General FAQs
We are a proud Santa Cruz dealer, and very excited to show off our new fleet of Heckler's. These top-of-the-line carbon fiber ebikes feature the Shimano EP8 motor and a 720wh battery, which equates to about 40 miles assist on trail mode!
Almost all mainstream MTB brands offer Class 1, Pedal-Assist ebikes. This means there is no throttle, and they only boost when you are pedaling. They also limit assist to 20mph.
Ebikes are basically in 4 groups:
- Class 1 - pedal-assist only with max assist speed of 20mph. Most mainstream eMTB's and all of our bikes fall in this category.
- Class 2 - Throttle-assist to 20mph. Many eCruisers you might see around town are in this category. Also encompasses a lot of mobility devices and the ONEwheel motor skateboard.
- Class 3 -Pedal assist only to 28mph. Designated mostly for urban commuting/road bikes that need to be able to go the speed of urban traffic.
- Uncategorized - Many off-brand, Amazon/internet bikes are really hybrid-electric mopeds, with no governor, a throttle and pedals (or not).
Ebike Trails
This varies greatly amongst land managers and federal, state and local jurisdictions. For most federal lands Ebikes are considered motor vehicles and only allowed on motorized routes (4x4 roads and motorcycle trails).
State Parks in Utah and Colorado both allow Class 1 Ebikes on mountain bike trails. Many local jurisdictions also allow Class 1 bikes, such as Jefferson County Open Space (Denver), and Maricopa County Parks (Phoenix).
- Slickrock Trail - This trail has always been open to motorcycles, and thus open to Ebikes.
- Dead Horse Point State Park
- Sovereign Singletrack- Classic Motorcycle singletrack. All Black-diamonds
- Any 4x4 road or motorcycle trail
- Town bike paths
Unless specifically designated as open traditional mountain bike trails on Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service lands are not open to Ebikes.
That means that currently the Moab MTB trail system is NOT open to Ebikes.
Expect some changes in the near future, and if you have a strong feeling one way, or the other, get involved with trail advocacy near you!
