# Trip report Moab on E*bike



## Giant Warp (Jun 11, 2009)

Had a great time in Moab on my new Levo. All rides were legal and fantastic. I always hit the Klondike area on the way in. Park in the newer North parking area. (they have an outhouse) Take the 4X4 road to Klondike Bluffs. Normally a mountain biker would avoid boring roads but the Levo adds enough speed and power in the sandy sections to keep it fun.

My second day was huge. Did a combination of Gold Bar Rim and Poison Spider Mesa for over 30 miles. These are hard core jeep routes. Not hard core for the Levo. LOL. 

My third day I rode Amassa back from town. No need to drive to the trail head when you have an ebike. A large portion of that ride I used eco mode. After I got back from that ride my wife wanted to hit the newer asphalt bike paths north of town. She did at least 12 miles before the battery died out and she was able to pedal downhill back to town with no problems. That is great mileage from one charge.


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## Walt (Jan 23, 2004)

Check out Rabbit Valley just 45 minutes north/east. Really fun twisty singletrack and totally legal.

-Walt


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## rider95 (Mar 30, 2016)

Slick rock would be really fun on a e bike porcupine was one of our fav the overlook at castle valley is really cool I so wanted to lauch my Hangglider from ther but went up to point of the MT instead .


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## Pain Freak (Dec 31, 2003)

I've had very little experience on an ebike but I'm going today to buy a Levo Comp. I thought from the few rides I've done that an ebike might not be the best bike for this kind of terrain with all the stops, quick turns and the lifting of the front. My favorite riding is in places like desert and mountainous areas like Sedona,AZ and southwestern UT like Gooseberry, Little Mesa and the like. Reading about Moab I was thinking it would be similar. How did it work out for you?


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## Giant Warp (Jun 11, 2009)

The Levo comp is what I own. Just remember if you take an ebike to Moab you will need to charge it somewhere. Some motels don't allow bikes in the rooms. I guess you can take the battery out but I like to keep my bike with me. A great place to stay is in a cabin at the Moab Rv resort right at the entrance of town. That will give you access to the asphalt biking trails. 

Anyway, some good advice on the bike would be to plan ahead on your gear choice and lower the power. level. A huge concern of mine was breaking a chain or something from over torque. If you are in turbo mode it is possible to accidentally launch yourself off of a cliff or steep drop. LOL. All you have to do is touch the pedals and you have at least one second of power burst that could be the end of you. Another reason to lower the power is to prevent wheel spin on technical sandy sections with step ups. Moab is all about step ups and drops. I didn't have nearly the number of pedal strikes with my XL Levo as I did with the bikes that I demo'd. Make sure you take the time to set up the suspension properly. My riding weight is around 200lbs and I was putting a minimum 20 psi in the tires (27.5 X 3.0) (tubeless). That pressure seemed to work really good. 

In one instance I was riding in a tall gear over a very bumpy technical section in turbo mode. The vibration of the bike caused the motor to stay engaged long after I had stopped pedaling. And not just engaged, but accelerating wildly LOL. That only happened once and I blame the trail. Another concern was riding through long sandy sections with a new chain. (ie: fresh lube) It did great. I just hit around 200 miles and put some chain wax for motorcycle chains on for the first lube. I wanted to take the chain off of the bike for cleaning but I could not get the master link to let loose.

I didn't do the slick rock park. I have ridden the slick rock park at least ten times on a regular bike and I am not sure if the ebike would be a good fit. Surely next year I will probably try it with the ebike but I am thinking the best experience would be to ride it in eco mode. And to ride it in both directions on the same ride. 

I did buy a spare 11 sp power link to keep in my camel back in case of a chain break and I carried the tubes that came with bike in my camel back. There are some nice jeep loops in Moab that you can ride with the ebike. Normally the traditional rider would shy away from them because of the distance involved and sandy roads. However, the ebike gave me a chance to explore areas that I would never go. The added power assist can make a dull or boring jeep road into a technical bonanza from the added speed. It was also fun to stop riding and watch the jeepers try to climb technical areas. Something you won't see on the bike trails.

Just look ahead and downshift before you climb a hill to save your drive train.


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## Le Duke (Mar 23, 2009)

Pain Freak said:


> I've had very little experience on an ebike but I'm going today to buy a Levo Comp. I thought from the few rides I've done that an ebike might not be the best bike for this kind of terrain with all the stops, quick turns and the lifting of the front. My favorite riding is in places like desert and mountainous areas like Sedona,AZ and southwestern UT like Gooseberry, Little Mesa and the like. Reading about Moab I was thinking it would be similar. How did it work out for you?


Well, in many of those places listed, you'd be riding illegally. Please don't strain tenuous relationships with land managers by being THAT GUY. Hymasa is non-OHV, as is Guac down in Virgin.

