electric assist bicycles?

[ore hunter]

I know this could be a touchy subject to some folks,but I have been considering getting one of these assist bikes with fat tires for rough trails.I know a person cannot wilderness hunt with them,but there are a fair amount of closed roads that they are allowed on as they are considered a bicycle,,,some states may have other rules on these,,,but was wondering if other hunting folks might be investing in them??looks they sure flatten the hills out pretty well,,I believe a lot of the states say they cannot be over 750 watts,,but they could be a awesome tool,especially on a long closed road pack out.pedeco,,haibike,e bike,rad rover,,any input on a good brand or recommendation?

 

[shootbrownelk]

I see "No MOTORIZED Vehicles Beyond this Point" signs all the time. They mean what they say, electric or otherwise.

 

[mntnguide]

Yep. .the national forest around here in Wyoming just put out a reminder that electric bikes are a big No in areas where mountain bikes are allowed

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[SunnyInCO]

I am not familiar with the brands you mentioned but I know Specialized has a whole line of electric assist bikes but probably are not "entry level" in terms of price. Not sure about the price range of the ones you mentioned. I picked up a Specialized fat bike last fall and if the conditions and location was right it would be a good way to get in and out of an area at least to get a few miles in.

 

[Umpqua Hunter]

I first heard about guys hunting with these here in Oregon last spring. My first thought was "NO MOTORIZED VEHICLES", and you can't use them. I am now hearing (not yet confirmed) that they can be used on the improved roads in the gated private timberlands here in Western Oregon. I have no info on federal land use. It has my interest piqued enough that I am slowly beginning to gather into.

One piece I am picking up is to get a bike with the motor built into the pedals ("mid drive") rather than the back wheel seems to be preferred for the rigors of hunting. These "mid drive" bikes seem to be more expensive. The big advantage seems to be the rear wheel/tire can easily be removed for repairs. I am still quite the amateur on this but the "mid drive" also seems to have the advantage of being able to take better advantage of the gearing in the rear wheel.

The brands I have been looking at for hunting are BMEBIKES, HAIBIKE, FELT, LECTRIC Cycles (Tempe AZ) and RAMBO. These all have "mid drive" versions. I saw a RAMBO at Sportsman's Warehouse last time I was there. I like what I have seen so far on the RAMBO bikes and they run around $3K. HAIBIKE is a premium brand and runs around $5K.

Here is a Youtube from Lectric that I had marked as "Excellent" in my notes:

Excellent: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBe_OLUBuCY

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Can't see a whole lot of difference between a motor on a bike and a 4 wheeler. Here in Colorado Mt. bikes and motorcycles are allowed on a lot of trails, which for me is really criminal.

 

[Umpqua Hunter]

I'm not sure (theorizing here) but I think the 750 watt limit may have to do with licensing.

 

[ore hunter]

from what ive looked into,,,the term "pedal assist",,is what they consider these bikes to be? from what ive checked around here in Oregon,,they are allowed in non motorized areas as long as they are" pedal assist'",and 750 wats or under,but I don't have full confirmation of that in writing.they are not allowed in wilderness areas though {obvieously}.im sure each state is different on the rules and I am going to research this before I spend $1000-$4000 on a bike if it wont get me any further in than my quad.Thats good info to find out on Wyoming as that was one of the states I was gonna check into about this..the term "no motorized" and the term "pedal assist" kinda make for a "grey" area in the rule book?if anybody knows there state rules,,,{Idaho,utah,Colorado,nm,please let me know.

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Here in Colorado, every National Forest sets there own rules and all are not the same.

 

[ore hunter]

looks like it is a lot of hit and miss depending on where you are with them,,some places ok,and other places no go.Ive been looking at a front drive pedal assist by "extreme" in a fat tire model,,that way its basically all wheel drive,,pedal power in back,,assist on the front end.looks like a potential nice set up to me?still highly dependant on where you can use them though.Im 51 and not getting any younger these days,,though im in ok shape,im certainly not like I was when I was in my twentys.some people will really cringe at the e-bike thought,,,but if its legal,where its legal,i don't see a problem using one?

 

[wy-tex]

Most roads that are close say no motorized travel, that would mean even an electric bike. While you might get away with no one knowing it has a motor if you get caught the fine could be large, resource damage. I would not take one on a closed road in Wyoming.

 

[tim]

in the national forest, the electric bike is against the law on gated roads. It is still motorized. with gated roads in the national forest no motorized is allowed. I had a run in with the forest service on this one. They thought the bike I was using was an electric bike and they let me know that ebikes are illegal on gated roads. Defiantly check with your local land managers. It sucked being investigated by the forest service because the forest cop was to stupid to know what an ebike was and wasn't.

I was on my bicycle hauling an elk out.

 

[Tim McCoy]

in the national forest, the electric bike is against the law on gated roads. It is still motorized. with gated roads in the national forest no motorized is allowed. I had a run in with the forest service on this one. They thought the bike I was using was an electric bike and they let me know that ebikes are illegal on gated roads. Defiantly check with your local land managers. It sucked being investigated by the forest service because the forest cop was to stupid to know what an ebike was and wasn't.

I was on my bicycle hauling an elk out.

Can't resist getting off topic... Am pretty sure that ranger has a close relative in WA. Had my bro taking my Whitetail mount home for me, it's in the passenger seat, trooper pulls him over and accuses him of poaching and shooting the deer out of season as WA deer season is closed there. My bro shows the paperwork with SD tag/lic numbers, taxidermy receipt, etc. to no avail. Says feel it, it's a taxidermy mount, no go. Finally convinces the dutiful trooper to call it in. She does, finds someone with a brain, comes back, presses a hand to the mount and says go on your way. This was north of Tri-Cities, so she must have grow up in Puget Sound, Portland, SF or the like. Was funny as all heck.

 

[ore hunter]

I see that it really does depend on where you are with one,,,not easy to get full answers on this one,,more clear cut in Wyoming I see but still am tryin to figure out other states,,type of land status,and even different road/trail markings?i got a lot more to look into before I spend $1000+ to $3000 on one.I figured somebody would have this stuff all figured out by now and there would be a clear cut answer for each of the western states to go by.

 

[tim]

oregon
it is really easy, on public land they are considered a motorcycle and can only be used where motorized is allowed.

 

[WapitiBob]

814.405¹
Status of electric assisted bicycle

An electric assisted bicycle shall be considered a bicycle, rather than a motor vehicle, for purposes of the Oregon Vehicle Code, except when otherwise specifically provided by statute. [1997 c.400 §4]

On Private Timber and Forest land, you're not dealing with the State of Oregon however.

 

[ore hunter]

anybody out there know Idaho,utah,Nevada,or Colorado rules specifically?

 

[wy-tex]

http://flagstaffbiking.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/20150929EBikesBriefingPaper.pdf Check this out. It addresses both BLM and FS.

 

[JasonGNV]

I know a NV has designated trails which allow either foot, pack and bike traffic or a variation up to ATV/ UTV And motorcycles. Most BLM roads seem to be whatever you want. Forestry gets tough, I know my deer hunt area has a single track trail from end to end but it's pack animal or foot traffic. I've seen plenty on trail bikes/motorcycles tho.

 

[ore hunter]

good article wy-tex ,,looks like that spells it out pretty good,,,looks like ill just keep my mountain bike pedal power only for trails,,,and use my truck or quad on open roads as I do now,and of course feet only in wilderness.no need to buy a e bike other than them being very quiet compared to a vehicle.