Recently the United States Forest Service made a decision on e-bike usage on roads and trails. This decision has been long awaited by the public, especially since the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) had already concluded how they planned to define and regulate e-bike usage on BLM land a couple of years ago.
In an article on the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) website, “the Forest Service announced its final internal guidance on how e-bikes will be managed on national forests and grasslands. The long-anticipated update reaffirms the existing policy that e-bikes are now, and will continue to be, managed as a motorized use—that is, e-bikes will be allowed on all currently authorized roads and trails open to motorized use and not allowed on roads and trails closed to motorized use, seasonally or otherwise.
“At the same time, the guidance also outlines a process for the agency to evaluate requests for expanded e-bike access and establishes a new “e-bike only” trail category.”
Over the past few years I’ve had the opportunity to test and use various e-bikes from companies including Bakcou, QuietKat, and Rambo. I’ve learned their strengths and weaknesses in various situations and various types of hunts.
The e-bike discussion over whether or not they should be allowed is understandable on the surface, yet once you’ve used them and really understand what they can and cannot do, the argument over their usage quickly fades.
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© Eastmans