If you want to ride OHV trails, sweet. Don't ride non-motorized trails on an e-bike.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


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## Giant Warp (Jun 11, 2009)

He didn't say he was riding those trails on his ebike. He said he was buying an ebike and those were the types of trails he likes to ride and is looking for. Huge difference. Please keep the thread on topic.


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## life behind bars (May 24, 2014)

Giant Warp said:


> He didn't say he was riding those trails on his ebike. He said he was buying an ebike and those were the types of trails he likes to ride and is looking for. Huge difference. Please keep the thread on topic.


His statement infers that he wishes to ride in those places so it is quite on topic thank you.


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## rider95 (Mar 30, 2016)

Don't sweat it take your E bike to moab ride enjoy be respect full to others the RV park on the North side of town I think its a Texco station. Has small cabins but theay are very small there is a much bigger cabin with a upstairs loft I have stayed there it was nice, Or the Apache Hotel downtown ask for the John Wayne suite . When we stayed there we rented it has a living room with a round card table and a sep bed room , When John Wayne was filming cowboy movies he stayed in this room that's why the around card table very cool . Poison spider was the bike shop in town look for the lady with the expresso cart around the Corner from the shop , get a dbl shot before your ride . Going back to Moab in 2017 cant wait!!!!


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## Gutch (Dec 17, 2010)

tiretracks said:


> His statement infers that he wishes to ride in those places so it is quite on topic thank you
> 
> The amount of times you post on here, infers that you may wish to own an ebike. Or, you feel your going to make a difference in the ebike movement. Which statement would be correct?


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## rider95 (Mar 30, 2016)

LOL dude let go of the hate go ride OP was a moab trip why do you spend your time on a pro e bike forum knocking e bikes ??


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## Le Duke (Mar 23, 2009)

poachit said:


> Yo e police.... no need to interject and go off topic for your own personal agenda.
> 
> Now lets get back to the topic at hand, I was enjoying the read


Personal agenda?

Trail access is a mountain biker's agenda.

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## Walt (Jan 23, 2004)

My "personal agenda" is to make sure my children and grandchildren can still enjoy trails on bicycles 20/30/50 years from now. If your personal agenda is to go faster or not pedal as hard (and you're otherwise able-bodied), that's perfectly legit. Do it on motorized trails as the OP did. 

-Walt


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## Le Duke (Mar 23, 2009)

poachit said:


> I believe trail closures across the country occurred on a pedal bikes watch, not the e bike.


The irony of your user name and your commentary/perspective is not lost on us.

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## rider95 (Mar 30, 2016)

poachit lol funny I poached some Elec from the pub outside outlet to get my e bike back home


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## Giant Warp (Jun 11, 2009)

Nice Moab book, has GPS coordinates.


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## Giant Warp (Jun 11, 2009)

Recently made a second trip to Moab with the Turbo Levo. Five rides, 67 miles in the three days of Moab. Hit the slickrock park late one afternoon. Decided to try and do it as fast as I could since the sun was going to set and it was windy. A couple of motos passed me and then I passed them. They eventually stopped to take a break. Total time (including the practice loop) was 1.5 hrs and average speed was 7 mph. Contrary to the naysayers that claim no exercise on the ebike I spent a fair amount of time out of the saddle putting the hammer down. The Levo rides a little low so I had to use extra caution on the off-camber slopes to prevent pedal strikes and crashes. I was very disappointed to see the new walking bridge and zip lines.

Did 3hrs non-stop in the Klondike area for 20 miles and average speed of 7 mph. I used eco mode on this ride and tried to find the maximum distance the battery would last. Unfortunately the battery lasted longer in eco mode than my knees and butt did so I called it a day. 

Did some serious riding in the Amassa area. Just an FYI, from the Amassa parking lot to the top of Captain Ahab is 30 minutes. I am not saying I rode Captain Ahab since that would be illegal, just giving a for instance of the time it takes to make the climb on the Levo. 

So far I got about 600 miles on the Levo and the KMC chain doesn't show any significant wear according to my chain gauge. That was surprising to me since the ebike is crazy heavy and my riding weight is around 200 lbs. I use Maxxim moto chain wax on the ebike. Got 67 miles in sand and dust with one application of the chain wax and it was still working great. Of course I cleaned the chain when I got home because of the sand.

Cheers


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## Le Duke (Mar 23, 2009)

Not too many e-bike legal trails in the Klondike area...

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## Giant Warp (Jun 11, 2009)

Apparently you don't know the secrets of the fire swamp. I can live there quite happily for some time.


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## Francis Cebedo (Aug 1, 1996)

Had a very similar experience there in Moab. I assumed all the trails were illegal but it turns out a bunch of them were fine. And when there's moto riding alongside you on Amasa Back and Slickrock, it just made sense.

A couple surprises is how entertaining a couple of the trails could be even with hot weather and not peak fitness. 

