E-Bike is now allowed in Federal National Parks!

[rsilvers]

Interior Secretary David Bernhardt signed the order without fanfare Thursday, classifying e-bikes as non-motorized bikes and giving agencies 14 days to adjust their rules.

APNewsBreak: Coming to national park trails: electric bikes

 

[raine]

For those of us in the U.S.A. this is pointing in the right direction.

 

[rsilvers]

https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/f..._through_the_use_of_electric_bikes_-508_0.pdf

 

[Portland 29er]

Great news! I live near Acadia Nat'l Park where there is great gravel riding through the coastal mountains there!

 

[Perry01]

This is good news. I was stopped by two US forestry workers last week in Utah while riding on Forestry land. They mentioned nothing of this upcoming order.

 

[raine]

This is good news. I was stopped by two US forestry workers last week in Utah while riding on Forestry land. They mentioned nothing of this upcoming order.

They probably didn't even know about it yet.

 

[seamarsh]

Interior Secretary David Bernhardt signed the order without fanfare Thursday, classifying e-bikes as non-motorized bikes and giving agencies 14 days to adjust their rules.

APNewsBreak: Coming to national park trails: electric bikes

Title is a little bit click baity...they will be allowed where bikes are currently allowed, which within national parks is really only few trails and mostly access roads.. foot paths etc.. it’s not like they are going to open up single tracks to Ebikes.

Regardless some progress I guess.

 

[Dirtnvert]

Updated policy in British Columbia , Canada. Class 1 is no different than regular mtb. Future is bright. So stoked

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5262734
"The policy says that those with Class 1 e-bikes can ride on any B.C. Parks trail where mountain bikes or other cycling is already allowed, but those with Class 2 and 3 e-bikes can only ride on trails and roads designated for motorized vehicles.

Class 1 e-bikes are not considered motor vehicles under the Park, Conservancy and Recreation Area (PCRA) regulations. These e-bikes have motors that only work when the rider is pedalling, and have a maximum output of 500 watts. "

 

[raine]

Actually, the thread title should have specified that this is about U.S. federal parks.

 

[Jeb]

Interior Secretary David Bernhardt signed the order without fanfare Thursday, classifying e-bikes as non-motorized bikes and giving agencies 14 days to adjust their rules.

APNewsBreak: Coming to national park trails: electric bikes

Yippee! Hopefully turning the corner in the USA to open up use on our amazing public lands!

 

[Perry01]

Title is a little bit click baity...they will be allowed where bikes are currently allowed, which within national parks is really only few trails and mostly access roads.. foot paths etc.. it’s not like they are going to open up single tracks to Ebikes.

Regardless some progress I guess.

This order includes all 400 national parks and......

“other federally managed backcountry areas.”

It “Instructs the Director, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to develop a proposed rule to revise 43 CFR § 8340.0-5 and any associated regulations to be consistent with this Order, add a definition fore-bikes consistent with 15 U.S.C. § 2085, and expressly exempt all e-bikes as defined in Sec. 4a from the definition of off-road vehicles or motorized vehicles”

The BLM includes the US Forestry MTB Project in which there are 3,600 miles of trails in Utah alone.

Mountain Bike Trails near Utah

This is huge for us in the USA

 

[Jeb]

Title is a little bit click baity...they will be allowed where bikes are currently allowed, which within national parks is really only few trails and mostly access roads.. foot paths etc.. it’s not like they are going to open up single tracks to Ebikes.

Regardless some progress I guess.

Quote from announcement “Bernhardt’s order gave agency officials 30 days to come up with public guidance on how the new policy will be carried out by the National Park and National Wildlife Refuge systems, and on land overseen by the Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation.” A lot of single track exist on BLM land!????

 

[Jeb]

Going to head out tomorrow and grab a souvenir, one of those nasty”no Ebike” signs from a trailhead! ??

 

[seamarsh]

Quote from announcement “Bernhardt’s order gave agency officials 30 days to come up with public guidance on how the new policy will be carried out by the National Park and National Wildlife Refuge systems, and on land overseen by the Bureau of Land Management and Bureau of Reclamation.” A lot of single track exist on BLM land!????

AFAIK they had been no ban on most blm land.. maybe a few exceptions.. Moab? I mean if you can ride motos on blm you can ride ebikes.

