Posted on April 18, 2019 Author Staff Comments Off on E-Bike Controversy: When is a bicycle a motorcycle? With some additional regulations, e-bike road use has been reasonably easy to manage. I didn't receive my registration confirmation email. NEPA’s two fundamental purposes are to compel agencies to: (1) consider the environmental consequences of and potential alternatives to proposed actions; and (2) provide information that allows the public to fully participate in the decision-making process. Environmental groups have pushed back, pointing to potential negative environmental and recreation impacts of allowing e-bikes on non-motorized roads and trails. IMBA would support the use of e-bikes anywhere that we could also support other motorized uses.”, To be clear, IMBA is neither for, nor against, e-bike usage. Suite 4119 BLM, FWS, and BOR’s rules create an opt-in system. Basically, e-MTBs are normal mountain bikes that take some of the effort of pedaling off your plate. With most people living in, or near to, a densely populated urban area (think Marin, or North Vancouver), proper land management is absolutely key to maintaining recreation areas. NEPA requires agencies to perform environmental reviews of their actions­­—sometimes very lengthy (Environmental Impact Statements), and sometimes less in-depth (Environmental Assessments). Proper access and development of these lands has usually been the result of a lengthy and hard-fought battle by passionate people and they’re not very open to having a small group of e-bike users jeopardize their hard work. Ellsworth agrees: “In my opinion, if it's got a motor, it's a motorbike – a lightweight, power-limited, range-limited motorbike.”. The agencies, in changing the limit by a single watt, are effectively increasing the power of permitted bikes by 250 watts. Celebrate together what you share before you so adamantly beat each other up about the method of attaining what you share.”. Both these tasks are more easily carried out when you are only looking at e-bike usage on the streets and pathways of our cities. Class 1 pedal assist bikes make up the majority of the e-bikes we see on the market for trail use. The agencies’ widespread use of categorical exclusions avoids undertaking a broad programmatic analysis of the impacts of expanding e-bike access to public lands across the country, and limits opportunity for public involvement. NEPA generally requires environmental analysis to be somewhat site-specific, meaning that possible impacts must be considered in each particular area an action will take place. The blending of e-bikes and traditional bicycles ignores differences between the two that should impact land management policy, particularly the motorized/non-motorized distinction that drives significant portions of trail and land access regulation. In an essay stating his objections to e-bikes, Pinkbike’s Richard Cunningham summed it up this way: “Mountain bikes are a form of human-powered locomotion with which to experience the wonders and the challenges of the natural world. Fork: : RockShox … Setting aside the controversy over Bernhardt’s order, e-bikes have a promising future in urban transportation solutions. Class 2 e-bikes consist of throttle on demand motors where there is a trigger, or twist style throttle, like on a motorcycle, which engages the motor. E-bikes are motor-assisted bicycles controlled with a handlebar throttle or activated through pedaling. Police say there's a certain amount of personal responsibility they want people to have when riding. [2] NPS responded to the order quickly, issuing Policy Memorandum 19-01 the following day. There is also a fear that e-bikes possess the potential to hasten the degradation of our hard-fought-for trail networks with their power and capabilities. Whether described as the elephant in the room, a dark horse, or the coming of Armageddon, there’s no denying that we will start crossing paths with electric bikes on the trails. A couple years ago Josh vowed to spend more time on his bike and through writing was able to do so. With that behavior change comes reduced traffic congestion, more parking options, and a smaller carbon footprint. The proposed rules circumvent meaningful review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of the environmental impacts of expanded e-bike use. You just installed the kit and away you went. Some people wonder, is the public demanding them or is the market demanding that the public want them? Follow him on Instagram @rebel_letters. e-bikes: Cool or controversy? First off, let’s talk a bit about the technology. Programmatic reviews are not required, nor are they a substitute for site-specific analysis. Frame material: : Alloy. 12 vote(s) 17.6% Some day. Electric-assist bikes have grown exponentially in popularity over recent years. With the epicenter of the e-backlash seeming to be centered around e-MTBs (as opposed to road e-bikes), we decided to take a look at why there seems to be so much trouble on the trails. Cannondale Trail Neo. There’s quite a bit of controversy around e-bikes in the mountain biking community because people see them as too easy compared to normal mountain biking. The Consumer Product Safety Act defines “low-speed electric bicycles” as those with motors under 750 watts. The Order established definitions of different types of e-bikes based on their assistance and speed capabilities, and it directed the National Park Service (NPS), the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to incorporate e-bikes into their governing regulations. Staff and the Advisory Board and the public researched relevant laws, conducted a pilot study and worked with IMBA. Legislation on e-bikes and e-bike use seems to be being made on a daily basis and can vary from country to country, state to state, and province to province, so we tend to see the rules as being semi-solid, that is if we even realize there are rules at all. In the States, there are three classifications of e-bikes. Categorical exclusions are actions pre-determined not