# Your own personal E-bike etiquette



## LMN (Sep 8, 2007)

I love my E-bike. I ride it at least once a week and have an absolute blast out there. But I reconize I am bringing a bike with a motor to the trails and I have to ride differently. I have a couple of personal rules.

1. I yield to all riders regardless of direction. I have a motor, last thing I should be doing is make somebody who sweated all ways to top pull over on their descent so I can keep on climbing.

2. When I catch people, I turn the e-bike motor off and wait until there is a wide area to go by. I never ask to be let past.

3. I avoid busy two-way trails with lots of traffic.

And I don't ride trails where e-bikes aren't premitted, but around her e-bikes are premitted bascially everywhere so that isn't really a problem.


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## nemesis256 (Aug 16, 2014)

You mean etiquette?


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## LMN (Sep 8, 2007)

nemesis256 said:


> You mean etiquette?


Thought something look wayoff in my spelling!!


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## Flyer (Jan 25, 2004)

When I'm on the E, I ride differently and yield often to DH riders too, unless they stop before I spot them. I usually don't go much faster than my regular bike uphill and I'm on a Levo SL. On the regular bike, I usually wait for the DH rider to stop. I don't ride trails where they are banned. I don't really need to either.


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## dryk1t (7 mo ago)

disregard...

I was set to write up some words thinking this was going to be a fun time but lost track of time and realised I had food to go out and enjoy.

Peace.


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## BManz2004 (Jun 25, 2020)

When I'm ebiking I'll yield to those coming up or down on mountain bike trails and waive them to pass. On regular multi-trails, I slow down to a crawl passing hikers or slowpokes (I do this on my non-e bikes too).


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## alexbn921 (Mar 31, 2009)

Exactly the same as on MTB. Duh.


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## RustyIron (Apr 14, 2008)

There is no special eMTB etiquette. Ride just as politely as you do when you're rollin' Amish Style. 

If I'm behind and want to go faster, I'll make sure my bike makes a little noise so they know I'm there. If they move aside when the opportunity arises, great. If not, I'll wait for the next opportunity and announce that I'm passing. You don't want to surprise someone by just blasting past them. It's not nice. 

If I'm in front and someone catches up with me, I'll ask if they want to pass. Maybe their heart is ready to explode and they want to just rest for a minute. After all, when you pass someone, you're somewhat obligated to pull away as to not crowd them. So if they decline, I'll tell them to let me know when they're ready. It's what I want people to do for me. 

Hikers? They move slow enough that it's nice to exchange pleasantries. Bottom line? If you have a friendly attitude, the other folks are likely to be the same. 

Not to long ago I was on a narrow singletrack on a hillside. There was some exposure, but it wasn't a vertical cliff. It was a weekday and no one was out there... except a single hiker. My buddy and I rolled up on him. He should have heard us, but he was wearing earbuds. I announced myself from a distance. Eventually my front tire was inches from his legs. I was SCREAMING as loud as I could, and he didn't hear me. It could have made me mad, but it was SO HILLARIOUS that I kept trying to scream louder and louder. My buddy was cracking up. If you can imagine someone yelling at the top of their lungs at someone four feet away, you can't help but see the humor in it. Eventually the trail got a foot wider, and I rolled up onto the edge of the embankment, and my front of my tire was in front of him. He still didn't see me, so I put my hand on his shoulder. He whipped around and looked totally confused. He didn't know whether to be terrified or angry. I said, "Good morning!" And then the dude started busting up! He realized the absurdity of the situation, and we all had a good laugh. He was out to have a good time; I was out to have a good time. If either of us were angry jerks, hostility might have arose. That's why I like to ride in less frequented areas, away from the tourists and weekend warrior types. The wilderness tends to breed happier people.


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## slomtbr (Oct 9, 2010)

My eMTB etiquette = my MTB etiquette.
I'm out to have fun and get stronger. If I'm impeding another rider's progress, I'll move, and hope other riders do the same for me.
If it's difficult to stop/start or move out of the way, it just helps me get stronger and learn to handle the heavy eMTB better.


