I'm a little confused about how the BLM regulations relate to the National park one.
As I understand it e-bikes are currently allowed in National Parks, and possibly other federal land. Is this allowance temporary until they review comments? They both seem to have the same June 8th 2020 due date.
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/biking/e-bikes.htm
It seems like this is applicable to ALL federal lands, and so its something every E-Bike enthusiast should get behind. And, obviously something an E-Bike hater needs to try to defeat.
Absolutely the only logical reasons I can see for trying to ban e-bikes on Federal land is to minimize participation.
It's understandable given how crowded hiking trails would be if low cost powered exo-skeletons were a thing. So instead of being clear of people 2 miles into a hike you were suddenly surrounded by all these "powered individuals" that would either be with you till the end or would pass you.
One of the great things about being in nature is it's your body against nature. All the people who can't handle it are gone. This means all the parents, and their pesky kids (these are the majority). It also excludes all the out of shape people, and the people with physically limiting conditions.
I don't know if anyone has been paying attention, but it seems like everyone has an E-bike these days. So we're not talking about a small amount of folks with physical handicaps. We're talking all kinds of people.
Even kids around my neighborhood have E-Bikes.
The lock down has exploded E-Bike sales so there is even more of them on the roads/trails/etc today.
One of the reasons I absolutely love my E-Bike is I can do crazy things with it. I can put it into full regen mode (negative assist) going down a hill where I have to pedal hard just to get down the hill or it won't move at all. Or I can put it into full assist, and blast up the hill going 28mph which is totally bizarre to people watching. Not even my Tesla is as cool as my E-Bike. By far its best thing I own.
The bike gives me the freedom to use it how I wish. But, the thing is it gives everyone else that power too.
If I want to go fast, and I'm where I can go fast then I go fast.
If I want to get a good workout then I use it to do that.
If my knee suddenly gives way (which sometimes it does without much warning) then I can easily manage to get back to where I started.
E-Bikes are the great equalizer.
They open up biking to the masses.