# Where are the best LEGAL Class 1 riding places (stateside)?



## Gutch (Dec 17, 2010)

I know Bentonville is up there and wanted to visit last year, but didn’t work out. Any suggestions to awesome Class 1 LEGAL Emtbing?


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## PinoyMTBer (Nov 21, 2013)

Northern California: Downieville and other surrounding trail networks within Yuba County. 

The Lakes Basin area trail network is a must! I recommend hiring a ride guide from Yuba Expeditions or Downieville Outfitters.

Central California: Exchequer Bike Park

Southern California: Mammoth Mt. Bike Park and Mammoth Lakes area trails.


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## ruthabagah (Jun 4, 2018)

Colorado: All the State parks where bike riding is allowed. Jeffco parks (west of Denver), amazing riding (where bikes are allowed). No luck in public land/national forest in the mountains, but some progress are made and multiples LM are applying for waivers to start allowing EMTB this year (just like what happened at Mammoth).


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## honkinunit (Aug 6, 2004)

ruthabagah said:


> Colorado: All the State parks where bike riding is allowed. Jeffco parks (west of Denver), amazing riding (where bikes are allowed). No luck in public land/national forest in the mountains, but some progress are made and multiples LM are applying for waivers to start allowing EMTB this year (just like what happened at Mammoth).


Golden Gate State Park (Colorado) is absolutely awesome on an eMTB. Staunton is fun as well.

There are great singletrack motorcycle trails in Colorado that are really fun for an eMTB. Just stay away from the Front Range trails, which are generally full of yahoos, especially the Rampart Range area.

In addition to that, Colorado has thousands of miles of 4x4 and ATV roads that are really fun on an eMTB. A lot of 4x4 roads in the mountains are as narrow as the blown out "singletrack". I've always looked at 4x4 two track as simply two stripes of singletrack side by side, and many of them really do ride that way. 95% of the Leadville Trail 100 course is open to eMTB, because it is on two track or even gravel/pavement.

McInnis Canyons/Rabbit Valley near Fruita has tons of awesome trails open to eMTB.

A lot of the older trails in Moab are eMTB friendly. Most newer ones are not, but you could ride an eMTB for a week there and never ride the same trail twice. Dead Horse Point State Park has a large network of eMTB legal singletrack. Slickrock, Sovereign, Poison Spider/Golden Crack/Bull Canyon, Gemini Bridges, Little Canyon Rim, Klondike Bluff, Onion Creek, Amasa Back, Hurrah Pass/Chicken Corners, Pritchett Canyon, Kane Creek, Hell's Revenge, Fins and Things, Monitor and Merrimac, Flat Pass, Hook and Ladder, 24 Hours of Moab loop, and those are just the beginning. There is also great legal singletrack down in the Abajos by Monticello. The San Rafael Swell has hundreds of miles of eMTB riding as well, including the infamous Five Miles of Hell.

https://www.discovermoab.com/motorcycle-trail-riding/


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## Gutch (Dec 17, 2010)

Cool. Rode Colorado 30 yrs ago. Barely remember. Sounds like out west is in order! I am not fond of desert scapes. Enjoy rich vegetation and picturesque woods/streams/etc. Rode Moab in ‘92, probably wouldn’t go back. Thanks for the info!


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## Harryman (Jun 14, 2011)

There's some great emtb riding in the Crested Butte area, and nary a desert in sight.


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## og-mtb (Sep 23, 2018)

PinoyMTBer said:


> The Lakes Basin area trail network is a must! I recommend hiring a ride guide from Yuba Expeditions or Downieville Outfitters.


The Lakes Basin is one of my favorite places to ride.

When did the non-motorized, multi-use, USFS trails in the Lakes Basin become legal for ebikes?


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## life behind bars (May 24, 2014)

Harryman said:


> There's some great emtb riding in the Crested Butte area, and nary a desert in sight.
> 
> View attachment 1233691


Note, not all C.B. trails are fair game for e-bikes.