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## _CJ (May 1, 2014)

They're both "mountain bikes", so my trail etiquette is the same, no matter which one I'm riding. Interestingly, my hiking etiquette is the same too. It can pretty much be summed up as, "be nice, say hi".


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## LMN (Sep 8, 2007)

They aren't "mountain bikes" though, they are e-bikes. One has a motor and one doesn't, and that is a big difference. And behavior should be different.

When I am on my mountain bike going up a single track climb and catch someone I will ask very nicely if I can get by. I don't do the same thing on my e-bike. As someone who is riding faster because I have a motor it would be rude of me to ask to go by, even if I asked nicely. 

On my mountain bike if I am climbing and there is an on-coming rider then I do have the right-away. I might let them by but I am not obligated to do so. Where as on an e-bike I have a motor, I should move for every single mountain bike regardless of direction.


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## nilswalk (Nov 26, 2014)

LMN said:


> They aren't "mountain bikes" though, they are e-bikes. One has a motor and one doesn't, and that is a big difference. And behavior should be different.


Uhhh, why?



LMN said:


> When I am on my mountain bike going up a single track climb and catch someone I will ask very nicely if I can get by. I don't do the same thing on my e-bike. As someone who is riding faster because I have a motor it would be rude of me to ask to go by, even if I asked nicely.


Uhhh, why is it rude to ask if you can go by because you have a motor? Even if you ask nicely? I don't get why you feel like you need to be somehow apologetic for riding an e-bike.



LMN said:


> On my mountain bike if I am climbing and there is an on-coming rider then I do have the right-away. I might let them by but I am not obligated to do so. Where as on an e-bike I have a motor, I should move for every single mountain bike regardless of direction.


You seem to have a problem just making a lot of statements without supporting arguments or reasoning. I get that it seems like having a motor on your bike is the key factor that means you should supplicate yourself before all other trail users and beg forgiveness, but I can't quite figure out why....


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## LMN (Sep 8, 2007)

nilswalk said:


> You seem to have a problem just making a lot of statements without supporting arguments or reasoning. I get that it seems like having a motor on your bike is the key factor that means you should supplicate yourself before all other trail users and beg forgiveness, but I can't quite figure out why....


The trails were built for mountain bikes by mountain bikers. On an e-bikes we are fundamentally changing the ways trails are being ridden. We climb at speeds that are significantly faster than the very best riders in the world. This can create a negative experience for the original user group that did all the work to build, legalize and maintain the trails.


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## natrat (Mar 20, 2008)

i am generally courteous and am not in a rush until things open up , however if i catch a whiff of the spandex holier than thou nimby cockroach mother****** anti ebike crew all that goes out the window


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## nilswalk (Nov 26, 2014)

LMN said:


> The trails were built for mountain bikes by mountain bikers. On an e-bikes we are fundamentally changing the ways trails are being ridden. We climb at speeds that are significantly faster than the very best riders in the world. This can create a negative experience for the original user group that did all the work to build, legalize and maintain the trails.


Uhhhh no? If me coming up behind someone and politely saying "Hi there! Mind if I sneak by you on the inside of this corner here? Thanks, have a great ride!" and giving a wave is creating a negative experience for that person then I think they have bigger problems than e-bikes.


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## milehi (Nov 2, 1997)

RustyIron said:


> There is no special eMTB etiquette. Ride just as politely as you do when you're rollin' Amish Style.
> 
> If I'm behind and want to go faster, I'll make sure my bike makes a little noise so they know I'm there. If they move aside when the opportunity arises, great. If not, I'll wait for the next opportunity and announce that I'm passing. You don't want to surprise someone by just blasting past them. It's not nice.
> 
> ...


I was driving up a mountain canyon and saw a roadie in a turnout fiddling with his rear wheel. I pulled over to help since I had enough tools and parts for a bike shop with me, including a work stand and a 700c tire and tube. He had ear buds though and I couldn't get his attention. Even after honking the horn.


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## LMN (Sep 8, 2007)

nilswalk said:


> Uhhhh no? If me coming up behind someone and politely saying "Hi there! Mind if I sneak by you on the inside of this corner here? Thanks, have a great ride!" and giving a wave is creating a negative experience for that person then I think they have bigger problems than e-bikes.


