4WD Approach w/ eBike?

Bunch of eBike softies. This guy rode a bike from the Arctic to Patagonia. Without a motor. At times with a pretty shitty bike. Traveling to some of the great mountain ranges for alpinists (he's not one). Iohan Gueorguiev killed himself in August, (rip). Reminds me a of a few dirtbags.

Crimpin Ain't Easy wrote:

Link to article requires a paid monthly subscription to NY times. Get the feck outta here with that will ya

Changed it for ya.

If read from Google news, or search, the NYTimes is free.

Or, just go to the New York Times front page. Then, if you see a headline you want, highlight it, copy it, and then dump it into your Google search window.  The headline should be returned as the first search result, usually. Then just click it and read. There is a limit to the number of free stories if cookies aren't cleared.

Asking a kid how to do this also works ;).

Many websites work this way. Bing "news" sometimes has more access to other publications 'cause (guessin') they pay more publishers for access seeing as they are a less popular search engine and news portal.

On iPhone, pressing “reader view” allowed me to read the article.. it was very sad though so I’m not sure I’m happy I read it. 

Does e-bike stand for easy-bike? Will it be cool when we have rope assists to help us TR stuff way above our levels? Serious question

I stopped calling myself a biker and started calling myself an E Biker.  Now nobody can say I'm not a real biker because I'm not, I'm a bad ass E Biker.

Does e-bike stand for easy-bike? Will it be cool when we have rope assists to help us TR stuff way above our levels? Serious question

You’re implying there’s an analogy there. There’s not, and I’m not going to bother explaining why

An ebike definitely makes it easier to climb a fire road or a technical trail, especially with 30 lbs of climbing gear and a gallon of water. But on the downhill an ebike is every bit as challenging to maneuver as a standard mtb - IOW no easier - actually more challenging due to the e bike’s weight.

Cars make it easier to travel to different climbing areas also, as a suggestion for a better analogy

eBike perspective:

From:
https://electrek.co/2021/11/21/harley-davidsons-hilarious-e-bike-video-satirizes-cycling-culture-teaches-you-to-just-enjoy-the-ride

My previous hybrid ebike, which had 26" narrow tyres, was a pain to ride. I haven't tried MTB tyres yet. My fatbike is a BBSHD, and it has no trouble getting through ridiculous amounts of snow. I'd advise taking it easy and learning how to recover from a wobble as well as how to tumble when necessary. It's only a matter of time before it happens. On worn 26x4 tyres, I've cruised at 20 mph with no problems. I'm not sure how cold it gets, but it's at least -10 degrees Celsius. Maybe -20 degrees?

I have a 52-volt, 20-amp-hour battery. I had to preserve the throttle a lot more in the winter and keep to basically PAS. I hardly got 20 miles out of it. (I'm also not a very good rider most of the time.) Now that it's summer, I'm getting around 25 miles on just throttle. Assume a 25% reduction in range due to cold.

That Harley Davidson vid makes me think that the big bad All American Noise Polluter feels a little intimidated by the growing popularity of ebikes worldwide.

Killer Frostwrote:

My previous hybrid ebike, which had 26" narrow tyres, was a pain to ride. I haven't tried MTB tyres yet. My fatbike is a BBSHD, and it has no trouble getting through ridiculous amounts of snow. I'd advise taking it easy and learning how to recover from a wobble as well as how to tumble when necessary. It's only a matter of time before it happens. On worn 26x4 tyres, I've cruised at 20 mph with no problems. I'm not sure how cold it gets, but it's at least -10 degrees Celsius. Maybe -20 degrees?

I have a 52-volt, 20-amp-hour battery. I had to preserve the throttle a lot more in the winter and keep to basically PAS. I hardly got 20 miles out of it. (I'm also not a very good rider most of the time.) Now that it's summer, I'm getting around 25 miles on just throttle. Assume a 25% reduction in range due to cold.

Can you say more on your BBSHD build? What kind of bike did you use?

christoph benellswrote:

I e-bike rough dirt road approaches with my Rad Power e bike. It is a 20" fat tire bike, and I lower the seat all the way down so my feet can touch the ground easily.

I use it like a Honda Trail 90 kind of bike where you are scooting along using your feet to help you up and over bumps, ruts, etc, while the power of the motor is propelling you forward.

Works great and people are always jealous when they see me zoom past. I most recently used it for a Mount Adams ski descent when a snow bank blocked the road 4+ miles from the TH, but the rest of the road was mostly melted out.

Hey, this is really interesting. Have you tried it in snow? I can see a lot of approaches in WA where this might be useful. White River, gold bar boulders, bridge creek FS road. 

Man, people are so weird about e-bikes (said as a mountain biker who doesn't own one). 

No one bitches about driving to the crag or driving on a 4wd road but somehow using an e-bike is an affront to God and nature. Dirt bike? No issues. E-bike? "Quit pretending to be a biker! Want an assisted autobelay at the crag?" As though a mountain bike doesn't already afford a mechanical advantage that 'cheats' the hike to wherever you're going.

MattHwrote:

Man, people are so weird about e-bikes (said as a mountain biker who doesn't own one). 

No one bitches about driving to the crag or driving on a 4wd road but somehow using an e-bike is an affront to God and nature. Dirt bike? No issues. E-bike? "Quit pretending to be a biker! Want an assisted autobelay at the crag?" As though a mountain bike doesn't already afford a mechanical advantage that 'cheats' the hike to wherever you're going.

I think the issue with e-bikes has more to do with them being used on non-motorized trails, when they do in fact use a motor. 

Brandon Rwrote:

I think the issue with e-bikes has more to do with them being used on non-motorized trails, when they do in fact use a motor. 

Yep. Let the electric peeps in and dirt bike/quad/sidebyside users will want in.

Ebikes, unlike all other motorized vehicles, make no noise, and have been found to do no more damage to trails than standard mountain bikes. 

Slippery slope arguments aren’t applicable, the only valid argument against them is that they make backcountry more easily accessible for those that can afford them.

If you think that’s a bad thing, you’re entitled to your opinion. I think public land is just that, and that the public should be able to access it by ebike if it’s already accessible by mountain bike, as they are effectively no different to anyone but the rider.

Brandon Rwrote:

I think the issue with e-bikes has more to do with them being used on non-motorized trails, when they do in fact use a motor. 

The OP was actually asking about using e-bikes on 4WD roads in lieu of a car they don't own.

Brandon Rwrote:

I think the issue with e-bikes has more to do with them being used on non-motorized trails, when they do in fact use a motor. 

I suspect the real problem is they keep running over the road apples. It’s not a proper trail unless you plant a foot firmly in a horse dookie at least once.

I have used a dirt bike to get up 4x4 the van won’t make it up at all and to get to many remote climbing areas and it’s been great a know it’s different then a e bike but I feel like if you had enough power you would be good . 

Why not just buy a Rokon