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## ruthabagah (Jun 4, 2018)

honkinunit said:


> Golden Gate State Park (Colorado) is absolutely awesome on an eMTB. Staunton is fun as well.
> 
> There are great singletrack motorcycle trails in Colorado that are really fun for an eMTB. Just stay away from the Front Range trails, which are generally full of yahoos, especially the Rampart Range area.
> 
> ...


Staunton is my favorite place. Then centennial cone. I am hoping that some of the exemptions will open up more terrain this spring. I also rode a couple of OHV trails up some pass / fourteeners and they were absolutely amazing, and a game changer since they don't see a lot of MTB traffic.


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## Gutch (Dec 17, 2010)

Harryman said:


> There's some great emtb riding in the Crested Butte area, and nary a desert in sight.
> 
> View attachment 1233691


That's what I'm talking about!


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## PinoyMTBer (Nov 21, 2013)

life behind bars said:


> Note, not all C.B. trails are fair game for e-bikes.


Not all, you're correct! But a lot of them are as well! Happy trails


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## PinoyMTBer (Nov 21, 2013)

ruthabagah said:


> Staunton is my favorite place. Then centennial cone. I am hoping that some of the exemptions will open up more terrain this spring. I also rode a couple of OHV trails up some pass / fourteeners and they were absolutely amazing, and a game changer since they don't see a lot of MTB traffic.


Totally agree with the OHV trails. A lot of them are actually amazing singletracks. Here in Northern California we have Georgetown OHV park. Its a must for any riders motorized or not! Except for haters...we boot them out


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## og-mtb (Sep 23, 2018)

PinoyMTBer said:


> Totally agree with the OHV trails. A lot of them are actually amazing singletracks. Here in Northern California we have Georgetown OHV park. Its a must for any riders motorized or not! Except for haters...we boot them out


You claimed that the "_The Lakes Basin area trail network is a must! _"

When did the non-motorized, multi-use, USFS trails in the Lakes Basin become legal for ebikes?

Note: Title of the thread is "Where are the best LEGAL Class 1 riding places (stateside)?"


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## Bigwheel (Jan 12, 2004)

life behind bars said:


> Note, not all C.B. trails are fair game for e-bikes.


Granted I haven't been to CB for a few years but did live there for a long time and I can't think of any of the backcountry trails in any of the drainages that weren't burned in by moto's to begin with.

So maybe you could just name the areas instead of alluding to them so that there is no confusion if someone decides to go there for a ride.

While CB isn't the dez Hartman's in Gunny does a good imitation of high dez and is good to go for eBiking as once again most of those trails were pioneered by moto traffic.

If you want green lush, trees and streams there is some good riding in the OR and WA, some legal, some not, but resources available to find out which is which.


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## life behind bars (May 24, 2014)

Bigwheel said:


> Granted I haven't been to CB for a few years but did live there for a long time and I can't think of any of the backcountry trails in any of the drainages that weren't burned in by moto's to begin with.
> 
> So maybe you could just name the areas instead of alluding to them so that there is no confusion if someone decides to go there for a ride.
> 
> ...


It's not incumbent on me to list the legal e-bike trails, they fall out of my sphere of interest.


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## PinoyMTBer (Nov 21, 2013)

og-mtb said:


> You claimed that the "_The Lakes Basin area trail network is a must! _"
> 
> When did the non-motorized, multi-use, USFS trails in the Lakes Basin become legal for ebikes?
> 
> Note: Title of the thread is "Where are the best LEGAL Class 1 riding places (stateside)?"


Go find out yourself "OG"....We did our homework...you should do yours!


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## Harryman (Jun 14, 2011)

life behind bars said:


> Note, not all C.B. trails are fair game for e-bikes.


Nope, just the moto legal ones.


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## og-mtb (Sep 23, 2018)

PinoyMTBer said:


> Go find out yourself "OG"....We did our homework...you should do yours!


No need to do any homework. ebikes aren't legal on the non-motorized, multi-use, USFS trails in the Lakes Basin. The USFS continues to consider ebikes to be motorized vehicles for trail access purposes.