You are only think about a single incident in isolation. Imagine you are headed out at 5:30 on thursday night and as you are rolling up the climb you have a constant stream of e-bikers asking to get by. In the past, this wasn't an issue because just about every one climbed the same speed and there wasn't a lot of passing. But now half the users climb faster than Nino.

Take a mountain bike out on a climb that is heavily used by E-bikes and this issues is very obvious.


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## smr238 (3 mo ago)

I think I'd rather the rider just pass me. I know I'm slow up hill. I'm ok with that. I'd rather be passed than have someone or a train of people tied up behind me. If I had an ebike and I'm sure eventually I will, I'd just use normal MTB etiquette. Once people learn to just enjoy their ride and stop worrying about everyone else is doing these conversations won't be necessary.


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## mlx john (Mar 22, 2010)

LMN said:


> They aren't "mountain bikes" though, they are e-bikes. One has a motor and one doesn't, and that is a big difference. And behavior should be different.


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## nilswalk (Nov 26, 2014)

LMN said:


> You are only think about a single incident in isolation. Imagine you are headed out at 5:30 on thursday night and as you are rolling up the climb you have a constant stream of e-bikers asking to get by. In the past, this wasn't an issue because just about every one climbed the same speed and there wasn't a lot of passing. But now half the users climb faster than Nino.


That's not what you said:



LMN said:


> As someone who is riding faster because I have a motor it would be rude of me to ask to go by, even if I asked nicely.


No, it isn't rude. But now you've realized that sounds kind of absurd so you've modified your example to be more extreme with "a constant stream of e-bikers" 

Yield to everyone and their dog if that makes you feel better about riding an e-bike. The rest of us are totally fine with just being friendly and saying hi.


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## LMN (Sep 8, 2007)

nilswalk said:


> No, it isn't rude. But now you've realized that sounds kind of absurd so you've modified your example to be more extreme with "a constant stream of e-bikers"
> 
> Yield to everyone and their dog if that makes you feel better about riding an e-bike. The rest of us are totally fine with just being friendly and saying hi.


Ever thought that maybe one of the challenge that e-bikers face is the combative attitude that some people who ride them have?

And yes, I stand by my statement earlier. Asking someone riding without a motor to yield the trail to me because I have a motor is rude.


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## alexbn921 (Mar 31, 2009)

I've had guys on fireroad climbs try and block me. It's 8 feet wide and you shall not pass. Whatever dude.


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## LMN (Sep 8, 2007)

alexbn921 said:


> I've had guys on fireroad climbs try and block me. It's 8 feet wide and you shall not pass. Whatever dude.





alexbn921 said:


> I've had guys on fireroad climbs try and block me. It's 8 feet wide and you shall not pass. Whatever dude.


The whole e-bike experience is different up here. My own personal ethic rules are pretty well what everyone does here, and all of our 1500km of single track are open to e-bikes. But when I travel to different areas people behave differently, and I can't help but wonder if that part of the reason they such challenges in trail access.


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## alexbn921 (Mar 31, 2009)

Definitely depends where you ride. As a group the majority of the mountain here has switched to Ebikes. The guys that build and maintain the trails are on them. Still places like demo forest that frown on them. Everywhere else, social trails are off limits to both so who really cares what you ride.


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## Mudguard (Apr 14, 2009)

alexbn921 said:


> Definitely depends where you ride. As a group the majority of the mountain here has switched to Ebikes. The guys that build and maintain the trails are on them. Still places like demo forest that frown on them. Everywhere else, social trails are off limits to both so who really cares what you ride.


I wonder if it will ever get to the point where trails are built specifically for one or the other? The hard part is you can sort of prevent other motor vehicles from getting on trails by building a sty over fences etc, but I'd think most people could lift an ebike over one but wouldn't have a chance getting a KTM Freeride over it.


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## _CJ (May 1, 2014)

Mudguard said:


> I wonder if it will ever get to the point where trails are built specifically for one or the other? The hard part is you can sort of prevent other motor vehicles from getting on trails by building a sty over fences etc, but I'd think most people could lift an ebike over one but wouldn't have a chance getting a KTM Freeride over it.


