daughter on the back seat. Then 3-4 electric scooters drove by at the same speed. I think I saw 3-4 amish bikes on my hour walk. These fucking electric things are destroying the whole human walking and cycling activities everywhere.
BOOOOOOO E-BIKES!
I guess he needed to hurry up to cover more ground than me because he was short on time!! We both arrived and left at the same time, both rode for 1.5 hours in the woods. It was proabably the best ride I've had this season, I guess he also had a great time. I struggle to see how this is better for everyone involved in mountain biking.
Walking back from work today I was passed by a fucking 1 wheeled-unicycle-cyborg filming himself with his selfie stick and moto helmet at 50kph on the city cycle path, while crossing paths with a father and his young daughter on the back seat. Then 3-4 electric scooters drove by at the same speed. I think I saw 3-4 amish bikes on my hour walk. These fucking electric things are destroying the whole human walking and cycling activities everywhere.
BOOOOOOO E-BIKES!
What did ebike guy do wrong? Was he being a jerk about passing you? He thanked you - what makes him a fucker?
@OGRipper Good question.
I attributed the term "fucker" to the poor soul because it was the 3rd time in 1.5 hours that he almost bumped into my rear wheel, arriving quick like someone on a motorbike and incitating me to stop at an incovenient place because his "fucking" motor was making him 2-3 times as fast as a normal mountain biker.
I would have said the same thing of a same-speed amish biker doing the same things, but it just happened to be a guy with an e-bike, which irritates me even more because he's got a motor. Say what you want, but most times I've met people on e-bikes, they seemed to be in another dimension time-wise. Like "Hey, get out of the way, I have important trails to ride, bro. Your experience in the forest to escape society I couldn't care less, and bring the society's annoying doings into your wilderness peace."
BOOOOOO E-BIKES
I attributed the term "fucker" to the poor soul because it was the 3rd time in 1.5 hours that he almost bumped into my rear wheel, arriving quick like someone on a motorbike and incitating me to stop at an incovenient place because his "fucking" motor was making him 2-3 times as fast as a normal mountain biker.
I would have said the same thing of a same-speed amish biker doing the same things, but it just happened to be a guy with an e-bike, which irritates me even more because he's got a motor. Say what you want, but most times I've met people on e-bikes, they seemed to be in another dimension time-wise. Like "Hey, get out of the way, I have important trails to ride, bro. Your experience in the forest to escape society I couldn't care less, and bring the society's annoying doings into your wilderness peace."
BOOOOOO E-BIKES
ebikers and amish bikers together are far less civilized
with that in mind, ebike bro sounds like he was being pretty polite to the trail impediment in his way. On his ebike trail.
You sound like a moany faced weirdo.
Do you get all het up and angry if a jogger dares to pass you while you're walking too?
Read the previous sentence of my comment again, Gary. Or maybe you need an e-reader to help you do it and comprehend that the guy could have waited a bit more and not get into my wheel? I heard it coming anyway and he did the same thing every time.
I get passed and pass people on trails all the time like everyone else, but there is a way to do it and saying « thank you » after being annoying doesn’t mean that it’s okay.
One of my friends at work has an ebike, but he got his knees destroyed in an MX crash and he behaves like a good human so I don’t care. My best riding buddy wants to get one too and I don’t care. I’m just tired of uncivilized people, especially when I’m out on my bike, and it seems amplified since ebikes have taken oven.
And yes, I always walk with a speed radar gun and shout to everyone going over my walking speed.
Ok I’m done stirring shit in here.
I get passed and pass people on trails all the time like everyone else, but there is a way to do it and saying « thank you » after being annoying doesn’t mean that it’s okay.
One of my friends at work has an ebike, but he got his knees destroyed in an MX crash and he behaves like a good human so I don’t care. My best riding buddy wants to get one too and I don’t care. I’m just tired of uncivilized people, especially when I’m out on my bike, and it seems amplified since ebikes have taken oven.
And yes, I always walk with a speed radar gun and shout to everyone going over my walking speed.
Ok I’m done stirring shit in here.
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Just wait until the entire Pacific Northwest is burning to ash cause some dude's E-Bike decides to combust for some random reason. Then hold that motor and battery maker financially responsible for the fire. Sue them to dirt, and companies using their stuff get hit with a suit as well.
Then send the cartel after them cause all the shitty weed they are growing in Humboldt burnt to the ground. That way they are finally ruined and probably end up with their heads on pikes somewhere outside of Shasta County......
Then send the cartel after them cause all the shitty weed they are growing in Humboldt burnt to the ground. That way they are finally ruined and probably end up with their heads on pikes somewhere outside of Shasta County......
Well then it’s going to be a long winter hiking those trails in hope that the guy would do the same, because the trails are closed for the winter until May next year.