Also, we skipped the shuttle from the hotel downtown. We just rode to the trailhead. Once in the morning and then another ride in the afternoon.

fc


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## Giant Warp (Jun 11, 2009)

fc said:


> We just rode to the trailhead. Once in the morning and then another ride in the afternoon.
> 
> fc


That is one of the many great things about the ebike. Two rides per day. You can ride where you want to in the morning. Later in the day when the family gets moving you can ride again without major physical stress on the second ride. Even at home I do the same thing. My ride in the morning and later in the day a ride more suitable for the wife. Also, like you said, no more shuttles. The ebike makes quick work of some boring road so you can get to the good stuff. I noticed that you can map a ride a really long ride that has a downhill back to the car so you don't have to worry about the battery going dead. I've done rides where I rode uphill until the battery was done and then easily rode the 7 miles back to the car since it was downhill.


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## Walt (Jan 23, 2004)

Klondike singetrack is all non-motorized and signed specifically - no e-bikes. I just got home from a trip there, actually. My wife pointed out the (relatively new?) sign up at the Dino-Flow trailhead.

There are a bunch of dirt roads/jeep trails of various sorts there that can be pretty entertaining, though, with a motor, so I could see putting a ride together there. Still, no Alaska? No EKG? Not sure I'd bother to ride an e-bike there just because it would be so painful not to be able to hit the good stuff.

Just to be clear for anyone reading the thread who googled "moab e-bike" or something, e-bikes are currently only legal on the moto trails (which are extensive) in Moab. They are a no-go on all the best bike stuff, however: 
Moab Bans Electric Bikes on Mountain Bike Trails - Mountain Bikes News Stories - Vital MTB

-Walt


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## Whiptastic (Mar 14, 2016)

Buy a Focus Jam 2 or similar eMTB and just remove the battery when you want to ride the non-E stuff. Best of both worlds! Soon there will be eMTB's that are basically the same weight without the battery and possibly eMTB's that have removable battery motor systems like the Focus Project-Y, only with full suspension. How great will it be to simply add or remove the E-assist system and ride whatever you want. Life is going to be good no mater what side of the fence you are on!!!


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## leeboh (Aug 5, 2011)

Giant Warp said:


> That is one of the many great things about the ebike. Two rides per day. You can ride where you want to in the morning. Later in the day when the family gets moving you can ride again without major physical stress on the second ride. Even at home I do the same thing. My ride in the morning and later in the day a ride more suitable for the wife. Also, like you said, no more shuttles. The ebike makes quick work of some boring road so you can get to the good stuff. I noticed that you can map a ride a really long ride that has a downhill back to the car so you don't have to worry about the battery going dead. I've done rides where I rode uphill until the battery was done and then easily rode the 7 miles back to the car since it was downhill.


 Nothing magical about 2 rides in a day on a regular mt bike. I call it lunch.


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## evasive (Feb 18, 2005)

leeboh said:


> Nothing magical about 2 rides in a day on a regular mt bike. I call it lunch.


We always ride twice a day on a Moab trip. We're there to ride. Actually, it's not unusual to do a couple distinct rides per day here in town. That's the advantage of having open lands inside and bordering the city.


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## Walt (Jan 23, 2004)

Yeah "it makes 2 rides possible" is pretty silly, in Moab or anywhere else. We do 2 or more rides almost every day on a riding vacation. Now, you could do 2 rides and do a lot less work, of course, but that's a different statement entirely.

-W


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## Giant Warp (Jun 11, 2009)

I am very happy for the people that have good knees and can knock out two rides at 30 miles total and 4000-5000 ft of climbing on their regular pedal bike. Even though I work hard and consider myself in good shape my knees are not that great, I get runner's asthma, and the e*bike enables me ride like a real boy. There are also other things to do in Moab besides bike so it is nice to get a ride in on a favorite trail and then do other things with other people and not be completely exhausted.


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## leeboh (Aug 5, 2011)

Giant Warp said:


> I am very happy for the people that have good knees and can knock out two rides at 30 miles total and 4000-5000 ft of climbing on their regular pedal bike. Even though I work hard and consider myself in good shape my knees are not that great, I get runner's asthma, and the e*bike enables me ride like a real boy. There are also other things to do in Moab besides bike so it is nice to get a ride in on a favorite trail and then do other things with other people and not be completely exhausted.


 What would have you done before E bikes? Golf? It's less exhausting. And at almost 54, most people including myself have some med issues and pains. Feel ya there. YRMV. Ride, rest, repeat. Works for me.


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## Giant Warp (Jun 11, 2009)

Small slide show of Moab 2017. Thanks for viewing.

[video]https://jodiraerod.smugmug.com/frame/slideshow?key=PwR2NP&autoStart=1&captions=0&navigation=0&playButton=0&randomize=0&speed=3&transition=fade&transitionSpeed=2&clickable=1[/video]


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## fos'l (May 27, 2009)

Spectacular; thanks for posting.


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