Not a chance. Do you really believe ebikers are ever going to stop riding the trails that are most appropriate to them, legal or not? Better to legalized class 1, and bring them into the fold, educate the noobs on etiquette, and take away a reason for closure from the land managers.


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## alexbn921 (Mar 31, 2009)

Mudguard said:


> I wonder if it will ever get to the point where trails are built specifically for one or the other? The hard part is you can sort of prevent other motor vehicles from getting on trails by building a sty over fences etc, but I'd think most people could lift an ebike over one but wouldn't have a chance getting a KTM Freeride over it.


All our local trails are stupid steep black diamond or double black. They don't differentiate between ebikes and mtb.
Although an ebike can climb some of them.


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## LMN (Sep 8, 2007)

I have built a lot climbing trails over the years. When I build them I very aware of grade; keeping the grade on the climb managable with relief sections is one of the primary design goals. If I was building a climb trail for e-bikes in mind I would use steep and more sustained grades.

When I ride my e-bikes my route choices show this. On a mountain bike I take the most pleasant way to the top, on the e-bike I take the fastest way to the top. I think one of the coolest things about e-bikes is your ability to tackle silly steep climbs.


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## .WestCoastHucker. (Jan 14, 2004)

i'm still an asshole, regardless of what i'm riding at the time...


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## _CJ (May 1, 2014)

While hiking yesterday, I said hello to a guy running up the trail I was hiking down (plenty of room to pass). He had no response, like I wasn't even there. What a hormone.

It occurred to me that maybe it's not "trail etiquette, but life etiquette. Some people are just douchebags, regardless of where they are, what they're doing, or their mode of transport.

I hold doors open for people I don't know, I put my shopping cart in the cart return when done with it, I let people in front of me when they're merging into traffic, I make room for people to pass on the trail and I say hello. I don't do any of those things because of any rules or regulations. It's called "being a good person".


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## Scott2MTB (Feb 2, 2015)

alexbn921 said:


> I've had guys on fireroad climbs try and block me. It's 8 feet wide and you shall not pass. Whatever dude.


Classic. Right in line with when I pass people on climbs on a regular bike and they look down to see if I have a motor. It's not my bike that's making you feel crappy and angry while you're climbing dude...


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## Kootbiker (Feb 2, 2016)

Mudguard said:


> I wonder if it will ever get to the point where trails are built specifically for one or the other? The hard part is you can sort of prevent other motor vehicles from getting on trails by building a sty over fences etc, but I'd think most people could lift an ebike over one but wouldn't have a chance getting a KTM Freeride over it.


We have trails in our area that we built for ebikes and also trails built for regular pedal bikes.


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## stevenfallover (Jun 5, 2004)

I am always nice and say hi or a word of encouragement. I make eye contact and smile as well. I always say thanks regardless if I stopped and moved aside. I need all the good trail karma I can get.


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## J_Westy (Jan 7, 2009)

_CJ said:


> Some people are just douchebags, regardless of where they are, what they're doing, or their mode of transport.


Yup. Words of wisdom here.


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## BmanInTheD (Sep 19, 2014)

J_Westy said:


> Yup. Words of wisdom here.


This...the percentage of e-bike riders that are douchebags is the same as mountain bike riders.


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## _CJ (May 1, 2014)

BmanInTheD said:


> This...the percentage of e-bike riders that are douchebags is the same as mountain bike riders.


I don't think so, at all. There are certainly some, but no where near as many d-bag ebikers, I think mainly because it takes a certain amount of humility to own/ride one. I mean, look no further than the hate that gets spewed towards ebike riders. There's not even a fraction of that kind of d-baggery flowing the other direction.


.


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## Curveball (Aug 10, 2015)

LMN said:


> You are only think about a single incident in isolation. Imagine you are headed out at 5:30 on thursday night and as you are rolling up the climb you have a constant stream of e-bikers asking to get by. In the past, this wasn't an issue because just about every one climbed the same speed and there wasn't a lot of passing. But now half the users climb faster than Nino.
> 
> Take a mountain bike out on a climb that is heavily used by E-bikes and this issues is very obvious.


