Hi there everyone. I am an old dude that life got the best of and my fitness level has reached a point that I have to do something or else.. lol. I used to bike quite a bit and do a lot of unorganized trail and quarry riding up in Canada where I am from, so started looking at that as a hobby. 

I live in south Charlotte area and while doing research I really was looking at getting an E-MTB. As I did more research I see that there is a fair bit of controversy around the idea of electric bikes on trails and damage etc. I am looking at a fairly high end Specialized E-MTB with just pedal assist, and was wondering if they are allowed on the trails around here?? I don't want to invest a big pile of money and then get kicked out of the trails.

I am also not looking to change anyone's opinion of this style of bike. I understand both sides of the debate (if there even is one here in this area), but for me, it would not be something I would jump into as a fitness activity without some "help" from the motor.

Appreciate the forum and any help I can get. Look forward to getting out and enjoying the local trails and helping to get more built.

Monthly Trailblazers meeting is tomorrow at WWC. It would be a great opportunity to meet members from the club, and plug into trail work opportunities.

Doc00t wrote on 08/02/17 at 8:46pm:



No, it's not the one at Cycle Path, but the same lineup. The exact bike is likely familiar to a few of the members here since its at NCVelo and they hosted a meeting there recently.   

I am really not too interested in national park riding... I just want to do (for example) a quick ride over to the Ballantyne trails and boot around for a little while and then ride home.. without a heart attack. Lol.

Thanks for the info though. State parks have to go with state laws, and currently if the e-mtb falls under the 20mph and all that, it's a bike and is treated as such. I was more concerned about the general temperature of the other members... if they all hate the e-mtb's then I don't want to be "that guy"... 

IntheBush wrote on 08/02/17 at 9:06pm:


So where do you ride that bans them.. thats kind of what I am looking for. I am never going to be a full on racer so probably the greenways and light trails would be fine, but the higher end electric mountain bikes seem to be able to handle most anything based on what I am reading and watching. I doubt there are too many of the full suspension ebikes in charlotte yet.. they are just starting to get released and are too expensive for most people at this point... the ONLY reason I would buy one is to keep me going, otherwise I know myself and I would put it in the garage and never ride it. Hope that makes sense.

They demoed them during Cyclofest at the Whitewater Center so I would think they would be ok there, but don't quote me on that.  I doubt you would get much flack from anyone around here when riding most trails either, but who knows.  As you can imagine a lot people (myself included) that have a love for the sport of mtn biking look at these with a bit of unease.  

I also think you riding that bike vs. no bike at all is something that most people would support under certain circumstances.  And yes, obviously all of this is subjective opinion but I think it's great any time someone can get out there and start riding again!  I haven't ridden one on a trail so I'm not sure if you would spend a lot of time having to either slam on the brakes at every tight corner or decide to pedal a heavy bike as In The Bush suggests (that would suck).  But I don't visualize you out there tearing up the trails like you are on a dirt bike so I say go for it!  I wouldn't buy one, but I would love to get my brother who has health issues on one, so he and I can ride together again.

To your question I don't recall seeing any signs at the trailheads of most local trail that say no e-bikes.         

IntheBush wrote on 08/02/17 at 9:54pm:


Well you can rest easy... you will never run into me under those circumstances.. lol. I am a little confused on if you are saying the trails are only for fit people with your skill level going in the same direction as you, but again, no need to worry about me being there. I would like to point out that the bike I am looking at is only about 20 pounds or less heavier than the exact same bike without the motor and battery.... and trust me, that little weight would be the least of your worries if I ran into you full speed... heh heh.

IntheBush wrote on 08/02/17 at 10:54pm:


Well, I have to admit, there is also a certain appeal for me to the geek side of such a bike.. on top of the fitness aspect. That's just an added bonus though, I really want it to go further and faster (off the trail). 

I would love some advice on the different man thing though... totally serious about that. If anyone wants to help me out with some advice I am all over it. I have already made the biggest change and that's to stop drinking wine. It's hard as I am in a job that has a great expense account and I have to take clients out for dinners.... lol.

I am no Nostradamus, but I can tell you that if these catch on like they did in Europe (and they will), you will be seeing them a lot more in the next 2-3 years. I have read that some manufacturers that are now selling e-bikes (in addition to their years of selling leg powered bikes) are now selling e-bikes at a rate of 1 in 4 of every bike.

I'm one of the folks who doesn't see anything wrong with an e-bike. Joe Murray has a good article in the latest issue of Dirt Rag. He even points out that the sale of bikes are running low. So we should not be worried about folks buying e-bikes. Most of the Trails out in Moab allow e-bikes. I would talk to some of the shops who sell e-bikes, see what they have to offer about where you can ride them. I demoed an e-bike at the WWC last year. If I could afford one, I would get one right now

CharlotteRaptor seems like a level headed fellow. I am not a big fan of the e-bike for all the reasons above. BUT the future is coming and at some point we need to face it. As long as my huffing and hacking tired legged butt is not being run off the trail I'm ok with an occasional e-bike or two. I get run off by the racer bois now. 
My main concern is Fred Flintstone getting in over his head in terrain. The other concern is dumbing down of singletrak to accommodate 50# vehicles. 
BUT if this has more people out on the streets on two wheels, then the motorists will have to work harder make all of us hood ornaments. 
As much as it pains me to agree with the Chosen One: Raptor go for it.

Tom F wrote on 08/03/17 at 12:42am:



Well, I intend to help you guys build and repair trails (until I see a snake, then I am out) so I hope to fix anything I break, which quite likely will be a clavicle anyway. 

Based on the absurd amount of reading I have been doing, I think there are likely a lot of misconceptions about the way a modern electric mountain bike delivers power. It's not like they skid out with a twist of the throttle (those do exist, but not what I am buying). All they do is simply make my legs bionic and allow me to get to and from my destination faster and without complete fatigue. We will see. Maybe I will back off and buy a good manual trail bike to do trails if I really get into it and my fitness and skill level allows it and keep the e-bike out at my cottage where there are fire roads and LOTS of trails.