to have any significant impact on the quality of the human environment. Electric mountain bikes (eMTBs) are relatively new on the scene and mountain bikers are freaking out. BLM, FWS, and BOR all directed their officers to allow e-bikes wherever traditional bicycles are permitted. – Aspen Times. They simply make it clear that a bike with a motor on it is indeed a motorized vehicle. We also need to see the positive impacts that e-bikes will have in the industry. Pedal assist bikes have a sensor that monitors the rider’s pedaling. [3] They can, however, help an agency take a “hard look” at the widespread impacts of a national policy shift. There is no denying that e-bikes are a heck of a lot of fun, and after one ride on an e-bike, I quickly realized that our opinions on the bikes themselves are not nearly as important as the implications they may have to our trail networks and natural environment. Now, questions over the machines’ DNA are arising with governing bodies in the sport. BOR alone stated that e-bikes were still considered “off-road vehicles.”. “I don't think the controversy is around hybridizing the cycling experience. NPS’s guidance directed park superintendents to insert specific language regarding e-bikes into park-specific rules and documents, which many parks have done (Cuyahoga Valley NP, Arches NP, and Acadia NP, for example). More Powerful E-bikes. The Boise Police Department says they will not ticket people for riding e-bikes and e-scooters while impaired. (A fourth class exists, but e-bikes capable of speeds above 28 mph pushing out over 750 watts of power are considered a moped/motorcycle). It was a Bureau of Land Management proposal to treat all e-bikes as non-motorized vehicles that cracked a well-shaken can of controversy among all … E-bike manufacturers generally offer e-bikes at 250-watt increments: e.g., there are 250-watt, 500-watt, 750-watt, and 1000-watt e-bikes. Read Part 2. $1,099.00 - $1,199.00 #11. E-bikes are opening a new demographic of cyclist. Discussion in 'Bad Dog Cafe' started by imwjl, Jun 3, 2019. Or…? That makes us ask: The International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) thinks so: “Use of a motor, whether internal combustion or electric, would require changing the classification to a motorized use. 21 vote(s) 30.9% Maybe. Especially on the trails. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Ellsworth reiterated these points and shared some of his well-earned wisdom collected from working in and loving the industry: “My overall concern about controversy is that everyone should be doing what we've been teaching our children to do for generations – share and accept differences. In the second suit, filed December 5, 2019, a coalition of environmental groups including Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and Wilderness Watch sued NPS in federal district court following NPS’s publication of its informal guidance. NPS argues that the new definition avoids “the unintended consequence of excluding many devices from the regulatory definition of an e-bike due to a one watt difference in power.” But this seemingly small change is hugely impactful. For this post, we’ll stick to the latter, as it’s garnered t Lahey is one of the area’s most vocal advocates for e-biking. For example, your pedalling power would generate a speed of 10mph, but the motor boosts your speed to 15mph. When I think of e bikes I think. For many, the thought of motorized mountain bikes is making them fume, and it’s leaving the rest scratching their heads and wondering – is this the future of mountain bikes? Instead, the agencies should recognize that, whether the motor is engaged by a thumb, crank of a wrist, or push of a foot, e-bikes are motorized vehicles that should be restricted to areas dedicated to such use. Specialization in e-bike repairs and maintenance may just save some local bike shops. These bikes may or may not have pedal assist capabilities and their top speeds must not exceed 20mph. Some environmental groups have publicly opposed permitting e-bikes on non-motorized trails on public lands, including prior to Order 3376. This means more customers for our bike shops, another product to sell, and more importantly, another product to service. I’ve been around the industry for a while, but not as much as some, so I reached out to industry legend Tony Ellsworth (yes, as in Ellsworth Bikes) to gain a more seasoned perspective. The mixing in of e-bikes with traditional bicycles blurs this distinction. Fans of the bikes have needed an advocate, because rules about where you can take them have borne controversy. Both these tasks are … Harvard Law School Is the controversy about motors or something more? Read Part 1. Engines and motors have no place in that equation.” Differences in Implementation. E-bikes: What there is to know before you buy, Fall is the best time to build trails and here's why, Haibike recalls several models due to fork issue. Environmental & Energy Law Program, 6 Everett Street If you’ve paid at least some attention to the news in the world of bikes, you’ve probably heard about e-bikes. If a guy is excited about his bike he pedals with the assistance of a motor, while you wouldn't dream of packing an additional 10 pounds into the woods or you enjoy the independence of running without motorized subsidy, you still have wonderful things in common with the e-bike guy: 1) you’re outside, 2) you love wind in your hair, and 3) you’re willing to use your body to get that experience. The remaining three land management agencies issued guidance on October 22, 2019, following Secretary Bernhardt’s order to do so. The controversy surrounding the use of electric bicycles, or e-bikes, that raged last year on mostly paved turf administered by local city and county governments has now moved — as many people predicted it would — further into the backcountry. Because it is within the Department of Agriculture and not Interior, the Forest Service is not subject to this order. 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