All Things Bikes and Tacos! (...and every vehicle imaginable)

One thing I've really noticed between the east and west is the amount of public land. Utah is almost 80% public land. We tend to take that for granted and assume we have the right to access anything, but a lot of our trail networks are on private land - and thats a whole other ball of wax. I remember being shocked that I had to pay to access less than 10 miles of very mediocre riding trails in Texas, and that was a normal thing.

 

Even our public land is paid access because it’s generally tied to a state park. Not many trails around here just built in national forests.

 

I'm not trying to pick a fight or advocate for eBikes. I assume the land managers have legitimate reasons for banning eBikes and I'll obey the rules they put down because I want to enjoy the land without wrecking it for everyone else.
And I am not saying open all trails to eBikes but on mtb specific trails I can't imagine them doing any more damage than any mid-skilled rider.
I understand though that eBikes are dangerous because they can take someone with zero skills and get them moving as fast as a person that spent years learning all required skills to move at scary speeds. But most people realize going fast is scary.
Personally I see it as most eBikers aren't out there to be assholes but a small group of them will be, just like the assholes that ride closed trails, and those couple of assholes will ruin it for everyone. With how big mountain biking is getting, at least in the area I live in, the singletrack trail systems are going to have to accept eBikes are going to be on the trails. A few years ago I'd see a handful of eBikes on paved trails and never on singletracks, but now every time I ride singletrack I see at least one.

But I have always wondered about the extra weight aspect, I'm 205lbs riding a 30lbs bike and I am usually in the top 10% on Strava times. So what's difference between a 200lbs+ rider on conventional bike verses a 180lbs rider on eBike?
Also for speed I know for a fact, at least on MTB specific singletrack, your speed is determined by terrain and skill, my speed wouldn't be any faster if I had a 800watt motor on my bike, I'd just have an easier time doing it.

I always assume the eBike rules are just there to keep idiots in check, like the stupid warning labels for things that no person with half a brain would do, that way when something does happen managers can point to the sign and say we told them no, take it out on them.

 

It's far more interesting to have a discussion than an argument.

So, I don't think it's the weight as much as it is the power/speed. So, there is this awful climb here, called Puke Hill. eBikes are allowed on it. Fat old dudes with blue tooth speakers and Hawaiian shirts motor up the hill that most humans have to walk their bikes up. The amount of dust they kick up is dramatic.

And when you are riding in hilly terrain, an eBike makes all the difference. There's a loop here that I can do in about 45 minutes, climb and descend. I climbed it in fifteen minutes. I was hauling ass up that hill, and yeah, I was breathing, but I wasn't working that hard to get up it. It made me climb like I was a Cat 1 Racer in my prime.

And then, the trail damage that bothers me the most. There's this glorious descent called Jacobs Ladder. Getting up to it is a slog and a half, but it's just a jeep road but it goes on forever. Before the eBike, only the dedicated and skilled would bother with the tedious climb for the chunky descent. But now, with the eBike, grandpa can make the climb, but once he gets up there, the descent is waaaaaay over his head. So what does he do? Just drag his rear wheel the whole way down. Where before, new riders were relegated to terrain/trails in line with their skill until they advanced their way "up the hill" to more advanced riding.

I'm not saying no eBikes anywhere. There are trails where they pose no problem. But there are many others where they do. I really like the current classification that they are motorized use and should only be allowed on motorized use trails.

The best good example I've seen of an eBike is at Dead Horse Point in Moab. The state rents eBikes for anybody to pedal around this really easy loop that is spectacularly pretty. You see old/heavy folks with the biggest grin in the world as they eMTB for the first time, but in reality, it's a glorified bike path. But what better way to access the terrain? Way better than a freaking RV. And maybe the go home and get bikes to ride on the bike path near their house.

 

You should have been at the top of Puke Hill with me the day a clearly new rider dude got to the top and said "wow, can't believe I cleaned that!" while seated on his e-bike. Someone actually booed!

The getting to the top then over their head is a good point I hadnt considered. But after watching a pair of folks try to get their beach cruisers (WITH COASTER BRAKES) get down Rush, Its a concerning point.

 

I like your posts, they’re unbiased and make you think. There’s a place for eMTB and it can be used as a valuable tool to better ones skills. However dragging brake down a trail isn’t one of them.

 

New bike day, kinda. His name is Barney.

 

I always figured people would act like I did on descents beyond their skill levels which is to look at it, say hell no, and just walk down.