Why would you recommend illegal trails in a thread about legal places to ride?

Answer:

You're either clueless or you are promoting folks poaching in the Basin.

Neither is a good look.


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## PinoyMTBer (Nov 21, 2013)

og-mtb said:


> No need to do any homework. ebikes aren't legal on the non-motorized, multi-use, USFS trails in the Lakes Basin. The USFS continues to consider ebikes to be motorized vehicles for trail access purposes.
> 
> Why would you recommend illegal trails in a thread about legal places to ride?
> 
> ...


"Yawn"

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


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## figofspee (Jul 19, 2018)

life behind bars said:


> It's not incumbent on me to list the legal e-bike trails, they fall out of my sphere of interest.


Yet you clicked on the thread, read the replies and made your own reply. Poor guy, you must have no control of that clicking you do.


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## og-mtb (Sep 23, 2018)

PinoyMTBer said:


> "Yawn"
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


Just the truth.

Way to represent electric motor bikers!


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## Gutch (Dec 17, 2010)

Let’s keep it clean so ebikers know where the LEGAL best places to ride are. That’s the goal.


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## hikerdave (Mar 8, 2006)

Gutch said:


> I know Bentonville is up there and wanted to visit last year, but didn't work out. Any suggestions to awesome Class 1 LEGAL Emtbing?


South Mountain Park, Phoenix, and McDowell Mountain Park, Fountain Hills, Arizona, are legal for class I and class II e-bikes.


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## PinoyMTBer (Nov 21, 2013)

Gutch said:


> Let's keep it clean so ebikers know where the LEGAL best places to ride are. That's the goal.


Alright I'll play by the rules.

Wilder Ranch in Santa Cruz, Ca. Got lots of amazing trails.

Camp Tamarancho, San Pedro OSP and China Camp in Marin...Yeah! Marin...got some awesome Emtb riding as well. But you might meet "sfgiantsfan" there 

All of Santa Clara County Parks are also legal Emtb playgrounds as well!


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## og-mtb (Sep 23, 2018)

Since many mundane rides in the Bay Area are being shared, I'll recommend one that is both ebike-legal (where I took my ebiking buddy when he was in town from Baja), has great views/scenery, and has a great variety of chunk. 

The Oat Hill complex of trails in Calistoga, CA.


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## sfgiantsfan (Dec 20, 2010)

PinoyMTBer said:


> Alright I'll play by the rules.
> 
> Wilder Ranch in Santa Cruz, Ca. Got lots of amazing trails.
> 
> ...


China camp is not legal, quit your poaching and ride legal. I will definitely let you know if I see you.


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## PinoyMTBer (Nov 21, 2013)

sfgiantsfan said:


> China camp is not legal, quit your poaching and ride legal. I will definitely let you know if I see you.


Shut your piehole troll! Haha


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## ctxcrossx (Jan 13, 2004)

PinoyMTBer said:


> Shut your piehole troll! Haha


You list two trails that are not legal trails in a thread where the OP even capitalized LEGAL....and then you're a d*** when people call you on it. Don't comment on the thread if you're not going be helpful. At this point you're causing problems for both mtbers and e-mtbers.


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## ctxcrossx (Jan 13, 2004)

honkinunit said:


> A lot of the older trails in Moab are eMTB friendly. Most newer ones are not, but you could ride an eMTB for a week there and never ride the same trail twice.


Trail being eMTB friendly....does that mean that there's no eMTBs allowed on newer trails, but it's ok on older ones? If so, how is that the case? Are newer ones under different guidelines? ...Or is it a terrain thing?


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## PinoyMTBer (Nov 21, 2013)

How's this for LEGAL! Yes this is Federal law thats been active since 2002.

https://www.congress.gov/107/plaws/publ319/PLAW-107publ319.htm


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## sfgiantsfan (Dec 20, 2010)

PinoyMTBer said:


> How's this for LEGAL! Yes this is Federal law thats been active since 2002.
> 
> https://www.congress.gov/107/plaws/publ319/PLAW-107publ319.htm


Doesn't mean you can ride them at China Camp troll.