This is exactly what I'm experiencing. Streams of e-bikers passing streams of mountain bikers. On trails that are closed to e-bikes.

I'm tired of it and I might just get a SurRon and start going full-throttle. Or a Yamaha YZ.


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## Curveball (Aug 10, 2015)

alexbn921 said:


> I've had guys on fireroad climbs try and block me. It's 8 feet wide and you shall not pass. Whatever dude.


Wow, I have no problem whatsoever with e-bikes on logging/fire roads. I see gravel roads as a great option for them to reach the top of the mountains without causing conflicts on the climbing trails.


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## mlx john (Mar 22, 2010)

.WestCoastHucker. said:


> i'm still an asshole, regardless of what i'm riding at the time...


I tend to throw elbows, but only on my EMTB.


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## rideit (Jan 22, 2004)

Ok, so I did a ridiculously, stupidly fun ebike ride today at the West Hartford Res. 3,666 feet of climbing, lots of it ledgy, chunky, some basically impossible on regular bikes. The verdict? So, so, so fun. Made trails that usually kind of bore me into a whole other thing, sessioning technical uphills and bursts of power up little (and not so little) walls. Couple time with my heart absolutely exploding out of my chest, at (probably) 160-170 bpms. Rode almost 4 hours and almost ran out of juice. Quite a bit on eco. (it was a full size, full power Levo comp. ).
Definitely made me realize how disappointed I would be with one of the lighter styles, I wanted to ride longer. (But I was whooped from upper body wrangling).
More experimentation is in order. I can definitely go faster (and bunny hop higher) on the Analog bike, and I prefer the flickability of the lighter bikes.
I still don’t feel they belong everywhere, as it is just so easy to ‘accidentally’ be a bit of a dick if you aren’t being totally slow and courteous around other people. (You get used to the faster speeds). Easy to manage personally, but hard as a large group of riders with different maturity levels.

FTR, I saw two other mountain bikers in 32 miles, so no panties were bunched. (Legal trails)


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## Jimmy Curry (Jul 12, 2021)

RustyIron said:


> There is no special eMTB etiquette. Ride just as politely as you do when you're rollin' Amish Style.
> 
> If I'm behind and want to go faster, I'll make sure my bike makes a little noise so they know I'm there. If they move aside when the opportunity arises, great. If not, I'll wait for the next opportunity and announce that I'm passing. You don't want to surprise someone by just blasting past them. It's not nice.
> 
> ...


Hey RustyIron,,, I'm im total agreement with your ebike etiquette. I ride an ORBEA RISE, the LTD model. I'm 66 years old, and raced mountain bikes till I got cancer at 58. I'm in remission, and was having a really hard time getting anywhere close to pre cancer abilities. Our group of riders is pretty close nit. All of us are racers, however we now like the longer events like a 12 or 24 hour races. Unfortunately, I can't participate on my ebike, but I do ride and train with them. They tell me when I'm in the mix of the group that they don't even notice I'm on an ebike. And that's my ebike philosophy,,,, (ride your ebike so no one would even notice. Best of all is that when someone says,, "Hey! anyone up for another lap?" I can always reply, "you bet! Lets go"). When I'm riding alone, and a rider catches up to me, I certainly will slow and give them trail if they wish to pass. The way I see it,,,, if I was caught while riding uninhibited on my ebike by anyone on an analog bike,,,,,, then that rider deserves all the curtesy I can give them.


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## Sir kayakalot (Jul 23, 2017)

Jimmy Curry said:


> Hey RustyIron,,, I'm im total agreement with your ebike etiquette. I ride an ORBEA RISE, the LTD model. I'm 66 years old, and raced mountain bikes till I got cancer at 58. I'm in remission, and was having a really hard time getting anywhere close to pre cancer abilities. Our group of riders is pretty close nit. All of us are racers, however we now like the longer events like a 12 or 24 hour races. Unfortunately, I can't participate on my ebike, but I do ride and train with them. They tell me when I'm in the mix of the group that they don't even notice I'm on an ebike. And that's my ebike philosophy,,,, (ride your ebike so no one would even notice. Best of all is that when someone says,, "Hey! anyone up for another lap?" I can always reply, "you bet! Lets go"). When I'm riding alone, and a rider catches up to me, I certainly will slow and give them trail if they wish to pass. The way I see it,,,, if I was caught while riding uninhibited on my ebike by anyone on an analog bike,,,,,, then that rider deserves all the curtesy I can give them.
> View attachment 2014310


