From the very beginning, we built mountain bikes to take us further. To explore new trails. To discover new experiences. To push the boundaries of cycling, into unknown pedaling territory. Just as knobby tires, suspension and disc brakes took all of us deeper into the unknown, pedal assist e-MTBs have brought more of us along for the ride.
The following adventure is an excerpt from Further, Shimano’s finest collection of e-MTB tales from around the globe. These stories are told to inspire us to push our own boundaries of action, adventure and advocacy, just a little bit further with these powerful new rides.
Story and Photos by Leslie Kehmeier
It happened one July morning last summer, and to be honest it caught me off guard. I joyfully laughed out loud while riding up a steep and technical trail. I mean who does that: laugh while riding uphill? In an oh-so-memorable moment, the possibilities of e-MTBs really hit me.
It was the first ride of a week-long adventure while working on a project in Gifford Pinchot National Forest. It’s no place for the faint of heart. The riding is physically and mentally challenging. It’s tough, but it’s my kind of endeavor. But beyond the ruggedness, the remoteness really sets The Giff apart. Located in the heart of the Cascade Mountains of south-central Washington, it’s an other-worldly landscape, a juxtaposition of primordial forests surrounded by sublime volcanic peaks. And my e-MTB had just delivered me here.
I had reached a place that was awe inspiring for its beauty and also a place that was completely ours, one of the myriad magical locations in America’s public land system. Of the 2.27 billion acres that comprise the United States, about 840 million acres are publicly accessible, owned by its citizens. There is nothing else like it on earth.
The management of the lands has been entrusted to a collection of government entities ranging from federal and state down to the local level. Agencies at the federal level manage the majority of U.S. public lands, including the United States Forest Service (USFS). The Gifford Pinchot National Forest is part of the USFS with 1.32 million acres of land extending from the western slopes of Mt. Rainier to the Columbia River in southern Washington, USA.
Historically, off-road motorcycles have flocked to The Giff for its rough, variable and extensive terrain. It’s got the kind of hardcore terrain that is impractical at times for analog bikes. During a prior trip to the area (without the pedal-assist), there was no laughing while riding up mega steep trails. There was only pushing, cursing and frequent oxygen deprivation.
What a different experience with an e-MTB. The Giff was a place of enormous opportunity instead. Oodles of long-distance singletrack routes were still formidable but not impossible. I relished the sections of trail that I would normally dread. Stretches of impassable, loose rocks and tangled roots transformed into fun problems to overcome, no longer just momentum-crushing obstacles.
Long sections of narrow, exposed trails that were previously daunting hike-a-bikes became thrilling rideable challenges that put me in a positive state of sensory overload. The suffering continued–it always will–but it was much more fun. Ultimately, I discovered a place like The Giff is an ideal zone for an e-bike expedition.
The true e-MTB gift hit me after the rides though. Normally, to pedal that much under my own power alone leaves me barely able to drink my coffee in the morning, much less ride that much day after day. Thanks to the pedal-assist, my friends and I pushed our technical limits like never before, not held back by fitness alone. Yet we still had the energy to laugh and enjoy our time around the campfire in the evening, regaling each other with stories from the day’s adventures. During that week in The Giff, I covered 130+ miles and climbed 26,000 feet of elevation. Mind blown. Those kinds of statistics would have to be cut in half without an e-bike.
The experience was also a renewal of sorts, a new perspective on my bike-riding life that I never imagined. It’s inspiring when a shift like this happens, allowing you to revisit the possibilities. Making the adventure all the more extraordinarywas the ability to be there in the first place, toaccess the trails in the National Forest on thesee-MTBs. Recreation access is part of the multiuse model used by USFS to manage National Forests for the long-term health of both the land and the people who use it. Prescriptions like recreation, conservation and resource extraction all co-exist, guided by a public process. Within each of those categories, there are plans and policies that guide what can and cannot be done in particular places or situations. In The Giff, there are many miles of trails open to motorized users, including those tantalizing ribbons of singletrack we craved. Since e-bikes have access to trails designated for motorized use on the National Forest system, we were able to enjoy them. In fact, during the evening campfire sessions, we began to wonder where else we could take our bikes on similar expeditions to other public lands across the country.
It’s an exciting time for e-MTBs. With plenty of friendly policies in place and plenty of access available, the only thing left to do is re-imagine your rides. What are your possibilities? Where will those next unexpected grins and giggles erupt?