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## Moe Ped (Aug 24, 2009)

PinoyMTBer said:


> How's this for LEGAL! Yes this is Federal law thats been active since 2002.
> 
> https://www.congress.gov/107/plaws/publ319/PLAW-107publ319.htm


That all has to do with vehicle safety and just means that e-bikes don't need seat belts or airbags; has next to nothing to do with where they can be operated.


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## PinoyMTBer (Nov 21, 2013)

Moe Ped said:


> That all has to do with vehicle safety and just means that e-bikes don't need seat belts or airbags; has next to nothing to do with where they can be operated.


Really? Alright, keep telling yourselves that. I'll go rode my bike without seatbelts, airbags, that CANNOT be classified as a Motorized Vehicle.

Happy trails!


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## Moe Ped (Aug 24, 2009)

PinoyMTBer said:


> Really? Alright, keep telling yourselves that. I'll go rode my bike without seatbelts, airbags, that CANNOT be classified as a Motorized Vehicle.
> 
> Happy trails!


Yet outside of the Consumer Product Safety Commission the USFS and the BLM categorize them as motorized vehicles.

YOUR law is 2002; MY law is 2015.

Pop another can of your troll juice.


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## PinoyMTBer (Nov 21, 2013)

Moe Ped said:


> Yet outside of the Consumer Product Safety Commission the USFS and the BLM categorize them as motorized vehicles.
> 
> YOUR law is 2002; MY law is 2015.
> 
> Pop another can of your troll juice.


Do provide a link for that 2015 Law you speak of. Only an act of congress can amend or completely overturn Public Law 107-319. USFS and BLM's stance can actually be ILLEGAL...If thats the case and can be proven....ALL of their trails will be open to Class 1 & 2 Ebikes (where bicycles are allowed of course)


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## Moe Ped (Aug 24, 2009)

PinoyMTBer said:


> Do provide a link for that 2015 Law you speak of. Only an act of congress can amend or completely overturn Public Law 107-319. USFS and BLM's stance can actually be ILLEGAL...If thats the case and can be proven....ALL of they're trails will be open to Class 1 & 2 Ebikes (where bicycles are allowed of course)


https://www.blm.gov/policy/ib-2015-060:

_"UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
http://www.blm.gov

July 1, 2015

In Reply Refer To:

8340 (250) P

EMS TRANSMISSION 07/07/2015

Information Bulletin No. 2015-060

To: All Field Officials

From: Acting Assistant Director, Resources and Planning

Subject: Electronic Powered Bicycles on Public Lands

An electronic bicycle, also known as an e-bike, is a bicycle with an integrated electric motor. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) classifies e-bikes as motorized vehicles, as defined at 43 CFR 8340.5 "(a) Off-road vehicle means any motorized vehicle capable of, or designed for, travel on or immediately over land, water, or other natural terrain, excluding: (1) any non-amphibious registered motorboat; (2) any military, fire, emergency, or law enforcement vehicle while being used for emergency purposes; (3) any vehicle whose use is expressly authorized by the authorized officer, or otherwise officially approved; (4) vehicles in official use; and (5) any combat or combat support vehicle when used in times of national defense emergencies."

There is a great variety of e-bikes available and some can be used for mountain biking. Public interest in the use of e-bikes on Federal public lands is rising. As a transportation and recreation option, e-bikes represent an opportunity to reduce emissions, as they also appeal to a growing demographic with physical limitations to conventional bicycling. These factors contribute to a corresponding increase in interest and utilization on public lands. The BLM manages e-bikes similar to the U.S. Forest Service (FS). The FS manages e-bikes as a motor vehicle per their Travel Management Rule.

For more information or if you have questions about e-bikes, please contact Dennis Byrd., Outdoor Recreation Planner, Division of Recreation and Visitor Services (WO-250), at 202-912-7252 or by email at: [email protected].

