Can you take your e-moto on a mountain bike track? Ooohhh… this is a good question! I’m sure you already have an answer in mind. If you don’t, or if you like a good discussion… read on! Let’s look at a few variables, like what sort of mountain bike tracks are we talking about? Does it matter if you’re in the city or rural? Surely with how quiet e-motos are, they’re allowed…. Or are they? I’ve asked around the office, and man, did we get a range of answers. I’ll share them here with you, including some intriguing insight from Riles, our email pro who happens to also be an experienced bicycle racer.
Let’s get straight to it. Firstly, the e-moto in question are the mid-sized rockets, such as the Surron, Talaria, E Ride Pro, etc. Let’s assume they’re not registered, but we can get to that part later. The mountain bike trails could be downhill runs, joint hiking/mountain bike trails, or even ski resorts over the summer. So, can you take your e-moto on a mountain bike trail in the USA?
What do real people say about it?
In no particular order, here are some of the ideas I encountered while asking around the GritShift offices. Keep in mind that these are our opinions and we’re riders, not lawyers! Would our staff do it?
- “No one rides an e-moto on mountain bike trails. The MTB guys rage and call the cops, it’s actually highly frowned upon due to the e-motos easily destroying the trails.”
- “Coming from someone who mountain bikes, it might be illegal or not in some areas, but mountain bikers generally don’t like it.”
- “It introduces the possibility of a head-on collision. On an e-moto you can go up or down a MTB trail, and some people do, so this introduces uphill traffic to the downhill trail.”
- “If you behaved and didn’t tear anything up (like power sliding through corners) I think you’d be fine. But that’s just on a personal level – fine as in nobody hates you – on a legal level I have no idea.”
- “There’s a trail food chain – at least where I live. Hikers hate mountain bikes because they ride hiking trails sometimes, mountain bikers hate dirt bikes because they ride mountain bike trails sometimes, and so on.”
- “I mean, it’s possible there are places where this is welcome, but I bet it’s slim to none.”
You can see the range of answers! Why is this topic such a grey area? Well, it could have something to do with where e-motos fit in terms of the law. In many states, they can’t be classed as an e-bike (even with a pedal kit) as they’re too powerful, and they don’t seem to have their own broad category yet. Yes, you can register them in certain states, but that doesn’t answer if you can legally take them on mountain bike trails around the country.
What’s the big deal?
I hear some of you saying, “Yeah, but a Surron is basically a bicycle, so it’s fine.”
If we think about this differently, would you take a small gas-powered dirt bike to a mountain bike trail? That surely is easier to answer, and it would be a quick ‘no’. They’re bigger, faster, and noisier, with a power delivery that can spin up bigger tread and destroy the tracks. E-motos aren’t much different when you think about it. Apart from the noise– e-motos are whisper quiet in comparison.
Is noise the difference?
Thanks to some very cool technology, e-motos are much quieter than similar-sized dirt bikes, which makes them perfect for riding around neighborhoods. So as far as noise pollution goes, e-motos would be fine on the mountain bike tracks. But there is much more to this story.
I think it’s time to get Riles in and get his expertise on the subject. Riles has ridden and owned over a bazillion types of bicycles. OK, that’s probably an exaggeration, but you get the picture! Would he do it?
What do serious racers have to say about this?
Starting his racing career while still in high school, Riles had awesome opportunities to race in many different locations. Fast forward a few years, and now Riles gets to combine his love of all things bike with email marketing for GritShift. Read more about Riles here.
If you’ve received an email from GritShift, chances are you’ve already read Riles’ words. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, sign up here so you can join our e-moto e-mail community.
I figured, if anyone knows what the answer is to riding e-motos on mountain bike trails, Riles is the man. He’s spent, by far, the most amount of time on mountain bikes, while also having a huge amount of knowledge in the world of e-motos.
Read Riles’s answers here
Is there an unwritten code?
Don’t ride trails after heavy rain because it destroys them. Also, just be respectful. Everyone is up there for the same reasons – to escape and have fun on their bikes.
How do you find dedicated downhill tracks and are they marked by difficulty levels?
We have specific mountain biking trails, but they’re usually not marked at the trailhead unless it’s a well-established trail network. To find the difficulty, conditions, or other info, you can usually rely on Strava, Trailforks, or other riders. [My area doesn’t] really have mountain bike parks unless you go to ski resorts in the summer, though some local towns are building dirt jumps and BMX tracks. In general, if there’s a MTB trail, there’s likely a hiking trail in the same network, and sometimes they’re shared. Horses are sometimes allowed, too, it just depends.
In all your years riding, have you ever seen anyone on a gas dirt bike using the trails?
Honestly, not really. In California, most dirt bikes stay off mountain bike trails because there are better places to ride, like moto tracks or OHV areas. If I see a dirt bike on an MTB or hiking trail, they’re usually just trying to get somewhere, not riding that trail as their destination (but it’s still not technically legal and of course, there are a few bad apples).
Have you come across anyone on an e-moto (like a Surron) on mountain bike trails?
More and more each day! I’d say they’re all on the mountain bike trails because of the e-moto’s limited range. They can’t get to where they need to go on one charge in most cases to ride the actual moto trails. I see them on the streets a ton, too.
What are your personal thoughts on taking an e-moto on MTB trails?
Personally, I think it’s best to ride in areas where you know motos are allowed. If you’re going to ride on mountain bike trails, ride with the flow of the trail. Don’t blast up a trail where mountain bikers could be coming down. Take the fire road up, then the trail down. Riding these trails backward creates a huge risk of a head-on collision, especially since e-motos are quiet. Just don’t ride them at all, but if you do, please bear these things in mind.
So those trails are just for mountain bikes?
I want to elaborate on what Riles mentioned regarding why everyone is out riding on trails in general. To escape and have fun. Simple. Whether you’re riding a mountain bike, e-moto, horse, hiking… the whole idea is to get out and have a blast. I ride to clear my mind for the week ahead. I also ride in places where I don’t need to worry about others at different speeds around corners. Someone hiking or pushing a mountain bike up the track will be at a much different pace to an e-moto. Downhill tracks are usually single-line, and it just sounds dangerous and stupid to go up a downhill track.
Don’t forget the trails are also designed one way, if you rip up a downhill track, you’ll also destroy the jumps and rut out the track in the wrong places. Your e-moto tread is bigger and chunkier than mountain bike tread. And a twist of the throttle can quickly displace much more dirt than a mountain bike.
As you can tell, I’m not a fan of taking my e-moto to the mountain bike track either. There are way better places to ride that are far better suited to the capabilities of the e-motos. But is the general consensus go or no go?
What’s the verdict?
Whether it’s legal or not, would you ride an e-moto on a mountain bike trail? It’s true the law might still be catching up in some areas, so maybe a sign doesn’t specifically say ‘no e-motos’ allowed’, but let’s face it, there are way better areas to ride. An e-moto is closer to a dirt bike in terms of capabilities, moto tracks will generally be more suited for the power delivery and you won’t have to worry about hikers on the track. Or horses.
Perhaps the question should become: Are we going to start seeing dedicated e-moto trails around? Now, that is an article I’d love to write! Actually, that is a track I’d love to ride, and then write about 😉
What are your thoughts? Comment below on what you would do, or join the convo over on Instagram. Would you ride a high-powered e-moto like a Surron on a mountain bike trail, and why do you like to ride?
PS: It would make Riles’ day if you sign up for his emails – here is that link again 🙂 The newsletter isn’t just about finding out when the latest gear and parts are being released, it’s also about tips and tricks for riding and maintaining your e-moto, as well as celebrity guest posts, opinions, and so much more.
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