Are eBikes Legal on Trails?
I have discussed the legalities of electric bikes on trails numerous times in the hallowed halls of the Trails Network Blog. So I won’t belabor the ethics & legalities of electric vehicles on public paths in this particular blog post. Here’s the bottom-line. Electric bikes are allowed on some trails and not on others. Where they are allowed, there are often very specific rules that determine the extent of their use. In most cases, pedal-assist bikes are permitted even if they aren’t technically allowed on a trail. Often times, the local authorities either:
- don’t know the rules themselves.
- have bigger fish to fry than electric bike users.
- have no idea you’re on a pedal-assisted or electric bike.
Electric Bike Producers, Sellers & Resellers
Below is a list of just some of the companies that make and/or sell electric bikes or pedal-assisted bicycles:
- iGo Electric
- Electric Bikes.com
- Gette Electric Bikes
- Just eBikes
- Kalkhoff USA
- Clean Republic Electric Bike Kits
- OptiBike in Boulder, Colorado
- Pedego Electric Bikes
- RideKick Electric Bike Trailers
- Small Planet eVehicles
Of course this is just a small but diverse sample of the many electric bike, electric personal transportation vehicles and pedal assist bicycles out there. We’ll run more electric vehicle reviews in future Trailsnet blog posts. In the meantime, leave a comment sharing your experience with electric bikes or evehicles of any kind. As you know, we’re huge fans of personal transportation vehicles… especially if they can be ridden on trails!!