Beautiful bike JC


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## Redmon (Jan 12, 2004)

Jimmy Curry said:


> Hey RustyIron,,, I'm im total agreement with your ebike etiquette. I ride an ORBEA RISE, the LTD model. I'm 66 years old, and raced mountain bikes till I got cancer at 58. I'm in remission, and was having a really hard time getting anywhere close to pre cancer abilities. Our group of riders is pretty close nit. All of us are racers, however we now like the longer events like a 12 or 24 hour races. Unfortunately, I can't participate on my ebike, but I do ride and train with them. They tell me when I'm in the mix of the group that they don't even notice I'm on an ebike. And that's my ebike philosophy,,,, (ride your ebike so no one would even notice. Best of all is that when someone says,, "Hey! anyone up for another lap?" I can always reply, "you bet! Lets go"). When I'm riding alone, and a rider catches up to me, I certainly will slow and give them trail if they wish to pass. The way I see it,,,, if I was caught while riding uninhibited on my ebike by anyone on an analog bike,,,,,, then that rider deserves all the curtesy I can give them.
> View attachment 2014310


That bike is absolutely beautiful!


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## Redmon (Jan 12, 2004)

I got my first taste of anti e-bike yesterday on the trail. I like to ride where Im not likely to run into peoople anyways but I opted to ride the landmine loop in Vegas which is a bit busier of a trail. Anyways, Im riding down the trail and i see a rider coming up. I stop at the apex of that section of trail to let him pass. i wave as he nears and he blows by me and starts his downhill but not before yelling pussy. I mean what the actual **** is wrong with people? He doesnt know me. i could have chased him down and pummeled him. Or maybe I get pummeled lol . The point is he doesnt know me. i payed my dues. Not that it matters. Been riding since 98. Diagnosed with Parkinsons a few years ago and I still want to ride. E bikes to the rescue! I didnt let it ruin my ride buy i kept hoping I would see him later at the TH. Im glad I didnt.


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## Oldmantrails (Oct 16, 2019)

No special etiquette followed. Just be polite as always . I don't feel I have to be extra nice cause I'm on a pedal assist bike! I hope all the purists/haters understand , ebikes will out number non assist bikes by a large margin very, very soon! When I'm on my regular Stumpjumper I still have a blast and don't much concern myself with what the ebikers are or are not doing! Im out to have fun. Not out there to judge or start sh*t.


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## Oldmantrails (Oct 16, 2019)

Redmon said:


> I got my first taste of anti e-bike yesterday on the trail. I like to ride where Im not likely to run into peoople anyways but I opted to ride the landmine loop in Vegas which is a bit busier of a trail. Anyways, Im riding down the trail and i see a rider coming up. I stop at the apex of that section of trail to let him pass. i wave as he nears and he blows by me and starts his downhill but not before yelling pussy. I mean what the actual **** is wrong with people? He doesnt know me. i could have chased him down and pummeled him. Or maybe I get pummeled lol . The point is he doesnt know me. i payed my dues. Not that it matters. Been riding since 98. Diagnosed with Parkinsons a few years ago and I still want to ride. E bikes to the rescue! I didnt let it ruin my ride buy i kept hoping I would see him later at the TH. Im glad I didnt.


I find that this behavior has nothing to do with bikes and everything to do with disrespect! He deserved an attitude adjustment!


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## cmg (Mar 13, 2012)

_CJ said:


> While hiking yesterday, I said hello to a guy running up the trail I was hiking down (plenty of room to pass). He had no response, like I wasn't even there. What a hormone.
> 
> It occurred to me that maybe it's not "trail etiquette, but life etiquette. Some people are just douchebags, regardless of where they are, what they're doing, or their mode of transport.
> 
> I hold doors open for people I don't know, I put my shopping cart in the cart return when done with it, I let people in front of me when they're merging into traffic, I make room for people to pass on the trail and I say hello. I don't do any of those things because of any rules or regulations. It's called "being a good person".


why dont you let kids play on your lawn then?