…Or I might be lucky, the guy’s an ebike rider after all, he’s surely going to RIDE THE CLOSED TRAILS ANYWAY!!
But unfortunately that won’t be possible since I had taken the afternoon off work and I can’t take all Friday afternoons off. I’ll just need to keep this as a souvenir of a heart breaking story of me being passed 3 times in the same ride by a harmless guy on an ebike.
Quite uneventful when you think about it, I don’t know why you’re making a big deal out of this
…Or I might be lucky, the guy’s an ebike rider after all, he’s surely going to RIDE THE CLOSED TRAILS ANYWAY!!
But unfortunately that won’t be possible since I had taken the afternoon off work and I can’t take all Friday afternoons off. I’ll just need to keep this as a souvenir of a heart breaking story of me being passed 3 times in the same ride by a harmless guy on an ebike.
Quite uneventful when you think about it, I don’t know why you’re making a big deal out of this
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Some people have bad etiquette. That's nothing new, even if ebikes enable clueless riders to some extent. This whole thing about him being in a hurry seems like a misplaced projection. (A faster rider approached quickly? Really?) Plus your whole "wilderness peace" thing makes you sound like a cranky old hiker or equestrian - the same ones who hate you and your amish bike on THEIR (public) trails.
Mostly though it sounds like you were just chuffed the dude got in 3 laps to your 1.
Mostly though it sounds like you were just chuffed the dude got in 3 laps to your 1.
I seriously don’t give a shit about how many more « laps » one does, I just want to spend time in the woods, not mileage.
What irritates me is the bad « etiquette », or what I’d more appropriately call bad «living in society amongst other people » behavior that people have. It happens everywhere in life, and it seems to happen more often than before. Living in a big city, I witness so many situations where people turn on the pedestrian light hitting me if I didn’t pay attention, speed to like 70kph in our small street for no reason when there are kids playing, throwing garbage in the street, hit a car with theirs and just escape the scene…
MTB used to be my escape from all this shit, but with the influx of new riders with no idea of « trail etiquette », a percentage of those new riders are stupid people that do stupid shit in society. It’s always been like that, but it seems worse since ebikes have started to be more popular. Or maybe I just pay more attention.
It’s also location dependent. Here we have to pay 25$ access fees to go ride. That means 2 things : 1.People can feel entitled to do what they want because they paid. 2. People may want to get the most of their experience, be it more laps, more time, or whatever.
Anyway, like I said, I don’t care when people pass me on the trails, but when I catch up someone, I wait behind with a bit of distance so they don’t feel rushed to get out, I always say no rush and say something nice when I pass. It’s not a prerequisite, but just don’t rub my tires, I know you’re there and I don’t mind stopping, just chill out bro.
I probably just need to lower my expectations.
That was sarcastic bro
Its definitely regional too.
Around here you generally don't need an ebike. Most ebikes that I see out on the trails are being ridden by people who are new to the sport, so they have no clue about trail etiquette. It doesn't help that its Toronto, where some people treat trails like how they drive on the freeways. Its hard to even have a chat with a lot of these folks, because they have that "stranger danger" mentality or are just head down looking at their garmin or cell phone on the handlebars.
That said, it was annoying in QC at SDM when the girlfriend and myself were riding up from the bottom of the Maelstrom trails and discovered that 3 out of 4 people had ebikes (I'm sure the ratio wasn't actually that, but thats what we encountered on the climb). Ride 100 feet, hear a whir of ebikes, pull over, ride 100 feet, hear a whir or ebikes, pull over; repeat. Now even, maybe I'm just too nice of a person, I will always opt to pull over and let someone pass - doesn't matter if I'm climbing or going down.
"MTB Hiking used to be my escape from all this shit, but with the influx of new riders mountain bikers with no idea of « trail etiquette », a percentage of those new riders are stupid people that do stupid shit in society. It’s always been like that, but it seems worse since ebikes mountain bikes have started to be more popular. Or maybe I just pay more attention."
I actually agree with a lot of what you're saying - it's absolutely true that there are a lot of jerks in the world, and as more people get out on trails, the amount of jerks on trails increases. It all comes back to "Don't be a dick". Fewer and fewer people seem aware of that basic rule, but it's not just people on ebikes. And anyway, they're here and you better get used to it - same way hikers needed to get used to regular bikes.
I actually agree with a lot of what you're saying - it's absolutely true that there are a lot of jerks in the world, and as more people get out on trails, the amount of jerks on trails increases. It all comes back to "Don't be a dick". Fewer and fewer people seem aware of that basic rule, but it's not just people on ebikes. And anyway, they're here and you better get used to it - same way hikers needed to get used to regular bikes.
Maybe trail etiquette will get better on average over time. We've basically had a massive influx of new riders in a short span of years, due both to covid and the ease of entry offered by e-bikes. Most people don't know the rules when they first start, they're learned by experience.