Why do mountain bikers hate e-bikes?

The usual reasons are that it feels like cheating, that e-bikes ridden where they are banned could cost everyone trail access, and that fast e-bikes passing on narrow trails can be startling. Trail access and speed are fair concerns that riders can address with how they ride.

Are e-bikes bad for trails?

Not inherently. Heavier bikes and more laps mean more wear, but skidding and riding wet trails do far more damage than the bike type. Follow trail rules and ride the trail, not the brakes.

Are e-bike batteries dangerous?

Most fires involve cheap, uncertified batteries or chargers, damaged packs or poor charging. Use only the manufacturer’s battery and charger and never charge a damaged or wet battery.

How should e-bike riders behave on trails?

Ride only where e-bikes are allowed, use low assist around others, announce yourself early, yield to uphill riders and hikers, and log rides as e-bike rides on apps like Strava.

Why do people hate e-bikes? The real complaints, answered

The short answer

People who dislike e-bikes usually mean one of five things: that it is cheating, that e-bikes threaten trail access, that riders go too fast around others, that batteries catch fire, or that city e-bikes are ridden badly. The first is an opinion. The other four are real issues, and most of them are about riders rather than bikes.

I ride an e-MTB. This is not a defence of everyone who owns one.

1. "It's cheating"

This is the one you hear most at trailheads, and the least serious. Cheating needs a contest. On a normal ride there is none. E-bikes only become cheating when they are entered in races for unassisted bikes or logged on leaderboards as regular rides.

Underneath "cheating" is usually identity: climbing hurts, people are proud of having done it, and a motor seems to cheapen that. Fair enough as a feeling. It is not a reason anyone else should ride differently. Longer version: is riding an e-MTB cheating?

2. "They'll get trails closed"

Fair. In the US, trail access depends on land managers, and many non-motorized trails on federal land treat e-bikes as motorized. When people ride e-bikes where they are not allowed, it gives anyone who wants mountain bikes off a trail an easy argument, and everyone loses.

The fix: know the rules for each trail system and follow them, even when nobody is checking.

3. "They come up behind you too fast"

Fair. An e-MTB climbs at a speed nobody expects going uphill, and quietly. Being overtaken by one on a narrow trail can be startling, especially for hikers and horse riders.

The fix: drop to a low assist mode around other people, say hello early, and pass wide or wait. Yield to hikers and horses every time, and do not squeeze past a slower rider where there is no room.

4. "Batteries catch fire"

Partly fair. Lithium battery fires are a real problem, especially in cities, and they are mostly linked to cheap, uncertified batteries and chargers, damaged packs, and charging done badly. Mainstream e-MTBs from established brands use certified batteries and have a good safety record.

The fix: only use the manufacturer's battery and charger, never charge a damaged or wet battery, and charge somewhere you would notice a problem.

5. "City e-bikes are ridden like motorbikes"

Often fair, but a different topic. A lot of anger about "e-bikes" is about fast throttle bikes on sidewalks and in bike lanes, some of which are not legally e-bikes at all. It gets mixed up with e-MTBs on trails, which are a different machine ridden in a different place.

The fix: that one is mostly for city law and enforcement. On the trail, the fixes are the ones above.

What is not really a complaint

"E-bikes are lazy." Studies find e-bike riding is mostly moderate to vigorous exercise. Here is what they say.
"They're for people who can't ride." Plenty of very good riders use them, and plenty of people use them to keep riding after an injury or as they get older.
"They wreck trails." Weight and skidding matter, but a skidding rider on any bike does damage. Riding wet trails is the bigger issue, whatever the bike.

How to deal with the comments

Do not argue in the car park. Nobody has ever changed their mind there. Be the rider who slows down, says hello, follows the rules and helps fix the trail. That changes more minds than any argument.

And if you would rather the shirt did the talking, that is what the Watts tee is for.