(btw CJ, l always read your posts as Clint, what you type seems to be what he'd say l reckon)


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## chadbrochills (Aug 9, 2018)

I follow the same etiquette on my e-bike as I do on the normal bike. If I come up on some slower riders, I'll just slow down either wait for them to notice I'm behind them (hard not to with Hydra hubs lol) and tell me it's ok to pass them or ask politely if I can pass when there's room to do so safely. We have a ton of e-bike riders here in Florida so they're not uncommon by any means. But there's also a lot of riders who transitioned from a normal bike to an e-bike and were douchebags on the normal bike as well. Once a douchebag, always a douchebag, from my experience unfortunately.

It's pretty easy in reality, just don't be a dick to people unless it's warranted. No reason to hate on someone because they find it more fun to ride a bike that has a motor. This is one thing that irks me about the MTB community sometimes, the elitism.


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## mlx john (Mar 22, 2010)

cmg said:


> why dont you let kids play on your lawn then?
> 
> (btw CJ, l always read your posts as Clint, what you type seems to be what he'd say l reckon)


One of the best Clint scenes ever (best was saloon in Unforgiven)


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## Davide (Jan 29, 2004)

LMN said:


> I love my E-bike. I ride it at least once a week and have an absolute blast out there. But I reconize I am bringing a bike with a motor to the trails and I have to ride differently. I have a couple of personal rules.
> 
> 1. I yield to all riders regardless of direction. I have a motor, last thing I should be doing is make somebody who sweated all ways to top pull over on their descent so I can keep on climbing.
> 
> ...


Very nice, unfortunately the reality is that there are always jerks who ruin the good manners of others. My worst case scenario is "the flock". Where I mountain bike (San Francisco Bay Area) I regularly run into groups of e-bikers. Who knows why but they go by in little flocks of 3 to 6 riders. And they literally take you off the trail. They go twice the speed of a mountain bike uphill and give no right of way. It is like hitting a wall: if you are coming up or down you have to stop, they don't.

Individual e-bikes seem better behaved, but going uphill I run into very few e-riders who don't try to pass you. No questions asked, they just pass. Which kind of ruins the experience, it is a bit dispiriting to see a motor bike pass by you and leave you in the dust.

And unfortunately in the Bay Area motor bikes are getting so popular that I am giving up going to my regular trails ...


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## Varaxis (Mar 16, 2010)

I just don't ride like I were one of them people in a performance sports car. I leave that kind of ego and personal-feelings-focused attitude for the people choosing to ride super bikes made of wonder materials that improve their power-to-weight ratio and flatter their fitness.

I picked ebike for the utility, not because I'm a motorhead, adrenaline junky, or anyone else with some mentally ill attraction to speed, power, or whatever.

I suppose I am more like a person doing road trips in a humble Toyota daily driver, who practices defensive driving, except that I explore the dirt. Sharing space with others isn't an issue, when you're not aggressive and trying to act like you own the place. I don't get irked by disruptions/interruptions and I don't feel like I need to defend some radius/bubble of space around me, as if I were entitled to it for safety or whatever. I make an effort to make things easy for others without making things overly hard for myself.

An emtb is a low power vehicle that enables me to go to more places than some humble dutch granny bike or other utilitarian bike. It enables me to pick heavier duty parts for even more capability, versatility, resilience, and dependability.

I don't consider riding to be a hobby for me. It's just a way to cover ground efficiently, while being able to connect with nature. An emtb does this better, without overly exhausting myself. I don't focus on improving my fitness. I simply believe that I get efficient at what I repeat, and opt to get efficient at enjoying a relatively low-stress life. IMO, it's not healthy nor productive in the long term to go out with high intensity so often, considering the risk of burn-out.

Patience is a virtue, but it's wise to not confuse going slow with patience. It's more about the understanding that you need to allocate more time to some things, in order to get good results that have higher overall quality and smoothness.


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