Hiro11

For context, I'm talking primarily about the "big triangle" Wheaton/South Elgin/Aurora Prairie Path/Great Western/FRT complex of paths. I've also seen a ton of ebikes on the Centennial and in Waterfall Glen recently. In about 20 years of riding these paths, I've never seen anyone enforcing speed limits or handing out fines. I'm certainly not advocating doing that. My point is more that as these bikes proliferate, become less expensive and more people learn how to defeat the speed limiters this is going to spiral quickly. This is already happening. I don't want enforcement, but it's also not a good idea to have 12 year olds salmoning around at 28mph on narrow paths past people walking dogs.

These paths are one of the few great things about living in northern Illinois, I hope they don't turn into a mess.

Wildwood 

In many mountainous areas, hiking trails that were opened for bicycles many years have been trashed in the last couple.. E-mtbs have added to the problem faster than those who maintain the trails can respond. If you ride singletrack trails, please get off the bike and help maintain the trails you ride by joining an organized group of experienced trail builders.

- From a former USFS wilderness ranger

aclinjury

I'm the Socal area. Some mtb'ers here are willing to do trail works, but the problem is that these same folks are also of the mentality that just because they put in the work, it should be ok for them to ride e-mtb where ever a regular bike is allowed. They don't seem to know, or not willing to know, that an e-mtb can cause a lot more trail damage than their annual trail work could ever repair. There's already a problem with mtb'ers illegally poaching hike-only trails or outright making their own side trails (with jumps), now we have e-mtbers zipping up and down and doing loops of their favorites downhill runs. Hiking trails are turning into downhill practice runs for e-mtbers. And when these guys go barreling down, they hardly yield to anyone, they feel like they're badasses on x-motos.

CAT7RDR

The regional park I live near was once a vital scenic hiking area but over decades of off designated trail use by hikers and MTB's, it was destroyed. Restoration is currently going on, but a lot of the single track erosion will permanently damage the hills. Sad really.

Happy Feet

My view is, if it doesn't have pedals or is controlled independently by a throttle, it's more moped/motorbike than bicycle. If it's pedal assist it's an e bike.

I really don't see a difference using e bike or manual on access trails up to runs if they can handle the use. On more fragile downhill trails, that are designated manual only, I think there should be a manual disconnect for the e motor (not just an off/on switch) to allow them to be used as manual bikes.

Get caught on a non ebike trail with the motor connected, get a fine. Period. Industry and lawmakers/stakeholders could work out what that disconnect looks like. All the issues with power mods won't matter if the motor is disconnected.

Takes all the guessing away yet allows e bike use on trails where it is applicable.

In my region there are many places where a fire road or jeep trail goes from the bottom to top of runs. Groups often ferry bikes up in trucks. Solo riders can't do this and have to pedal. I see no difference between pedaling an e assist bike and riding up in a truck. At the top, turn off the motor or disconnect and everyone is riding manual downhill.