In this episode of the Singletrack Podcast we have a Mrs Merton-style ‘heated debate’ about eeb numbers.
Benji and Mark layout the Singletrack Magazine editorial team’s concerns around peak power for the latest wave of eMTB motors and firmwares. We (well, Benji) also bangs on (and on) about how Trail Bikes should just get in the sea.
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You can listen to the whole 42 minute thang below…
Yeah, I’m aware what I wrote makes it sound like we were all whiter than white – we weren’t, but we also didn’t do any of our stuff right in front of everyone. Any digging was done away from common paths, was never (for me and my friends) done on existing paths/trails. However, vast majority of us had spent time outdoors and in the hills so had a respect for the outdoors and other users.
That isn’t the case nowadays. It also isn’t just ebikes, it is everyone…COVID saw a spike in people walking out and about…for many it was new and it showed – dropping litter (the council must come along and pick this up weekly as there isn’t any litter about and they haven’t provided buckets)…this hasn’t been caused by ebikes but it has allowed that kind of thinking to be able to access more space with ease.
There’s some shining examples of availability bias coming up on this thread.I think there may be a general rise in individualism and self-interest in society but I don’t think we’ll get far blaming Avinox for that : )
So (much like “buying” a car) the humble E-bike has become another tool of the finance industry to extract more money than people can really afford.
if people are taking on additional debt to buy these things then it very much is an issue (IMO). But that’s maybe not the focus of this thread.
You’re right, the ‘dicks per-capita’ ratio of the population is probably quite static, but E-bikes do represent a bit of an enabling tool for them. A Dick on a normal bike is far more capped by their own physical limitations, a dick on an E-bike has so much more opportunity both in terms of range and potential consequences. If they’re not googling options for de-restricting their new toy within the first week of ownership I’d be surprised…
But the genie is out of the bottle now. The UK isn’t good at regulating in a timely fashion, especially industries where the technology and manufacturing moves so fast. The pace at which E-bikes have “evolved” beyond the relatively simple set of rules around pedelecs isn’t surprising, the backlash is building now though. I got a letter from our MP seeking feedback on “anti-social behaviour involving e-bikes and e-scooters” the other day, more and more press highlighting the terrors of E-bike riders mowing down frail old ladies. All free of the nuances that e-bike fans would hope for.
The people that define our laws are more aware of them and are now considering options; that might be changing laws or simply re-empowering law enforcement to more effectively apply the laws that already exist. That to me is the impacts of e-bikes and their escalating power levels going well beyond the users…
It is, it was out as soon as EPACs became a thing. A great new transport option in transport e-bikes, a fork in the road for off-road cycling. New regs take time to process and Avinox have proven they can put out products in a short timescale.
And many miscategorised paths, bridleways on map but owner treating it like a footpath, bridleways that were incorrectly registered as footpaths and you’re asserting access, illegal barriers (you can only use gates and styles on English/Welsh RoWs if there is livestock apparently), gates that are locked when they shouldn’t be or use of kissing gates or other awkward barriers on official cycle routes.
I don’t get over there often but last time I was Peel Tower above Ramsbottom the demographics riding were noticeably different. There were groups of mid 30’s Asian blokes on ebikes, rather than just the usual white blokes. They didn’t appear to be behaving any differently to the rest of the ebikers though.