Signed by: Authenticated by:

Michael H. Tupper Robert M. Williams

Deputy Assistant Director Division of IRM Governance,WO-860

Resources and Planning"_


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## PinoyMTBer (Nov 21, 2013)

Thanks MoePed, I will reach out to them to confirm if their policy can actually supersede US Public Law. It is in all of our best interest to confirm right.


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## Moe Ped (Aug 24, 2009)

PinoyMTBer said:


> Thanks MoePed, I will reach out to them to confirm if their policy can actually supersede US Public Law. It is in all of our best interest to confirm right.


Maybe you're not a troll after all!


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## honkinunit (Aug 6, 2004)

ctxcrossx said:


> Trail being eMTB friendly....does that mean that there's no eMTBs allowed on newer trails, but it's ok on older ones? If so, how is that the case? Are newer ones under different guidelines? ...Or is it a terrain thing?


Almost all of the original MTB trails in Moab were actually old jeep or motorcycle trails. Slickrock, Amasa Back, Poison Spider, Hurrah Pass, Klondike Bluff, Porcupine Rim, Gemini Bridges, Moab Rim, Little Canyon, M&M, basically almost everything that was in the original Moab guidebook bible, "Above and Beyond Slickrock". These trails are motorized, so you can actually ride your motorcycle or Jeep on them, although some parts have been made off limits to motors, like the last 1/4 of Porcupine Rim.

There is a group in Moab called Trail Mix that has built almost all of the new trails there. They *hate* ebikes, and have banned them on all trails they have built, except for the ones at Dead Horse Point, where the state overruled them. They have even banned ebikes on the PAVED trails out there. It will be very interesting to see what happens if BLM makes eMTB legal on bike trails, because most of their trails are on BLM.

Trail Mix used to be a volunteer group, but now it is actually part of the county government. The politics in Grand County are toxic as hell. You have half of the commissioners who want to outdo Boulder on their policies, while the other half wants drilling rigs in everyone's back yard. Trail Mix falls decidedly on the side that wants to outdo Boulder in their faux warm, fuzzy control of everything they can possibly control. Iron fist in a velvet glove. They want you to be EXACTLY like them, or be banned. It isn't about acceptance or getting along with others, it is about 100% control.

Moab is a clusterf**k on so many levels now. It is very sad.


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## og-mtb (Sep 23, 2018)

PinoyMTBer said:


> Thanks MoePed, I will reach out to them to confirm if their policy can actually supersede US Public Law. It is in all of our best interest to confirm right.


The CPSC regulate sales and other jurisdictions regulate usage. Which is why the BLM classifies electric motor bikes as motorized vehicles and restricts them to motorized-legal trails.

Similarly, the USFS classifies electric motor bikes as motorized vehicles and restricts them to motorized-legal trails.

As someone who claims to have done his home work, you are woefully ignorant about where it is legal to ride your electric motor bicycle.

p.s. Your electric motor bike has been banned at Rockville for years. Ranger Geiger is now stepping up enforcement, writing tickets, and posting additional signs so folks can't disingenuously claim ignorance. You're welcome for the head's up. I might have saved you some $$$.


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## Gutch (Dec 17, 2010)

How about any East coast destinations? Remember (legal!)


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## levity (Oct 31, 2011)

Haha, not needed for several months!


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## tuckerjt07 (Nov 24, 2016)

Gutch said:


> How about any East coast destinations? Remember (legal!)


PRKR Mountain

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk


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## hikerdave (Mar 8, 2006)

I remember one very good trail open to motorcycles in Idaho. I've ridden the first part of the Deadwood Ridge trail as part of the Julie Creek loop. (July Creek is NOT open to eBikes).

It is a very scenic trail that climbs far above the Deadwood river and is a hell of a climb on a bicycle but would be great on an eBike. An out and back all the way would be a wonderful ride on an eBike. You don't miss much on the Julie Creek trail; it's just steep and zzzztttt you just burned all of that elevation gain and your brakes too. Just get off of the eBike and hike the top part of the Julie Creek trail which is the best part.


