Do eBikes damage trails like a dirtbike?

Sample image of Trailbike erosion.

In one word, NO. 

There are substantial differences between the two as a riding platform, both in the way they deliver power and a combination of force vectors that involve contact pressure, rider+bike weight. The trail impact damage potential they DO have comes down to how a bike is ridden. Mountain bikes are still capable of making an ecological impact on trail areas without appropriate trail design, trail armouring or riding styles suitable to the area. You can read more on that at http://flowmountainbike.com/features/please-take-the-time-to-learn/

Of equal importance is thinking about how riding needs to be done in multi-use trail areas where there may also be walkers, horses or other recreational area users (the social impact of riding). That's why we advocate for riding in line with the IMBA Rules of the Trail, and recognise the excellent guidance work of groups like Leave No Trace, who've put out specific trailbike resources which apply equally to riders of all kinds.

The following material is set out on the Stealth USA forums to explain the answers to some of the common questions that get asked about Stealth eBike riding and their trail damage potential. 

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Does the extra weight mean more damage to the trail? No. Sure the bikes weigh about 30kg more than a heavyish DH bike, but it's not the weight that leaves impression on the ground, it's the pressure (Force/Contact area). 

An average rider weighs 80kg, and a Bomber weighs 50kg.. that's 130kg. Don't ever tell me that you've not seen a 100+kg rider on the trails. So when you start doing the calculations of the actual pressure that a Bomber (with a 3" tyre) and a rider exerts on the ground compared to a 100kg rider + 12kg mtb running a 2.25" tyre, the guy on the 12kg mtb actually exerts about 11% more pressure on the trail than the guy on the Bomber. 

What about the torque? Doesn't this cause wheel spin? Think of it this way. A 100kg rider on a 175mm crank will produce around 175Nm of torque. A 250 4 stroke MX bike produces around 30Nm. That's right, a 100kg rider produces around 85% more torque when he's in his sweetspot. The problem with the a 100kg rider (or any rider for that matter) is that he/she can only produce that amount of torque when they're in the right gear, out of the saddle, with the cranks in the right position and pedaling like a demon for a very short period of time.... and they can only do it for a few seconds. A motorcycle can do it for as long as a tank of fuel lasts. But when the cylinders fire in an internal combustion engine, they produce power pulses which in turn helps the tyres to break traction. That's what causes damage to trails.

The ultra smooth output of the Brushless DC motors on the Bomber and Fighter mean that there are no power pulses. No pulses mean less likelyhood of breaking traction under acceleration.... and that means more grip. More grip = More control, more efficient riding, smoother acceleration and most importantly, less damage to the trail. 

What about the noise? At 50km/h a Stealth Electric Bike emits around 65 decibels. That's about the same sound intensity of 2 people having a normal conversation. So the wildlife doesn't mind us and neither do the bush walkers.... Providing we aren't making a nuisance of ourselves in any other way.

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Update: The guys at Flow Mountainbike magazine have been writing a good couple of articles on this exact issue, which we thought we'd include as a courtesy for more reading on the issues associated with shared trail use and the need for respectful, careful riding techniques. Thanks Flow!

• http://flowmountainbike.com/features/southwood-says-my-favorite-local-trails-arent-legal/
  
• http://flowmountainbike.com/2013/08/motorbikers-wreck-mountain-bike-park/