 

[Jeb]

This should open up the 800 MILES of the Arizona Trail from New Mexico to Utah! ?
Mountain Biking – Explore the Arizona Trail

 

[HORSPWR]

Jeez the purists really gonna hate now!

 

[stiksandstones]

San Juan trail, in OC....I believe that is cleveland national forest, so does this mean I can ride my Levo there, legally? pretty sure it has been illegal, according to the haters that have heckled me up there.

 

[stiksandstones]

Looking at that Dept of Interior letter, sounds like class 1, 2, and 3 are allowed?? that is BAD News!!, am I reading it wrong? it should ONLY be class 1. Uh oh.

 

[Perry01]

Looking at that Dept of Interior letter, sounds like class 1, 2, and 3 are allowed?? that is BAD News!!, am I reading it wrong? it should ONLY be class 1. Uh oh.

Only one class will be allowed as written in the letter and I’m confident it is class 1.

“For the purpose of this Order, "e-bikes" shall mean "low-speed electric bicycle" as defined by 15 U.S.C. § 2085 and falling within one of the following classifications:

i) "Class 1 electric bicycle" shall mean an electric bicycle equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and that ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 20 miles per hour;
ii) "Class 2 electric bicycle" shall mean an electric bicycle equipped with a motor that may be used exclusively to propel the bicycle, and that is not capable of providing assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of 20 miles per hour; and
iii) "Class 3 electric bicycle" shall mean an electric bicycle equipped with a motor that provides assistance only when the rider is pedaling, and that ceases to provide assistance when the bicycle reaches the speed of28 miles per hour.”

 

[rsilvers]

Ha.
No. All classes are allowed. And I don’t see how that is bad news since it is still 750 watts max. That is actually ideal as it meant no annoying 20mph limit.

 

[raine]

San Juan trail, in OC....I believe that is cleveland national forest, so does this mean I can ride my Levo there, legally? pretty sure it has been illegal, according to the haters that have heckled me up there.

But everyone in OC are haters, OCParks specifically to the point that they hand tickets out to everyone and anyone they see doing anything against their archaic rules.

 

[Pukmeister]

Maybe somebody in the cycle industry shares my views about the business and growth that ebikes bring and lobbied for the change.

Its great news.

 

[Jeb]

This organization has been lobbying for this change.
PeopleForBikes

 

[rsilvers]

Yes. They even handed out $40,000 to a trail if they would let ebikes be tested.

 

[papab]

To clarify, this is only for BLM and national parks, not national forest. It is a big deal, there are trails that I can now ride close to my house, and Moab! National parks, no big deal, they ban regular mtbs from all single tracks, only dirt roads are open, with a few exceptions.

 

[rsilvers]

Well that was fast. The National Park Service already complied and issued their new rules. eBikes are allowed anywhere manual bicycles are allowed. eBikes cannot be over 1 HP/750 watts. eBikes cannot go over 20 mph on power. eBikes must be used in pedal-assist mode and not in throttle mode (but maybe they can have a throttle if you don't use it?). This is confusing to me as the original order implied that they had to allow 28 mph and throttles, but it was ambiguous and I guess the various areas can decide on one class or another.

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/policy/upload/PM_19-01.pdf

 

[Rich-EMTB-UK]

Interior Secretary David Bernhardt signed the order without fanfare Thursday, classifying e-bikes as non-motorized bikes and giving agencies 14 days to adjust their rules.

APNewsBreak: Coming to national park trails: electric bikes

very pleased to hear this for you guys in the USA

 

[rsilvers]

Not that I live near a national park, but will be a massive change to acceptance. It will give the industry more confidence in investing in new and improved eMTB designs, and make it harder for state and local trails to keep banning them.

 

[rsilvers]

It is nice that it is a generous 750 watts. EU is 250, but wonder if that is two different ways to describe the same thing?

 

[HikerDave]

It is nice that it is a generous 750 watts. EU is 250, but wonder if that is two different ways to describe the same thing?

EU law is rated power, which can’t actually be measured. US law probably meant peak power but doesn’t explicitly say so, which makes a gigantic loophole; a typical “250” watt eBike motor puts out 500 to 600 watts and will do so continuously until the battery runs out.