As e-bike use grows, Pennsylvania looks to accommodate riders in state parks, forests

Sometimes you need a little help getting through a tough spot. That’s the idea behind e-biking in Pennsylvania.

E-bikes are pedal-assisted bicycles that have electric motors to help riders over steep terrain or to go longer distances.

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Class 1 models are legal on highways in Pennsylvania and on many bicycle trails. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is at work on new regulations that would allow this relatively new technology to be used on more trails.

“The purpose of the policy is to provide guidance for the use of e-bikes on state parks and forests,” DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said Monday in a news release about the agency's desire to update its regulations. “On the lands it manages, DCNR will allow e-bikes on trails already open to traditional bicycle usage as long as users follow some guidelines.”

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Class 1 e-bikes weigh less than 100 pounds, have pedals to power the bike and the motor does not exceed 750 watts or power the rider over 20 mph. The age restriction is 16 years old in Pennsylvania.

“Because they make outdoor recreation accessible to more people we are updating our policy to provide those opportunities on our lands, while at the same time working to limit their impacts on other visitors and on our natural places," Dunn said.

The agency welcomes written comments at [email protected]  through Aug. 31about its draft e-bike policy.

If  you do go e-biking, it’s important to check the regulations the first time you access public lands. For example, e-bikes are not permitted on state game lands managed by the Pennsylavnia Game Commission. Agency communications director Travis Lau said there was discussion a few years back about allowing them, but they were never approved.

Lindsay Baer, parks and trails director for Somerset County, manages a portion of the Great Allegheny Passage between Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. She said e-bikes along the GAP have become popular over the past couple of years. “The GAP Conservancy is actually working on a study right now to determine who uses e-bikes on our trail and what kind of e-bikes they are riding,” she said in an email.

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She believes there is confusion on which types should be allowed. For the time being, “we tell everyone that the only e-bikes allowed on our trail systems is a pedal-assisted bike with no throttle. Pedal-assisted usually top out around 20 mph, but of course the max speed limit on the trail is 15 mph.”

Craig Rosman, owner of Route 31 Bike, Board & Ski in Somerset, has been in the bicycle business for 32 years and believes e-bikes are helping more people enjoy the hobby.

He’s in his seventh year of renting and selling e-bikes.

“You don’t need any special license or permits,” he said about riding class 1 e-bikes on highways and other places people ride bicycles.

Class 2 e-bikes have a throttle. “A throttle takes away from the feel of a bike, you’re really riding a glorified moped,” he explained. Class 3 are powered by a throttle and power the bike faster than 20 mph.

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He said e-bikes are very safe but he does recommend riders to wear a helmet. “You only have one brain and it’s good to save it.”

Rossman reminds people that e-bikes are just a bicycle. “You get as much exercise as you want by limiting how often you use the power assist.” He said they have three or four power levels to help a rider conquer steeper hills.

There are many designs of class 1 e-bikes to meet budget, needs and comfort level. Some offer more power, longer battery life and improved suspension designs.

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His price points range from $1,750 to $4,000. He suggests trying a few models before making a purchase to see which model and options make sense for your needs.

There are also e-bikes to help people enjoy other outdoor hobbies.

“Every mountain bike that I get that’s electrified, within a week, is gone,” he said about hunters who like to get out there quietly and without having to pedal as much as a regular bicycle. Some models have optional trailers to haul a deer or a tree stand. “I never thought they’d buy a bike just to go hunting, but they are less noisy than an ATV. I have a waiting list for the next two that are coming in,” he said about the high interest in off-road models.

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They also are popular with anglers who are able to go fishing in streams that flow along trails.

Mountain bike models have full suspensions to help people stay comfortable on terrain and they offer more torque to help power the rider over steep hillsides.

The battery range is 20 miles to 50 miles based on the speed of travel, the type of terrain, the weight of the rider and how much a rider pedals.

The chargers work in standard household outlets. Rossman said the battery technology has advanced and they don’t have problems associated with older battery designs that needed to be fully charged between uses or that had a memory that shortened their lifespan.

People should decide on which model they want based on how far they want to go and the type of road or trails they will be riding. He has some customers who ride 35 miles on a regular basis.

What he’s discovered is that the pedal assist of an e-bike makes bicycling easier and fun for families.

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“The average e-bike customer jumps on three times as often than what they did previously to buying an e-bike. If that’s not incredible enough, they go four times farther than they used to go,” he said about the survey results from riders.

“An outing that used to be a hassle to go five or 10 miles is now a full afternoon going 25 to 40 miles getting to see our beautiful terrain,” he said.

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Brian Whipkey is the outdoors columnist for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania. Contact him at [email protected] and sign up for our weekly Go Outdoors PA newsletter email on your website's homepage under your login name. Follow him on social media @whipkeyoutdoors.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: E-bikes are becoming popular across Pennsylvania roads and parks