ROARING FORK BROADCASTING COMPANY
The first of what will likely be many debates on expanding access to trails for electric mountain bike use has started in the Roaring Fork Valley.
The Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association alerted its members this week about a survey it is conducting to help the Bureau of Land Management’s Colorado River Valley field office gauge riders’ opinions on opening more trails in the region to class 1 electric, pedal-assist mountain bikes. The survey specifically seeks opinions about opening trails in the Crown Mountain/Price Creek network between Emma and Carbondale, the Lorax Trail west of Carbondale and parts of the New Castle trail network.
RFMBA’s newsletter touts it as, “the BLM eMTB survey you’ve been waiting for.”
“In advance of the BLM’s upcoming environmental assessment process, RFMBA has been asked to share the following survey questions to help gauge how use and frequency of use might change if Class 1 eMTB use is permitted in the future,” the newsletter said.
Class 1 is an electric mountain bike with pedal-assist technology, no throttle and a maximum speed of assist that tops out at 20 mph.
Steven Hall, statewide communications director for the BLM, confirmed the agency would be interested in the survey results.
“The BLM is not leading that project but, of course, it would have some potential application to the land,” he said.
Right now there is a mishmash of rules on e-bike use on public lands in the valley, often depending on the management agency. Pitkin County Open Space and Trails bans e-bike use on its routes, which include the Glassier Trail that connects to the Crown Mountain network as well as Sky Mountain Park and some trails on Smuggler Mountain. Gary Tennenbaum, director of the open space program, has acknowledged in public meetings that ebike use will have to be hashed out sometime in the future.
The White River National Forest, which includes the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District, considers ebikes a motorized use. Therefore, they are allowed only on routes open to motorized uses. The Sunnyside singletrack trail, for example, is closed to ebikes. If there are any changes to local policy by the U.S. Forest Service, it would be addressed through the Travel Management Plan, which is periodically updated, said agency spokesman David Boyd.
The BLM has the most liberal ebike policy in western Colorado and southeastern Utah. It’s made some singletrack trails that aren’t open to motorized uses open to ebikes, but some trails remain off limits. On the mid-Roaring Fork Valley’s Crown Mountain, the Buckhorn Traverse and North Porcupine Trails are open to ebikes and motorized uses. However, popular routes such as Vastern, Innie, Outie, Undie, Imperial Garden and Crown Royale are closed to ebikes.
RFMBA, the biggest cycling advocacy group in the valley, has generally walked a fine line on ebike use. Rich Grange, a rider from Carbondale and member of RFMBA’s board of directors, said the group’s sense is one-third of the membership supports expanded eMTB use; one-third is ambivalent; and one-third is opposed.
The association’s position will evolve with the views of its membership, he said, and that likely means embracing ebike use to a greater extent with time.
“They’re there,” Grange said of ebikes. “They’re being used. They’re going to continue to be used. Over time the use is going to increase.
“The Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association is an organization that wants to advocate for its members,” he added.
A segment of the group’s membership consists of dedicated, accomplished riders who can no longer ride a traditional bike as often or possibly as far as they like but still enjoy riding a few times per week, Grange said. Many of those riders will pedal their traditional bikes some days and ride their ebikes on other days.
For that reason, he questions if opening up trail use to eMTBs would increase the number of riders or increase the conflicts.
“I don’t think it’s more use. I think it’s different use,” he said.
Grange stressed that there is a very distinct difference between the ebikes veteran riders are using on singletrack trails and the ebikes riders are typically using on the Rio Grande Trail and Maroon Creek Road. Ebikes used on singletrack trails are typically used by a higher level of rider.
RFMBA is undertaking the survey and will share the results with the BLM as well as Pitkin County Open Space and Trails.
“RFMBA has been in discussion with BLM and other land managers regarding potential for allowing Class 1 eMTB access for specific trail areas,” RFMBA’s newsletter says. “Given the prevalence of bike use and in some cases, directional downhill only trails, the Crown and Prince Creek might be an appropriate place to allow this new type of use. In addition, the Lorax Trail and New Castle areas are also being considered. Adjacent land managers may also consider changes to best match BLM’s eventual decision.”
The survey is located online at rfmba.org/2024-blm-emtb-trail-access-survey/. The survey is open until March 20. Riders who don’t belong to RFMBA are welcome to participate.