The main trails I ride are always very clearly marked as easy/green to extreme/red with the red sections always deep in so you have to go through everything to get to them. And the unofficial trails are so hard to navigate no one besides the avid rider goes into them. So I never understood how total amateurs could get to areas that are beyond their skills.
Also bikes are banned from pretty much every hiking trail and the state parks so in Twin Cities the only places to ride dirt are the official trail systems, which there are maybe 15-20 systems in the metro ranging from 5 to 15+ miles and are usually mtb only.
So I always viewed the bans on eBikes in my area as a bit over kill since there is no where they really could do any damage.

 

Oh no man I didn’t mean I thought you were raising hell or anything like that. I just wanted you to know that trails access is hard fought in Alabama.

 

What consists of a full fork/shock service? I took my fox 36 apart, fixed some scratches in my stanchion, greased it all, and put it back together with the right oils and stuff. J didn't take the damper apart, maybe that's filled with nitrogen a specialty place would need to service?
The shock is a bit more involved other than taking the can off, cleaning any volume reduces, then grease and put back together. Does that have to do with nitrogen too? I saw a fox video of a pro service guy doing a dpx2 in like 10 min, but he worked for fox and works on pro racers bikes for a living. That seemed pretty daunting.

This ebike discussion is interesting too. Pikes peak has a road to the top. Anyone can drive up it and ride down. Some shuttle services here too. I get it takes some skill/talent to climb to the top of most of the good downhills and it's not something a typical new person would do, but shuttling around here is getting popular.

The comment on ebikes on bike paths is one of the safer bets. These things can be super dangerous. Slightly different, but look at big metro areas with ebike rentals on the street like those lime scooters. Didn't Simon cowel, the guy from that singing show, break his back on one of those? That couldn't have been intentional/as a martyr. Shit, I've almost busted myself on those after a night of drinking. At least the roads won't get torn up by being stupid

 

A few years ago I biked up Pikes Peak starting at Manitou Springs, 25 miles with 8,000 feet of climbing and it was my first time ever in elevation over 5,000 feet. The final kicker before the peak sucked so much but every driver that passed cheered me on which was really helped keep motivation alive.
But I was too tired and the altitude was messing with me so I didn't ride back down.
I also ran the incline in Manitou Springs in 76 minutes, up the incline and down the 3 miles of hiking trail. And I will say that was way tougher physically than biking up Pikes Peak.

 

That's wild riding up from Manitou. Highway 24 would feel like a death trap with all the cars whizzing by. Sucks you couldn't ride down it, that's the best part!

The incline is no joke either. Even with the work they did the last few years, it's tough

 

I rode 24 a couple times from manitou to the pike entrance for pre climb training and it wasn't bad at all. I ride on the roads a lot so I'm used to cars zipping by. The decent back to manitou was awesome, going 45mph is a rush. I wish I had my road racing bike, I probably could have broke 50mph with my 52/11 top gearing.

 

Do you take up the full lane? Hopefully people give a whole lane with cars at that speed. The descent sounds way rad though. Gotta give that a go at some point

 

Purple is my favorite color, but that bike is AGRESSIVELY purple

Needs some gold hubs to match

 

So Im renovating my "ride saver" / roadtrip bike toolbox. Multitool with chainbreaker and masterlink pliers is always in my riding gear.

So far, Im planning the following list:
Chain whip/pedal wrench
Cassette tool
Crescent wrench
Larger Hex set
Valve tool
Tire levers
Lube
Small bottle of sealant
Spare brake pad set
Shift cable
Presta valves, lock ring
Presta to schrader screw-on thingy

Anything else? Not looking for an EWS mechanic level box, just a small tool kit for behind the seat to fix the ride ender / roadtrip campfire tuneup stuff.

Gonna put it in a spiffy little packout case with 2 layer kaizen foam I got from work since we ordered too many.

 

That's actually a genius idea! I can't even count the number of times I've come across someone who desperately needed a chain whip, but who carries tools to remove/tighten a cassette?

 

derailleur hanger
Shock pump

 

Yeah, i usually have a spare hanger for each of my bikes, but Ill prob put it in my pack fornquock access. Downside of 3 bikes is 3 hangers. The stache and sirius ones are pretty sizeable too being sliding dropouts.

Shock pump I have, and is in my current box, but is too long for my new one. I debated it, and cant think of the last time i messed with shock pressures during. Usually sort that out before i depart, and worst case, a buddy always has one in my circle.

 

The whip was the crux since theyre big, but the pedal wrench whip is really skinny and compact so I think its worth the space.