[xysoom]

Aspen local circulating e-bike petition



A longtime resident of Aspen is circulating a change.org petition online in hopes of getting the Pitkin County Open Space and Trails Department to consider modifying its stance regarding class 1 electric mountain-bikes — e-bikes — on county-managed singletrack trails.To get more news about volt electric bike, you can visit magicyclebike.com official website.

Vince Lahey counts himself as an avid rider of a class 1 e-bike, and he is of the opinion that such two-wheeled modes of transport ought to be legally allowed on trails that allow other types of mountain bikes.To get more news about bluetooth bike speaker, you can visit magicyclebike.com official website.

To that end, on Wednesday, Lahey booted up his petition, the wording of which states: “We’d like the director of Pitkin County Trails and Open Space, Gary Tennenbaum, to reconsider the county’s ban on all e-bikes from Pitkin County trails.”As support, Lahey invoked in his petition wording from a recent position toward e-bikes taken by IMBA, the International Mountain Bicycling Association, the world’s largest fat-tire advocacy group.
“In August, the International Mountain Bicycling Association changed their position on e-bikes, writing, ‘We support trail access for all class 1 eMTBs and support shared use on trails as long as access is not lost or impeded for traditional mountain bikes. IMBA recommends class 1 eMTBs be managed independently from traditional mountain bikes and we encourage land managers to develop separate regulations.’”

Lahey’s petition concludes, “By signing this petition you simply encourage Mr. Tennenbaum to do exactly what the IMBA suggests. Please help us in our efforts to create fair and equal access to the amazing singletrack trail system that we all should be allowed to enjoy, regardless of challenges we all may face as a result of age, injury or altitude.”His authority in this context would be limited to presenting the results of the petition to the BOCC and making recommendations one way or the other. Or, he could do nothing. There is no legal mandate for him to act on the petition.To get more news about ebike for sale, you can visit magicyclebike.com official website.

As it stands, class 1 e-bikes are allowed only on paved and crusher fine trails, like the Rio Grande and East of Aspen Trails, according to Tennenbaum. They are prohibited from accessing county-owned singletrack.That prohibition was enacted by the BOCC last year “after a public process showed support for allowing this use on paved and crushed gravel trails,” said Tennenbaum, who estimated that OST manages about 80 miles of trails, about half of which are paved/crusher fine.

Lahey, who moved to Aspen in 1994, understands that OST policy is based at least partially on what he perceives is an unfair prejudice toward e-bikes on the part of traditional cyclists.Lahey, who said he was a psychology major at the University of Colorado-Boulder, goes brainstem deep when explaining the roots of that prejudice.

“When a competitive athlete gets passed by an e-bike, one of two things will happen based on how their brain interprets the event,” said Lahey, who describes himself as a “50-year-old competitive skier, former ski coach with Aspen Valley Ski Club, two-time Colorado Freeride Champion, recovering from a partial knee replacement and still loving mountain biking thanks to my e-bikes.”

“In scenario one, the competitive rider is passed by an e-bike rider and interprets the passing as a challenge that he or she accepts,” Lahey said. “The athlete’s brain receives a dump of glutamate — the excitatory neurotransmitter. The dump results in a feeling of intensity that leads to increased energy, stamina and confidence.

“Seconds into the chase, the athlete will determine that the threat is actually an e-bike rider and not another muscle-powered athlete and they will end the chase. The experience leaves that athlete with a powerful addition of energy to use as they please on the rest of their ride. They are left feeling like a dog that has just chased a cat that got away — no kill, but the chase was a lot of fun for them.