E-MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAILS: LET’S WORK TOGETHER
Hutch’s Bicycles has been an advocate for e-bikes since they first came on the scene. When you look around Central Oregon these days you see them EVERYWHERE! Cargo e-bikes, cruiser e-bikes, fitness e-bikes, e-mountain bikes, retrofitted e-bikes and more.
Our experience is once someone has had chance to ride an e-bike they almost immediately say “WOW!”. Bottom line: they are FUN! Seriously. FUN! E-bikes also enable those who can’t currently ride a bicycle due to a physical issue, age, etc. the ability to enjoy riding a bicycle once again. That is pretty amazing.
So what does the new e-bikes trend mean for our dirt trail riding community?
U.S. FOREST SERVICE (USFS) AND OUR TRAILS
We respect our fellow mountain bikers and the rules that have been set by the US Forest Service (USFS). As a bike shop, we inform our customers about what the rules are and help them find the best places to ride. The rules for USFS e-bikes on non-motorized, single-track dirt trails are pretty clear and can be found here on our E-bike Rider Information Page. In short, e-bikes are not allowed on USFS non-motorized trails.
NEW BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT (BLM) RULING
On September 29, 2019, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) handed down a new rule that would allow e-bikes on BLM lands. With this new ruling, it appears all BLM lands in Central Oregon are open to ride immediately. We are awaiting specific details from our local BLM agency, so check back soon. The ruling can be viewed here.
WE SUPPORT ALL CYCLISTS
Since 1981, Hutch’s Bicycles has supported all cyclists. It is who we are. It’s in our DNA. We were here to support the early mountain bike community back in the 1980’s. Now we want to do the same for the e-mountain bike community today.
IT ALL STARTS TODAY
We have started compiling a list of dirt routes that don’t infringe on the USFS non-motorized, single-track dirt trail rules. We are starting with some gravel routes from our friends at Dirty Freehub that allow e-mountain bikes and cover many parts of Central Oregon. We have also started creating our own e-mountain bike dirt routes throughout Bend, Redmond and the rest of Central Oregon that conform to the USFS rules. They will be available shortly. We plan to add physical trail maps, work with digital trail map companies, consult with local volunteer groups that manage our trails systems and add other support items for our e-mountain bike friends.
Our first batch of dirt routes are here and ready to download and ride.
LET’S WORK TOGETHER
Lastly, let’s collaborate together as bike shops and locals to build a community where e-mountain bike riders understand their options, educate them on the current rules and continue to expand those options for riding in our amazing Central Oregon communities.
Just like we did with the original mountain bikers back in the day, Hutch’s Bicycles wants to continue to be a leader in supporting all cyclists. No matter what type of bicycle folks choose to ride.
If you would like to help and be part of the solution or have constructive ideas, feel free to email us at e-bikes@hutchsbicycles.com. We would love to hear from you!
Thanks for reading.
The Hutch’s Bicycles Team
Supporting all riders since 1981