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## hikerdave (Mar 8, 2006)

Another good ride that is open to eBikes, because it's open to motorcycles, is Greenhorn gulch south of Ketchum, Idaho, sometimes referred to as Sun Valley.

Here's a pro-ebike article featuring the trails.

https://www.singletracks.com/blog/m...at-trails-in-idahos-sawtooth-national-forest/

I rode this trail on my hardtail years ago, before it burned. (It's recovering now.) The scariest part of the ride was the signs from the sheepherders warning of their aggressive dogs, necessary to prevent losses to wolves.


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## Cuyuna (May 14, 2017)

Class 1 e-bikes are legal on all of the state trails in Minnesota, paved and natural surface. That includes state snowmobile trails in the non-winter months. I don’t know if fat e-bikes are legal on state snowmobile trails in the winter but I suspect such riders would be taking their lives in their hands. No bikes of any kind are allowed on any of the grant-in-aid snowmobile trails at any time (those represent the vast bulk of snowmobile trails in this state).


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## figofspee (Jul 19, 2018)

Cuyuna said:


> Class 1 e-bikes are legal on all of the state trails in Minnesota, paved and natural surface. That includes state snowmobile trails in the non-winter months. I don't know if fat e-bikes are legal on state snowmobile trails in the winter but I suspect such riders would be taking their lives in their hands. No bikes of any kind are allowed on any of the grant-in-aid snowmobile trails at any time (those represent the vast bulk of snowmobile trails in this state).


From the Minnasota state website
"Fat biking is strongly discouraged on state trails that are groomed for snowmobiling in the winter due to safety concerns.
Electric-assist or pedal-assist bicycles are allowed on state trails, or wherever normal bicycles are allowed, if they meet the following definition in Minnesota Statutes 169.011, Subdivision 27 . 
2 or 3 wheels
A saddle and fully operable pedals for human propulsion
An electric motor that is:
1,000 watts or less,
incapable of propelling faster than 20 miles per hour,
incapable of further increasing the speed of the device when human power alone is used to propel the vehicle at a speed of more than 20 miles per hour, and 
disengages or ceases to function when the vehicles brakes are applied."

Although Minnesota has the best laws regarding eBikes in the US (except for the 20mph part which shouldn't apply to roads that allow cars), their fat bike logic is silly. How is it anymore dangerous sharing a trail on a fat bike then a snowmobile? I would be far less likely to crash into another snowmobile while bicycling then I would driving a snowmobile. On a bike, I am going slower and I can hear the machine coming. But hey, at least the state doesn't ban them, it is sad that they project the danger of a snowmobile onto the bicycle.


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## mbmb65 (Jan 13, 2004)

figofspee said:


> From the Minnasota state website
> "Fat biking is strongly discouraged on state trails that are groomed for snowmobiling in the winter due to safety concerns.
> Electric-assist or pedal-assist bicycles are allowed on state trails, or wherever normal bicycles are allowed, if they meet the following definition in Minnesota Statutes 169.011, Subdivision 27 .
> 2 or 3 wheels
> ...


Once again, your logic is baffling. Think hard about your statement concerning snowmobiles and safety, perhaps if you actually think about it, you'll realize your flaw there.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## figofspee (Jul 19, 2018)

mbmb65 said:


> Once again, your logic is baffling. Think hard about your statement concerning snowmobiles and safety, perhaps if you actually think about it, you'll realize your flaw there.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Snowmobile trails are my preferred trails during winter. Skiers scare me more than bilers. At least the machines have brakes.

Edited to add that if you have some stats on snowmobile safety or lack there of, I would love to see it. As far as the Minnesota legislature goes, I would love to see the comparative safety of a trail that allows snowmobiles versus a trail/road that allows other mechanized vehicles. I know of many cyclists killed by mechanized vehicles of the automotive variety, but I have never heard of a snowmobile killing a cyclist. Also, I have never heard of a fatbiker dying while riding on snow, where I hear of snowmobilers dying on a monthly basis.


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