A group of cyclists seen rest on a ridge in Plumas National Forest. Courtesy Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship
A recent decision by Tahoe National Forest and a proposal by the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit to open miles of mountain bike trails to Class 1 ebikes followed a two-year process that became contentious. (Class 1 ebikes provide pedal-assisted motor power and are limited to 20 mph.) Reporting that such bikes are already widely used on trails throughout the region, Tahoe Weekly's Sean McAlindin presents a thorough accounting of the process that led to this historic move—which is being monitored by land managers nationwide.
“As e-bikes explode in popularity, the phenomenon is moving faster than the laws and ethics that regulate it,” McAlindin writes. “The introduction of this new technology, along with a pandemic-propelled population surge in the Tahoe Sierra, have transformed the dynamics on the trails.”
Read “E-bike trail access expands” on Tahoe Weekly.
