The debate over allowing electric-powered bikes — better known as e-bikes — on public-lands trails designated as “nonmotorized” seems a little overwrought at times.
When Silver- thorne resident Jacob Miller visited Mesa County earlier this month to ride the Lunch Loops trail system, he relied entirely on his legs and lungs to power a regular mountain bike.
But when asked if he thought electric-powered bikes, or e-bikes, should be allowed on trails like those at Lunch Loops, he said he saw no reason not to allow them.
âI mean, itâs all about impacts, right, and they donât have any more impact on the trail than a regular bicycle. Theyâre not noisy, I mean not impactful in any way, on the environment, on the ears,â he said.